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Austronesia Professional Baseball added pitcher Hadi Ningsih into the Hall of Fame as the lone 2004 inductee, earning a slam dunk first-ballot nod at 98.5%. Closer Hong Quinonez barely missed the 66% requirement with 64.3% on his eighth try. Another reliever, Wen-Yang Kuo, had 59.5% in his debut. SP Jung-Hua Liu was the only other player above 50%, getting 54.3% on his sixth try. No player was dropped after ten failed ballots.



Hadi Ningsih – Starting Pitcher – Jakarta Jaguars - 98.5% First Ballot

Hadi Ningsih was a 6’4’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Bandung, Indonesia; the country’s second-largest city. In his prime, Ningsih had outstanding pinpoint control, great movement, and strong stuff. He thrived despite having 93-95 mph peak velocity on his fastball. Ningsih was a master at changing speeds and fooling you with his curveball and changeup. He had weak stamina relative to most other elite starters in APB. Ningsih was great at holding runners and between that and his control, he was terrific at stranding baserunners.

Ningsih was considered very durable and managed to go most of his career without significant injury. Even with relatively few complete games compared to other APB aces, he still reliably gave you 200+ innings in all of his full-time seasons as a starter. Ningsih was a hard worker, but some thought he could be thick-headed. He ended up being a beloved franchise icon in Jakarta and one of Indonesia’s favorite baseball sons.

Ningsih signed as a teenage amateur in late 1973 with the Jaguars, where he’d spend his entire professional career. Despite his outstanding final resume, Ningsih wasn’t an overnight success. He didn’t debut until 1979 at age 22 and even then, he was unremarkable. In his earliest days, Ningsih’s control and stuff were considered just okay, although most agreed the potential was there. Between that and his below average stamina, Ningsih would be a bullpen piece for the first five years of his career.

Ningsih saw very little use in 1979 and 1980, but became a more regular part of the middle relief from 1981-83. He looked good in the small sample size, but some thought this would be his peak. Jakarta would start to contend in the early 1980s, winning the Sundaland Association pennant in 1982. They made the playoffs again in 1983, but were ousted in the Association final by Medan.

In 1984, Jakarta finally decided to move the now 27-year old Ningsih into the rotation full-time. He delivered immediately with a 9.1 WAR season, 371 strikeouts, and a SA-best 19 wins. This season also saw a no-hitter on August 12 with 13 strikeouts against Surabaya. The Jaguars narrowly missed the playoffs, but they had an ace on their hands.

From 1985-88, Ningsih led each season in WAR with 10+. He led in ERA twice, strikeouts twice, WHIP twice, K/BB thrice, FIP- four times, and quality starts once. 1987 was a banner year with career bests in wins (24-5), ERA (0.94), strikeouts (408), WHIP (0.61), and WAR (14.1). The ERA mark at that point was the second-lowest in APB history by a qualifying starter and still ranks sixth as of 2037. At the time, it was also the sixth-best WAR every by a pitcher in a season. 1987 also had a perfect game on April 5 with 12 strikeouts against Palembang. That earned Ningsih his first Pitcher of the Year and also MVP honors.

As remarkable as that stretch was, Ningsih was second in POTY voting in 1985, 1986, and wasn’t a finalist in 1988. It helped kick off a mini-dynasty for Jakarta, who had four playoff berths in five years. They won the Austronesia Championship in 1985 and lost the final in 1986, both to Manila. The Jaguars had 100+ wins in 1987 and 1989, but both times were upset by Medan in the SAC.

Jakarta wisely gave Ningsih a five-year, $5,760,000 extension before the 1987 season, then another three-year, $3,900,000 extension after the 1992 campaign. His game aged incredibly well as his control only got better. From age 32 to 39, he led thrice more in ERA, twice in wins, thrice in WHIP, four times in K/BB, four times in FIP, and once in WAR. Ningsih also had seven seasons worth 8+ WAR.

Jakarta missed the playoffs in 1990 and 1991, but won back-to-back APB titles in 1992 and 1993. In his playoff career, Ningsih had a 1.72 ERA over 120.1 innings, 6-5 record, 181 strikeouts, 140 ERA+, 34 FIP-, and 6.2 WAR. His 1992 postseason was especially impressive, allowing one run in 27.2 innings with 45 strikeouts.

Ningsih also started pitching for Indonesia in the World Baseball Championship in 1986, becoming a beloved national star. From 1986-97, he had 234.1 innings with a 20-7 record, 2.77 ERA, 278 strikeouts, 45 walks, 133 ERA+, and 7.4 WAR. As of 2037, he’s tied for the most wins by an Indonesian pitcher in the WBC and sits second in innings pitched, second in WAR, and fourth in strikeouts.

Ningsih won his second Pitcher of the Year in 1989 and his third in 1992. 1992 also saw his lone Silver Slugger with a .300/.300/.329 slash that year. He was second in 1991 voting, second in 1993, third in 1994, and second in 1996. At 39 years old in 1996, Ningsih had an incredible 0.98 ERA and 10.6 WAR. He became the first starting pitcher in any world league to have multiple qualifying seasons with a sub-one ERA. As of 2037, only one other would join him in that club.

Ningsih had signed another two-year extension after the 1995 season worth $4,240,000 and another two years for $5,520,000 after the 1996 campaign. Jakarta had remained above .500 for four seasons after their 1992-93 titles, but finally fell into mediocrity with the 1998 campaign. After his stellar 1996, Ningsih had a merely good 1997. Every year as a starter he had struck out 298 or more batters, but he only got 199 that year.

1998 would be the swan song for Ningsih. He would catch and pass Dave Hermillo’s 269 wins to become the all-time APB leader. Ningsih also became the third member of the 5000 strikeout club. However, he was only a part-time starter in this season as his stuff had diminished notably. Ningsih retired that winter at age 41 and immediately his #36 uniform was retired as a beloved franchise icon.

The career stats for Ningsih: 277-133 record, 1.57 ERA, 3929 innings, 5021 strikeouts, 409 walks, a 12.3 K/BB, 0.77 WHIP, 401/454 quality starts, 160 ERA+, 49 FIP-, and 144.5 WAR. Ningsih had the best ERA of any Hall of Fame starter when inducted and would only get bested once in the next 30 years.

Ningsih was the WARlord (144.5) and wins leader (277) for pitchers at retirement. As of 2037, only Ching-Chen Yao has bested him in WAR and only Gosner Rahmawati beat him for wins. He’s sixth in strikeouts and is the only pitcher in any world league to have 5000+ career strikeouts and also fewer than 450 walks. Ningsih is certainly in the conversation for APB’s pitching Mount Rushmore. He certainly deserved to stand alone in the 2004 Hall of Fame class at 98.5%.