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FuzzyRussianHat · 07-24-2024, 12:05 PM

The Asian Baseball Federation had started operations in 1985 and grew to 24 teams in 2000 with the addition of the teams defecting from Eurasian Professional Baseball. 2009 would mark ABF’s first expansion with brand new franchises and also came with realignment. The playoff format and other structures would stay the same.

There would be one addition to each league. The West League added the Gaziantep Gorillas for a sixth Turkish team. Meanwhile, the East League added the Kabul Black Knights, adding Afghanistan to the nations with a franchise. However, ABF officials didn’t want to have two 13-team leagues. For balance, one team was switched for a 14-team East League and 12-team West League.

The squad selected was Asgabat, who had been in the West League since leaving EPB. The Alphas were geographically right in the middle between the two leagues. The move did reunite them with their former EPB division rivals and put each team from a “Stan” in the same league.

Since 2000, both leagues were without divisions for a 12-team round robin. The expansion led to both leagues splitting into two divisions. In the WL, the six Turkish teams joined a Turkish Division, leaving the five Iranian teams and Baku in the newly made Central Division.

The EL’s South Division would essentially reunite the old Pakistan League with 7 of the 8 former Members. Peshawar was the exception, joining the North Division to achieve balance. They were with the five former EPB South Division teams and the expansion Kabul squad.

Defending East League champ Karachi had the top overall record at 105-57, winning the new South Division. This extended their playoff streak to six seasons and was the Carp’s fourth straight 100+ win campaign. They had the top EL offense by a healthy margin with 750 runs, while second best was Almaty at 636. The North Division went to the Assassins at 101-61, ending a four-year stretch of losing seasons for the Almaty.

The first wild card was Rawalpindi, taking second in the South Division at 96-66. It was only the second-ever playoff berth for the Red Wings, joining their 1988 pennant. Last year’s #1 seed Hyderabad and Bishkek tied for the second wild card at 94-68. The Horned Frogs had the tiebreaker to extend their playoff streak to three years and end the Black Sox’s streak at five. Lahore’s postseason streak ended at four seasons, as they were two back at 92-70.

East League MVP was Karachi CF Ziad Tarkhan. The sixth-year righty from Pakistan led in RBI (108), total bases (346), average (.320), slugging (.595), OPS (.969), wRC +(204), and WAR (12.2). Tarkhan added 102 runs, 44 doubles, 28 home runs, and 88 stolen bases. In May, the Carp gave him a massive eight-year, $60,100,000 extension to remain a fixture for the franchise.

Almaty’s Muhammed Emir Erdemir won Pitcher of the Year in his fourth full season. He posted 5.9 WAR over 196 innings with a 1.97 ERA, 14-6 record, 270 strikeouts, and 160 ERA+. Erdemir also earned a big extension with the effort, inking for six years and $32,880,000 in the offseason.

Both division champs earned first round sweeps with Karachi over Hyderabad and Almaty over Rawalpindi. It was the third straight East League Championship Series for the Carp, while it was the first since 2004 for the Assassins. Karachi claimed back-to-back pennants and their fifth overall, besting Almaty in the ELCS 4-2.

Ankara had the West League’s top seed, winning the Turkish Division at 97-65. That was a huge turnaround for the Alouettes, as they had won fewer than 70 games in each of the last three seasons. The Central Division also had a surprise with Baku on top at 92-70. It was the first playoff berth for the Blackbirds since joining ABF, ending a drought back to the 1983 EPB season. Baku also hadn’t seen a winning record since 1985.

Isfahan was four games behind Baku, which earned the first wild card. The Imperials extended their playoff streak to four seasons. The second wild card went to two-time defending ABF champ Istanbul at 87-75, extending their playoff streak to seven seasons. The Ironmen finished four games ahead of Adana and six better than Shiraz.

Istanbul 1B Petri Viskari repeated as West League MVP. The 27-year old Finnish lefty led in hits (188), doubles (49), slugging (.609), OPS (.991), wRC+ (182), and WAR (8.3). Viskari also had 39 home runs, 113 RBI, and a .316 batting average.

Pitcher of the Year was Ankara’s Halil Yilmaz, making an impressive comeback from a torn elbow ligament that knocked him out 19 months. The 24-year old Turkish lefty led in wins at 20-10 and posted a 2.15 ERA over 239 innings, 298 strikeouts, 166 ERA+, and 6.5 WAR.

Also of note was Ananthakrishnan Khan becoming the first ABF closer to win Reliever of the Year five times. As of 2037, he’s the only one to do that. After playing six years with Peshawar, Khan had been traded for 2009 to Istanbul. The 27-year old Indian would leave for MLB for eight years before returning for a final stint in ABF.

Ankara outlasted Istanbul 3-2 in the first round of the playoffs, ending any three-peat hopes for the Ironmen. On the other side, Isfahan upset Baku 3-1. The Imperials earned repeat appearances in the West League Championship Series, while it was the Alouette’s first since 2004. The top seed prevailed with Ankara winning the series 4-2 over Isfahan. It was the second pennant for the Alouettes, joining their 2003 campaign.

The 25^th ABF Championship was guaranteed to have the 14^th unique champion. Karachi was 0-3 in their previous finals berths, including the prior season, while Ankara had lost in their only try. The Carp took the 2009 finale 4-1, finally winning it all after being a top contender for the last few years. Karachi peaked here, as they wouldn’t win the title again in the next 27 seasons.

Other notes: Sultan Davoodi threw ABF’s 14^th perfect game on April 6 for Hyderabad, striking out 14 against Multan. Izmir’s Aayush Pereira became the second ABF slugger to have a four home run game, doing it against Izmir on May 24. Catcher Amir Yskakov won his eighth Gold Glove.

For the 2000s, the Asian Baseball Federation saw a .227 batting average for the East League and .238 mark for the West League. The DH-less EL had a 3.13 ERA to the WL’s 3.51 ERA. The batting averages both graded as low on the historic scale. The EL ERA graded as low as well, while the WL was closer to average. The numbers were similar to how ABF looked in the 1990s.

07-24-2024, 12:05 PM	#1456
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,617	2009 in ABF The Asian Baseball Federation had started operations in 1985 and grew to 24 teams in 2000 with the addition of the teams defecting from Eurasian Professional Baseball. 2009 would mark ABF’s first expansion with brand new franchises and also came with realignment. The playoff format and other structures would stay the same. There would be one addition to each league. The West League added the Gaziantep Gorillas for a sixth Turkish team. Meanwhile, the East League added the Kabul Black Knights, adding Afghanistan to the nations with a franchise. However, ABF officials didn’t want to have two 13-team leagues. For balance, one team was switched for a 14-team East League and 12-team West League. The squad selected was Asgabat, who had been in the West League since leaving EPB. The Alphas were geographically right in the middle between the two leagues. The move did reunite them with their former EPB division rivals and put each team from a “Stan” in the same league. Since 2000, both leagues were without divisions for a 12-team round robin. The expansion led to both leagues splitting into two divisions. In the WL, the six Turkish teams joined a Turkish Division, leaving the five Iranian teams and Baku in the newly made Central Division. The EL’s South Division would essentially reunite the old Pakistan League with 7 of the 8 former Members. Peshawar was the exception, joining the North Division to achieve balance. They were with the five former EPB South Division teams and the expansion Kabul squad. Defending East League champ Karachi had the top overall record at 105-57, winning the new South Division. This extended their playoff streak to six seasons and was the Carp’s fourth straight 100+ win campaign. They had the top EL offense by a healthy margin with 750 runs, while second best was Almaty at 636. The North Division went to the Assassins at 101-61, ending a four-year stretch of losing seasons for the Almaty. The first wild card was Rawalpindi, taking second in the South Division at 96-66. It was only the second-ever playoff berth for the Red Wings, joining their 1988 pennant. Last year’s #1 seed Hyderabad and Bishkek tied for the second wild card at 94-68. The Horned Frogs had the tiebreaker to extend their playoff streak to three years and end the Black Sox’s streak at five. Lahore’s postseason streak ended at four seasons, as they were two back at 92-70. East League MVP was Karachi CF Ziad Tarkhan. The sixth-year righty from Pakistan led in RBI (108), total bases (346), average (.320), slugging (.595), OPS (.969), wRC +(204), and WAR (12.2). Tarkhan added 102 runs, 44 doubles, 28 home runs, and 88 stolen bases. In May, the Carp gave him a massive eight-year, $60,100,000 extension to remain a fixture for the franchise. Almaty’s Muhammed Emir Erdemir won Pitcher of the Year in his fourth full season. He posted 5.9 WAR over 196 innings with a 1.97 ERA, 14-6 record, 270 strikeouts, and 160 ERA+. Erdemir also earned a big extension with the effort, inking for six years and $32,880,000 in the offseason. Both division champs earned first round sweeps with Karachi over Hyderabad and Almaty over Rawalpindi. It was the third straight East League Championship Series for the Carp, while it was the first since 2004 for the Assassins. Karachi claimed back-to-back pennants and their fifth overall, besting Almaty in the ELCS 4-2. Ankara had the West League’s top seed, winning the Turkish Division at 97-65. That was a huge turnaround for the Alouettes, as they had won fewer than 70 games in each of the last three seasons. The Central Division also had a surprise with Baku on top at 92-70. It was the first playoff berth for the Blackbirds since joining ABF, ending a drought back to the 1983 EPB season. Baku also hadn’t seen a winning record since 1985. Isfahan was four games behind Baku, which earned the first wild card. The Imperials extended their playoff streak to four seasons. The second wild card went to two-time defending ABF champ Istanbul at 87-75, extending their playoff streak to seven seasons. The Ironmen finished four games ahead of Adana and six better than Shiraz. Istanbul 1B Petri Viskari repeated as West League MVP. The 27-year old Finnish lefty led in hits (188), doubles (49), slugging (.609), OPS (.991), wRC+ (182), and WAR (8.3). Viskari also had 39 home runs, 113 RBI, and a .316 batting average. Pitcher of the Year was Ankara’s Halil Yilmaz, making an impressive comeback from a torn elbow ligament that knocked him out 19 months. The 24-year old Turkish lefty led in wins at 20-10 and posted a 2.15 ERA over 239 innings, 298 strikeouts, 166 ERA+, and 6.5 WAR. Also of note was Ananthakrishnan Khan becoming the first ABF closer to win Reliever of the Year five times. As of 2037, he’s the only one to do that. After playing six years with Peshawar, Khan had been traded for 2009 to Istanbul. The 27-year old Indian would leave for MLB for eight years before returning for a final stint in ABF. Ankara outlasted Istanbul 3-2 in the first round of the playoffs, ending any three-peat hopes for the Ironmen. On the other side, Isfahan upset Baku 3-1. The Imperials earned repeat appearances in the West League Championship Series, while it was the Alouette’s first since 2004. The top seed prevailed with Ankara winning the series 4-2 over Isfahan. It was the second pennant for the Alouettes, joining their 2003 campaign. The 25^th ABF Championship was guaranteed to have the 14^th unique champion. Karachi was 0-3 in their previous finals berths, including the prior season, while Ankara had lost in their only try. The Carp took the 2009 finale 4-1, finally winning it all after being a top contender for the last few years. Karachi peaked here, as they wouldn’t win the title again in the next 27 seasons. Other notes: Sultan Davoodi threw ABF’s 14^th perfect game on April 6 for Hyderabad, striking out 14 against Multan. Izmir’s Aayush Pereira became the second ABF slugger to have a four home run game, doing it against Izmir on May 24. Catcher Amir Yskakov won his eighth Gold Glove. For the 2000s, the Asian Baseball Federation saw a .227 batting average for the East League and .238 mark for the West League. The DH-less EL had a 3.13 ERA to the WL’s 3.51 ERA. The batting averages both graded as low on the historic scale. The EL ERA graded as low as well, while the WL was closer to average. The numbers were similar to how ABF looked in the 1990s. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)