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FuzzyRussianHat · 11-12-2024, 06:27 AM

Hyderabad won the Indian League’s South Division for the third straight year. At 99-63, the Hippos also secured the #1 seed for the first time in franchise history. Nagpur was ten back in the division at 89-73, but that was good enough for the wild card. It was the first-ever playoff berth for the Patriots, who joined South Asia Baseball in the 2004 expansion.

Defending IL champ Kanpur won the Central Division at 96-66, growing their playoff streak to four seasons. Next was Lucknow at 88-74, who fell one game short of fellow expansion team Nagpur for the wild card. Kolkata also fell shy at 85-77, but grew their streak of winning seasons to 12 years. Mumbai took the West Division for the fifth year in a row. At 90-72, the Meteors were six games ahead of Surat.

Ahmedabad was a non-factor at 78-84, but they had the Indian League’s MVP Abhiji Srivas. The 23-year old Indian left fielder led in runs (128), total bases (396), triple slash (.359/.426/.690), OPS (1.116), wRC+ (227), and WAR (11.8). Srivas added 206 hits, 41 home runs, and 107 RBI.

Lucknow’s Charan Asoka was the ninth different Pitcher of the Year in nine years. The 29-year old Indian righty led in ERA (2.10) and WHIP (0.85). Asoka added a 15-9 record, 189 innings, 279 strikeouts, 172 ERA+, and 6.7 WAR. Also worth a mention was Surat’s Raj Puri, who achieved the rare feat of winning both Rookie of the Year and Reliever of the Year. Puri had a 1.36 ERA and 37 saves with 3.7 WAR.

Hyderabad defeated Nagpur 3-1 and Kanpur topped Mumbai 3-1 in the first round of the playoffs, setting up a rematch in the Indian League Championship Series. This time, the Hippos had home field advantage, but it didn’t matter a lick. The Poison pounded Hyderabad with a 4-0 sweep to repeat as IL champs. It was Kanpur’s fifth pennant overall (1988, 1993, 2007, 2017, 2018).

Reigning South Asia Baseball champion Yangon had the Southeast Asia League’s top record at 107-55 and made world history. The Green Dragons earned their 24^th consecutive playoff berth, passing Ahmedabad and Ho Chi Minh City’s SAB-record 23 season run. Yangon tied Minsk of Eurasian Professional Baseball (1981-04) for the longest playoff streak in any world league. The Green Dragons won the South Division title for their 18^th division title of the playoff streak. Yangon was also dominant again in SEAL, leading in runs scored (809) and fewest allowed (530).

The next best records in the league were also in the South Division with Colombo (93-69) and Vientiane (91-71) getting the wild cards. The Vampires earned their third straight playoff berth and their sixth in seven years. For the Catfish, this was their first-ever playoff berth since joining SAB in the 2008 expansion.

Mandalay earned repeat playoff berths by winning the North Division at 88-74. It was only the second-ever division title by the Mammoths (1981), beating out 84-78 efforts by Hanoi and Chittagong and an 83-79 Dhaka. The Hounds saw their six-year division title streak and their 13-year playoff streak both snapped, although they posted their 16^th straight winning season.

Southeast Asia League MVP went to Hai Phong left fielder Rahul Anand. The 23-year old Indian lefty led in total bases (391), OBP (.413), slugging (.671), OPS (1.083), wRC+ (189), and WAR (9.3). Anand added 48 home runs, 132 RBI, and 11 runs. The expansion Prowlers hoped Anand would lead them to their first successes, giving him an eight-year, $95,800,000 extension in July 2019.

Huynh Pham joined Zainal bin Aziz as the only five-time Pitcher of the Year winners in SAB history. The 31-year old two-way Vietnamese superstar had won his first four POTYs with Vientiane, who signed him to a six-year, $54,000,000 extension in October 2017. Shockingly one month later, the Vampires traded him to division rival Yangon for prospects RF Jaivira Kanjam and SP Noor Choudhari. Considering Pham’s popularity and success, it was a jaw-dropping move.

In his Green Dragons debut, Pham led SEAL in ERA (1.85), WHIP (0.95), quality starts (25), and WAR (5.7). He added a 17-2 record over 224.1 innings, 258 strikeouts, and 214 ERA+. Unlike Vientiane, Yangon didn’t use Pham as a two-way starter, although he still posted a 1.040 OPS and 0.9 WAR in 54 plate appearances.

Despite the Green Dragons acquiring Pham, the Vampires shocked the defending champs with a road sweep in the first round of the playoffs. On the other side, Mandalay won a 3-2 classic over Colombo. This guaranteed a first-time pennant winner in the Southeast Asia League Championship. Vientiane had lost in the 1992, 2013, and 2016 LCS, while the Mammoths’ only berth was in the inaugural 1980 season. Mandalay prevailed 4-2 to advance to the 39^th South Asia Baseball Championship.

In 2017, Kanpur was swept by Yangon and wanted to avoid a similar fate. The 2018 final was yet another dramatic battle, becoming the fourth time in five years that the SAB Championship went all seven games and ended wither with a walkoff or in extra innings. The Poison outlasted Mandalay 4-3 to earn their second SAB title (1988).

In game seven, it was veteran catcher Emjay Anuha who had the walkoff RBI single to win it 2-1 for Kanpur in the ninth. The real playoff hero though was LF Kasi Kumar, who won LCS and finals MVP. The 36-year old lefty signed with Kanpur in 2018 after a 14-year run with Visakhapatnam. In 15 playoff starts, Kumar had 21 hits, 13 runs, 6 doubles, 2 triples, 3 homers, and 15 RBI with a 1.093 OPS. He also had a game-winning two run homer in the 12^th inning for a 2-0 final back in game one.

Other notes: Hanoi’s Majed Darwish became the new SAB home run king with 974, passing Tirtha Upadhyaya’s 973 by one. This put the 35-year old Bahraini second in pro baseball history and 99 homers away from the world record 1073 by Arab League legend Nordine Soule. Darwish also passed Davavesman Toppo and Upadhyaya to become SAB’s RBI leader at 2316. For Darwish, he posted his 14^th consecutive 50+ home run season, although his streak of 150+ RBI seasons ended at 11. He was one season shy of Soule’s 15 seasons with 50+ dingers.

Darwish and Ratan Canduri both scored their 2000^th run in 2018. Canduri became SAB’s new all-time runs leader at 2072, passing Manju Abbas’ 2057 with Darwish at 2033. To this point, only 16 players in world baseball history had scored 2000 runs. After racking up awards as a DH, Darwish’s 12^th Silver Slugger was his first as a first baseman. He joined V.J. Williams and Upadhyaya as SAB’s only 12-time Slugger winners at any position.

2018 was the final season for Devavesman Toppo, playing one year with Kolkata after a 20-year tenure with Hanoi. Toppo finished with 2967 hits, 1918 runs, 953 home runs, 2226 RBI, and 129.3 WAR. As of 2037, Toppo’s SAB rankings are 3^rd in RBI, 4^th in homers, 5^th in runs, 9^th in hits, and 9^th in WAR among position players.

In other hitting milestones, Kumar Clark reached 500 home runs, 2500 hits, and 1500 RBI. Asim Anuha also breached 1500 RBI, Chris Saandeep got to 1500 runs scored, and Prajwal Adhikari got to 2500 hits. Chittagong’s Sokha Khem set the SAB single-season record with 34 triples, beating Saadi Baluch’s 31 from 2009. This remains the SAB record as of 2037.

In pitching milestones, Jay Singh became SAB’s strikeout king, finishing the season at 4634 to pass Zainal bin Aziz’s top mark of 4483. Singh remains the SAB strikeout leader as of 2037. Ariffin Sapri became the 10^th to reach 3500 strikeouts. Seyha San became the fifth to 400 career saves. 2018 was notably the first season since 2010 without a no-hitter. SAB wouldn’t have another no-no until 2021.

11-12-2024, 06:27 AM	#1786
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,734	2018 in SAB Hyderabad won the Indian League’s South Division for the third straight year. At 99-63, the Hippos also secured the #1 seed for the first time in franchise history. Nagpur was ten back in the division at 89-73, but that was good enough for the wild card. It was the first-ever playoff berth for the Patriots, who joined South Asia Baseball in the 2004 expansion. Defending IL champ Kanpur won the Central Division at 96-66, growing their playoff streak to four seasons. Next was Lucknow at 88-74, who fell one game short of fellow expansion team Nagpur for the wild card. Kolkata also fell shy at 85-77, but grew their streak of winning seasons to 12 years. Mumbai took the West Division for the fifth year in a row. At 90-72, the Meteors were six games ahead of Surat. Ahmedabad was a non-factor at 78-84, but they had the Indian League’s MVP Abhiji Srivas. The 23-year old Indian left fielder led in runs (128), total bases (396), triple slash (.359/.426/.690), OPS (1.116), wRC+ (227), and WAR (11.8). Srivas added 206 hits, 41 home runs, and 107 RBI. Lucknow’s Charan Asoka was the ninth different Pitcher of the Year in nine years. The 29-year old Indian righty led in ERA (2.10) and WHIP (0.85). Asoka added a 15-9 record, 189 innings, 279 strikeouts, 172 ERA+, and 6.7 WAR. Also worth a mention was Surat’s Raj Puri, who achieved the rare feat of winning both Rookie of the Year and Reliever of the Year. Puri had a 1.36 ERA and 37 saves with 3.7 WAR. Hyderabad defeated Nagpur 3-1 and Kanpur topped Mumbai 3-1 in the first round of the playoffs, setting up a rematch in the Indian League Championship Series. This time, the Hippos had home field advantage, but it didn’t matter a lick. The Poison pounded Hyderabad with a 4-0 sweep to repeat as IL champs. It was Kanpur’s fifth pennant overall (1988, 1993, 2007, 2017, 2018). Reigning South Asia Baseball champion Yangon had the Southeast Asia League’s top record at 107-55 and made world history. The Green Dragons earned their 24^th consecutive playoff berth, passing Ahmedabad and Ho Chi Minh City’s SAB-record 23 season run. Yangon tied Minsk of Eurasian Professional Baseball (1981-04) for the longest playoff streak in any world league. The Green Dragons won the South Division title for their 18^th division title of the playoff streak. Yangon was also dominant again in SEAL, leading in runs scored (809) and fewest allowed (530). The next best records in the league were also in the South Division with Colombo (93-69) and Vientiane (91-71) getting the wild cards. The Vampires earned their third straight playoff berth and their sixth in seven years. For the Catfish, this was their first-ever playoff berth since joining SAB in the 2008 expansion. Mandalay earned repeat playoff berths by winning the North Division at 88-74. It was only the second-ever division title by the Mammoths (1981), beating out 84-78 efforts by Hanoi and Chittagong and an 83-79 Dhaka. The Hounds saw their six-year division title streak and their 13-year playoff streak both snapped, although they posted their 16^th straight winning season. Southeast Asia League MVP went to Hai Phong left fielder Rahul Anand. The 23-year old Indian lefty led in total bases (391), OBP (.413), slugging (.671), OPS (1.083), wRC+ (189), and WAR (9.3). Anand added 48 home runs, 132 RBI, and 11 runs. The expansion Prowlers hoped Anand would lead them to their first successes, giving him an eight-year, $95,800,000 extension in July 2019. Huynh Pham joined Zainal bin Aziz as the only five-time Pitcher of the Year winners in SAB history. The 31-year old two-way Vietnamese superstar had won his first four POTYs with Vientiane, who signed him to a six-year, $54,000,000 extension in October 2017. Shockingly one month later, the Vampires traded him to division rival Yangon for prospects RF Jaivira Kanjam and SP Noor Choudhari. Considering Pham’s popularity and success, it was a jaw-dropping move. In his Green Dragons debut, Pham led SEAL in ERA (1.85), WHIP (0.95), quality starts (25), and WAR (5.7). He added a 17-2 record over 224.1 innings, 258 strikeouts, and 214 ERA+. Unlike Vientiane, Yangon didn’t use Pham as a two-way starter, although he still posted a 1.040 OPS and 0.9 WAR in 54 plate appearances. Despite the Green Dragons acquiring Pham, the Vampires shocked the defending champs with a road sweep in the first round of the playoffs. On the other side, Mandalay won a 3-2 classic over Colombo. This guaranteed a first-time pennant winner in the Southeast Asia League Championship. Vientiane had lost in the 1992, 2013, and 2016 LCS, while the Mammoths’ only berth was in the inaugural 1980 season. Mandalay prevailed 4-2 to advance to the 39^th South Asia Baseball Championship. In 2017, Kanpur was swept by Yangon and wanted to avoid a similar fate. The 2018 final was yet another dramatic battle, becoming the fourth time in five years that the SAB Championship went all seven games and ended wither with a walkoff or in extra innings. The Poison outlasted Mandalay 4-3 to earn their second SAB title (1988). In game seven, it was veteran catcher Emjay Anuha who had the walkoff RBI single to win it 2-1 for Kanpur in the ninth. The real playoff hero though was LF Kasi Kumar, who won LCS and finals MVP. The 36-year old lefty signed with Kanpur in 2018 after a 14-year run with Visakhapatnam. In 15 playoff starts, Kumar had 21 hits, 13 runs, 6 doubles, 2 triples, 3 homers, and 15 RBI with a 1.093 OPS. He also had a game-winning two run homer in the 12^th inning for a 2-0 final back in game one. Other notes: Hanoi’s Majed Darwish became the new SAB home run king with 974, passing Tirtha Upadhyaya’s 973 by one. This put the 35-year old Bahraini second in pro baseball history and 99 homers away from the world record 1073 by Arab League legend Nordine Soule. Darwish also passed Davavesman Toppo and Upadhyaya to become SAB’s RBI leader at 2316. For Darwish, he posted his 14^th consecutive 50+ home run season, although his streak of 150+ RBI seasons ended at 11. He was one season shy of Soule’s 15 seasons with 50+ dingers. Darwish and Ratan Canduri both scored their 2000^th run in 2018. Canduri became SAB’s new all-time runs leader at 2072, passing Manju Abbas’ 2057 with Darwish at 2033. To this point, only 16 players in world baseball history had scored 2000 runs. After racking up awards as a DH, Darwish’s 12^th Silver Slugger was his first as a first baseman. He joined V.J. Williams and Upadhyaya as SAB’s only 12-time Slugger winners at any position. 2018 was the final season for Devavesman Toppo, playing one year with Kolkata after a 20-year tenure with Hanoi. Toppo finished with 2967 hits, 1918 runs, 953 home runs, 2226 RBI, and 129.3 WAR. As of 2037, Toppo’s SAB rankings are 3^rd in RBI, 4^th in homers, 5^th in runs, 9^th in hits, and 9^th in WAR among position players. In other hitting milestones, Kumar Clark reached 500 home runs, 2500 hits, and 1500 RBI. Asim Anuha also breached 1500 RBI, Chris Saandeep got to 1500 runs scored, and Prajwal Adhikari got to 2500 hits. Chittagong’s Sokha Khem set the SAB single-season record with 34 triples, beating Saadi Baluch’s 31 from 2009. This remains the SAB record as of 2037. In pitching milestones, Jay Singh became SAB’s strikeout king, finishing the season at 4634 to pass Zainal bin Aziz’s top mark of 4483. Singh remains the SAB strikeout leader as of 2037. Ariffin Sapri became the 10^th to reach 3500 strikeouts. Seyha San became the fifth to 400 career saves. 2018 was notably the first season since 2010 without a no-hitter. SAB wouldn’t have another no-no until 2021. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports The Level Playing Field: Alternate MLB History From 1884-Onward Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)