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FuzzyRussianHat · 01-16-2025, 05:29 PM

The Indian League was captivated by an incredible three-team battle in the Central Division with the #1 seed and first wild card on the line. After trading the lead back-and-forth, Kolkata and Delhi finished tied at 102-60 with Jaipur one back at 101-61. In a one-game tiebreaker, the Cosmos defeated the Drillers to take the division and the #1 seed.

Kolkata’s playoff streak grew to three and Delhi’s to four as they got the first wild card. The Jokers became the first-ever 100+ win team in South Asia Baseball history to miss the playoffs. Jaipur allowed the fewest runs in the IL at 538 while Delhi scored the most at 779.

Visakhapatnam won the South Division at 96-66 to end an eight-year playoff drought, while last year’s division winner Hyderabad was six back at 90-72. In a weak West Division, Pune (85-77) prevailed as the only team above .500. Ahmedabad was second at 79-83 and defending IL champ Mumbai was 78-84. The Purple Knights earned their fourth playoff appearance in five seasons.

A competitive battle for Indian League MVP went to Delhi RF Rahul Gonzales. After eight seasons between Hyderabad and Da Nang, he signed with the Drillers for 2023. Gonzales led in hits (213) and OBP (.422) while adding 112 runs, 25 homers, 106 RBI 1.011 OPS, 187 wRC+, and 8.7 WAR. He only stayed two years of his five year deal with Delhi before opting out for another free agent deal with expansion Patna.

Also worth a mention was Jaipur CF Trong Tran, who won Rookie of the Year and led in WAR (8.7) and slugging (.657). He set a new rookie for WAR by a ROTY winner, but surprisingly wasn’t in the MVP top three. Kolkata’s Duong Nguyen was in the mix with a league best 62 homers and 144 RBI.

Delhi’s Amir Kapur repeated as Pitcher of the Year, again leading in ERA (2.26) and WAR (7.0). The 27-year old Indian righty also led in WHIP (0.87) and FIP- (59). Kapur had a 15-4 record, 10 saves, 320 strikeouts, and 170 ERA+ in 206.2 innings.

By winning the tiebreaker, Kolkata got home field against Delhi in the first round as the wild card always met the #1 seed. The Cosmos survived a fierce challenge 3-2 from the Drillers, earning their first Indian League Championship Series trip since their 2014 title. On the other side, Visakhapatnam outlasted Pune 3-2. The Volts also last got to the ILCS in 2014 with their only pennants coming in 2012 and 2013. Visakhapatnam upset Kolkata 4-2 to claim their third Indian League title, getting some revenge for the 2014 defeat.

Dhaka dominated the Southeast Asia League standings at 108-54 to grow their playoff streak to three, although the Dobermans hadn’t been North Division champs since 2011. Dhaka led SEAL in both runs scored (868) and fewest allowed (579). Da Nang secured the South Division at 101-61, their third division title in four years. Reigning SAB champ Yangon was four back at 97-65, getting the first wild card and extending their world record playoff streak to 29 seasons.

Hanoi was 96-66 with an eight game gap to their closest wild card foes in Ho Chi Minh City, Vientiane, and Khulna each at 88-74. The Claws are still the only SAB expansion team without a playoff berth, although 88 wins was a new franchise best. The Hounds ended a five-year playoff drought, while the Vampires missed for only the third time since 2012. Hai Phong, who had won three straight North Division titles, limped to 75-87.

Southeast Asia League MVP went to DH Arav Walif in his Dhaka debut. The 28-year old Indian signed with the Dobermans to an eight-year, $130,400,000 deal after his previous time with Bengaluru and Da Nang. Walif led in hits (211), total bases (395), slugging (.628), OPS (1.012), and wRC+ (170). He had 6.0 WAR, 45 home runs, 119 RBI, and a .335 average.

Another free agent acquisition was Pitcher of the Year with Hong Thanh Chung in his Hanoi debut. He had been respectable in nine years with Surat and signed a modest five-year, $19,600,000 deal with the Hounds. The 29-year old Vietnamese righty broke out by leading in wins (24-4), innings (255.2), complete games (12), and shutouts (4). Chung had a 2.68 ERA, 337 strikeouts, 151 ERA+, and 7.8 WAR.

Dhaka rolled Hanoi for a first round sweep while Da Nang ousted defending champ Yangon 3-1, setting up a rematch of the 2021 Southeast Asia League Championship. The home field was switched from that encounter, but the victor was the same. The 2023 battle was a seven game classic that came down to the final at-bat with the Dobermans winning 8-7 on a walk-off, the first-ever walk-off final for the SEAL Championship. Dhaka became seven-time league champs with the win.

In the 44^th South Asia Baseball Championship, Visakhapatnam claimed their first overall title with a 4-2 upset win over Dhaka. The Volts became the 15^th SAB franchise to win it all and the 9^th of the Indian League’s original 12 teams. 1B Borey Horn was finals MVP in his sixth and final year with Visakhapatnam. The 28-year old Cambodian in 17 playoff starts had 16 hits, 10 runs, 6 home runs, and 16 RBI. Horn used that run to cash in for a five-year, $61.9 million deal in the offseason with Ho Chi Minh City.

Other notes: 2023 had marked a major change for world home run and RBI king Majed Darwish, signing with Da Nang after two decades with Hanoi. At age 40, the Bahraini switch hitter led for the 11^th time in home runs (49) and the 13^th time in RBI (146). Darwish’s homer world record increased to 1172 and his RBI world record grew to 2801.

Darwish also became the new world league in runs scored, getting 110 more and finishing the season at 2476. He passed CABA/MLB legend Prometheo Garcia’s 2374, which had been the high mark since 1968. Darwish was now at 165.5, an especially incredible mark considering how much time he’s spent at DH. This put him in striking distance of Ratan Canduri’s 169.1 for the SAB WARlord title.

Darwish also had a 31-game hit streak in 2023, tied for the second-longest in SAB to that point. Abhiji Srivas had the top mark with 35 games in 2019. Additionally, Darwish earned his 13^th Silver Slugger, although it was only his second at first base. He had ten as a DH and one in left field. Darwish joined V.J. Williams as the only SAB players with 13 Silver Sluggers at any position. 3B Yasir Malkawi won his 11^th Silver Slugger, setting a position record.

In pitching milestones, Tamin Hasan wrapped his career at 4558 strikeouts, passing Zainal bin Aziz (4483) for the #2 spot. He remained second to Jay Singh’s 5000 exactly for the top mark. Devidasa Anantya and Harpal Kumaragupta were the 14^th and 15^th to reach 3500 strikeouts. Kywe Lwin was the 13^th to reach 300 saves. CF Omer al-Jabiri won his 8^th Gold Glove.

01-16-2025, 05:29 PM	#1983
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,896	2023 in SAB The Indian League was captivated by an incredible three-team battle in the Central Division with the #1 seed and first wild card on the line. After trading the lead back-and-forth, Kolkata and Delhi finished tied at 102-60 with Jaipur one back at 101-61. In a one-game tiebreaker, the Cosmos defeated the Drillers to take the division and the #1 seed. Kolkata’s playoff streak grew to three and Delhi’s to four as they got the first wild card. The Jokers became the first-ever 100+ win team in South Asia Baseball history to miss the playoffs. Jaipur allowed the fewest runs in the IL at 538 while Delhi scored the most at 779. Visakhapatnam won the South Division at 96-66 to end an eight-year playoff drought, while last year’s division winner Hyderabad was six back at 90-72. In a weak West Division, Pune (85-77) prevailed as the only team above .500. Ahmedabad was second at 79-83 and defending IL champ Mumbai was 78-84. The Purple Knights earned their fourth playoff appearance in five seasons. A competitive battle for Indian League MVP went to Delhi RF Rahul Gonzales. After eight seasons between Hyderabad and Da Nang, he signed with the Drillers for 2023. Gonzales led in hits (213) and OBP (.422) while adding 112 runs, 25 homers, 106 RBI 1.011 OPS, 187 wRC+, and 8.7 WAR. He only stayed two years of his five year deal with Delhi before opting out for another free agent deal with expansion Patna. Also worth a mention was Jaipur CF Trong Tran, who won Rookie of the Year and led in WAR (8.7) and slugging (.657). He set a new rookie for WAR by a ROTY winner, but surprisingly wasn’t in the MVP top three. Kolkata’s Duong Nguyen was in the mix with a league best 62 homers and 144 RBI. Delhi’s Amir Kapur repeated as Pitcher of the Year, again leading in ERA (2.26) and WAR (7.0). The 27-year old Indian righty also led in WHIP (0.87) and FIP- (59). Kapur had a 15-4 record, 10 saves, 320 strikeouts, and 170 ERA+ in 206.2 innings. By winning the tiebreaker, Kolkata got home field against Delhi in the first round as the wild card always met the #1 seed. The Cosmos survived a fierce challenge 3-2 from the Drillers, earning their first Indian League Championship Series trip since their 2014 title. On the other side, Visakhapatnam outlasted Pune 3-2. The Volts also last got to the ILCS in 2014 with their only pennants coming in 2012 and 2013. Visakhapatnam upset Kolkata 4-2 to claim their third Indian League title, getting some revenge for the 2014 defeat. Dhaka dominated the Southeast Asia League standings at 108-54 to grow their playoff streak to three, although the Dobermans hadn’t been North Division champs since 2011. Dhaka led SEAL in both runs scored (868) and fewest allowed (579). Da Nang secured the South Division at 101-61, their third division title in four years. Reigning SAB champ Yangon was four back at 97-65, getting the first wild card and extending their world record playoff streak to 29 seasons. Hanoi was 96-66 with an eight game gap to their closest wild card foes in Ho Chi Minh City, Vientiane, and Khulna each at 88-74. The Claws are still the only SAB expansion team without a playoff berth, although 88 wins was a new franchise best. The Hounds ended a five-year playoff drought, while the Vampires missed for only the third time since 2012. Hai Phong, who had won three straight North Division titles, limped to 75-87. Southeast Asia League MVP went to DH Arav Walif in his Dhaka debut. The 28-year old Indian signed with the Dobermans to an eight-year, $130,400,000 deal after his previous time with Bengaluru and Da Nang. Walif led in hits (211), total bases (395), slugging (.628), OPS (1.012), and wRC+ (170). He had 6.0 WAR, 45 home runs, 119 RBI, and a .335 average. Another free agent acquisition was Pitcher of the Year with Hong Thanh Chung in his Hanoi debut. He had been respectable in nine years with Surat and signed a modest five-year, $19,600,000 deal with the Hounds. The 29-year old Vietnamese righty broke out by leading in wins (24-4), innings (255.2), complete games (12), and shutouts (4). Chung had a 2.68 ERA, 337 strikeouts, 151 ERA+, and 7.8 WAR. Dhaka rolled Hanoi for a first round sweep while Da Nang ousted defending champ Yangon 3-1, setting up a rematch of the 2021 Southeast Asia League Championship. The home field was switched from that encounter, but the victor was the same. The 2023 battle was a seven game classic that came down to the final at-bat with the Dobermans winning 8-7 on a walk-off, the first-ever walk-off final for the SEAL Championship. Dhaka became seven-time league champs with the win. In the 44^th South Asia Baseball Championship, Visakhapatnam claimed their first overall title with a 4-2 upset win over Dhaka. The Volts became the 15^th SAB franchise to win it all and the 9^th of the Indian League’s original 12 teams. 1B Borey Horn was finals MVP in his sixth and final year with Visakhapatnam. The 28-year old Cambodian in 17 playoff starts had 16 hits, 10 runs, 6 home runs, and 16 RBI. Horn used that run to cash in for a five-year, $61.9 million deal in the offseason with Ho Chi Minh City. Other notes: 2023 had marked a major change for world home run and RBI king Majed Darwish, signing with Da Nang after two decades with Hanoi. At age 40, the Bahraini switch hitter led for the 11^th time in home runs (49) and the 13^th time in RBI (146). Darwish’s homer world record increased to 1172 and his RBI world record grew to 2801. Darwish also became the new world league in runs scored, getting 110 more and finishing the season at 2476. He passed CABA/MLB legend Prometheo Garcia’s 2374, which had been the high mark since 1968. Darwish was now at 165.5, an especially incredible mark considering how much time he’s spent at DH. This put him in striking distance of Ratan Canduri’s 169.1 for the SAB WARlord title. Darwish also had a 31-game hit streak in 2023, tied for the second-longest in SAB to that point. Abhiji Srivas had the top mark with 35 games in 2019. Additionally, Darwish earned his 13^th Silver Slugger, although it was only his second at first base. He had ten as a DH and one in left field. Darwish joined V.J. Williams as the only SAB players with 13 Silver Sluggers at any position. 3B Yasir Malkawi won his 11^th Silver Slugger, setting a position record. In pitching milestones, Tamin Hasan wrapped his career at 4558 strikeouts, passing Zainal bin Aziz (4483) for the #2 spot. He remained second to Jay Singh’s 5000 exactly for the top mark. Devidasa Anantya and Harpal Kumaragupta were the 14^th and 15^th to reach 3500 strikeouts. Kywe Lwin was the 13^th to reach 300 saves. CF Omer al-Jabiri won his 8^th Gold Glove. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)