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FuzzyRussianHat · 01-30-2025, 01:24 PM

The Asian Baseball Federation’s East League was fairly competitive with six teams emerging as contenders for the four playoff spots. Almaty took the top seed at 95-67 for their fifth consecutive playoff berth. It was the first time in that streak that the Assassins won the North Division. Faisalabad at 92-70 meanwhile secured the South Division’s title for the sixth year in a row. Hyderabad was one back on the Fire, which gave the Horned Frogs the first wild card to end a seven-year playoff drought.

Multan and Shymkent tied for the second wild card at 87-75 with two-time defending EL champ Bishkek falling short at 85-77. The tiebreaker went to the Squirrels, impressively making the postseason in only their fifth season since joining with the 2020 expansion. Shymkent led the EL in scoring with 678 runs while the Mighty Cocks allowed the fewest at 540.

Leading Shymkent’s efforts was East League MVP Safdar Kahlwan, who the Squirrels picked#2 overall with their first-ever draft pick in 2019. A two-way player. Kahlwan played primarily second base in 2024 with 129 games offensively, 142 hits, 86 runs, 15 homers, 71 RBI, 53 stolen bases, a .344/.439/.564 slash, 1.003 OPS, 216 wRC+, and 7.8 WAR. The 27-year old Afghani righty also tossed 225 innings with a 2.64 ERA, 15-8 record, 228 strikeouts, 130 ERA+, and 3.8 WAR. Shymkent gave Kahlwan a four-year, $21,540,000 extension in the offseason.

Almaty ace Stanislav Mukhamadiev won his second Pitcher of the Year in three seasons. The 25-year old Russian led in ERA (2.28) while posting 293 strikeouts in 221.1 innings, a 19-7 record, 152 ERA+, and 7.5 WAR. Tragically, Mukhamadiev would only throw 306.1 more total innings for the rest of his career. He would be derailed by a torn UCL in 2025. Mukhamadiev did at least get paid, as the Assassins gave him five years and $54 million after the 2024 season.

Division champs prevailed in the first round with Almaty over Shymkent 3-1 and Faisalabad over Hyderabad 3-0. The Assassins earned their first East League Championship Series trip since 2020, while it was the fourth in a row for the Fire. In a seven-game classic, Almaty earned their first-ever EL pennant, although it was their sixth overall counting their Eurasian Professional Baseball days.

Apart from the expansion teams, the Assassins had been the only ABF team without a championship berth to that point. Almaty had gone 0-6 previously in the ELCS and hadn’t won a pennant since their 1971-73 three-peat in EPB’s Asian League. The defeat for Faisalabad was their third straight ELCS loss, putting them at 1-4 in their trips over the last six years.

Bursa had the Asian Baseball Federation’s top record by a healthy margin at 105-57. The Blue Claws earned repeat playoff berths, but it was their first West Division title since 2020 and their first time as the top seed since 2005. Bursa led in scoring (863) and set new ABF team records for batting average (.300), on-base percentage (.344), hits (1732), and fewest strikeouts (1161). The 2024 Blue Claws remain the only ever team with a .300 average in ABF as of 2037.

Reigning ABF champ Tabriz won the Central Division at 94-68 to grow their playoff streak to nine years, one short of the ABF record set by Tehran from 2011-19. The Tiger Sharks earned their sixth division title of the run. The first wild card was the West’s Baku at 94-68, earning a third straight playoff spot. Mashhad took the second spot at 91-71, placing the same four teams into the WL playoffs as the prior year.

The Mercury finished three behind Tabriz in the division title race and three behind Baku for the first wild card. However, Mashhad was one better than Gaziantep (90-72) and five ahead of Istanbul (86-76) for the second wild card. The Mercury allowed the fewest runs in the WL at 611 to grow their playoff streak to four seasons. Although their playoff drought grew to 12 years, the Gorillas set a new franchise win record since joining ABF in a 2009 expansion.

Istanbul OF Khalaf bin Abdullah repeated as West League MVP in only his fourth season, setting a new ABF record for RBI with 162. The previous RBI high mark was Fakhri Rajavi’s 158 from 2015. Bin Abduallah’s would only be passed once in the following 15 years.

The 23-year old Kuwaiti led in runs (124), homers (63), total bases (439), slugging (.722), OPS (1.074), and wRC+ (173). Additionally, bin Abdullah had 8.1 WAR and a .314 average. The Ironmen gave him an eight-year, $97,800,000 extension in the offseason. To their chagrin, bin Abdullah opted out after the 2027 season and left for Major League Baseball.

Mashhad’s Kristof Farago won Pitcher of the Year in his third season with the Mercury. The 31-year old Hungarian came to ABF in 2022 after mostly pitching with Lyon of the European Second League. Farago led in ERA in 2024 with 2.36 and posted a 17-8 record over 217 innings, 214 strikeouts, and 5.2 WAR. Farago’s world travels continued after this, heading to Austarlia in 2025 on a six-year, $84,600,000 deal with Melbourne.

Bursa bested Mashhad 3-1 in the first round and Baku upset the reigning champ Tabriz 3-0. The Blue Claws earned their first West League Championship Series since 2020 and the Blackbirds made it for the third straight season. Baku continued to roll on the road with a shocking sweep of Bursa, staring the playoffs 7-0. The Blackbirds secured their fifth pennant (2010, 2012, 2013, 2022, 2024).

The 40^th ABF Championship was a 4-2 victory for Baku over Almaty for their second federation championship (2012, 2024). 39-year old Emmanouil Karakostas won finals MVP, having signed with the Blackbirds in the offseason. The ageless Greek outfielder in 13 playoff starts had 18 hits, 5 runs, 3 triples, 1 double, 2 homers, and 6 RBI.

Other notes: Multan’s Farid Kerimov tossed ABF’s 17^th Perfect Game on May 27, striking out 14 against Adana. Rawalpindi’s Ethan Shelton had two no-hitters in 2024, both against Hyderabad with the first April 25 and the second May 16. Shelton joined Ibrahim Bulak (2011) as the only ABF pitchers with multiple no-hitters in the same season.

Mehmet Fatih Canaydin became the first ABF batter to reach 3000 hits. Canaydin was already the hit king entering the year, but also passed Shadi Alam’s 1491 runs to becoming ABF’s runs leader and the first to pass 1500. Ramin Abilov became the 9^th to 2500 hits. Habib Saquib became the 5^th member of the 600 home run club. Fakhri Rajavi in his final season finished with 678 home runs, falling just short of Ali Sungu’s 683 for the top spot. After 16 years with Baku, Rajavi tried to chase the spot in one final year with Shymkent, but only managed to hit 13 dingers.

RF Hana Zuhair won his 12^th consecutive Gold Glove, becoming only the second in ABF history at any position to win the award 12+ times. SS Nizami Aghazade won his 11^th Silver Slugger. It was his 8^th at shortstop with three wins at second base. Aghazade became the 1^st (and only as of 2037) ABF player to reach 150+ career WAR. He led the EL with 10.8 WAR in 2024, his 10^th time leading the league and getting 10+ in a season. 3B Hakan Mocuk won his 7^th Silver Slugger.

Baku’s Tamaz Rogava set a bad playoff record as he was caught stealing eight times. He had three successful steals. In an unusual record, Tashkent’s Agaselim Ovezov started 62 games on the mound in an opener role. He didn’t fare well, going 0-18 with a 4.45 ERA over 83 innings.

01-30-2025, 01:24 PM	#2023
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,907	2024 in ABF The Asian Baseball Federation’s East League was fairly competitive with six teams emerging as contenders for the four playoff spots. Almaty took the top seed at 95-67 for their fifth consecutive playoff berth. It was the first time in that streak that the Assassins won the North Division. Faisalabad at 92-70 meanwhile secured the South Division’s title for the sixth year in a row. Hyderabad was one back on the Fire, which gave the Horned Frogs the first wild card to end a seven-year playoff drought. Multan and Shymkent tied for the second wild card at 87-75 with two-time defending EL champ Bishkek falling short at 85-77. The tiebreaker went to the Squirrels, impressively making the postseason in only their fifth season since joining with the 2020 expansion. Shymkent led the EL in scoring with 678 runs while the Mighty Cocks allowed the fewest at 540. Leading Shymkent’s efforts was East League MVP Safdar Kahlwan, who the Squirrels picked#2 overall with their first-ever draft pick in 2019. A two-way player. Kahlwan played primarily second base in 2024 with 129 games offensively, 142 hits, 86 runs, 15 homers, 71 RBI, 53 stolen bases, a .344/.439/.564 slash, 1.003 OPS, 216 wRC+, and 7.8 WAR. The 27-year old Afghani righty also tossed 225 innings with a 2.64 ERA, 15-8 record, 228 strikeouts, 130 ERA+, and 3.8 WAR. Shymkent gave Kahlwan a four-year, $21,540,000 extension in the offseason. Almaty ace Stanislav Mukhamadiev won his second Pitcher of the Year in three seasons. The 25-year old Russian led in ERA (2.28) while posting 293 strikeouts in 221.1 innings, a 19-7 record, 152 ERA+, and 7.5 WAR. Tragically, Mukhamadiev would only throw 306.1 more total innings for the rest of his career. He would be derailed by a torn UCL in 2025. Mukhamadiev did at least get paid, as the Assassins gave him five years and $54 million after the 2024 season. Division champs prevailed in the first round with Almaty over Shymkent 3-1 and Faisalabad over Hyderabad 3-0. The Assassins earned their first East League Championship Series trip since 2020, while it was the fourth in a row for the Fire. In a seven-game classic, Almaty earned their first-ever EL pennant, although it was their sixth overall counting their Eurasian Professional Baseball days. Apart from the expansion teams, the Assassins had been the only ABF team without a championship berth to that point. Almaty had gone 0-6 previously in the ELCS and hadn’t won a pennant since their 1971-73 three-peat in EPB’s Asian League. The defeat for Faisalabad was their third straight ELCS loss, putting them at 1-4 in their trips over the last six years. Bursa had the Asian Baseball Federation’s top record by a healthy margin at 105-57. The Blue Claws earned repeat playoff berths, but it was their first West Division title since 2020 and their first time as the top seed since 2005. Bursa led in scoring (863) and set new ABF team records for batting average (.300), on-base percentage (.344), hits (1732), and fewest strikeouts (1161). The 2024 Blue Claws remain the only ever team with a .300 average in ABF as of 2037. Reigning ABF champ Tabriz won the Central Division at 94-68 to grow their playoff streak to nine years, one short of the ABF record set by Tehran from 2011-19. The Tiger Sharks earned their sixth division title of the run. The first wild card was the West’s Baku at 94-68, earning a third straight playoff spot. Mashhad took the second spot at 91-71, placing the same four teams into the WL playoffs as the prior year. The Mercury finished three behind Tabriz in the division title race and three behind Baku for the first wild card. However, Mashhad was one better than Gaziantep (90-72) and five ahead of Istanbul (86-76) for the second wild card. The Mercury allowed the fewest runs in the WL at 611 to grow their playoff streak to four seasons. Although their playoff drought grew to 12 years, the Gorillas set a new franchise win record since joining ABF in a 2009 expansion. Istanbul OF Khalaf bin Abdullah repeated as West League MVP in only his fourth season, setting a new ABF record for RBI with 162. The previous RBI high mark was Fakhri Rajavi’s 158 from 2015. Bin Abduallah’s would only be passed once in the following 15 years. The 23-year old Kuwaiti led in runs (124), homers (63), total bases (439), slugging (.722), OPS (1.074), and wRC+ (173). Additionally, bin Abdullah had 8.1 WAR and a .314 average. The Ironmen gave him an eight-year, $97,800,000 extension in the offseason. To their chagrin, bin Abdullah opted out after the 2027 season and left for Major League Baseball. Mashhad’s Kristof Farago won Pitcher of the Year in his third season with the Mercury. The 31-year old Hungarian came to ABF in 2022 after mostly pitching with Lyon of the European Second League. Farago led in ERA in 2024 with 2.36 and posted a 17-8 record over 217 innings, 214 strikeouts, and 5.2 WAR. Farago’s world travels continued after this, heading to Austarlia in 2025 on a six-year, $84,600,000 deal with Melbourne. Bursa bested Mashhad 3-1 in the first round and Baku upset the reigning champ Tabriz 3-0. The Blue Claws earned their first West League Championship Series since 2020 and the Blackbirds made it for the third straight season. Baku continued to roll on the road with a shocking sweep of Bursa, staring the playoffs 7-0. The Blackbirds secured their fifth pennant (2010, 2012, 2013, 2022, 2024). The 40^th ABF Championship was a 4-2 victory for Baku over Almaty for their second federation championship (2012, 2024). 39-year old Emmanouil Karakostas won finals MVP, having signed with the Blackbirds in the offseason. The ageless Greek outfielder in 13 playoff starts had 18 hits, 5 runs, 3 triples, 1 double, 2 homers, and 6 RBI. Other notes: Multan’s Farid Kerimov tossed ABF’s 17^th Perfect Game on May 27, striking out 14 against Adana. Rawalpindi’s Ethan Shelton had two no-hitters in 2024, both against Hyderabad with the first April 25 and the second May 16. Shelton joined Ibrahim Bulak (2011) as the only ABF pitchers with multiple no-hitters in the same season. Mehmet Fatih Canaydin became the first ABF batter to reach 3000 hits. Canaydin was already the hit king entering the year, but also passed Shadi Alam’s 1491 runs to becoming ABF’s runs leader and the first to pass 1500. Ramin Abilov became the 9^th to 2500 hits. Habib Saquib became the 5^th member of the 600 home run club. Fakhri Rajavi in his final season finished with 678 home runs, falling just short of Ali Sungu’s 683 for the top spot. After 16 years with Baku, Rajavi tried to chase the spot in one final year with Shymkent, but only managed to hit 13 dingers. RF Hana Zuhair won his 12^th consecutive Gold Glove, becoming only the second in ABF history at any position to win the award 12+ times. SS Nizami Aghazade won his 11^th Silver Slugger. It was his 8^th at shortstop with three wins at second base. Aghazade became the 1^st (and only as of 2037) ABF player to reach 150+ career WAR. He led the EL with 10.8 WAR in 2024, his 10^th time leading the league and getting 10+ in a season. 3B Hakan Mocuk won his 7^th Silver Slugger. Baku’s Tamaz Rogava set a bad playoff record as he was caught stealing eight times. He had three successful steals. In an unusual record, Tashkent’s Agaselim Ovezov started 62 games on the mound in an opener role. He didn’t fare well, going 0-18 with a 4.45 ERA over 83 innings. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)