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FuzzyRussianHat · 02-12-2025, 02:56 PM

Two-time defending South Asia Baseball champ Visakhapatnam and Kolkata raced each other for the top seed in the Indian League. The Volts ended up taking it and their third straight South Division crown at 107-55, besting the Cosmos by one game. Kolkata’s playoff streak grew to five seasons with their third division title of the run. The Cosmos were the IL’s top scoring team with 758 runs while Visakhapatnam allowed the fewest with 500 runs.

Both had solid competition in their divisions. The Volts had to contend with a 102-60 Hyderabad, while Kolkata had to deal with Jaipur (97-65) and Delhi (93-69). The Hippos took the wild card for their second berth in four years. Meanwhile Pune was the only team above .500 in the West Division at 95-67. The Purple Knights earned their fourth division title in six years. Last year’s division winner and ILCS finalist Ahmedabad dropped to 73-89.

Indian League MVP went to Kolkata 1B Duong Nguyen, who led in home runs (53), and RBI (119). The three-true outcomes righty also had 220 strikeouts and 75 walks for a .273/.362/.612 slash. The 28-year old from Vietnam had 110 runs, 191 wRC+, and 8.4 WAR. Nguyen also won his second Gold Glove at first base. Before the season, the Cosmos gave Nguyen a five-year, $35,360,000 extension.

Hyderabad righty E.J. Dhananjay won Pitcher of the Year with the first Triple Crown pitching season in SAB since 2009. It was the eighth pitching Triple Crown with a 19-4 record, 1.71 ERA, and 335 strikeouts over 231.1 innings. Dhananjay also led in WAR (9.0), FIP- (51), and ERA+ (207) with four shutouts. It would the final year with the Hippos for the 27-year old Indian, as he’d leave for free agency and sign a seven-year mega deal with Visakhapatnam worth $114,100,000.

To add insult to injury for Hyderabad, they were swept by their division rival Volts in the first round. Pune upset Kolkata 3-2 on the other side, giving the Purple Knights their first Indian League Championship Series trip since 2020. Visakhapatnam popped Pune 4-2 to earn the only IL pennant three-peat outside of Ahmedabad’s historic dynasty run. The Volts became five-time Indian League champs (2012, 13, 23, 24, 25).

The top record in the Southeast Asia League went to Dhaka at 101-61, winning the North Division for the third consecutive season. The Dobermans’ playoff streak grew to five seasons as they led in scoring with 844 runs. Bangkok (94-68) edged Yangon (93-69) to take back-to-back South Division titles. The Green Dragons were the first wild card and bounced back after having their world record playoff streak snapped in 2024 at 29 seasons.

The second wild card went to Khulna at 88-74, who allowed SEAL’s fewest runs at 607. The Claws fended off defending SEAL champ Ho Chi Minh City (85-77), Hai Phong (85-77), Hanoi (84-78), Da Nang (83-79), and Mandalay (83-79) in a very competitive race. It was the first-ever playoff berth for Khulna, who joined SEAL in the 2008 expansion. The Claws were the only SAB team that hadn’t yet made the playoffs to that point apart from the brand new expansion teams.

Chittagong was at .500 and notably set a new SAB team record with 498 stolen bases. 48 of those came from their designated hitter Cao An Ngo, who impressively was only caught once. The 27-year old Vietnamese righty led in WAR (8.4), OPS (1.041), and wRC+ (165) while adding 51 homers, 142 RBI, and 117 runs. It was his final season with the Commandos, as he’d join Hyderabad as a free agent on an eight-year, $131,300,000 deal.

Veteran righty Ravi Cittabhoga won Pitcher of the Year in his debut with Dhaka, having previously won the award in 2021 for Lucknow. The 35-year old Indian took the ERA title (2.80) and led in quality starts (23), FIP- (56), and WAR (8.8). Cittabhonga posted 269 strikeouts in 231.2 innings with a 17-9 record and 147 ERA+. He joined the Dobermans on a four-year deal, but unfortunately ruptured his UCL the next season.

Bangkok outlasted division rival Yangon 3-2 in the first round and Khulna upset top seed Dhaka 3-2. This guaranteed a first-time winner in the Southeast Asia League Championship. The Bobcats had lost in their only trips in 1987 and 2024, while the Claws had never gotten this far. Khulna continued its magical run, upsetting Bangkok 4-2 for their first title.

The magic abruptly ended for Khulna as Visakhapatnam swept them in the 46^th SAB Championship to complete the three-peat. The Volts joined Ahmedabad (1989-92 four-peat & 1994-96) and Ho Chi Minh City (2003-05) as the only teams to win three straight SAB titles. After those early dynasty runs ended and the talent diversified in SAB, some thought a three-peat would be unachievable. It was the first finals sweep since 2017, cementing the legacy of this Visakhapatnam crew.

In his first full season, 1B Dik**** Dariyanani was finals MVP. In 13 playoff starts, he had 13 hits, 7 runs, 4 homers, 12 RBI, and .865 OPS. Manager Do-Geon Yum became the fifth in SAB to win 3+ championships. It was an impressive brief career for the tall South Korean, who only coached from 2022-26. Three titles and a 502-308 record is a pretty solid haul.

Other notes: 2025 was the final season for the legendary slugger Majed Darwish, who completely incinerated the world record books over a 23-year run between Hanoi, Da Nang, and Dhaka. In his final season at age 42 for the Dobermans, Darwish still posted 46 home runs and 3061 RBI with 2.1 WAR.

The Bahraini switch-hitter retired as the pro baseball leader in home runs (1271), RBI (3061), total bases (8405), and runs scored (2664). Dawish also retired as SAB’s WARlord (174.15) and leader in slugging (.680). He’s surprisingly in slugging among world Hall of Famers behind EBF legend Jacob Ronnberg’s .686. Darwish’s 1.063 OPS is 6^th among world HOFers as of 2037 and is 12^th among all players in WAR, losing some ground having played much of his run at DH.

Darwish also retired with 3364 games, 712 doubles, 3782 hits, and 1506 walks. He’s 2^nd in the SAB leaderboard for 2Bs and hits only behind Manju Abbas while ranking third in games and fourth in walks. On the world charts, Darwish is 15^th in doubles, 16^th in hits, 17^th in games, and 41^st in walks. He did also strike out 2721 times, 7^th-most in SAB. The eight-time MVP and 14-time Silver Slugger winner certainly goes down as a truly one-of-a-kind slugger whose home run and RBI stats will almost certainly never be matched.

Delhi’s Amir Kapur struck out 20 against Lucknow over 8.1 innings on September 4, becoming the eighth SAB pitcher with a 20+ K game. Arjay Mohan, Quang Thinh Phan, and Van Phuong Tran each reached 3000 career strikeouts, a 39-player club. Tran and Franklin Tung both reached 200 career wins, a mark met by ten SAB aces. 2B Rufus Ko won his 7^th Gold Glove and 2B Agnisika Dhavita won his 7^th Silver Slugger.

02-12-2025, 02:56 PM	#2062
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,887	2025 in SAB Two-time defending South Asia Baseball champ Visakhapatnam and Kolkata raced each other for the top seed in the Indian League. The Volts ended up taking it and their third straight South Division crown at 107-55, besting the Cosmos by one game. Kolkata’s playoff streak grew to five seasons with their third division title of the run. The Cosmos were the IL’s top scoring team with 758 runs while Visakhapatnam allowed the fewest with 500 runs. Both had solid competition in their divisions. The Volts had to contend with a 102-60 Hyderabad, while Kolkata had to deal with Jaipur (97-65) and Delhi (93-69). The Hippos took the wild card for their second berth in four years. Meanwhile Pune was the only team above .500 in the West Division at 95-67. The Purple Knights earned their fourth division title in six years. Last year’s division winner and ILCS finalist Ahmedabad dropped to 73-89. Indian League MVP went to Kolkata 1B Duong Nguyen, who led in home runs (53), and RBI (119). The three-true outcomes righty also had 220 strikeouts and 75 walks for a .273/.362/.612 slash. The 28-year old from Vietnam had 110 runs, 191 wRC+, and 8.4 WAR. Nguyen also won his second Gold Glove at first base. Before the season, the Cosmos gave Nguyen a five-year, $35,360,000 extension. Hyderabad righty E.J. Dhananjay won Pitcher of the Year with the first Triple Crown pitching season in SAB since 2009. It was the eighth pitching Triple Crown with a 19-4 record, 1.71 ERA, and 335 strikeouts over 231.1 innings. Dhananjay also led in WAR (9.0), FIP- (51), and ERA+ (207) with four shutouts. It would the final year with the Hippos for the 27-year old Indian, as he’d leave for free agency and sign a seven-year mega deal with Visakhapatnam worth $114,100,000. To add insult to injury for Hyderabad, they were swept by their division rival Volts in the first round. Pune upset Kolkata 3-2 on the other side, giving the Purple Knights their first Indian League Championship Series trip since 2020. Visakhapatnam popped Pune 4-2 to earn the only IL pennant three-peat outside of Ahmedabad’s historic dynasty run. The Volts became five-time Indian League champs (2012, 13, 23, 24, 25). The top record in the Southeast Asia League went to Dhaka at 101-61, winning the North Division for the third consecutive season. The Dobermans’ playoff streak grew to five seasons as they led in scoring with 844 runs. Bangkok (94-68) edged Yangon (93-69) to take back-to-back South Division titles. The Green Dragons were the first wild card and bounced back after having their world record playoff streak snapped in 2024 at 29 seasons. The second wild card went to Khulna at 88-74, who allowed SEAL’s fewest runs at 607. The Claws fended off defending SEAL champ Ho Chi Minh City (85-77), Hai Phong (85-77), Hanoi (84-78), Da Nang (83-79), and Mandalay (83-79) in a very competitive race. It was the first-ever playoff berth for Khulna, who joined SEAL in the 2008 expansion. The Claws were the only SAB team that hadn’t yet made the playoffs to that point apart from the brand new expansion teams. Chittagong was at .500 and notably set a new SAB team record with 498 stolen bases. 48 of those came from their designated hitter Cao An Ngo, who impressively was only caught once. The 27-year old Vietnamese righty led in WAR (8.4), OPS (1.041), and wRC+ (165) while adding 51 homers, 142 RBI, and 117 runs. It was his final season with the Commandos, as he’d join Hyderabad as a free agent on an eight-year, $131,300,000 deal. Veteran righty Ravi Cittabhoga won Pitcher of the Year in his debut with Dhaka, having previously won the award in 2021 for Lucknow. The 35-year old Indian took the ERA title (2.80) and led in quality starts (23), FIP- (56), and WAR (8.8). Cittabhonga posted 269 strikeouts in 231.2 innings with a 17-9 record and 147 ERA+. He joined the Dobermans on a four-year deal, but unfortunately ruptured his UCL the next season. Bangkok outlasted division rival Yangon 3-2 in the first round and Khulna upset top seed Dhaka 3-2. This guaranteed a first-time winner in the Southeast Asia League Championship. The Bobcats had lost in their only trips in 1987 and 2024, while the Claws had never gotten this far. Khulna continued its magical run, upsetting Bangkok 4-2 for their first title. The magic abruptly ended for Khulna as Visakhapatnam swept them in the 46^th SAB Championship to complete the three-peat. The Volts joined Ahmedabad (1989-92 four-peat & 1994-96) and Ho Chi Minh City (2003-05) as the only teams to win three straight SAB titles. After those early dynasty runs ended and the talent diversified in SAB, some thought a three-peat would be unachievable. It was the first finals sweep since 2017, cementing the legacy of this Visakhapatnam crew. In his first full season, 1B Dik**** Dariyanani was finals MVP. In 13 playoff starts, he had 13 hits, 7 runs, 4 homers, 12 RBI, and .865 OPS. Manager Do-Geon Yum became the fifth in SAB to win 3+ championships. It was an impressive brief career for the tall South Korean, who only coached from 2022-26. Three titles and a 502-308 record is a pretty solid haul. Other notes: 2025 was the final season for the legendary slugger Majed Darwish, who completely incinerated the world record books over a 23-year run between Hanoi, Da Nang, and Dhaka. In his final season at age 42 for the Dobermans, Darwish still posted 46 home runs and 3061 RBI with 2.1 WAR. The Bahraini switch-hitter retired as the pro baseball leader in home runs (1271), RBI (3061), total bases (8405), and runs scored (2664). Dawish also retired as SAB’s WARlord (174.15) and leader in slugging (.680). He’s surprisingly in slugging among world Hall of Famers behind EBF legend Jacob Ronnberg’s .686. Darwish’s 1.063 OPS is 6^th among world HOFers as of 2037 and is 12^th among all players in WAR, losing some ground having played much of his run at DH. Darwish also retired with 3364 games, 712 doubles, 3782 hits, and 1506 walks. He’s 2^nd in the SAB leaderboard for 2Bs and hits only behind Manju Abbas while ranking third in games and fourth in walks. On the world charts, Darwish is 15^th in doubles, 16^th in hits, 17^th in games, and 41^st in walks. He did also strike out 2721 times, 7^th-most in SAB. The eight-time MVP and 14-time Silver Slugger winner certainly goes down as a truly one-of-a-kind slugger whose home run and RBI stats will almost certainly never be matched. Delhi’s Amir Kapur struck out 20 against Lucknow over 8.1 innings on September 4, becoming the eighth SAB pitcher with a 20+ K game. Arjay Mohan, Quang Thinh Phan, and Van Phuong Tran each reached 3000 career strikeouts, a 39-player club. Tran and Franklin Tung both reached 200 career wins, a mark met by ten SAB aces. 2B Rufus Ko won his 7^th Gold Glove and 2B Agnisika Dhavita won his 7^th Silver Slugger. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)