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FuzzyRussianHat · 02-26-2025, 04:22 PM

Starting in 2026, South Asia Baseball increased their active roster size from 25 to 26. This gave SAB the largest active roster size of any world league. A few were at 25, but most had lowered their active roster in recent decades below that.

Three-time defending SAB champ Visakhapatnam posted their best record ever at 115-47, the most wins by an SAB team since Hanoi’s 121-41 from 2010. The Volts won their fourth straight South Division title and led the Indian League in both runs (808) and fewest allowed (500). Visakhapatnam set a new SAB season attendance record at 2,268,493. The pitching staff struck out 1908 batters, the third-most in IL history.

Kolkata repeated as Central Division champ at 103-59 and grew their playoff streak to six seasons. Delhi (95-67) and Jaipur (94-68) were their closest foes with both falling just short in the wild card race. Ahmedabad and Pune tied at 97-65 for the West Division title. The Animals won the tiebreaker game for their second division title in three years, while the Purple Knights got the wild card. Pune picked up a sixth playoff trip in eight years. Hyderabad (89-73) and Chennai (88-74) were both also in the wild card mix for a bit before fading late.

Indian League MVP went to 3B Can An Ngo in his Hyderabad debut. The 27-year old Vietnamese righty had won Southeast Asia League MVP the prior season with Chittagong. The Hippos signed him to an eight-year, $131,300,000 deal in free agency and he immediately delivered. Ngo led in OBP (.404), slugging (.699), OPS (1.103), wRC+ (220), and WAR (10.1). He added 44 home runs, 104 RBI, 110 runs, and a .345 average. Ngo also stole 31 bases and wasn’t caught stealing once.

Pune’s Quang Thinh Phan won his second Pitcher of the Year, having previously done it back in 2019 with Mandalay. In his fourth year with the Purple Knights, the 34-year old Vietnamese righty led in strikeouts (366), quality starts (24), and WAR (8.5). Phan had a 2.52 ERA over 246.2 innings and 17-9 record. This was Phan’s fifth season leading his league in strikeouts as he became the 17^th SAB ace with 3500 career Ks.

Reigning champ Visakhapatnam fended off a fierce challenge from Pune 3-2 in the first round and Kolkata cruised to a sweep of Ahmedabad. This set up a rematch of the 2023 Indian League Championship Series which started the Volts’ dynasty run. The Cosmos pulled off the upset 4-2 to deny Visakhapatnam’s four-peat bid to become four time IL champs (2010, 2011, 2014, 2026). Kolkata’s most recent two pennants also featured ILCS wins over the Volts.

The Southeast Asia League was incredibly tight as only three wins separated the four playoff teams. Seven teams ended up within nine games of the top seed. The #1 seed required a tiebreaker game to decide it as Khulna and Dhaka finished even atop the North Division at 95-67.

The defending SEAL champ Claws prevailed, which earned them their first-ever division title. The Dobermans as the first wild card grew their playoff streak to six seasons. Dhaka led all teams in runs scored (920) while Khulna allowed the fewest runs in SEAL at 619. Mandalay was close behind at 93-69 with Hanoi also competitive at 88-74. The Mammoths secured the second wild card to end their six-year postseason drought.

In the South Division, Yangon was first at 94-68. The Green Dragons just missed the top seed, yet they only won the division by two games over Bangkok (91-71) and seven over Da Nang (87-75). The Bobcats fell two short of Mandalay for the second wild card to end their hopes at a third straight LCS trip. The Green Dragons earned repeat playoff berths and their 31^st trip in 32 years.

Southeast Asia League MVP was Dhaka DH Hamidul Islam in his first season as a starter. The 23-year old Bangladeshi lefty led in hits (213), home runs (54), total bases (431), slugging (.678), OPS (1.062), and wRC+ (180). Islam added 8.4 WAR, a .335 average, 130 runs, 145 RBI, and 57 steals.

Phnom Penh struggled to 72-90, but they had the Pitcher of the Year Nasir Hossain. The 27-year old Bangladeshi righty won the ERA title at 2.40 and posted a 14-8 record over 251.1 innings, 223 strikeouts, 170 ERA+, and 5.8 WAR.

Mandalay upset #1 seed and defending champ Khulna 3-2 in the first round while Yangon defeated Dhaka 3-1. The Mammoths earned their first Southeast Asia League Championship trip since 2019 with their lone pennant in 2018. For the Green Dragons, it was their first trip since 2022, but their 13^th of the 21^st Century.

This was also the first time since SAB’s inaugural 1980 season that the two teams from Myanmar met in the LCS. Mandalay surprisingly started the series up 3-0, but Yangon rallied to force game seven. The Mammoths avoided the collapse to win the finale and their second title.

In the 47^th South Asia Baseball Championship, Mandalay made sure not to let Kolkata rally like Yangon did. The Mammoths swept the Cosmos and became the 16^th different franchise to win the SAB title. 1B Dong Vinh Lam was MVP of the finals and the divisional series in his third year with Mandalay. In 16 playoff starts, Lam had 20 hits, 15 runs, 3 doubles, 6 homers, 13 RBI, and 10 walks.

Other notes: Jaipur’s Booyasak Urapanthamat threw SAB’s 13^th perfect game on September 20 with 12 strikeouts against Lucknow. The Jokers’ Van Hung Dinh also threw a no-hitter for back-to-back seasons, this time fanning 15 with two walks on August 15 versus Kanpur. Dinh became the 12^th SAB pitcher to throw multiple no-hitters in their career and the 6^th to do it in consecutive seasons.

Harpal Kumaragupta and Franklin Tung became the 5^th and 6^th SAB pitchers to 4000 career strikeouts. Kumaragupta also joined Tung and nine others in the 200 win club. Jaipur’s Amu Singh became the 7^th to 400 career saves and won his third Reliever of the Year. Yasir Malkawi was the 26^th batter to 2500 hits. 2B Rufus Ko won his 8^th Gold Glove and LF Shanmukhavadivu Khalil won his 7^th. Agnisika Dhavita won his 8^th Silver Slugger and his third straight at 2B. Dhavita’s prior wins came at SS.

In their second season, Patna finished 51-111 to tie for the second worst record in Indian League history. Fellow expansion team Madurai wasn’t much better at 57-105 and set a new SAB all-time worst for team slugging percentage at .307. Their 70 home runs were the second fewest in SAB history behind only 1996 Chennai (67).

02-26-2025, 04:22 PM	#2106
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,804	2026 in SAB Starting in 2026, South Asia Baseball increased their active roster size from 25 to 26. This gave SAB the largest active roster size of any world league. A few were at 25, but most had lowered their active roster in recent decades below that. Three-time defending SAB champ Visakhapatnam posted their best record ever at 115-47, the most wins by an SAB team since Hanoi’s 121-41 from 2010. The Volts won their fourth straight South Division title and led the Indian League in both runs (808) and fewest allowed (500). Visakhapatnam set a new SAB season attendance record at 2,268,493. The pitching staff struck out 1908 batters, the third-most in IL history. Kolkata repeated as Central Division champ at 103-59 and grew their playoff streak to six seasons. Delhi (95-67) and Jaipur (94-68) were their closest foes with both falling just short in the wild card race. Ahmedabad and Pune tied at 97-65 for the West Division title. The Animals won the tiebreaker game for their second division title in three years, while the Purple Knights got the wild card. Pune picked up a sixth playoff trip in eight years. Hyderabad (89-73) and Chennai (88-74) were both also in the wild card mix for a bit before fading late. Indian League MVP went to 3B Can An Ngo in his Hyderabad debut. The 27-year old Vietnamese righty had won Southeast Asia League MVP the prior season with Chittagong. The Hippos signed him to an eight-year, $131,300,000 deal in free agency and he immediately delivered. Ngo led in OBP (.404), slugging (.699), OPS (1.103), wRC+ (220), and WAR (10.1). He added 44 home runs, 104 RBI, 110 runs, and a .345 average. Ngo also stole 31 bases and wasn’t caught stealing once. Pune’s Quang Thinh Phan won his second Pitcher of the Year, having previously done it back in 2019 with Mandalay. In his fourth year with the Purple Knights, the 34-year old Vietnamese righty led in strikeouts (366), quality starts (24), and WAR (8.5). Phan had a 2.52 ERA over 246.2 innings and 17-9 record. This was Phan’s fifth season leading his league in strikeouts as he became the 17^th SAB ace with 3500 career Ks. Reigning champ Visakhapatnam fended off a fierce challenge from Pune 3-2 in the first round and Kolkata cruised to a sweep of Ahmedabad. This set up a rematch of the 2023 Indian League Championship Series which started the Volts’ dynasty run. The Cosmos pulled off the upset 4-2 to deny Visakhapatnam’s four-peat bid to become four time IL champs (2010, 2011, 2014, 2026). Kolkata’s most recent two pennants also featured ILCS wins over the Volts. The Southeast Asia League was incredibly tight as only three wins separated the four playoff teams. Seven teams ended up within nine games of the top seed. The #1 seed required a tiebreaker game to decide it as Khulna and Dhaka finished even atop the North Division at 95-67. The defending SEAL champ Claws prevailed, which earned them their first-ever division title. The Dobermans as the first wild card grew their playoff streak to six seasons. Dhaka led all teams in runs scored (920) while Khulna allowed the fewest runs in SEAL at 619. Mandalay was close behind at 93-69 with Hanoi also competitive at 88-74. The Mammoths secured the second wild card to end their six-year postseason drought. In the South Division, Yangon was first at 94-68. The Green Dragons just missed the top seed, yet they only won the division by two games over Bangkok (91-71) and seven over Da Nang (87-75). The Bobcats fell two short of Mandalay for the second wild card to end their hopes at a third straight LCS trip. The Green Dragons earned repeat playoff berths and their 31^st trip in 32 years. Southeast Asia League MVP was Dhaka DH Hamidul Islam in his first season as a starter. The 23-year old Bangladeshi lefty led in hits (213), home runs (54), total bases (431), slugging (.678), OPS (1.062), and wRC+ (180). Islam added 8.4 WAR, a .335 average, 130 runs, 145 RBI, and 57 steals. Phnom Penh struggled to 72-90, but they had the Pitcher of the Year Nasir Hossain. The 27-year old Bangladeshi righty won the ERA title at 2.40 and posted a 14-8 record over 251.1 innings, 223 strikeouts, 170 ERA+, and 5.8 WAR. Mandalay upset #1 seed and defending champ Khulna 3-2 in the first round while Yangon defeated Dhaka 3-1. The Mammoths earned their first Southeast Asia League Championship trip since 2019 with their lone pennant in 2018. For the Green Dragons, it was their first trip since 2022, but their 13^th of the 21^st Century. This was also the first time since SAB’s inaugural 1980 season that the two teams from Myanmar met in the LCS. Mandalay surprisingly started the series up 3-0, but Yangon rallied to force game seven. The Mammoths avoided the collapse to win the finale and their second title. In the 47^th South Asia Baseball Championship, Mandalay made sure not to let Kolkata rally like Yangon did. The Mammoths swept the Cosmos and became the 16^th different franchise to win the SAB title. 1B Dong Vinh Lam was MVP of the finals and the divisional series in his third year with Mandalay. In 16 playoff starts, Lam had 20 hits, 15 runs, 3 doubles, 6 homers, 13 RBI, and 10 walks. Other notes: Jaipur’s Booyasak Urapanthamat threw SAB’s 13^th perfect game on September 20 with 12 strikeouts against Lucknow. The Jokers’ Van Hung Dinh also threw a no-hitter for back-to-back seasons, this time fanning 15 with two walks on August 15 versus Kanpur. Dinh became the 12^th SAB pitcher to throw multiple no-hitters in their career and the 6^th to do it in consecutive seasons. Harpal Kumaragupta and Franklin Tung became the 5^th and 6^th SAB pitchers to 4000 career strikeouts. Kumaragupta also joined Tung and nine others in the 200 win club. Jaipur’s Amu Singh became the 7^th to 400 career saves and won his third Reliever of the Year. Yasir Malkawi was the 26^th batter to 2500 hits. 2B Rufus Ko won his 8^th Gold Glove and LF Shanmukhavadivu Khalil won his 7^th. Agnisika Dhavita won his 8^th Silver Slugger and his third straight at 2B. Dhavita’s prior wins came at SS. In their second season, Patna finished 51-111 to tie for the second worst record in Indian League history. Fellow expansion team Madurai wasn’t much better at 57-105 and set a new SAB all-time worst for team slugging percentage at .307. Their 70 home runs were the second fewest in SAB history behind only 1996 Chennai (67). __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)