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FuzzyRussianHat · 02-26-2025, 08:42 PM

Abidjan returned to the top spot in the Western League in 2026 at 101-61, extending their playoff streak to six seasons. Since West African Baseball’s founding in 1975, the Athletes impressively have finished first in the WL standings 20 times. Abidjan allowed the WL’s fewest runs at 649 and were second in scoring at 839.

Banjul was the top scoring team in all of WAB at 916 runs, pushing them to second at 91-71. The Bucks ended a seven-year playoff drought. Reigning WAB champ Dakar (89-73) and Kumasi (87-75) got the remaining playoff spots while Freetown (86-76), Nouakchott (83-79), and Accra (82-80) just missed. The Dukes’ playoff streak grew to three and the Monkeys ended an eight-year drought. The Foresters saw their four-year streak halted.

Western League MVP went to Banjul RF Haji Mussa in his third season as a starter. The 25-year old Chadian led in runs (127), RBI (149), walks (99), total bases (405), OBP (.468), slugging (.799), OPS (1.267), wRC+ (217), and WAR (9.8). Mussa was second in homers (63) and third in batting average (.359). In July, the Bucks locked Mussa up on an eight-year, $103,520,000 extension to remain their franchise icon.

The remarkable and historic career start for Dakar’s Chidozie Iyakson continued with three Pitcher of the Year awards in his first three seasons. The 25-year old Nigerian lefty again won the ERA title (2.53) and was the leader in quality starts (23), FIP- (56), and WAR (8.6). Iyakson had 282 strikeouts over 224.1 innings, 173 ERA+, and 13-9 record.

Dakar dumped Kumasi 2-0 in the first round, but was promptly swept 2-0 by Banjul. The 2009 expansion Bucks earned their fourth trip to the Western League Championship Series and first since 2018, which saw a victory over Abidjan. The Athletes easily avenged that loss with a 3-0 sweep for their second pennant in four years. Abidjan now had 15 pennants, easily leading all WL teams and second only to EL power Kano (16).

After an abysmal 59-103 only two years prior, Cotonou exploded for a 112-50 record in 2026 to end their seven-year playoff drought and reclaim the top spot in the Eastern League. The Copperheads did notably outperform their expected win/loss by 13 games. Cotonou was second in runs scored (894) and third in fewest allowed (695).

Although 12 games back, last year’s first place finisher Niamey was a strong second at 100-62, growing their playoff streak to three. The Atomics led in scoring with 903 runs. Lagos (93-69) and Kano (88-74) snagged the final spots with defending EL champ Ibadan (87-75) the first team out.

The Lizards earned their second wild card in three years while the Condors had their second in four seasons. The Iguanas’ playoff streak ended at four. Port Harcourt’s streak ended at three despite allowing the fewest runs (647), finishing 78-84 with only 634 runs scored. Yaounde also notably collapsed down to 67-95 for their first losing season since 2017. Ouagadougou was another that went from in the mix in 2025 (89-73) down to a last place 62-100 in 2026.

Kano CF Anietie Sowah won Eastern League MVP in only his second season starting. The 23-year old Nigerian was the WARlord at 8.1, winning a Gold Glove defensively. Sowah added 208 hits, 123 runs, 31 doubles, 18 triples, 33 homers, 101 RBI, 76 steals, and .977 OPS. Sowah had won Rookie of the Year the prior season for the Condors.

Pitcher of the Year was Cotonou righty Jose Balde, also a second-year starter. The 24-year old Bissau-Guinean led in wins (21-7), innings (261.1), complete games (13), and shutouts (3). Balde added a 2.93 ERA, 229 strikeouts, 155 ERA+, and 5.8 WAR. The 6’7’’ Balde was the #1 overall draft pick two years prior, helping the Copperheads quickly return to form.

Lagos edged Kano 2-1 in the first round, then pulled off the 2-1 upset of #2 seed Niamey in round two. The Lizards hadn’t been in the Eastern League Championship Series since 2008, while Cotonou was in their first one since 2017. The series needed all five games with the finale ending in a dramatic 6-5 walkoff win for the Copperheads.

Bacukp OF Ephraim Mulbah had the clincher on a walkoff RBI double in the bottom of the ninth inning. Back in game one, 3B Umar Lalleshwari gave Cotonou a walk-off solo home run for a 2-1 win to begin ahead in the series. It was Cotonou’s fourth pennant and first since their early 2010s dynasty.

Cotonou’s first-ever West African Championship win came over Abidjan 4-2 back in 2010. That started the Copperheads dynasty that also won titles in 2011 and 2013. Cotonou returned to the throne in 2026 in a seven-game thriller over the Athletes, which was the first WAB finale to go 4-3 since 2019. Finals MVP went to LF Alban Oliveira, who joined Cotonou in a summer trade the prior year from Bouake. The 28-year old righty from Togo in 12 playoff starts had 17 hits, 5 runs, 7 doubles, 1 triple, and 4 RBI.

The Copperheads were the sixth-different champion in as many years and were now 4-0 in their finals trips all-time. Abidjan is 5-10 all-time in their finals berths. It was one of the biggest turnarounds in baseball history as Cotonou had been 59-103 only two years prior. Their 112-50 record was the fourth-best by a WAB Champion behind 1999 Kano (123-39), 1998 Kano (114-48), and their own 2011 title (114-48).

Other notes: WAB hits king Fares Belaid also passed Darwin Morris’s 2234 runs scored to become the WAB leader with 2276. This also placed the 38-year old Tunisian 5^th in runs for all of pro baseball history. Belaid also became the 2^nd in world history with 800 career doubles with his 813 only three back on SAB’s Manju Abbas’s top mark of 816.

Belaid also became the 7th in world history to 400 career triples with a league-best 23 in 2026. This put him at 421, 4th behind Carsten Dal (457), Yoon-Soo Hyoun (449), and Jacob Ronnberg (436). Belaid finished the season at 4414 hits, 3^rd in pro baseball history to Prometheo Garcia (4917) and Jiri Lebr (4651). 2026 was his final of nine seasons with Yaounde, signing a three-year, $42,800,000 deal in the offseason with Lagos.

Ibrahim Sani and Clarence Cole became the 4^th and 5^th members of the 3000 hit club. Three joined the 2500 hit club, bringing that group to 28 strong. Abdel Aziz Ashraf was the 16^th to reach 500 home runs. Shafiu Hassan was the 12^th to 1500 RBI and Jonah Moiseiwitsch was the 9^th to 1500 runs scored. Minusu Ekong and Nazifi Zakaria were the 23^rd and 24^th pitchers to 3000 strikeouts.

Douala’s Isah Saka tied the WAB single-season record for doubles with 70, previously hit in 2021 by Adrian Kollie. 70 remains tied for the 3^rd most in any world league behind ABF’s Gokhan Karatas (72, 1990) and AAB’s Stefan Cejka (71, 1996). Banjul’s Pedrag Zizovic had a 36-game hitting streak, tied for the 5^th longest in WAB history.

02-26-2025, 08:42 PM	#2107
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,849	2026 in WAB Abidjan returned to the top spot in the Western League in 2026 at 101-61, extending their playoff streak to six seasons. Since West African Baseball’s founding in 1975, the Athletes impressively have finished first in the WL standings 20 times. Abidjan allowed the WL’s fewest runs at 649 and were second in scoring at 839. Banjul was the top scoring team in all of WAB at 916 runs, pushing them to second at 91-71. The Bucks ended a seven-year playoff drought. Reigning WAB champ Dakar (89-73) and Kumasi (87-75) got the remaining playoff spots while Freetown (86-76), Nouakchott (83-79), and Accra (82-80) just missed. The Dukes’ playoff streak grew to three and the Monkeys ended an eight-year drought. The Foresters saw their four-year streak halted. Western League MVP went to Banjul RF Haji Mussa in his third season as a starter. The 25-year old Chadian led in runs (127), RBI (149), walks (99), total bases (405), OBP (.468), slugging (.799), OPS (1.267), wRC+ (217), and WAR (9.8). Mussa was second in homers (63) and third in batting average (.359). In July, the Bucks locked Mussa up on an eight-year, $103,520,000 extension to remain their franchise icon. The remarkable and historic career start for Dakar’s Chidozie Iyakson continued with three Pitcher of the Year awards in his first three seasons. The 25-year old Nigerian lefty again won the ERA title (2.53) and was the leader in quality starts (23), FIP- (56), and WAR (8.6). Iyakson had 282 strikeouts over 224.1 innings, 173 ERA+, and 13-9 record. Dakar dumped Kumasi 2-0 in the first round, but was promptly swept 2-0 by Banjul. The 2009 expansion Bucks earned their fourth trip to the Western League Championship Series and first since 2018, which saw a victory over Abidjan. The Athletes easily avenged that loss with a 3-0 sweep for their second pennant in four years. Abidjan now had 15 pennants, easily leading all WL teams and second only to EL power Kano (16). After an abysmal 59-103 only two years prior, Cotonou exploded for a 112-50 record in 2026 to end their seven-year playoff drought and reclaim the top spot in the Eastern League. The Copperheads did notably outperform their expected win/loss by 13 games. Cotonou was second in runs scored (894) and third in fewest allowed (695). Although 12 games back, last year’s first place finisher Niamey was a strong second at 100-62, growing their playoff streak to three. The Atomics led in scoring with 903 runs. Lagos (93-69) and Kano (88-74) snagged the final spots with defending EL champ Ibadan (87-75) the first team out. The Lizards earned their second wild card in three years while the Condors had their second in four seasons. The Iguanas’ playoff streak ended at four. Port Harcourt’s streak ended at three despite allowing the fewest runs (647), finishing 78-84 with only 634 runs scored. Yaounde also notably collapsed down to 67-95 for their first losing season since 2017. Ouagadougou was another that went from in the mix in 2025 (89-73) down to a last place 62-100 in 2026. Kano CF Anietie Sowah won Eastern League MVP in only his second season starting. The 23-year old Nigerian was the WARlord at 8.1, winning a Gold Glove defensively. Sowah added 208 hits, 123 runs, 31 doubles, 18 triples, 33 homers, 101 RBI, 76 steals, and .977 OPS. Sowah had won Rookie of the Year the prior season for the Condors. Pitcher of the Year was Cotonou righty Jose Balde, also a second-year starter. The 24-year old Bissau-Guinean led in wins (21-7), innings (261.1), complete games (13), and shutouts (3). Balde added a 2.93 ERA, 229 strikeouts, 155 ERA+, and 5.8 WAR. The 6’7’’ Balde was the #1 overall draft pick two years prior, helping the Copperheads quickly return to form. Lagos edged Kano 2-1 in the first round, then pulled off the 2-1 upset of #2 seed Niamey in round two. The Lizards hadn’t been in the Eastern League Championship Series since 2008, while Cotonou was in their first one since 2017. The series needed all five games with the finale ending in a dramatic 6-5 walkoff win for the Copperheads. Bacukp OF Ephraim Mulbah had the clincher on a walkoff RBI double in the bottom of the ninth inning. Back in game one, 3B Umar Lalleshwari gave Cotonou a walk-off solo home run for a 2-1 win to begin ahead in the series. It was Cotonou’s fourth pennant and first since their early 2010s dynasty. Cotonou’s first-ever West African Championship win came over Abidjan 4-2 back in 2010. That started the Copperheads dynasty that also won titles in 2011 and 2013. Cotonou returned to the throne in 2026 in a seven-game thriller over the Athletes, which was the first WAB finale to go 4-3 since 2019. Finals MVP went to LF Alban Oliveira, who joined Cotonou in a summer trade the prior year from Bouake. The 28-year old righty from Togo in 12 playoff starts had 17 hits, 5 runs, 7 doubles, 1 triple, and 4 RBI. The Copperheads were the sixth-different champion in as many years and were now 4-0 in their finals trips all-time. Abidjan is 5-10 all-time in their finals berths. It was one of the biggest turnarounds in baseball history as Cotonou had been 59-103 only two years prior. Their 112-50 record was the fourth-best by a WAB Champion behind 1999 Kano (123-39), 1998 Kano (114-48), and their own 2011 title (114-48). Other notes: WAB hits king Fares Belaid also passed Darwin Morris’s 2234 runs scored to become the WAB leader with 2276. This also placed the 38-year old Tunisian 5^th in runs for all of pro baseball history. Belaid also became the 2^nd in world history with 800 career doubles with his 813 only three back on SAB’s Manju Abbas’s top mark of 816. Belaid also became the 7th in world history to 400 career triples with a league-best 23 in 2026. This put him at 421, 4th behind Carsten Dal (457), Yoon-Soo Hyoun (449), and Jacob Ronnberg (436). Belaid finished the season at 4414 hits, 3^rd in pro baseball history to Prometheo Garcia (4917) and Jiri Lebr (4651). 2026 was his final of nine seasons with Yaounde, signing a three-year, $42,800,000 deal in the offseason with Lagos. Ibrahim Sani and Clarence Cole became the 4^th and 5^th members of the 3000 hit club. Three joined the 2500 hit club, bringing that group to 28 strong. Abdel Aziz Ashraf was the 16^th to reach 500 home runs. Shafiu Hassan was the 12^th to 1500 RBI and Jonah Moiseiwitsch was the 9^th to 1500 runs scored. Minusu Ekong and Nazifi Zakaria were the 23^rd and 24^th pitchers to 3000 strikeouts. Douala’s Isah Saka tied the WAB single-season record for doubles with 70, previously hit in 2021 by Adrian Kollie. 70 remains tied for the 3^rd most in any world league behind ABF’s Gokhan Karatas (72, 1990) and AAB’s Stefan Cejka (71, 1996). Banjul’s Pedrag Zizovic had a 36-game hitting streak, tied for the 5^th longest in WAB history. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)