[FuzzyRussianHat]

Defending Africa Series champ Dar es Salaam looked to continue their dynasty run in 2038. The three-time defending Southern Conference champs ran away with first place at 108-54, taking the top spot by 12 games. The Sabercats were 50-18 after the all-star break, tied for the best mark in the African Association of Baseball. They allowed AAB’s second0fewest runs at 660 and had the best run differential of +258.

Johannesburg was right with them and only one back at the all-star break, but they had to fend off both Cape Town and Lusaka to earn repeat playoff trips. The Jackalopes took it at 96-66 over the 95-67 Cowboys and 92-70 Lake Monsters. Johannesburg was AAB’s top-scoring team with 982 runs. The Cowboys allowed the fewest runs at 649, but fell just short. For Lusaka, this was their first winning campaign since 2031. Notable was Durban’s fall to 74-88, as the Deer had won 90+ in the prior three seasons.

It was a race to the bottom for relegation between Lilongwe and Comoros, who met in the final series of the season in Malawi. The Lightning got the sweep to survive, dooming the Chimps to the African Second League after a six-year stint in the top tier. Comoros barely missed the playoffs in their First League debut, but had quickly fallen off since. Lilongwe notably had terrible pitching, setting AAB all-time worsts for team ERA (5.98) and runs allowed (1024).



In his second year with Johannesburg, Asa Ngoie won Southern Conference MVP and became only the third in AAB history with five MVP awards. The 37-year old Congolese LF had won in 2026, 30, 32, and 34 with Brazzaville, who traded him to the Jackalopes after the 2036 season. In 2038, Ngoie led in OBP (.435) and WAR (8.5). He added 191 hits, 129 runs, 51 home runs, 135 RBI, 27 doubles, 1.136 OPS, and 185 wRC+.

Ngoie also became only the eighth in AAB with 10+ Silver Sluggers. It was his fifth in LF, as his first five came in center. He got 22/24 first place votes in the MVP race and became the tenth AAB slugger with 700 career homers. Prior to the season, Ngoie had inked a nice two-year, $69 million extension with the Jackalopes.

Pitcher of the Year was an incredibly competitive field as five different guys earned a first place vote. Dar es Salaam was well represented with three of the top five, including the winner Ydnekatchew Dinkesa. He had eight first place votes and 110 points. Teammate Mariano Pera was next at 88 points and four first place votes. Cape Town’s Bernard Berger matched Dinkesa’s eight first place nods, but was third overall with 79 points. Lubango’s Mario Lule and the Sabercats’ Sylvestre Mbiwa also had first place nods.

The 32-year old Ethiopian Dinkesa was in his third season with Dar es Salaam, having come in an August 2036 trade with Addis Ababa. He was the leader in wins at 22-6 and had a 3.44 ERA, 241 innings, 215 strikeouts, 134 ERA+, 77 FIP-, and 6.2 WAR. It was Berger with easily the best ERA at 2.54, but he had a lower inning count than his rivals. Gaborone’s Mert Seyoum was the strikeouts leader at 315.



Dar es Salaam had the built-in one game advantage to start the Southern Conference Championship and opened with a 8-0 win over Johannesburg. Mariano Pera tossed a two-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts and three walks. The Sabercats then took game two 9-7, putting them on the verge of the sweep before heading to South Africa.

Johannesburg got one back at home 8-6 in game three. Dar es Salaam had a late rally to take game four 6-3, securing their fourth consecutive pennant and seventh overall. Pera’s game one shutout earned him series MVP honors.