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FuzzyRussianHat · 01-20-2026, 06:21 PM

The 45^th Africa Series was a rematch of the prior year, which saw Kampala prevail in a 5-4 classic over Dar es Salaam. It is the fifth straight finals trip for the Sabercats, who won in 2035 over Nairobi, lost in 2036 to Mombasa, and defeated Kinshasa in 2037. It’s the first finals rematch in the African Association of Baseball since Kampala’s 2020s dynasty, facing Antananarivo in 2022-23.

Dar es Salaam had home field advantage with a remarkable 65-16 record at home in the regular season. The Sabercats on paper were the favorite, but you couldn’t discount the reigning Baseball Grand Champion Peacocks. It was clear that both would qualify for the 2039 BGC regardless of result.

Kampala opened with a 3-0 road win thanks to Abdullahi Ali’s five-hit shutout with 18 strikeouts. The Sabercats used a five-run first inning to claim game two 7-4. Dar’s offense kept rolling to a 10-3 win in game three, giving them the edge as the series shifted to Uganda for the next four games. The Sabercats then surprised Kampala with a 6-1 result in game four to assume the 3-1 series lead.

With Ali back on the mound for game five, the Peacocks prevailed 4-3. A big shift though came as Dar es Salaam MVP 1B Ferdinand Rajerison took an errant pitch to the knee, suffering a broken kneecap with a five month recovery time. Even without him, the Sabercats routed Kampala 17-5 in game six, putting them one win away from taking the best-of-nine series.

The Peacocks wouldn’t go down without a fight as two pitchers combined for a 3-0 two-hitter in game seven. The series moved back to Tanzania with a lopsided 8-1 Kampala road win in game eight, forcing the decisive finale. The Peacock offense unloaded with five homers, including two from Freddie Chirambo. Ali gave up four runs on the mound, but set the playoff record with 19 strikeouts. He didn’t need to be perfect in a 12-5 Kampala win, repeating as AAB champs.

Chirambo was series MVP, going 12-37 with 3 homers, 6 runs, and 8 RBI. Ali set playoff records for strikeouts (61) and K/9 (16.47) while also becoming the second with four wins in a playoff run. He won all four starts with a 2.70 ERA over 33.1 innings and 1.7 WAR.

Kampala is the first repeat AAB champ since their 2020-22 three-peat and are now six-time champs, having also won in 2018. The six titles are tied with Addis Ababa for the second-most, while Kinshasa leads all teams with seven. Dar es Salaam falls in nine for back-to-back years. The Sabercats are 2-3 in their five-year finals streak and 3-5 all-time.

Other notes: Dar es Salaam’s Edzai Jeke drew 141 walks, which ranks as the 7^th-most in any world league for a single-season. Five of the six seasons ahead of him were also in AAB. Zenzele Mnisi became the 16^th member of the 600 home run club and Lebogang Ntuka was the 29^th to 500 dingers. Abel Teklemariam was the 20^th to 1500 RBI.

In pitching milestones, Lawal Deffallah was the 6^th to 200 wins and the 4^th to 3500 strikeouts. Mert Seyoum was the 13^th to 3000 Ks. 2039 was the final season for SP Bernard Burger, finishing in AAB with a 210-149 record, 3.84 ERA, 2264 Ks, 120 ERA+, and 65.0 WAR. He ranks tied for 2^nd in wins and 13^th in pitching WAR. 2B Kassim Nour won his 8^th Gold Glove and 1B Michael Bobb got his 7^th. Nour is now tied for the position record.

Promotion/Relegation: In the Southern Conference, Antananarivo was relegated to the African Second League to be replaced by Pretoria. In the Central, Nairobi moved down and Mbuji-Mayi replaced them.

The 2030s were the highest-scoring decade in African Association of Baseball history and among the highest in any world league ever. Both conferences saw around a 4.61 league ERA and .261 batting average. The ERA ranks as very high on the historical scale and the batting average is above average. Both are peaks for AAB, which had around a 4.42 ERA and .255 average in the 2020s. Although AAB’s batting averages are lower than the other top-scoring leagues, AAB has far more walks drawn.

01-20-2026, 06:21 PM	#2678
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,209	2039 Africa Series The 45^th Africa Series was a rematch of the prior year, which saw Kampala prevail in a 5-4 classic over Dar es Salaam. It is the fifth straight finals trip for the Sabercats, who won in 2035 over Nairobi, lost in 2036 to Mombasa, and defeated Kinshasa in 2037. It’s the first finals rematch in the African Association of Baseball since Kampala’s 2020s dynasty, facing Antananarivo in 2022-23. Dar es Salaam had home field advantage with a remarkable 65-16 record at home in the regular season. The Sabercats on paper were the favorite, but you couldn’t discount the reigning Baseball Grand Champion Peacocks. It was clear that both would qualify for the 2039 BGC regardless of result. Kampala opened with a 3-0 road win thanks to Abdullahi Ali’s five-hit shutout with 18 strikeouts. The Sabercats used a five-run first inning to claim game two 7-4. Dar’s offense kept rolling to a 10-3 win in game three, giving them the edge as the series shifted to Uganda for the next four games. The Sabercats then surprised Kampala with a 6-1 result in game four to assume the 3-1 series lead. With Ali back on the mound for game five, the Peacocks prevailed 4-3. A big shift though came as Dar es Salaam MVP 1B Ferdinand Rajerison took an errant pitch to the knee, suffering a broken kneecap with a five month recovery time. Even without him, the Sabercats routed Kampala 17-5 in game six, putting them one win away from taking the best-of-nine series. The Peacocks wouldn’t go down without a fight as two pitchers combined for a 3-0 two-hitter in game seven. The series moved back to Tanzania with a lopsided 8-1 Kampala road win in game eight, forcing the decisive finale. The Peacock offense unloaded with five homers, including two from Freddie Chirambo. Ali gave up four runs on the mound, but set the playoff record with 19 strikeouts. He didn’t need to be perfect in a 12-5 Kampala win, repeating as AAB champs. Chirambo was series MVP, going 12-37 with 3 homers, 6 runs, and 8 RBI. Ali set playoff records for strikeouts (61) and K/9 (16.47) while also becoming the second with four wins in a playoff run. He won all four starts with a 2.70 ERA over 33.1 innings and 1.7 WAR. Kampala is the first repeat AAB champ since their 2020-22 three-peat and are now six-time champs, having also won in 2018. The six titles are tied with Addis Ababa for the second-most, while Kinshasa leads all teams with seven. Dar es Salaam falls in nine for back-to-back years. The Sabercats are 2-3 in their five-year finals streak and 3-5 all-time. Other notes: Dar es Salaam’s Edzai Jeke drew 141 walks, which ranks as the 7^th-most in any world league for a single-season. Five of the six seasons ahead of him were also in AAB. Zenzele Mnisi became the 16^th member of the 600 home run club and Lebogang Ntuka was the 29^th to 500 dingers. Abel Teklemariam was the 20^th to 1500 RBI. In pitching milestones, Lawal Deffallah was the 6^th to 200 wins and the 4^th to 3500 strikeouts. Mert Seyoum was the 13^th to 3000 Ks. 2039 was the final season for SP Bernard Burger, finishing in AAB with a 210-149 record, 3.84 ERA, 2264 Ks, 120 ERA+, and 65.0 WAR. He ranks tied for 2^nd in wins and 13^th in pitching WAR. 2B Kassim Nour won his 8^th Gold Glove and 1B Michael Bobb got his 7^th. Nour is now tied for the position record. Promotion/Relegation: In the Southern Conference, Antananarivo was relegated to the African Second League to be replaced by Pretoria. In the Central, Nairobi moved down and Mbuji-Mayi replaced them. The 2030s were the highest-scoring decade in African Association of Baseball history and among the highest in any world league ever. Both conferences saw around a 4.61 league ERA and .261 batting average. The ERA ranks as very high on the historical scale and the batting average is above average. Both are peaks for AAB, which had around a 4.42 ERA and .255 average in the 2020s. Although AAB’s batting averages are lower than the other top-scoring leagues, AAB has far more walks drawn. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports The Level Playing Field: Alternate MLB History From 1884-Onward Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)