Baseball: The World's Game

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It had been just over 20 years for Austronesia Professional Baseball’s last expansions. The Taiwan-Philippine Association introduced Hsinchu and Cagayan de Oro in 2007, while 2008 saw Johor Bahru and Kuala Lumpur leave South Asia Baseball and join the Sundaland Association. The game had continued to grow in the region along with the population, leading officials to work on the next expansion plans.

The decision was made to add one team to each of APB’s existing leagues, which would give both associations’ two leagues with seven teams each. Joining the Taiwan League was the Chiayi City Hawks while the Philippine League picked up the Batangas Beach Bums. The Java Sea League added an Indonesian team with the Makassar Maroon Giants, while the Malacca League introduced the Malaysia-based Penang Possums.



The other big change that came with this was a playoff expansion. Previously, only the first place teams advanced to the best-of-seven association championship. Both second place finishers would now advance as well with a division round pitting one league’s #1 against the other league’s #2. The top seed would host all games of the best-of-five series and had a one game advantage. The first place team would only need to win two of four games to advance, while the second place team would need to win three.

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Taoyuan took the Taiwan League title for the first time since 2022 and had the Taiwan-Philippine Association’s top seed at 98-64. The Tsunami led Austronesia Professional Baseball with 649 runs, beating out Taichung by five games. The Toucans advanced to the expanded playoffs at 93-69, taking second by seven over last year’s TL winner Tainan. This ended what was the longest playoff drought in APB history at 41 seasons for Taichung dating back to 1987.

There was a shakeup in the Philippine League with reigning Austronesia Champion and four-time defending PL champ Cebu dethroned by Quezon. The Zombies won it at 95-67 for their first playoff berth and winning season since 2022. The Crows were a close second at 93-69 to keep their playoff streak intact, holding off 90-72 efforts by Cagayan de Oro and Davao. Cebu gave up the TPA’s fewest runs at 437.

While Hsinchu struggled to 74-88, Binh Tang continued to roll with his ninth Taiwan-Philippine Association MVP. “The King” became the ninth player across all of pro baseball history with 9+ MVPs and the first in APB. Tang also won his ninth Silver Slugger and sixth playing first base. The amazing thing was he was still only 29-years old.

The Vietnamese lefty led in doubles (39), home runs (43), total bases (373), slugging (.619), OPS (.992), wRC+ (206), and WAR (11.4). Tang also had 199 hits, 94 runs, 103 RBI, and a .330 average. He was only three average points and six RBI from another Triple Crown. It was the seventh time Tang led the TPA in WAR and the ninth time he had the best OPS. He reached the 2000 hit, 1000 RBI, and 1000 runs scored milestones in 2029.

Davao’s Jah Manorek won his second Pitcher of the Year award, having also won in 2025. He had found his footing again after dealing with a 2026 torn rotator cuff and 2027 partially torn labrum. The 25-year old Indonesian righty led in wins (25-3), strikeouts (374), and shutouts (7). Manorek had a 1.65 ERA over 261.2 innings, 175 ERA+, and 9.9 WAR. He finished second in ERA behind Tainan’s Yi-Hsiang Chang at 1.47. Sadly, more injuries meant Manorek wouldn’t pitch another full season again and he’d be out of the game after the 2033 season.

Both league champs advanced out of the new divisional round. Taoyuan survived 3-2 over Cebu to deny the Crows’ pennant five-peat bid, while Quezon topped Taichung 3-1. Both the Zombies and Tsunami last made the Taiwan-Philippine Association Championship in 2022, which Quezon won. Taoyuan got their revenge 4-1 to end a 20-year pennant drought. The Tsunami became nine-time TPA champs (1971, 1978, 1982, 1983, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2008, 2029), which was tied with Cebu and Zamboanga for the most.



Semarang narrowly took the Sundaland Association’s top seed, winning the Java Sea League at 91-71. This ended an 11-year playoff drought for the Sliders, who led all of APB with only 372 runs allowed. Jakarta took second at 85-77 and Bandung was third at 81-81. With the playoff expansion, the Jaguars were able to extend their playoff streak to five seasons.

The Malacca League had new blood at the top with Batam first at 90-72 and expansion Penang second at 88-74. The Blue Raiders ended a 29-year playoff drought and led the SA with 491 runs scored. The Possums joined CABA’s Guyana and SAB’s Da Nang as the only expansion teams in any pro league to earn a playoff spot in their debut season. Penang did it with impressive speed, setting a new APB team record for 487 stolen bases. Medan was a close third at 87-75, while reigning SA champ Johor Bahru fell to 78-84 to end their four-year run atop the Malacca League.

Pekanbaru was 80-82 despite repeat Sundaland Association MVP wins for LF James Yuwono. It was his fourth MVP, also winning in 2024 and 2025. The 30-year old Indonesian lefty led in runs (92), home runs (51), RBI (104), total bases (373), OBP (.382), slugging (.671), OPS (1.053), wRC+ (272), and WAR (12.7). Yuwono’s WAR was the fifth-best by an APB position player and his .309 average left him seven points shy of a Triple Crown. Yuwon earned his seventh Silver Slugger.

Medan lefty Pao-Huang Lin won Pitcher of the Year in his third season. The 22-year old from Taiwan led in ERA (1.19), WHIP (0.66), and FIP- (38). Lin only tossed 188.2 innings in a split starter/bullpen role, but had 300 strikeouts, 7.5 WAR, a 16-2 record, and 11 saves.

Both top seeds got first round sweeps with Batam over Jakarta and Semarang over Penang. The Sliders had home field advantage, but the Blue Raiders won the Sundaland Association 4-2 to end a 30-year pennant drought. Batam became six-time SA champs (1972, 1973, 1991, 1997, 1998, 2029).



The 65^th Austronesia Championship was the second finals encounter between Taoyuan and Batam, as the Tsunami had won over the Blue Raiders in 1997. 2029 had the same end result with Taoyuan winning 4-1 to become seven-time APB champs (1978, 1982, 1983, 1996, 1997, 2008, 2029). This was the most titles by a TPA team and was second in all of APB only behind Jakarta’s eight.

Rookie of the Year winner Chun-Hsiang Lin added finals MVP to his mantle as well. The 22-year old had also won a Gold Glove in left field in his debut season. In 14 playoff games, Lin had 20 hits, 12 runs, 4 doubles, 2 triples, 3 homers, 8 RBI, and 1.1 WAR. Taoyuan’s Muhammad Wahid set a bad playoff record with 16 walks, although he was still strong in the title run with a 1.45 ERA and 43 Ks over 31 innings.



Other notes: Jakarta’s Rahmadi Wahid became the first player in APB history with a seven hit game, going 7-9 against Johor Bahru on August 9. Through the 2029 season, a seven-hit game has happened only 18 times in all of pro baseball history. APB’s 52^nd perfect game came from Depok’s Muhammad Haziq Izzuddin on June 8 with 11 Ks against Jakarta. The 53^rd happened on July 30 by Batam’s Timotius Kabagaimu with 4 Ks facing Singapore.

In milestones, Nazer Fairusshi became the 29^th member of the 400 home run club and the 39^th to 1000 RBI. Yee Husin was the 36^th pitcher to 3500 strikeouts. Ming-Hsuan Deng was the 30^th to 1000 runs scored. C Yi-Hsiang Chang won his 12^th and final Silver Slugger, becoming the first in APB at any position with 12. 1B Robert Corrado and 3B Rory Suiza both won their 8^th Gold Glove.

Austronesia Professional Baseball remained a very low scoring league for the 2020, although it was very slightly up from the prior decade. The Taiwan-Philippine Association (with the DH) saw its league ERA go from 2.74 in the 2010s to 2.83 in the 2020s, while the Sundaland Association (sans DH) went from 2.50 to 2.53. The TPA’s batting average went from .222 to .223, while the SA actually dropped from .215 to .212. With Chinese League Baseball’s bump up, APB was firmly the lowest scoring of the world leagues for the 2020s.

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Reigning Oceania Champion Sydney repeated as Australasia League champ, winning their seventh pennant since 2018. The Snakes finished 98-64 and led the Oceania Baseball Association with 790 runs. It was their 15^th consecutive winning season, becoming a powerhouse after struggling in the 20^th Century.

Perth was second at 93-69 and Melbourne was third at 92-70. The Penguins ended a seven season run of losing campaigns. Canberra notably plunged to 66-96, their first losing season since 2021. Christchurch allowed the AL’s fewest runs at 595, but only scored 593 for a seventh place 77-85 finish.

In his 15^th season with Sydney, 2B Trey Cruz won his second Australasia League MVP. The 32-year old Guamanian had also won back in 2021. 2029 was Cruz’s 12^th Silver Slugger, becoming the third in OBA history to win 12+ Sluggers. Cruz led with 105 runs, 26 triples, 76 stolen bases, and 7.5 WAR. He added 193 hits, 30 doubles, 18 home runs, 94 RBI, and .930 OPS. Cruz also became the 26^th in OBA to reach 2500 career hits.

Christchurch ace Quinn Burry won his third Pitcher of the Year in four seasons. The 29-year old Australian righty led in wins (21-13), strikeouts (408), WHIP (0.90), quality starts (29), FIP- (65), and WAR (9.1). Burry had a 2.81 ERA over 301 innings with 135 ERA+. It was his fourth straight year as the AL strikeout leader, topping 400+ each time.



Port Moresby’s epic reign atop the Pacific League had ended in 2028 thanks to a 110-win effort by Honolulu. However, the Mud Hens reclaimed the throne in 2029 at 93-69 for their sixth pennant in seven years. Port Moresby became eight-time champs and led the PL with 743 runs scored. Fiji and Honolulu tied for second at 89-73 and Timor was fourth at 88-74. Vanuatu notably dropped to 74-88, their first losing season since 2013.

Pacific League MVP went to Port Moresby veteran LF Garia Sakail in his 12^th year on roster. The 32-year old hometown favorite led in hits (196), triples (23), RBI (117), total bases (385), average (.333), slugging (.655), wRC+ (188), and WAR (8.2). Those were all career bests by far, as was his 42 home runs, 101 runs scored, and 1.021 OPS. The Mud Hens gave Sakail a five-year, $153 million extension in the offseason thanks to this effort. He never matched this production again, but remained a respectable starter for his hometown squad.

In only his second season, Fiji lefty Clement Alu won Pitcher of the Year. The 25-year old Papuan led in quality starts (29), complete games (16), and shutouts (4). Alu had a 22-10 record, 2.87 ERA, 304.1 innings, 246 strikeouts, 127 ERA+, and 7.3 WAR. The Freedom had picked Alu sixth in the 2026 OBA Draft.



The 70^th Oceania Championship looked to be a rubber match in the finals rivalry between Sydney and Port Moresby. The Mud Hens won round one in 2024, followed by a Snakes win in 2025. Round three was a 4-1 Sydney win, giving the Snakes the repeat and their sixth OBA title (2018, 2019, 2022, 2025, 2028, 2029). 3B Colin Schindler repeated as finals MVP as the 27-year old hometown kid went 7-20 with 2 runs, 2 doubles, 1 triple, 1 homer, 5 RBI, and 3 steals.



Other notes: Canberra’s Jordy Vincent in the fall had a 35-game hitting streak, breaking the OBA record of 34 set in 2004 by Kiryl Savchuk. Vincent also became the 71^st player to 1000 career RBI. CF Pouvalu Manu won his 14^th Gold Glove and joined Beisbol Sudamerica’s Loury Nova as the only 14-time winners in center field across all of baseball history. Manu is the only 14-time winner in OBA at any spot and one of 16 at any position across all leagues.

The Oceania Baseball Association’s scoring in the 2020s was considered average when compared to the historical scale and against other world leagues. Stats stayed roughly the same as they were in the 2010s and 2000s. The Australasia League had more scoring with a 3.87 ERA and .258 batting average for the 2020s compared to a .251 average and 3.69 ERA in the Pacific League. The PL had a 3.80 ERA in 2025 specifically to set a new single-season high.

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The European League had repeat division winners with Gomel atop the North and Volgograd atop the South, both finishing 97-65. The defending EL champ Voyagers officially were the #1 seed by tiebreaker, although they only won the division by two games over 95-67 Samara. The Griffins’ division title came by only three games over 94-68 Moscow. The Steelers and Mules got the wild cards with Kazan (90-72) and Tel Aviv (87-75) the first teams out.

Volgograd led the EL in scoring with 657 runs and Gomel allowed the fewest at 483. For the Voyagers, they’ve made the playoffs nine out of ten seasons in the 2020s. Samara was a wild card for the third straight year and Moscow ended a three-year drought. Minsk, who had a three year playoff streak, plummeted to 68-94. St. Petersburg also notably dropped to 66-86 for their first losing campaign since 2019.

Krasnodar was a non-factor at 76-86, but they had the European League MVP with DH Anar Arzhanov. In his second year starting, the 25-year old Uzbek lefty led in WAR (8.2), runs (98), and total bases (368). Arzhanov had 191 hits, 32 doubles, 45 home runs, 94 RBI, and a .307/.364/.591 slash. He was living up to the billing for the Steamers, who got him with the #1 overall pick in the 2026 Eurasian Professional Baseball Draft.

Moscow’s Tagir Jumayev picked up Pitcher of the Year in his 11^th season on roster for the Mules. The 32-year old Azeri righty led in wins (19-4) and WHIP (0.82). Jumayev had a 1.82 ERA over 217 innings, 256 strikeouts, 172 ERA+, and 7.9 WAR. He missed the playoffs though to a ruptured disc in early September. Jamayev’s effort was strong enough to earn a five-year, $74,800,000 extension in May 2030 with Moscow.

Volgograd survived 3-2 over Moscow in the first round to keep their repeat hope intact. Samara upset Gomel 3-2 in a classic, giving the Steelers their second European League Championship Series trip in three years. Both Samara and Volgograd had come into EPB with the 2000 season, but the Steelers were still searching for their first pennant. The Voyagers denied Samara in a seven-game thriller, earning an impressive fifth title of the decade (2020, 22, 23, 28, 29).



The Asian League’s four playoff teams were separated by only two wins. Both division champs finished 92-70 with Nur-Sultan again atop the West and defending EPB champ Vladivostok atop the East. The Setters had the #1 seed by the tiebreaker and earned a third straight division title. Although the Shibas won it all last year, this was their first-ever division title.

Vladivostok had fierce competition in the East Division with Khabarovsk at 91-71 and Novosibirsk at 90-72, both securing wild cards. The Nitros ended the longest-active playoff drought in EPB at 32 seasons going back to 1996. The 2020 expansion Rockets picked up their first-ever playoff berth. Ufa at 85-77 was the first team out, followed by 82-80 Perm. The Shibas allowed the fewest runs in the AL at 487. Krasnoyarsk scored the most at 650, but also allowed the most at 658. The Cossacks struggled to 77-85, ending an 11-year playoff streak.

Nur-Sultan CF Khazbulat Dukhu won Asian League MVP in a rare win by a leadoff man. The 30-year old Russian nicknamed “Claw” led in hits (187), OBP (.395), and WAR (8.5). Dukhu had 72 runs, 31 doubles, 9 triples, 8 homers, 76 RBI, 66 stolen bases, .325 average, .846 OPS, and 155 wRC+. Dukhu is only the second non-pitcher to win MVP in EPB with fewer than 10 home runs, joining 2004 Hall of Famer Nikolay Denisov. The Setters had given Dukhu an eight-year, $72,400,000 extension back in November 2027.

In his Vladivostok debut, Nehor Pomerantz became a three-time Pitcher of the Year. It was his first in the Asian League, having won previously in the EL for Minsk in 2022 and 2027. Pomerantz had also won MVP with his 2022 effort. The 31-year old Israeli lefty was traded to the Shibas in the offseason for three prospects. Pomerantz led in strikeouts (331), shutouts (5), and FIP- (65). He had a 20-9 record, 2.40 ERA, 247.2 innings, 132 ERA+, and 7.7 WAR. Vladivostok would sign Pomerantz to a five-year, $105 million extension in September 2030.

Nur-Sultan outlasted Novosibirsk 3-2 and Vladivostok topped Khabarovsk 3-1 in the first round of the playoffs. This pitted the 2028 Asian League Championship Series winning Shibas against the 2027 winning Setters. The battle of the dogs went to Vladivostok 4-2 for the repeat.



The 75^th Eurasian Professional Baseball Championship was the first finals rematch since Moscow versus Yekaterinburg in 2006-07. Vladivostok won 4-2 over Volgograd in 2028, but the Voyagers got revenge 4-1 in 2029. It was Volgograd’s second EPB title, having also won in 2023. 2B Jan Cieslak was finals MVP in his second season, posting 22 hits, 12 runs,6 doubles, 1 homer, and 6 RBI over 17 playoff starts.



Other notes: Ivan Nikolin became the 15^th pitcher to 4500 career strikeouts. He pitched two more years and ended with 4962, retiring 8^th on the leaderboard. Nikolin also became the 61^st to 200 wins in 2029. Vitali Kolyayev became the 20^th closer to 300 saves. CF Robert Albrecht won his 8^th consecutive Gold Glove.

Timofei Averkin became the 31^st batter to 2500 hits. He won his 11^th Silver Slugger and 10^th in right field, becoming only the sixth at any position with 11+ Sluggers in EPB. Averkin, Timofei Kalinin, and Marat Kazimov also reached 400 home runs, making that club 76 players strong.

Eurasian Professional Baseball was one of the only world leagues to see scoring dip from the 2010s to the 2020s. The drop was slight, going from a 3.26 league ERA in the 2010s to around 3.15 in 2020s. The batting average went from around .245 to around .242. This put EPB into below average to low scoring on the historical scale and had them among the lower scoring leagues in the 2020s.

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2029 marked the beginning of an expanded European Baseball Federation Elite Tier with the conferences shifted into two 13-team divisions. Three teams were within two games of the top seed for the Northern Conference. Defending European Champion Hanover took the top spot at 108-54 to win the new East Division. Rotterdam at 106-56 was the West Division champ. Both extended lengthy playoff streaks with the Ravens mark growing to nine seasons and the Hitmen to seven.

Hanover needed historic offensive output to fend off 106-56 Kharkiv for the division crown. The Hitmen set new EBF team records for slugging percentage (.529), on-base percentage (.351). and triples (143). Hanover’s 955 runs scored were a Northern Conference best and behind only 1951 Madrid’s 958 runs for the EBF overall record. Their .306 batting average was second-best in EBF history behind Amsterdam’s .308 from 1986. Hanover also had 1715 hits, which ranked fourth in EBF’s annals.

As the first wild card, Kharkiv grew their playoff streak to six seasons. Antwerp was four behind Rotterdam in the West at 102-60, earning their first wild card since 2021. The Airedales allowed the NC’s fewest runs at 590. The remaining two wild cards came from the West with Manchester at 98-64 and Nantes at 96-66. The Crushers earned repeat playoff trips and the Trappers got their third straight.

The first teams out in the wild card race were Berlin (93-69), London (91-71), and Frankfurt (88-74). Other notables included Dublin at 73-89, posting back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since 2002-03. They were still plenty safe from relegation, which would now go to the worst team in each division. Helsinki was the clear last place in the East at 58-104, getting sent right back down after escaping the European Second League the prior year.

In the West, Amsterdam had the bottom slot at 55-107, finishing one worse than 56-106 Luxembourg. This was the first-ever demotion for the Anacondas, who had historically been one of EBF’s strongest franchises. They hadn’t lost 100+ games in a season since 1976 and had been a playoff regular earlier in the decade. One other note from the NC, Hamburg set a conference attendance record at 2,781,931 despite struggling to 67-95. The Hammers would’ve been relegated the prior year had the expansion not saved them.

Northern Conference MVP went to Hanover 1B Jacinto Calvillo, the 2026 Rookie of the Year. The 24-year old Spanish lefty led in the triple slash (.379/.446/.721), OPS (1.168), wRC+ (206), WAR (10.9), and RBI (151). Cavillo added 222 hits, 134 runs, 32 doubles, and 52 home runs. He finished only seven homers shy of a Triple Crown. The following winter, the Hitmen signed Calvillo to an eight-year, $216 million extension.

Manchester’s David Ruiz repeated as Pitcher of the Year, leading in both ERA (2.31) and FIP- (59). The 28-year old Spanish lefty had an 18-6 record, 225.2 innings, 257 strikeouts, 172 ERA+, and 7.9 WAR. Prior to the 2029 campaign, the Crushers gave Ruiz a four-year, $62 million extension.

Both wild card round matchups saw 2-0 sweeps with Manchester over Antwerp and Kharkiv over Nantes. The Killer Bees upset Rotterdam 3-2 in round two, while the Crushers shocked reigning champ Hanover 3-1. Kharkiv earned its second Northern Conference Championship trip in four years, while it was the first ever for Manchester.

In a seven game classic, Kharkiv outlasted Manchester to earn their third EBF pennant (2000, 2002, 2029). The Killer Bees had six overall when including their Eurasian Professional Baseball successes. Kharkiv also became the first Ukrainian team to make it to the European Championship since Kyiv’s 2006-08 run.



Defending Southern Conference champ Munich took the top seed at 103-59 to win the new West Division, giving the Mavericks their ninth consecutive division title. It was their tenth straight playoff berth as they led the SC with 794 runs scored. Munich had to fend of 100-62 Barcelona for first place, who allowed the fewest runs at 587. The Bengals earned their third straight playoff trip and had their first 100+ win season since 2011.

In 2028, Zagreb missed the playoffs for the only time in the decade. The Gulls were back in 2029 atop the East Division at 98-64. Next were Odesa (95-67) and Ljubljana (93-69), who both picked up wild cards for repeat playoff berths. The final wild card went to Zurich (89-73), who held off Madrid (87-75), Seville (86-76), Milan (85-77), Chisinau (84-78), Tirana (84-78), and Marseille (83-79). The Mountaineers got their 11^th playoff berth since 2016.

Vienna had the worst record in the conference at 59-103 and was relegated out of the East Division. Yerevan had been close at 62-100, but survived another year. Zaragoza meanwhile was the clear worst in the West at 60-102. It was the second demotion for the Vultures, who had made it back to the EBF Elite in 2027. The Valiants had only been back two years after their last E2L stint.

Munich veteran 1B Vince Corapi won Southern Conference MVP. The 34-year old Italian was in his sixth season for the Mavericks and led in hits (211) and RBI (127). Corapi had 110 runs, 35 doubles, 15 triples, 35 home runs, .350/.392/.633 slash, 189 wRC+, and 8.5 WAR. He inked a new three-year, $85,200,000 extension with Munich the following autumn.

Mavericks ace Nejc Novak repeated as Pitcher of the Year and became a four-time winner (2022, 24, 28, 29). He was only the eighth in EBF to win POTY 4+ times. The 33-year old Slovene righty led in wins (21-5) and WHIP (0.99). Novak posted a 2.80 ERA over 228.1 innings with 211 strikeouts, 138 ERA+, and 7.0 WAR. He had a late August shutout against Seville to become EBF’s 41^st pitcher with 200 wins. In the offseason, Novak committed further to Munich with a four-year, $106,400,000 extension.

Ljubljana swept Odesa and Barcelona edged Zurich 2-1 in the wild card round. Both division champs held in round two with Munich defeating the Juggernauts 3-1 and Zagreb besting Barcelona 3-1. This continued the Southern Conference Championship rivalry between the Gulls and Mavericks. Munich had beaten Zagreb in 2021, 2023, and 2026 en route to pennants.

The Gulls got the edge in 2027, their lone pennant of the decade to that point despite five conference finals trip. Zagreb not only got one back in 2029, but they surprisingly swept the defending Southern Conference champ. It was the fourth pennant for the Gulls (1960, 1975, 2027, 2029).



The 80^th European Championship featured two teams from Eastern Europe for the first time since Kyiv versus Bucharest in 2008. In a seven game classic, Kharkiv claimed the gold over Zagreb. It was the Killer Bees’ third EBF title (2000, 2002, 2029) and sixth overall crown when adding their 1980, 1998, and 1999 EPB wins.



Gulls LF Luka Muller was finals MVP in defeat, posting 25 hits, 11 runs, 2 doubles, 3 triples, 5 homers, 16 RBI, 8 steals, and 1.3 WAR over 15 playoff starts. That earned the 29-year old Frenchman a big payday in a contract year, as he left for Major League Baseball and signed a five-year, $151,300,000 deal with Charlotte.

Other notes: EBF’s 41^st perfect game came on March 30 from Veinna’s Thorleifur Gunnarsson with 8 strikeouts against Brno. The 42^nd perfect came on August 10 as Odesa’s Sid James fanned seven facing Yerevan. Notably, Tirana’s Jan Mulder also had a no hitter on 8/10, making it the third day in EBF history with multiple no-hitters along with 9/14/1971 and 5/1/1956. Despite their 71-91 finish, Skopje set a new EBF season attendance record with 2,964,553 tickets sold.

In milestones, Theofilos Psarras became the 14^th member of the 3000 hit club. Psarras won his 13^th Silver Slugger split between RF/LF, joining the legendary Harvey Coyle and Jacob Ronnberg as EBF’s only 13+ Slugger winners. 3B Stefanos Emmanoulidis won his 8^th Silver Slugger. Aleksandr Parts became the 27^th to reach 1500 runs scored and also won his 7^th Gold Glove at first base. Andrea Tonetti won his 8^th Gold Glove, splitting them evenly between 2B/SS. Edoardo Manni was the 60^th pitcher to get 3000 strikeouts.

Kharkiv’s Danut Alecsandrescu had a four home run game facing Madrid on July 26, the 19^th such game in EBF history. Alecsandrescu also did it the prior year, becoming only the fourth in all of pro baseball history to achieve multiple four home run games. Prior to 2029, only SAB legend Tirtha Upadhyaya (1997, 1998, 2005) and AAB’s Timeo Kahudi (1997, 2000) had done it. Earlier in 2029, MLB’s Khalaf bin Abdullah remarkably did it twice in the same season.

The European Baseball Federation’s scoring numbers remained mostly consistent overall with what they had been since the 1990s. The Northern Conference did see its highest-ever league ERA, going from 3.76 in the 2010s to 3.92 in the 2020s. However, the Southern Conference dropped from 3.82 to 3.80. Both graded as above average on the historical scale relative to other leagues. The conferences had a batting average around .261 for the 2020s to stay in essentially the same range.

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Baseball’s popularity in South America continued to go up at a seemingly exponential rate, leading Beisbol Sudamerica officials to plan the fourth expansion by the end of the 2020s. BSA’s previous expansions had come in 1974, 1987, and 2009. The 2029 plan kept the format of three divisions per league, but added a new team to each division. Thus, both leagues would have three divisions of seven teams for 42 total squads in South America.



The Bolivar League added the Maracay Misfits to the Venezuela Division. The Colombia-Ecuador Division finally got a second Ecuadoran team with the Bucaramanga Battalion. Meanwhile, the Peru-Bolivia Division welcomed its third Bolivian team with the Cochabamba Bashers.

Two new Brazilian teams entered the Southern Cone League with the Belem Blue Crabs for the North Division and the Curitiba Carnivores for the Southeast Division. The South Central Division introduced the Valparaiso Voodoo for a third Chilean team. BSA now had 11 Brazilian teams, five from Argentina, three from Chile, four from Peru, three from Bolivia, seven from Venezuela, five from Colombia, two from Ecuador, one from Uruguay, and one from Paraguay.



The playoff structure was unchanged with the three division champs and two wild cards advancing from each league. Seeding remained based on record and not based on position, meaning wild cards could be ranked higher than weaker division champs.

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Barranquilla’s playoff streak grew to eight years with their sixth Colombia-Ecuador Division title of the run. The Blues had the Bolivar League’s best record at 104-58, their sixth time above 100 wins in the decade. Barranquilla led the BL with 883 runs scored. The #2 seed was defending BL champ Lima at 95-67, atop the Peru-Bolivia Division for the third straight year.

Arequipa (92-70) and La Paz (90-72) both gave the Lobos chase, earning the two wild card spots. The Pump Jacks ended a 23-year playoff drought, while the Arrows ended a two-year skid. The first teams out came from Colombia with Medellin at 89-73 and Bogota at 87-75. The Bats allowed the Bolivar League’s fewest runs at 627.

Maracaibo claimed the last spot by winning the Venezuela Division at 88-74, ending a 12-year postseason drought. Caracas was second at 85-77, followed by Barquisimeto at 83-79. The Colts have posted 14 straight winning seasons, although this was only the third time in that run without a division crown. The Black Cats notably had their first winning season since 2016. Also of note was Bolivia’s Santa Cruz at 79-83, ending their five year playoff streak. It was the first losing season for the Crawfish since 2018.

Lima RF Marc Melgar repeated as Bolivar League MVP with one of the all-time great seasons. He had the first hitting Triple Crown in Beisbol Sudamerica since 2009 and only the 12^th ever. Melgar also set new BSA single-season records for slugging percentage (.811) and OPS (1.281). His .419 batting average nearly set the world record, behind only Francisco Magellan’s .420 from the 2010 BSA season. As of 2037, Melgar’s average remains the second-best qualifying single-season in world history while his OPS ranks 15^th, slugging is 23^rd, and OBP (.470) is 21^st. The OBP was the sixth-best within BSA.

On top of Melgar’s .420/.470/.811 slash, he led with 253 hits, 61 home runs, 143 RBI, 489 total bases, 219 wRC+, and 11.1 WAR. The 27-year old hometown hero’s hits were third-most in BSA history and his total bases were four short of Juan Suarez’s 493 from 2022. This also ranked as the 15^th-most total bases and 28^th most hits in world history as of 2037. Melgar also scored 131 runs with 29 doubles, 12 triples, and 75 stolen bases. The former #1 overall draft pick inked an eight-year, $160,500,000 extension with the Lobos prior to the 2029 campaign.

Barquisimeto’s Jorge Fred won Pitcher of the Year, leading in ERA (1.61) and FIP- (67). The 27-year old Venezuelan lefty had a 12-9 record, 196 innings, 177 strikeouts, 245 ERA+, and 6.1 WAR. Fred also was a two-way player who had an impressive 66 games in the outfield worth 3.7 WAR with a 1.008 OPS, 14 home runs, 87 hits, and 39 runs. He posted those stats despite being out from August 4 onward with a ruptured finger tendon. The Black Cats gave Fred a five-year, $58,100,000 extension after the 2030 season.

Maracaibo swept La Paz in the first round, then was ousted 3-1 by Barranquilla in the divisional series. The Blues earned their fifth trip to the Bolivar League Championship Series in six years. Arequipa upset Lima 3-1 on the other side to earn their first-ever BLCS trip. The upstart Arrows then shocked Barranquilla 4-1 in the BLCS to earn their first pennant. With that, every Bolivar League team had now won at least one pennant apart from the brand new expansion teams. Arequipa had entered BSA in 1987 along with Mendoza.

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Brasilia repeated as the Southern Cone League’s top seed and the North Division champ at 107-55. The Bearcats set a new league record with a team .495 slugging percentage and led with 813 runs scored. It was an eight game drop to the #2 seed Santiago, who claimed the South Central Division at 99-63. The Saints allowed the fewest runs at 528 and grew their playoff streak to 10 seasons. Since 2015, Santiago has missed the playoffs only once and has 11 division titles.

The closest division was the Southeast with Sao Paulo (94-68) edging out Rosario (93-69), and defending Copa Sudamerica champ Buenos Aires (92-70). The Padres extended their playoff streak to six years. The North Division meanwhile had Belo Horizonte at 93-69 and Manaus at 92-70. With that, the Robins and Hogs earned wild cards while the Atlantics and Magpies missed the cut. Rosario earned its second trip in three years and BH ended a four-year drought. Also notably was Concepcion at 82-80, only their third playoff miss since 2011.

Salta finished 84-78 and had the Southern Cone League MVP Antonio Coria. The 27-year old Argentinian LF led in hits (251), doubles (41), RBI (120), total bases (427), triple slash (.405/.430/.690), OPS (1.120), wRC+ (222), and WAR (9.8). With Coria and Melgar’s efforts, BSA has seen nine seasons with a qualifying hitter at or above .400. Coria added 109 runs, 15 triples, 35 homers and hit for the cycle in August. This was already the third cycle of his career, becoming the sixth in BSA history to achieve the feat thrice.

Although Concepcion missed the playoffs, they had reason for optimism with Luis Enrique De La Cruz winning both Pitcher of the Year and Rookie of the Year. He was picked 14^th overall in the 2026 BSA Draft and earned a full-time slot for 2029. De La Cruz led in ERA (2.12), innings (280), quality starts (29), and complete games (19). The 23-year old Chilean righty had a 17-10 record, 249 strikeouts, and 8.1 WAR.

Also notable was Buenos Aires’ Igor Vigil winning his fourth Reliever of the Year. He became the ninth in BSA history to win the award 4+ times with wins from 2024-26 with Porto Alegre. Vigil had been with Buenos Aires since a 2027 trade and in 2029 had 33 saves, 1.54 ERA, 133 strikeouts, 82 innings, and 4.0 WAR. He would try his hand at MLB in 2030 with Washington.

Belo Horizonte edged Rosario 2-1 in the first round, then upset Brasilia 3-1 in the divisional series. It was back-to-back one-and-dones for the Bearcats, while the Hogs secured their first trip to the Southern Cone Championship since 2001. Sao Paulo outlasted Santiago 3-2 on the other side, giving the Padres their fifth LCS trip in six years.

For the fourth straight appearance, Sao Paulo was ousted in the Southern Cone Championship. Belo Horizonte got the firm 4-1 victory to end a 37-year pennant drought for the Hogs. Belo Horizonte became six-time league champs (1939, 1948, 1950, 1952, 1991, 2029). The Hogs had lost their first Copa Sudamerica, but had won four straight since.



The 99^th Copa Sudamerica was an all-timer that wasn’t decided until the final pitch of game seven. The finale was an all-time pitcher’s duel with no score entering the ninth inning. On top of that, Belo Horizonte hadn’t even gotten a hit off Arequipa through eight innings. The Hogs only got one hit for the entire game, but it proved to be decisive and from an unlikely source.

35-year old catcher Junior Perdomo had joined Belo Horizonte in 2029 after 13 years with Caracas. He was known as a defense-first catcher and definitely wasn’t known as a home run hitter. For his entire 15-year career, Perdomo would hit only 51 dingers. However, in game seven of the 99^th Copa Sudamerica, Perdomo sent a solo shot over the fence for the 1-0 walk-off victory. It was one of only three career playoff homers for Perdomo.

With that, Belo Horizonte became five-time cup winners. Despite Brazilian teams making up a plurality in Beisbol Sudamerica, the Hogs were the only Brazilian team to claim the Cup in the 2020s. Two-time league MVP Paco Amorim had a big postseason for Arequipa, winning finals MVP in defeat and BLCS MVP. In 16 playoff starts, the 29-year old Brazilian 1B had 29 hits, 15 runs, 5 doubles, 7 home runs, 19 RBI, 1.478 OPS, and 2.0 WAR.



Other notes: BSA’s 51^st perfect game came on August 16 from Fortaleza’s Alex Pederneiras with six strikeouts against Montevideo. Expansion Curitiba had a rough debut at 52-110, setting new Southern Cone League all-time pitching worsts for team ERA (5.01), hits (1774), runs (871), earned runs (794), H/9 (11.19), and WHIP (1.517).

In milestones, Pablo Amor became the 26^th batter to 1500 career runs scored. Amor and Michael Escalante became the 37^th and 38^th to reach 1500 RBI. Benjamim Pinheiro and Jeffry Lucero were the 82^nd and 83^rd to 2500 hits. Pinheiro joined the 500 home run club along with Eddy Corunha, Emmanuel Angel, and Juan Rizo. This made the club 62 players strong. Corunha also won his 8^th Silver Slugger at shortstop. Agostino Cortez was the 69^th pitcher to 200 wins and Antonio Kercado became the 39^th to 300 saves. LF Feliz Zaldivar won his 7^th Gold Glove.

Beisbol Sudamerica’s scoring was similar in the 2020s to the prior three decades since instituting rule changes. BSA had been a low scoring league when it founded in the 1930s, but had been considered an above average scoring league since the 2000s.

With the DH, the Bolivar League had a 4.08 ERA for the 2020s while the Southern Cone League was at 3.67. However, the BL had a .278 batting average, the highest of any world league in the 2020s. The Southern Cone was at .266 for the decade. Although BSA had among the most hits of any league, the scoring wasn’t nearly as inflated as the African leagues were in the 2020s.

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The Japan League’s Central Division was incredibly top heavy with Kobe (109-53) outlasting Kyoto (101-61) for first place and the top seed. The Blaze allowed the league’s fewest runs (516) while the Kamikaze scored the most (729). Both wild cards came from the Central with defending JL champ Nagoya next at 94-68. Kobe’s playoff streak grew to seven years. Kyoto had their second berth in three years and the Nightowls had their third in four.

Niigata dominated the North Division at 97-65 for the #2 seed, growing their playoff streak to three. Tokyo (93-69) took the Capital Division over Saitama (88-74) to end a five-year playoff drought. Hiroshima was the only team above .500 in the West Division at 90-72 to grow their division title streak to four. Okayama was notably second at 81-81, becoming the first of the 2025 expansion teams to get to .500. Fukuoka was notable at 79-83, their first losing campaign since 2017.

Niigata RF Masanori Fukuoka won his third Japan League MVP in four years, although he didn’t replicate his record-setting 2028. Still, the 27-year old lefty led in runs (117), triples (23), home runs (53), RBI (129), total bases (404), slugging (.682), OPS (1.039), and wRC+ (194). Fukuoka added 182 hits, .307 average, and 9.2 WAR.

The Green Dragons also had Takehiro Nakajima repeat as Pitcher of the Year. The 30-year old lefty led in WAR (11.5), and quality starts (28). Nakajima had a 1.98 ERA over 268.2 innings, 17-6 record, 301 strikeouts, and 177 ERA+.

In the wild card round, Kyoto edged Hiroshima 2-1 and Tokyo topped Nagoya 2-0. The top seeds prevailed in the divisional series with Kobe outlasting the Kamikaze 3-2 and Niigata downing Tokyo 3-1. The Blaze got their second Japan League Championship Series berth in five years, while the Green Dragons made it three straight. Kobe was the favorite at 109-55, but Niigata crushed them with a road sweep. The Green Dragons won their second pennant in three years and their eighth overall (1990, 1991, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2027, 2029).



Busan was again the Korea League’s top seed with their sixth straight South Division title at 105-57. The Blue Jays playoff streak grew to ten seasons, standing alone as the longest streak in East Asia Baseball history. Busan allowed the fewest runs in the KL at 530. Over in the North Division, reigning EAB champ Goyang made it a division title three-peat at 98-64.

Next behind the Green Sox in the North were Suwon (95-67) and Incheon (91-71), taking the first two wild cards. The Snappers ended a seven-year playoff drought and the Inferno grew their streak to four. The third wild card narrowly went to Yongin (86-76) for their second berth in three years. Changwon (85-77), Pyongyang (83-79), and Seongnam (83-79) missed the cut. Ulsan notably fell to 75-87 to prevent a fourth straight playoff trip.

Hamhung led the KL with 800 runs, but struggled to 76-86 by allowing the most at 837. 1B Toichi Kimura again powered the Heat’s offense and repeated as Korea League MVP. The 24-year old lefty led in runs scored (121), home runs (66), total bases (440), slugging (.710), OPS (1.069), and wRC+ (190). Kimura added 201 hits, 39 doubles, 145 RBI, and 9.1 WAR. He was already living up to the eight-year, $167,600,000 extension he got the prior November.

Ulsan’s Jin-Yu Jun won his third Pitcher of the Year in four seasons. In only his fifth year with the Swallows, Jun led in strikeouts (326), K/BB (13.6), FIP- (42), and WAR (11.1). He had a 2.55 ERA, 11-13 record, and 150 ERA+ over 240 innings.

In March, Jun signed a world record seven-year, $385 million extension with Ulsan. The later years of the deal were set to pay Jun $58 million annually. The Swallows appreciated Jun, but quickly realized they couldn’t afford that monster deal. Ulsan traded Jun in the offseason to Kobe for two prospects.

Yongin swept Incheon in the wild card round and gave top seed Busan a challenge, although the Blue Jays escaped with a 3-2 divisional series win. Suwon swept Goyang on the other side, giving the Snappers their first Korea League Championship Series trip since 2009. It was the fifth of the decade for Busan, who earned their third title of the 2020s with a 4-2 win over Suwon. The Blue Jays now had 14 KL pennants, second only to Daegu’s 16.



Despite their record playoff streak, the EAB title had eluded Busan with a drought going back to 1971. The losing streak continued as Niigata won the 109^th East Asian Championship 4-1 over the Blue Jays. The Green Dragons won their second title in three years and fifth overall (1991, 2006, 2008, 2027, 2029). 1B Ichiro Kojo was finals MVP, posting 22 hits, 8 runs, 6 doubles, 1 triple, 1 homer, and 9 RBI over 13 playoff starts.



Other notes: Hiroshima’s offense struck out 976 times all season, a new Japan League team best. Ga-On Kwan became the 8^th reliever to earn 400 career saves. Shin-Nin Ikegami was the 48^th pitcher to 3500 career strikeouts and the 70^th to 200 wins. Both SS Jae-Won Park and RF Chae-Yun Choi won their 10^th consecutive Gold Glove. They are among 13 players in EAB history with 10+ Gold Glove wins.

East Asia Baseball’s scoring environment remained remarkably steady with similar totals in the 2020s as they’ve had since the 1950s. The Japan League (sans DH) had a 3.37 ERA and .246 average for the decade, while the Korea League (with DH) had a 3.76 ERA and .257 average. The JL graded as below average for scoring on the historical scale while the KL was merely average. While EAB’s scoring was a bit lower in its first few decades, it hadn’t seen the major jumps that some of the other world leagues had seen.

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The Central American Baseball Association surprised many by lowering their active roster size to only 22 players beginning with 2029. CABA had begun with 25, but lowered to 24 in 1973 and 23 in 1998. While teams had their reserve roster to keep inactive players, a 22-man active roster made every spot precious. While a few leagues had gone as low as 23, CABA was the only world league to try out a 22-man roster.



Defending Mexican League champ Leon took the South Division and the top seed at 104-58. It was the third consecutive division title for the Lions and grew their playoff streak to five seasons. Leon allowed the ML’s fewest runs at 484. The division was top heavy with Ecatepec (100-62) and Puebla (99-63) close behind. The rest of the division finished below .500, including Cancun who went from back-to-back playoff berths down to a last place 65-97.

As wild cards, the Explosion ended a six-year playoff drought and the Pumas snapped a three-year skid. Ecatepec was the top scoring team with 711 runs and since division champs didn’t get seeding preference, they the Explosion had the #2 seed and a bye. Tijuana won their third North Division title in four years at 95-67, but was the #4 seed.

The remaining two wild cards went to Culiacan (91-71) and Monterrey (87-75). The Cocks were the first of the 2025 expansion teams to make the playoffs. The Matadors earned their second berth in four years. San Luis Potosi (85-77) and Juarez (83-79) were the first teams out. Last year’s MLCS runner-up Mexicali notably dropped to 75-89 and 2027 league champ Guadalajara fell to 71-91. Leon was the only Mexican League team to make it back from the 2028 playoff field.

Monterrey LF Julio Ortega won Mexican League MVP in his first full-time season as a starter. The 22-year old lefty led in doubles (41), triple slash (.367/.425/.686), OPS (1.112), and wRC+ (231). Ortega had 8.7 WAR, 179 hits, 85 runs, 37 home runs, and 94 RBI. The Matadors had picked Ortega #6 in the 2025 CABA Draft. He suffered a fractured knee in 2030 and would be plagued with major injuries for much of his 20s.

Tijuana’s Richard Wright joined the legendary Junior Vergara as the only nine-time Pitcher of the Year winners in CABA history. Only three other pitchers in all of pro baseball history had won the honor 9+ times. All of Wrights wins came in the 2020s with his lone miss in 2023, despite still leading in ERA that year. In 2029, the 31-year old posted a 1.44 ERA for an unprecedented ninth ERA title.

Wright also led in strikeouts (376) and WAR (12.4) for the eighth time. The Jamaican lefty also led again in K/BB (12.1), shutouts (8), FIP- (34), and WHIP (0.74). Wright had a 19-4 record and 10 saves over 243 innings, missing a Triple Crown by two wins. His strikeout tally, WHIP, and WAR were career bests to that point, placing Wright second in MVP voting as well. In 2029, Wright became CABA’s 56^th pitcher with 200 wins, the 30^th with 3500 strikeouts, and the 9^th with 100+ WAR.

In the first round of the playoffs, Tijuana ousted Culiacan and Puebla topped Monterrey, both 2-0. Leon rolled Tijuana 3-0 to keep their repeat hope alive, while Ecatepec outlasted Puebla 3-2. The Explosion made the Mexican League Championship Series in 2022, but their most recent pennant was back in 2010. Ecatepec ended that 18-year drought and upset the defending champ Lions in a seven-game thriller. The Explosion became 15-time Mexican League champions, third most behind Monterrey and Juarez at 18 apiece.



Reigning CABA champ Honduras took the Caribbean League’s top seed at 107-55 atop the Central Division. It was their seventh consecutive playoff berth and third division title. Bahamas won the West Division and the #2 seed at 100-62 to grow the Buccaneers’ playoff streak to five. Trinidad took the East Division at 96-66, which was their first postseason berth or winning season since 2020. The Trail Blazers allowed the fewest runs at 524.

Salvador was 12 back in the Central at 95-67, but got the first wild card to end an 11-year playoff drought. Haiti was seven back in the West at 93-69 and got the second wild card and their third in-a-row. Guatemala at 89-73 got the final spot to extend their streak to nine years. Missing the cut were Puerto Rico (88-74), Curacao (87-75), Santiago (84-78), and Santo Domingo (84-78).

It was only the second playoff miss in eight years for the Dolphins, but they did post a winning season each year of the 2020s. The Sailfish led in scoring with 862 runs, but also allowed the most at 829. The Chaos were the first of the 2025 expansion teams in the Caribbean League with a winning season.

Salvador 1B Fernando Silva won his second MVP in three years. The 26-year old Guatemalan lefty led in runs (119), hits (223), home runs (55), RBI (147), and total bases (431). Silva had a .359/.384/.694 slash, falling only two points short of a Triple Crown. He also had 8.6 WAR and 188 wRC+. The Stallions eventually signed Silva to a seven-year, $244,100,000 extension in July 2031.

Bahamas ace Carlos Montes won his second Pitcher of the Year, having also taken it in 2026. The 28-year old Puerto Rican righty led in wins (20-8), ERA (2.20), FIP- (50), and WAR (10.0). Montes struck out 324 over 245.1 innings with 181 ERA+. He was 26 Ks shy of a Triple Crown behind Israel Montague’s 350 strikeouts. Prior to the 2029 campaign, the Buccaneers gave Montes a seven-year, $186,700,000 extension.

The first round saw Salvador over Haiti 2-0 and Guatemala over Trinidad 2-1. The Stallions stunned Bahamas 3-2 in the second round for their first Caribbean League Championship Series trip since their 2017 pennant. Reigning champ Honduras survived a five-game war with the Ghosts. The Horsemen successfully repeated with a 4-2 CLCS victory over Salvador, leading all teams as 19-time Caribbean champs.



The 119^th CABA Championship was the third time that Honduras and Ecatepec met in the finals. The Horsemen got a sweep in the first meeting in 2003, followed by a 4-3 Explosion win the following year. The rubber match was a 4-1 Ecatepec win in 2029, denying Honduras’ repeat hope. It was the seventh different champ in as many years for CABA.

Ecatepec ended an 18-year title drought and became nine-time CABA champs (1929, 31, 32, 43, 99, 2000, 04, 10, 29), tying with the Horsemen for the second-most. Only Mexico City has more with 11 rings. Finals MVP was RF Alfredo Escobedo, who only played 38 games in the regular season and started 16. The 25-year old started 17 playoff games with 15 hits, 8 runs, 2 doubles, 1 triple, 3 homers, and 9 RBI.



Other notes: Guadeloupe’s Cristiano Rizo had 37 triples, tying the CABA single-season record set by Iwan Valen in 2001 and Altificio Hernandez in 2029. Barbados struck out 1586 times as a team, setting a new Caribbean League worst. Voodoo Leyva was the 63^rd batter to 2500 hits. Ruben Cabrera became the 65^th member of the 500 home run club,

Quirino Brito became the 13^th pitcher to reach 4000 strikeouts and Angel Brea was the 31^st to 3500 Ks. Brea and Rodney Louis both got to 200 wins, making 56 pitchers to reach the mark in CABA through 2029. SS Ferdinand Varela won his 8^th Silver Slugger.

The Central American Baseball Association’s scoring environment stayed roughly in the same range in the 2020s as it has been since the 1990s. The Mexican League’s ERA went down slightly from 3.83 in the 2010s to 3.67 in the 2020s. The Caribbean League was higher as usual with the DH and actually went up from 3.96 to 4.01.

For batting averages, the ML dropped from .262 to .259, while the CL went up from .265 to .267. The Caribbean League graded as above average scoring on the historical scale and relative to other leagues in the 2020s, while the ML was in the average range.