The Wide, Wide World of Baseball

[j.tom]

June 2059's performance of the month goes to Jerry Flores of the Havana Trópicos, who went 6-for-7 with 6 singles in a 14-inning win over the Holguin Mineros. Flores gets this honor less for this particular game, and more for the insane season he just put up in the Liga Domini-Cuba (which wraps up towards the end of June), in which he set league records for the entire slash line...

[j.tom]

The Saudi League season, the shortest of any league in our game, wraps up June 18, with the Khobar Cubs defeating the Medina Green Caps in 7 games. Khobar's pitching won them the title, the Cubs shut out Medina in each of their four wins in the series.



Khobar Cubs pitcher Willie Zepeda had himself a year, winning MVP, Best Pitcher, and Saudi Series MVP, with 13.1 shutout innings total in games 1 and 5.



After posting just 2 wins in 2058, the Jeddah Jaguars have a huge year in 2059, tripling their win total! It seems this franchise sold its soul for the 2049 and 2050 Saudi Series titles.



Dubai Dodgers catcher Ivan Cruz, from Cajamarca, Peru, received the most MVP votes this year for a position player.

[j.tom]

For the 4th time, the Delhi Sultans win the India Series! Kolkata delivered a huge upset loss to Ahmedabad in the semifinals, but the magic ran out for the Typhoons all at once in game 7 of the finals, as their hopes were crushed before the lights in the stadium even turned on.


Delhi's run to the India Series title

India Series MVP: Abhimatjit Hazare 🇮🇳


INL MVP, Avinna Shvetank 🇮🇳 - Delhi Sultans


INL Best Pitcher - Kamlyn Ito 🇯🇵 - Delhi Sultans

[j.tom]

In the MEL, Bengaluru defends their 2058 Middle East Series title with a resounding victory over Cairo.



Middle East Series MVP: Pradeep Subramaniam 🇮🇳


MEL MVP: Isa Yasar 🇮🇷 - Tehran Jackals


MEL Best Pitcher: Yaman Kaseem 🇪🇬 - Ankara Red Deer


1st overall pick: Abdul-Tawwab Wafid 🇸🇾 - Baghdad Lamassu

[j.tom]

For the second straight year, the La Romana Azules have won the Liga Domini-Cubana title! After nearly being reverse-sweeped, the Azules locked down game 7 over Santiago (Cuba).



Serie de Domini-Cubana MVP: Javy Perez 🇩🇴


Liga Cubana MVP: Jerry Flores 🇨🇺 - Havana Tropicos


Liga Dominicana MVP: Dave Cardenas 🇩🇴 - La Romana Azules


Liga Cubana Best Pitcher: Al Salazar 🇨🇺 - Las Tunas Rojos


Liga Dominicana Best Pitcher: Toshimitsu Kihara 🇯🇵 - Santiago Caballeros


1st overall pick: Juan Franco - Pinar del Rio Huracanes

[j.tom]

Our newest International League will begin play next season! Ellinikó Protáthlima (Ελληνικό πρωτάθλημα) is the premier baseball league of Greece, featuring 6 teams made up mostly of Greek players.



Teams

Chalkídas Seirínes / Σειρήνες Χαλκίδας


Irákleio Minótavros / Μινώταυρος Ηρακλείου


Lárisas Kataigídes / Καταιγίδες Λάρισας


Pátra Titánes / Τιτάνες Πάτρας


Ródou Kolossós / Κολοσσός Ρόδου


Vólou Kástra / Κάστρα Βόλου

[j.tom]

In the Filip-Indo League, the Medan Warisan defeat the Cebu City Mangingisda for their second straight Filip-Indo Series title.





Filip-Indo Series AND Liga Indonesia MVP: Honesto Defensor 🇵🇭 - Medan Warisan


Liga Indonesia Best Pitcher: Prakoso Adjeng 🇮🇩 - Medan Warisan


Ligang Pilipino MVP: Mario Limas 🇲🇽 - Quezon City Makabayan


Ligang Pilipino MVP: Joey Melosantos 🇵🇭 - Cebu City Mangingisda


First Overall Pick: LF Romel Zamora 🇵🇭 - Cebu City Mangingisda

[j.tom]

(This is my first time writing a "fictional" story on this so if it sucks just let me know)



Arup Manushi has fired his agent after this tidy piece of business.






I'm going to chalk this up as this:
Arup Manushi is a really nice guy who...
- Isn't greedy
- Doesn't want to ruin the Brewers chances of getting back to the Major League by taking up their entire T-II payroll
- Really loves playing in Milwaukee.
- Feels some sort of responsibility for the team's relegation as its star player.

After all, he's made $338,000,000 in his career, and we're talking about a 26-year-old, 3-time Major League MVP who already holds the league record for career home runs. He isn't going to have any problem getting paid this offseason after he hits a zillion home runs against weaker competition and leads the Brewers back to the Major League. This isn't just one of the best players I've seen in this save, this is one of the best players I've seen in any save.





This is the contract Arup opted out of. In total, he left about $100 million on the table over the final two years.




And this is what he ends up doing it for...





India's greatest baseball player to date, from age 26 to age 27, in both performance and ratings, declines from Destroyer of Worlds to Just A Guy. Sure, he can still hit the ball hard, when he actually makes contact. He can still see the ball well, but good luck getting him to avoid striking out being too patient. It couldn't have come at a worse time. Less than a year ago, Arup Manushi was the most prolific slugger in baseball, and with a nation of over a billion cheering him on, he was arguably the world's most famous player. Now, he's quickly being forgotten about as those fans choose instead to watch India's newest Major League stars.

This is a guy who less than three years ago tied the single-season home run record for the second time, (At age 24!) only to heartbreakingly miss out once again on making the record solely his own.



If the last 374 at bats are any indication, the man who took mercy on his ballclub last offseason, will be begging for it this time around. This player has a place in the real world big leagues, one that doesn't have 30 other big leagues worth of talent feeding into it, one that doesn't have half as many teams, half as many roster spots, half as many dollars to spend.

Our world here is a bit more cruel. There's a place for Arup Manushi, sure, but it isn't chasing eye-popping home run records in the Major League that will stand for decades. It appears to be somewhere completely different from where he thought a year ago. From where I thought! (I fully planned on naming the ML MVP Award after him because surely he would retire with 1,000 home runs and a unanimous HOF induction) If you believe the OSA scouts (set to 100% accuracy), Manushi would slot in as a top-10 hitter in the T-III Continental League right now. In T-II, he's top-25. He's still a good player, but he's in an environment where "good players" are in every pocket of the world.

He might still get a multi-year Major League contract again next year. Odds are, it will never come close to the one with Milwaukee he ripped up.







(If you read this far, thanks! Posting this as part one because I'm not sure if I'll finish the story before I fall asleep.)

[j.tom]

Arup Manushi is a really nice guy who...
- Isn't greedy
- Doesn't want to ruin the Brewers chances of getting back to the Major League by taking up their entire T-II payroll
- Really loves playing in Milwaukee.
- Feels some sort of responsibility for the team's relegation as its star player.

These are the kinds of players we love as fans. Not "love to watch," but the guys who we actually buy the ticket to see. Arup Manushi has stuck with his team through thick and thin, led them to a World Series title, won every award available for him to win, and when he had his boot on their neck, with every reason to collect his checks while the team fell down through the tiers, he not only lifted up his foot, but offered a helping hand.

Frankly, it sucks to see guys like this lose out. Not that Arup is struggling here, he does still have multiple commas on his net worth. However, if you're someone who cares about more than commas, and he's given me no reason to believe he isn't, the next couple decades of watching your name slide down the record books, until they don't waste the ink on it anymore, as the fanbase you love slowly forgets that it loves you back, it stings.



There is still room for Arup Manushi's legend in Milwaukee to grow, even if it isn't what we may have pictured...



I've watched a ton, three centuries worth, of baseball in this pro-rel system (in an alternate universe destroyed by an evil hard drive), one common trend: Teams relegated to the Union League usually have one year to make their way back to the Major League. After that, their (extremely) expensive players decline quicker, they can't sign better players because of their expensive players, and typically end up shipping off said players with heavy retention as they slide down the tiers. The Brewers window to avoid irrelevance for years or even decades is right now. Of the 10 most important games Arup has ever played, 7 were in the 2052 World Series. These next 3, will be the others.

On August 3rd, 2059, after 98 of 100 games in the Union League, Manushi's Brewers are one of four teams fighting for two promotion spots. They get help in the form of San Antonio Bullets and Arkansas Travelers losses, and none at all from the Norfolk Royals, who fall to the San Jose Hawks. Tied for second, one game back of San Antonio and one ahead of Arkansas, the Brewers look dead and buried by the Pittsburgh Pirates before the bats of SS Roman Holub, CF Tim Flaherty, and 3B Mike Staley come alive, and turn a 7-1 deficit into a 8-7 walk-off win. Arup Manushi goes 1-3, R, BB, 2 K.



----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



On August 4th, 2059, the San Antonio Bullets clinch promotion with a 3-1 win over Newark, and Arkansas falls out of contention after being shut out by the Boise Cutthroats, leaving Milwaukee and San Jose to fight for the second promotion spot. The Brewers get another nail-biting win over Pittsburgh, and they catch a break as the Hawks lose to Norfolk on a walk-off error. Arup Manushi goes 0-3, 1 K in the Brewers win.

With one game left, the Brewers control their own destiny. Win, and they return to the Major League.


August 5th, 2059


Richard Gonzalez was another player who decided to stick it out with this year's Brewers. He had $10,000,000 reasons to do so, but in a rotation that returned only two starting pitchers from last year (Juan Avila), the Brewers don't mind the help, even if they can barely afford it.

Gonzalez gets the ball in game #100, pitching a clean top of the 1st inning before the Brewers blow runners on the corners in the bottom half:



Pittsburgh is dealt the same hand in the top of the 2nd, and capitalizes.



Arup Manushi gets the best seat in the house to watch his own at-bat leading off the bottom of the 2nd:



And in the bottom of the 3rd inning, with everything hanging in the balance for the Brewers, it happens. The moment Arup Manushi envisioned when he decided to return to Milwaukee and bring them back from the dead.



*Dramatic music plays*
*Fireworks shoot off*

...


...

Oh! My bad, didn't mean to crop the screenshot that much. Here:



The Brewers give their ace everything he needs to cruise through the heart of the game, he retires the next six batters in order, before running into trouble, ending his night allowing only the one run over 6+ innings.



*Phone rings*



"Hey coach, who do ya want?"

"Give me Hernandez."

"Who? Hernandez? Do we have a Hernandez?"



The decision by Brewers manager Adhamhnan Muljana to have rookie reliever Oscar Hernandez, signed 16 days ago, make his professional debut in this situation is... certainly a surprising one. Let's see how it goes.



Hernandez puts out the fire Gonzalez started in the 7th inning, then locks down the 8th.




Manager Muljana triples down on Hernandez, keeping him in to close out the game. Even as he gives up two homers, the skipper keeps the faith, and the rookie finishes things off...




The Milwaukee Brewers make promotion by the skin of their teeth, ending the season just two games ahead of the San Jose Hawks. Their younger stars showed up when it counted in the final weeks of the season, going 10-4 down the stretch. In a season that came down to the wire, they needed contributions from every single player.

Every single one.




If you look at baseball as big data, that its all numbers in a spreadsheet, then Arup Manushi's 2059 season has nothing for you. Even with the simple approach of "WAR = wins" Manushi's 0.5 didn't give the Brewers the 2 wins they needed to get over the hump. If you're a finances guy, the only value you'd find in having him is selling jerseys (notice Manushi switched to #4 this year).



Big picture, Arup Manushi sacrificed millions of dollars to put up mediocre statistics against mediocre opponents. But, no stat could tell you the true impact of a player like this, someone who sticks around with a team at its lowest, taking less when they have ample opportunity to take more, hoping to revive a baseball fanbase he loves.

I believe this is a game that's prepared for best by numbers, and remembered best by moments. If we only look at the data, we never look closer, and we miss a couple moments that make all the difference...

[j.tom]

The Wide World of Baseball continues to grow, two more new leagues have been announced that will start play over the next 10 months...

Kungiyar Najeriya (Nigerian League) starts play this December, with 6 teams on a 50-game schedule each.



Abuja Uwantaka (Brotherhood)


Bini Tagulla (Bronze)


Eko Atlantic Athletics


Fatakwal Kada (Crocodiles)


Ibadan Giwaye (Elephants)


Kano Jarumai (Warriors)




Plus, beginning play next summer is Liga Ibérica, covering Spain, Portugal, Andorra and Gibraltar.

Amador Expresso


Andorra Ibex


Barcelona Catalanes


Braga Sinos (Bells)


Gibraltar Cannons


Madrid Sol


Porto Pontes (Bridges)


Sevilla Aceitunas (Olives)


Valencia Naranjas


Zaragoza Pilares

[j.tom]

In Lega Italia, Roma toys with Napoli in a sweep, allowing them a bit of hope in game 4 before Robert Camardiel's walk-off double ends the season. In the semifinals, Roma also ended Palermo's run of championships at 3-straight.

Serie Italiana MVP: 2B Quintino Mangoni 🇮🇹


Lega Italia MVP: LF Basile Briatori 🇮🇹 (2) - Palermo Leopardi


Lega Italia Best Pitcher: Tullio Canarica 🇮🇹 - Palermo Leopardi


Lega Italia 1st Overall Pick: Dante Lambertini 🇮🇹 - Milano Torri

[j.tom]

For the 3rd straight year, and 6th in the last 8, Cancun wins the México League. In game 7, they go up big early on Guadalajara, and hang on for their 10th title in franchise history.

Serie México MVP: 1B Manny Lopez 🇲🇽


México League MVP: LF David Espinosa 🇲🇽 - Tijuana Madres


México League Best Pitcher: SP Alex Serna 🇲🇽 - Tijuana Madres


1st Overall Pick: CF Dave Trujillo 🇲🇽 - Monterrey Mariposas

[j.tom]

In Canada, the First Nations Challengers defeat the Vancouver Nine for their second straight Canada Series title. Baseball fans in Vancouver will forever see the shadow of Gordon Parent hitting yet another home run when they close their eyes, after his 7 home runs and 15 RBI in the 6-game series.


Canada Series MVP: LF Gordon Parent 🇨🇦


Canada League MVP: RF John Arden 🇨🇦 - Vancouver Nine


Canada League Best Pitcher: SP Bud Hearn 🇨🇦 - Edmonton Drillers


1st Overall Pick: 1B Tim Dawe 🇨🇦 - Montreal Maroons

[j.tom]

In Ligue de France, Bordeaux beats Nice for their third championship in six years, entering the playoffs as the favorite and delivering after needing 7 games to beat Toulouse in the Demi-Finales.


Série Française MVP: 1B Adrien Lejeune 🇫🇷


Ligue de France MVP: CF Marco Cunquiero 🇧🇷 (2) - Marseilles Corsaires


Ligue de France Best Pitcher: SP Jérôme Castel 🇫🇷 - Bordeaux Rivaux


1st Overall Pick: CF Jean-Yves Vuillemin 🇫🇷 - Lyon Taureaux

[j.tom]

The Birmingham Bulldogs finish a 3-peat in the UK League with a sweep of Manchester in which they outscored the Mets 27-9. Another tough season for Isle of Man.


UK Series AND UK League MVP: 3B Everton Turner 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 - Birmingham Bulldogs


UK League Best Pitcher: SP Rio Wilkin 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 - Manchester Mets


1st overall pick: SP Niall Henry 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇮🇪 - Isle of Man Explorers

[j.tom]

In Ceská Liga, Plzne Sládci defeat Ostravy Horníci for their 5th championship, led by Benes Mazanec, who wins his 4th Best Pitcher award while becoming the first CZL pitcher to win MVP.


Ceská Rada MVP: C Jaropluk Blasko 🇨🇿


CZL MVP AND Best Pitcher: Benes Mazanec 🇨🇿 - Plzne Sládci


1st overall pick: 3B Jasny Uher 🇨🇿 - Hornici Ostravy

[j.tom]

In the CPL, the Chongqing Mala defeat the Shanghai Emperors for their 11th CPL title. This is the 7th time in 8 years that these two teams have met in the China Series.


China Series MVP: 1B Xian Lum 🇨🇳


CPL MVP: 2B Ling-lai Loh 🇨🇳- Tianjin Lions


CPL Best Pitcher: SP Ch'ang-chieh Ruan 🇨🇳 - Chongqing Mala


1st overall pick: SP Wang Hor 🇨🇳 - Hong Kong Kites

[j.tom]

In a dramatic, seven-game series to decide the Deutschliga, Koln shocks the world with a victory over Hamburg. This ends the Storche's run at 7-straight championships.


Deutsche Serie MVP: 3B Dustin Krause 🇩🇪


DEL MVP: 1B Wilfrid Pfeil 🇩🇪 (4) - Hamburg Storche


DEL Best Pitcher: SP Swen Martin 🇩🇪 (2) - Munchen Lowen


1st overall pick: SP Hüseyin Yalpat 🇩🇪 - Stuttgart Motoren

[j.tom]

The Vilniaus Vilkai cap off a dominant season in the Baltic League with a 5-game Baltic Series win over the defending champion Kauno Perkunai.


Baltic Series MVP: C Daniil Sajnev 🇱🇹


BAL MVP: Jesus Bejarano 🇵🇷🇺🇸- Vilniaus Vilkai


BAL Best Pitcher: Gavrie Vostinsky 🇱🇹 - Vilniaus Vilkai


1st overall pick: SP Pavlo Sahanov 🇪🇪 - Tartu Öökullid

[j.tom]

In the Korea League, the 43-17 Suwon Wizards need 7 games in the Korea Series to defeat the 30-31 Changwon Dinos, who needed a tiebreaker game to make the playoffs over Daejon. This is the Wizard's 3rd Korea Series title.


Korea Series MVP: 1B Seung-hwan Kim 🇰🇷


KOL MVP: 3B Dong-woon Kim 🇰🇷 (1) - Gwangju Tigers


KOL Best Pitcher: SP Ki-chun Kim 🇰🇷 - Suwon Wizards


1st Overall Pick: SP Young-myung Kim 🇰🇷 - Pyongyang Greats