The Wide, Wide World of Baseball

[j.tom]

OPENING DAY, 2060
Wide World of Baseball Newsletter -- 4.19 - 4.25.60


With the Olympiad all wrapped up, baseball fans across the world are preparing for their leagues' opening days. Here's when each league gets started this season:

04.01: Middle East League

04.06: Native League

04.10: Saudi League , India League

04.16: Thịy Līk

04.20: Major League , T-II , Pacific Super League , Liga Domini-Cubana , Balkan League

05.01: T-III , T-IV , EuroLeague , Nippon League , Mexico League , Nederlandse Honkbal Liga , Filip-Indo League

05.10: Chinese Pro League , Korea League , Canada League , Ceska Liga , Deutschliga , Lega Italia , Ligue de France , UK League , Baltic League , Elliniko Protathlima , Sovetskaya Liga

05.20: Liga Iberica

06.01: Nordic League


Today is April 19 in the Wide World of Baseball, so some leagues have already gotten underway. Let's take a quick look at the scores from Opening Day in the MEL, NAL, SIL, INL, and THL.


Middle East League:





Native League:



Saudi League:



India League:



Thịy Līk




With tomorrow marking Opening Day for the WWoB's two most prolific leagues, let's take a look at how OSA is predicting things shake out this year...


Major League / T-II: -- The baseball gods are expecting big things out of the defending World Series champs, predicting them to mop the floor with the rest of the league. Huntsville, Baltimore, Boise and Providence are expected to join them in the playoffs, while Oakland, Minnesota and Buffalo are the favorites to be eliminated. In the Union League, the Philadelphia Patriots and San Jose Hawks are the favorites for promotion.




Pacific SuperLeague -- In the ASL, OSA has their money on Tokyo, Beijing, and Hanoi as the top contenders, while Dhaka is projected to have the worst season in league history.

Meanwhile in the PL, the Mainland division is expected to be very strong, and a close battle is projected across the Islands.





And for good measure, here's how things are expected to go in Liga Domini-Cubana and the newly-formed Balkan League:





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04.20

Major League -- On Opening Day, all 16 teams are active. For the most part, pitchers dominate the day. That is, outside of Minneapolis, where the Minnesota Chiefs are hammed by the Boise Cutthroats and OF Leon Mendiola 🇵🇷, who goes 3-4 with 2 homers for the league's #1 performance of the day.






Liga Domini-Cubana -- A shutout, a cycle, and a hat trick all on Opening Day in the DCL, courtesy of Santiago Caballeros RHP Toshimitsu Kihara 🇯🇵, Havana Tropicos 2B Jim Malas 🇺🇸, and Holguin Mineros 3B Kees Bakker 🇳🇱, respectively.










Pacific SuperLeague -- Scores in the Pacific SuperLeague on Opening Day. In his first PSL start, Dhaka RHP Leo Ricardio 🇨🇺 throws 7 shutout innings to get the Mammoths 6.67% of the way to their OSA projection.







Balkan League -- The Balkan League's inaugural Opening Day slate. Cluj C Andrei Mocanasu 🇷🇴 gets the first walk-off in BKL history, a 2-run jack to beat Beograd.







04.21

Major League -- Bad news for the Oakland Stompers. RHP Angel Rodriguez 🇨🇴🇪🇸, the team's #2 pitcher who has been out since July with a torn flexor tendon, is now expected to miss the entire 2060 season after a setback.




04.22

Major League -- Charlotte Intimidators OF Roberto Badillo 🇩🇴 goes 5-5 in an 11-2 win over Louisville.





Major League -- Colorado hopes they have a new bullpen ace in RHP Willis Fuentes 🇻🇪🇮🇹, who they've signed for 4 years, $127 million out of the Latin League.




Deutschliga -- Stuttgart prospect OF Chuma Mariuki 🇿🇦 needs to work on his wheelie... or just never try one again.





04.23

Major League -- 3-time ML MVP Arup Manushi 🇮🇳 signs with the San Antonio Bullets, 3 years, $72 million.




Major League -- Fairfax RHP Citvana Subba 🇮🇳 will be out until late July after his elbow flared up on Opening Day.




Pacific SuperLeague -- The Perth Quokkas defeat Noumea on OF Dominic Goldberg's 🇩🇪 walkoff grand slam.





04.24

T-II Union League -- Even in 2060, umpires are still messing everything up.





T-III Continental League -- Nashville signs former Duetschliga MVP 2B Dennis Brennicke 🇩🇪, 3 years, $4.5 million.




04.25

Liga Domini-Cubana -- Holguin will be without star OF Alberto Torres 🇨🇷 for about a month after he strained his hip running the bases.




T-II Union League -- Mesa signs 2059-60 Suid-Afrikaanse Liga Reliever of the Year RHP Dwayne Yao 🇿🇦, 2 years, $3.6 million.




T-III Continental League -- Salt Lake City signs former EuroLeague Best Pitcher RHP Marco Heuvelman 🇳🇱, who spent the last five years in the Major League, to a 3 year, $3.4 million contract.




Top Performances by Day:

04.19



04.20



04.21



04.22



04.23



04.24



04.25





Standings: (As of 04.25.60)

[j.tom]

WWoB: Top Prospect in Each League

Here's a look at some of the future superstars around the Wide World of Baseball...

Major League: OF Kevin Seal 🇺🇸 -- Fairfax Squires



T-II Union League: IF Miles Angelillo 🇺🇸 -- Albuquerque Dukes



T-III Continental League: IF Tyrone Davis 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 -- Philadelphia Phillies



T-IV Country League: IF Jorge Gallegos 🇻🇪 -- Cincinnati Crescents



T-V Grassroots League: IF Dida Kibowen 🇿🇦 -- Washington Potomacs



Pacific SuperLeague: OF Hung Sa 🇲🇲 -- Oahu 59ers



EuroLeague: IF Gertrudes Domingues 🇻🇪 -- Prague BC



Latin League: IF Frank Cortes 🇦🇷 -- Bogota Cobras



Africa League: IF Roberto Rodriguez 🇨🇺 -- Dar Es Salaam Giraffes



Nippon League: IF Shigejiro Suzuki 🇯🇵 -- Kyoto Robins



Chinese Pro League: OF Shing Zhou 🇨🇳 -- Guangzhou Rams



Korea League: IF Kwan-cheol Chae 🇰🇷 -- Pyongyang Greats



Liga Brasil: IF आदित्यगर्भ पुरी 🇮🇳 -- Salvador Tucanos



Liga Domini-Cubana: IF Roberto Gomez 🇩🇴 -- La Vega Reyes



Mexico League: OF Miguel Alcocer 🇲🇽 -- Tijuana Madres



Nederlandse Honkbal Liga: OF Luke Kuipers 🇳🇱 -- Utrecht Starren



Canada League: IF Mike Taylor 🇨🇦 -- Montreal Maroons



Česká Liga: IF Bohumir Gorecki 🇨🇿 -- Rysi Liberce



Deutschliga: IF Michitaka Matsuzaki 🇯🇵 -- Hamburg Störche



Filip-Indo League: RHP Enreecko Mendes 🇵🇭 -- Jakarta Raksasa



India League: IF आदित्यवर्णा श्वेता 🇮🇳 -- Surat Diamonds



Lega Italia: IF Hector Cirilli 🇮🇹 -- Genova Galeoni



Liga Gran Colombia: IF Jonathan Sardo 🇻🇪 -- Cucuta Centinelas



Ligue de France: IF Juan Cabral 🇵🇷 -- Marseille Corsaires



Nordic League: IF Klement Lundgard 🇫🇴 -- Copenhagen Dabbebrog



Suid-Afrikaanse Liga: OF Yellel Mandara 🇿🇦 -- Kimberley Diamante



UK League: RHP Damien Bignell 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 -- Isle of Man Explorers



Balkan League: RHP Mario Medina 🇵🇷 -- Podgorica Ribardi



Baltic League: LHP Pavlo Sahanov 🇪🇪 -- Tartu Öökullid



Middle East League: OF Alex Vasquez 🇲🇽 -- Tehran Jackals



Thịy Līk: OF Drew Parsons 🇦🇺 -- Bangkok Thim Besbxl / กรุงเทพฯทีมเบสบอล




There's also still plenty of talent still available in free agency, here's a look at the unsigned players (as of 04.26) with the highest ceilings:

[j.tom]

C'MON, JUST LET HIM GET THE SHUTOUT
Wide World of Baseball Newsletter -- 04.26 - 05.02.60

Happy Easter, to those who observe. This week brings us Opening Day for several more leagues, as the season begins to rev up across the world.


WWoB Player of the Week (04.19 - 04.25)

3B สุขโม มุลจานา 🇹🇭 -- Hat Yai Thāng Yæk






Worldwide News:

04.26

WWoB -- Another new league will begin play this season! The Österreich-Magyar Liga features eight teams from Austria and Hungary, pitting two halves of a former empire against one another. Opening Day is May 20.





04.27

Pacific SuperLeague -- In his 8th PSL game, former DCL MVP OF Israel Flores 🇨🇺 hits for the cycle in a 16-4 win over Hanoi.






04.28

Saudi League -- Riyadh defeats Mecca 18-3, their seventh win by 9+ runs in 18 games this season. The Red Wings are now 11-7 with a +76 run differential. Meanwhile, Kohbar beats Dubai 3-0 to run their winning streak to 15 games.





04.29

Pacific SuperLeague -- Incheon defeats Kowloon 2-0 behind 8 shutout innings by LHP Felipe Quintero 🇨🇺, to improve to 10-0 on the season.






04.30

T-II Union League -- Pittsburgh C Luis Abeyta 🇵🇷🇺🇸 hits an ultimate grand slam to walk off Virginia.





Pacific SuperLeague -- Seoul 3B Ji-hoon Kim's 🇰🇷 hit streak comes to an end vs. Beijing at 20 games.





Balkan League -- At 2:33 a.m. local time, Cluj C Andrei Mocanasu 🇷🇴 sends the Bastioane fans happy with a walk-off homer in the 18th inning. Mocanasu also hit the first walk off in league history last week.





India League -- The Delhi Sultans sign LHP Vasant Nandakumar 🇮🇳 to a 7-year, $2.2 million contract.




WWoB -- Several leagues around the world begin play tomorrow, so here's a look at the preseason predictions in the T-III Continental League, T-IV Country League, EuroLeague, Nippon League, Mexico League, Nederlandse Honkbal Liga, and Filip-Indo League

T-III: OSA predicts Topeka, Nashville, Memphis and New York to be promoted, Salt Lake City, Montreal, Corpus Christi and Seattle to be relegated.



T-IV: Orlando, Durham, Brooklyn and Boston are the favorites for promotion in the Country League



EuroLeague: OSA predicts Berlin to top the EuroLeague, London, Rome and Stockholm to win divisions



Nippon League: After last year's upset to Saitama ended their 8-year title streak, Tokyo is expected to be atop the NPL once again.



Mexico League: OSA predicts a tight race for the #1 seed.



Nederlandse Honkbal Liga: Amsterdam projected to dominate as they play for their 12th straight NEL title.



Filip-Indo League: Quezon City expected to top LP, LI expected to come down to Medan and Surabaya.


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







05.01 -- T-III, T-IV, EURO, NPL, MXL, NEL, FIL OPENING DAY


T-III Continental League -- Eight games on Opening Day in T-III.The Phillies beat Salt Lake City with OF Jens Frey's 🇨🇭 5-5, 2-homer performance.






T-IV Country League -- Indy and Orlando's offenses go big while OKC RHP Jeremy Blake 🇺🇸 shuts down the Burlington Maple Sox.






EuroLeague -- 12 games in the EuroLeague on Opening Day. In Cordoba, 2B Osmo Kudroc 🇫🇮 hits a walkoff 3-run homer to beat Zurich.






Nippon League -- Chiba RHP Yoshıtora Matsunaga 🇯🇵 throws his first career shutout on Opening Day in the NPL.





Mexico League -- Opening Day slate in the MXL, defending league MVP OF David Espinosa 🇲🇽 starts his campaign for a back-to-back early, hitting a game-winning 3-run shot in the 8th to beat Juarez.





Nederlandse Honkbal Liga -- Scores from the NEL, where RHP Leroy Mulkens 🇳🇱 continues his strong performance in the Olympiad by nearly getting a shutout, but his manager pulls him with one out to go at 114 pitches.





Filip-Indo League -- Surabaya RHP Danny Torres 🇨🇺 gets the exact same treatment as Mulkens, all the way down to being robbed of #1 performance of the day.






05.02

Pacific SuperLeague -- On the ropes in extra innings versus Taipei, Incheon's 13th inning rally and walkoff hit by C Sung-hyun Lee 🇰🇷 keeps them undefeated on the season.





Major League -- Providence and Boise each lose one of their best relievers for the year, LHP Abraham Garcia 🇭🇳 and RHP Hiroshi Casaleiro 🇧🇷🇯🇵. Bees manager Jeff Wright USA cracks a dad-joke while eulogizing his bullpen ace's season.






Major League -- Colorado will be without the services of 1B Alex Martinez 🇻🇪, who claims he broke his wrist falling off of his truck while washing it, for 7 weeks. Please direct all questions about why he was standing on top of the truck while washing it to Alex.






Top Game Performances by Day:

04.26


04.27


04.28


04.29


04.30


05.01


05.02




STANDINGS As of 05.02.60







(Standings updates for leagues that began on 05.01 will begin next week.)

[j.tom]

YOU GOTTA LIFT WITH YOUR LEGS, TUUKKA
Wide World of Baseball Newsletter -- 05.03 - 05.09.60

This is the one week this time of year that doesn't have an Opening Day, so relax a little. Take those shoes off, kick your feet up, deep breaths etc. With 16 leagues active, we're still in the calm before the storm.

WWoB Player of the Week (04.26 - 05.02)

3B Ricky Casas 🇩🇴 -- Santiago Caballeros






Worldwide News


05.03

Major League -- Baltimore strings together Opener RHP Justin Jacobs 🇺🇸 and Follower RHP Eskil Roesdahl 🇮🇸 for a one-hitter versus Boise.






05.04

Pacific SuperLeague -- Yokohama blows a 9-0 lead to Osaka, but SS Lubomir Beran's 🇨🇿 sac fly in the bottom of the 10th saves the day.





Österreich-Magyar Liga -- As someone currently in the process of moving, I empathize with RHP Tuukka Madetoja 🇭🇺 here.





05.05

T-II -- San Jose OF Juan Hernandez 🇻🇪🇪🇸 hits for the cycle in a 15-1 win over Norfolk.





Thịy Līk -- Hat Yai 3B Sukmo Muljana 🇹🇭 gets the second hat trick of his career, 15 games into his existence.





T-IV Country League -- Cincinnati does their best Pittsburgh Steelers impression, winning 9-6 on three field goals, including a walkoff field goal by OF Sergio Uranga 🇵🇦 in the 9th, uh, quarter.






05.06

T-II -- Oklahoma City RHP Jeremy Blake 🇺🇸 follows up his 8-inning shutout first start by contributing 6.1 innings to an OKC 1-hitter of the Boston Shamrocks. Since I posted his Major League stats last week, here's his States Cup stats.






05.07


Major League -- Louisville loses to Milwaukee thanks to Sluggers CF Vernon Knowles' 🇺🇸 noodle of a left arm.





EuroLeague -- Athens loses bullpen ace RHP Rafaele Canonica 🇮🇹 for the rest of the season to shoulder inflammation.





Nippon League -- Kobe 1B Masaya Doi 🇯🇵 goes 2-3 versus Chiba to run his hitting streak to 25 games, and his on-base streak to 45.






05.08

EuroLeague / Pacific SuperLeague -- Alright OOTP, cool your jets. Baseball's supposed to be a family show.




Major League -- Minnesota OF Da-xia Bing 🇹🇼 becomes the 7th player to hit 300 ML home runs.






05.09


Today we remember the cyberattacks of 5/9/2015 that changed the course of human history.

Latin League -- After being unable to find a Major League deal for the 2060 season, LHP Bobby Lopez 🇵🇾 signs with Asuncion, 1 year, $6 million.




Native League -- Over the course of a doubleheader versus the Apache Nation, Blackfoot 1B Adam Alexander 🇺🇸 goes 7-8 with 4 doubles and a homer, and RHP Steve Crafts 🇺🇸 his first career shutout.







Top Game Performances by Day

05.03



05.04



05.05



05.06



05.07



05.08



05.09





STANDINGS (As of 05.09)

[j.tom]

THE OTHER BIG OPENING DAY
Wide World of Baseball Newsletter -- 05.10 - 05.16.60

Alright, this is where it gets real. Today, 11 leagues open their 2060 seasons, and the workload for the Wide World of Baseball commissioner gets a lot heavier. Best job in the world.

Cracks knuckles...

PRESEASON PREDICTIONS
CPL, KOL, CAL, CZL, DEL, ITL, FRL, UKL, BAL, EPL, SOL



You get all that? Good. I'm not going to do a writeup on all of them because we have baseball to get to.

Don't forget to reference these when your favorite team's rival underperforms this season.


WORLDWIDE NEWS

05.10 -- OPENING DAY 2: THE SEQUEL

WWoB -- Rumors are forming of a new league that could begin play as soon as this summer. Sources say discussions are ongoing near the Himalaya Mountains...


Chinese Pro League -- Absolute cinema in the CPL on Opening Day. In Chongqing, the Mala escape defeat in the bottom of the 10th, setting up a walkoff base hit for OF Ming-yu Ta 🇨🇳, his first hit in 7 trips to the plate. Beijing, down 5-0, mounts a comeback started by OF Kuang-an Ngui's 🇨🇳 8th inning grand slam to win 8-7, and in Hong Kong, the Kites get an upset walk-off win courtesy of 2B Shu-de Wu's 🇨🇳 3rd career home run.








Korea League -- Five games on Opening Day in the Korea League, with strong pitching performances by RHP Dong-hwan Park 🇰🇷, who gets the win for Ulsan, and RHP Young-shik Jang 🇰🇵 , who takes a brutal no-decision, pulled by his manager after striking out the leadoff batter in the 9th and forced to watch as his closer blows the game.







Canada League -- In the CAL, First Nations starts their bid for a three-peat off strong, while Edmonton beats Toronto on RHP Bud Hearn's 🇨🇦 2nd career shutout.





Česká Liga -- Another tripleheader on Opening Day, this time in the CZL where Metodej Bradac 🇨🇿 spoils an 8.1 inning 1 run performance by Plzne's starter with a 9th inning go-ahead grand slam.





Deutschliga -- A DEL Opening Day to forget for Stuttgart, Koln and Berlin. Frankfurt starter RHP Warner Steiner 🇩🇪 pitches into the 9th and holds the defending champions to one run.





Lega Italia -- In Torino, the Tori get a walkoff win over the Torri after the Torri tie it in the 9th, but the Tori storm back to send it to extras before Tori OF Lucas Traversoni 🇮🇹 launches a 3-run game-ender in his professional debut.





Ligue de France -- Three close games in the FRL, with Marseille OF Paul Thomas 🇫🇷 playing the hero against nice, capping off a 10th inning rally with a 2-run homer to twist the knife.





UK League -- Birmingham, London, Glasgow, and Manchester take wins to start off the UKL season, with the latter lifted by an 8th inning OF Ted Kalman 🇦🇺 home run in his professional debut.





Baltic League -- This year's Opening Day slate in the BAL. Tartu and Vilniaus starters LHP Samuli Pevnev 🇪🇪 and RHP Grisha Labusov 🇱🇹 have a great pitching duel to sweep the top-2 performances of the day, but it's Labusov who takes the win.





Ellinikó Protáthlima -- The inaugural Opening Day in the Greek League brings inaugural wins for Chalkidas, Volou, and Rodou, where Kolossos starter RHP Theophilus Zolotas 🇬🇷 allows just three of the 23 batters he faces to reach base.





Sovetskaya Liga -- Last but not least, the inaugural Opening Day in the SOL, where Yerevan makes a 6-run comeback to beat Os, with the winning run coming via a homer from 1B Eregli Babakhanova 🇦🇲. The first ever game between Sankt-Peterburg and Kharkiv results in a bench clearing brawl.






05.11

UK League -- The UKL has a new career wins leader among pitchers, it's Birmingham LHP Phil Cresswell 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿, who notches his 70th with a complete-game, 4-run showing in a 5-4 win over Cardiff. Cresswell also holds the career records for strikeouts and pitcher WAR.






T-III Continental League -- Memphis 2B Greg Schmidt 🇺🇸 hits for the cycle against the Yankees, but New York takes the win.





Pacific SuperLeague -- A pair of complete game shutouts in the PSL, by Auckland RHP Don McBride 🇨🇦 and Kowloon RHP Hou-kang Jian 🇨🇳.






Nippon League -- Kobe 1B Masaya Doi's 🇰🇷 hit streak ends at 28, the longest in Nippon League history. Absolutely disgusting work by his manager, who brings him in to pinch hit then defensive subbed him.





T-III Continental League -- The Phillies are filing the paperwork on a win over Calgary when their closer, LHP James Hassett 🇦🇺 commits an error attempting to make the game's final out and then completely implodes.






EuroLeague -- 2045, '46 DEL Best Pitcher RHP Hermann Peters 🇩🇪, who has spent the last eight years in the EuroLeague, will retire at season's end.





Ligue de France -- Nice signs former FRL Best Pitcher Joel Binet 🇫🇷 FRA, 1 year, $700k.






05.12

India League -- Delhi RHP Kamlyn Ito 🇯🇵 shuts out Surat, lowering his season ERA to 1.14, just 0.09 above the record with about five turns left in the rotation.





05.13

Major League -- With his first home run of the game versus Charleston, 1B Arup Manushi 🇮🇳 becomes the third player to join the WWoB's career 500 club, then makes it 501 in the 9th inning. He gets no acknowledgement in the game recap. Pretty Rood 🇺🇸 of them to do that. (Career leader, Justin Evans is highlighted below under 05.16)






Mexico League -- With a 2-4 night versus Cancun, Tijuana 1B Alfredo Rojas 🇲🇽 becomes the second player in MXL history to record 1,000 career hits.





Saudi League -- It is becoming increasingly difficult to call what is happening over in the SIL "baseball."





05.14

Major League -- The Huntsville Rocketeers win 8-1 over Colorado, their 13th straight W, to improve to 21-3.






05.15

Canada League -- In a fantastic pitching duel between St. John's and Vancouver, Stones RHP Doug Organ 🇨🇦 sets the franchise record for strikeouts in a game, but is bested by RHP Lee Tite 🇨🇦, who throws a 1-hit Maddux.







05.16

T-II Union League -- Down 6-4 in the 9th, Norfolk stuns Cleveland with 1B Justin Evans' 🇺🇸 2nd career walk-off grand slam.







WWoB -- As his career winds down, lets take a moment to appreciate the Wide World of Baseball's stolen bases king by a giant margin, IF Jerry Saldana 🇩🇴.





PLAYER OF THE WEEK (05.03 - 05.09.60)

OF 真鍋照日 🇯🇵 -- Hiroshima Express






TOP PERFORMANCES BY DAY

05.10


05.11


05.12


05.13


05.14


05.15


05.16






STANDINGS (As of 05.16.60)
Updates for leagues that began 05.10 will begin next week.

[j.tom]

Here's a look at the "All-WWoB Team" as determined by OSA ratings, plus the top-rated players by position.



STARTING PITCHERS:



RHP Evan Thomson 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 -- Mexico City Aztecs
2059 World Series Champion
2058 Euro Cup Champion




RHP 木原敏光 🇯🇵 -- Santiago Caballeros
2058, 2059 Liga Dominicana Best Pitcher, 2057-2059 Gold Glove
2056 Olympiad Gold Medalist




RHP 阮昌傑 🇨🇳 -- Chongqing Mala
2056, 2057, 2058, 2059 Chinese Pro League Best Pitcher, 2057-2059 China Series Champion




RHP Jofet Berqu 🇧🇷 -- San Antonio Bullets
2057 Major League, 2056 T-II Best Pitcher, 2056 T-II Union Series Champion




RHP Leroy Mulkens 🇳🇱 -- Amsterdam Koopvaarders
2057, 2058, 2059 Nederland Serie Champion
2060 Olympiad Gold Medalist, 2057 Euro Cup Champion




RHP Sifal Sudi 🇿🇦 -- San Francisco Gigantes
2056, 2057 Liga Dominicana Best Pitcher, 2057 Serie Domini-Cubana Champion, 2057 LD Wild Card MVP






RELIEF PITCHERS:




RHP عمير بن قتيبة 🇸🇦 -- Free Agent
No awards yet.




LHP Matéo Prigent 🇫🇷 -- Mexico City Aztecs
2059 World Series Champion, 2057 T-II Union Series Champion
2059 Euro Cup Champion




RHP Angel Bustillo 🇳🇮 -- Huntsville Rocketeers
2055 T-IV Country Series Champion





LHP Vern Burrell 🇦🇺 -- Mexico City Aztecs
2059 World Series Champion




LHP Derick Hudson 🇺🇸 -- Colorado Gold Sox
No awards yet.



LHP Jordan Langford 🇺🇸 -- Punta Arenas Pinguinos
Will make pro debut in upcoming Liga Patagonia season.




RHP 名木輝明 🇯🇵 -- Fairfax Squires
2057 World Series Champion
2054, 2056 Olympiad Gold Medalist






CATCHERS:



C Adergazuz Subano 🇰🇪 -- Lagos Moons
2058 Africa League MVP, Silver Slugger




C Danny Irizarry 🇩🇴 -- Louisville Sluggers
2057 Liga Sudamericana MVP, 2058 LS Gold Glove, 2056-2058 LS Silver Slugger, 2058 Major League Silver Slugger, 2058 World Series Champion
2058 Olympiad MVP, 2056, 2057, 2058 Caribe Cup Champion






FIRST BASEMEN:




1B Jerry Flores 🇨🇺 -- Havana Tropicos
2059 Liga Centroamericana MVP, 2057, 2059 Gold Glove, 2056, 2057, 2059 Silver Slugger
2059 Olympiad Gold Medalist




1B Jesus Rivas 🇨🇺 -- Philadelphia Patriots
2058, 2059 T-II Union League MVP, 2057 T-III Continental League MVP, 2055 T-IV Country League MVP
2059, 2060 Olympiad MVP, 2059 Olympiad Gold Medalist






SECOND BASEMEN



2B Ramon Delgado 🇩🇴 -- Louisville Sluggers
2059 Major League MVP, 2058 ML RoTY, 2058, 2059 ML Silver Slugger, 2058 World Series Champion, MVP




2B Mike Cisneros 🇨🇺 -- Mexico City Aztecs
2059 Major League Semifinals MVP, 2059 World Series Champion, 2057 T-II Union League Champion
2059 Olympiad Gold Medalist





THIRD BASEMEN:




3B Al Rodriguez 🇪🇸 -- Valencia Naranjas
Will make his WWoB debut on 05.20, Liga Iberica inaugural Opening Day.





SHORTSTOPS:




SS Danny Madrigal 🇵🇷🇺🇸 -- Ottawa Outlaws
No awards yet.




SS Fabian Seegers 🇳🇱 -- Huntsville Rocketeers
2056, 2059 Major League Silver Slugger
2060 Olympiad Gold Medalist





OUTFIELDERS:




LF Ricky Juarez 🇻🇪 -- Mexico City Aztecs
2059 Major League Silver Slugger, 2059 World Series MVP, 2057, 2059 World Series Champion
2058 Latin America Cup Champion




CF Alberto Torres 🇨🇷 -- Holguin Mineros
2057, 2058, 2059 Liga Cubana Silver Slugger, 2056 LC Gold Glove




RF Elijah Stewart 🇺🇸 -- Charlotte Intimidators
2053, 2057 Major League MVP, 2053 ML RoTY, 2053, 2054, 2055, 2056, 2057, 2058 Silver Slugger, 2053 World Series Champion, MVP
2055 Olympiad Gold Medalist, 2055, 2056, 2057, 2058 States Cup MVP, 2057 States Cup Champion






LF Teddy Rey 🇫🇷 -- Paris Expos
2059 EuroLeague MVP, 2059 EuroLeague Silver Slugger
2059 Euro Cup Champion

[j.tom]

TWO NEW LEAGUES OPEN UP SHOP
Wide World of Baseball Newsletter -- 05.17 - 05.23.60


This week brings us Opening Day in Liga Iberica and the Osterreich-Magyar Liga , plus the Saudi League playoff race comes into focus...


WWoB PLAYER OF THE WEEK (05.10 - 05.16.60)

1B Joel Watson 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 -- Birmingham Bulldogs







WORLDWIDE NEWS

05.17

EuroLeague -- Stockholm Hammers RHP Telma Feliciano 🇧🇷 allows a single to the second batter of the game, then throws 8.2 no-hit innings to shut out Amsterdam United.





Nippon League -- Saitama extends star RHP Shinya Tamura 🇯🇵, 7 years, $45 million.





Saudi League -- The Cubs, Red Wings, and Dodgers have clinched playoff spots.






05.18

T-III Continental League -- Calgary Stampede RHP Omar Medrano 🇩🇴 throws the first perfect game in Continental League history against Salt Lake City.






EuroLeague -- OF Jordan Padilla 🇨🇺 hits for the cycle, 2B Tomas Reyes 🇵🇷🇺🇸 cracks five hits, and OF Andy Le Roy 🇫🇷 hits a walkoff dinger in a wild game between Vienna and Rome.









05.19

EuroLeague -- Cordoba beats Madrid behind Per Friis-Knutzen's 🇩🇰 five-hit night, in a final score that looks more like a lacrosse game than baseball. Shoutout to RHP Riley Knox 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿, the only pitcher to get out of this one cleanly.





Africa League -- Johannesburg signs former SAL Best Pitcher runner-up Sean Fifi 🇿🇦, 1 year, $710k




Native League -- Navajo, Blackfoot, and Sioux each clinch playoff spots. Choctaw is eliminated, while Apache and Cherokee fight for the final spot with three games left.






05.20 -- INAUGURAL LIGA IBERICA AND OSTERREICH-MAGYAR LIGA OPENING DAY

Liga Iberica -- The Iberian Peninsula comes alive with five games on the IBL's inaugural Opening Day. Zaragoza, Sevilla, Braga, Porto and Valencia pick up their first wins, with the Naranjas getting a walk-off homer in extras from OF Cesar Maldonado 🇪🇸.






Osterreich-Magyar Liga -- Villach, Salzburg, Debrecen, and Innsbruck pick up wins to remain undefeated all-time. 2B David Felbiger 🇦🇹 stands alone as the OML's home run king, at least for tonight, with two on Opening Day.






05.21

India League -- Delhi RHP Kamlyn Ito 🇯🇵, who we placed on record watch after his last start, crosses the 60-inning threshold with his 14th out of the night in a great performance against Pune, improves his ERA to a single-season record 1.04 with his 15th out of the game, then sustains a season-ending rotator cuff injury recording his 16th out of the game, essentially locking up the record. Yay? I guess?





Saudi League -- With his 22nd of the season, Riyadh 1B Alex Hernandez 🇩🇴 breaks the SIL single-season home run record.





Ligue de France -- Bordeaux gets a solo homer in the 3rd, and that's all they need to beat Lyon as RHP Jacques Thomas 🇫🇷 throws his first career shutout.





Middle East League -- For the 17th straight year, the Dubai Palms will not make the MEL playoffs.





Saudi League -- Mecca and Jeddah are officially eliminated from the SIL playoff race, Medina grabs the final spot.







05.22


Elliniko Protathlima -- Irakleio RHP Stefan Lambrianou 🇬🇷 goes two over the minimum in a 1-hit Maddux against Volou.





Nippon League -- Sendai hangs 11 on Kyoto in the 6th, featuring 3B Akitada Ishii's 🇯🇵 second AND third homers of the game, immediately followed by a bench clearing brawl.





Ceska Liga -- Pardubic RHP Radomir Chmelik 🇨🇿 is the victim of a home robbery. Rough for a guy making $23,000 this year.






05.23

Liga Domini-Cubana -- La Vega LHP Fernando Sierra 🇩🇴 needs just 99 pitches to throw the second no-hitter in DCL history, retiring the last 25 batters he faced.
Editors note: In the process of writing this item I realized I've had "La Vega" spelled wrong in the game this whole time. Dumb!





Nippon League -- Not to be outdone by his teammate's performance yesterday, Owls SS Atsushi Niwa 🇯🇵 has his own three-homer game. I'm guessing Kyoto cannot wait to get out of Sendai.





T-III Continental League -- Henderson signs former Major League, T-II MVP Justin Young 🇺🇸 for 2 years, $1.2 million.






TOP PERFORMANCES BY DAY

05.17



05.18



05.19



05.20



05.21



05.22



05.23




STANDINGS (As of 05.23.60)

[HAWQ_1009]

When are each league/tournament's opening days?

[j.tom]

Originally Posted by HAWQ_1009

When are each league/tournament's opening days?

WWoB Opening Day Schedule
Thanks for asking, as I've needed to organize this for my own purposes for a while.


03.14: Olympiad Tournament

04.01: Middle East League , League of Legends

04.06: Native League

04.10: Saudi League , India League

04.16: Thịy Līk

04.20: Major League , T-II , Pacific Super League , Liga Domini-Cubana , Balkan League

05.01: T-III , T-IV , EuroLeague , Nippon League , Mexico League , Nederlandse Honkbal Liga , Filip-Indo League

05.10: T-V , Chinese Pro League , Korea League , Canada League , Ceska Liga , Deutschliga , Lega Italia , Ligue de France , UK League , Baltic League , Elliniko Protathlima , Sovetskaya Liga

05.20: Liga Iberica , Osterreich-Magyar Liga , Liga Polska (Coming 2061)

06.01: Nordic League , Himalayan League

06.10: Africa League

10.01: Africa Cup , Asia Cup , Canada Cup , Caribe Cup , Euro Cup , Latin America Cup , Middle East Cup , Oceania Cup , States Cup , Global Amateur Championship

11.01: Antarctic Research League

11.10: Liga Brasil , Liga Gran Colombia , Liigii Jalqabaa (Coming soon)

11.20: Latin League , Suid-Afrikaanse Liga

12.01: Liga Patagonia , Kungiyar Najeriya

[j.tom]

YOU'RE FIRED, BUDDY
Wide World of Baseball Newsletter -- 05.24 - 05.30.60



WWoB Player of the Week (05.17 - 05.23.60)

OF Robin Greenleaf 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 -- Stockholm Hammers






WORLDWIDE NEWS:

Wide World of Baseball -- Just in time, a new league has filed the paperwork to join the WWoB. The Himalayan League (HIL) will start play June 1st, featuring teams from Pakistan 🇵🇰, Nepal 🇳🇵, Bangladesh 🇧🇩, Bhutan 🇧🇹, Myanmar 🇲🇲, India 🇮🇳, Laos 🇱🇦, and Tibet 🇨🇳.




05.24

Middle East League -- Doha OF Bishr bin Kadar 🇶🇦 hits for the cycle in a 17-5 win over Abu Dhabi.





Native League -- The NAL regular season ends, Cherokee capitalizes on an Apache loss to claim the final playoff spot, joining Sioux, Navajo and Blackfoot.





05.25

Major League -- Louisville RHP Danny Menjivar 🇨🇱 throws the 11th no-hitter in ML history versus the first place Huntsville Rocketeers, the first Major League no-no in three years.






Filip-Indo League -- After tying it up in the top of the 9th, Manila forgets how to play baseball and loses on a walk-off HBP.




Pacific SuperLeague -- After an 11-22 start to the season, the Fiji Island Hoppers fire manager Bernardino Laziosi 🇮🇹.






05.26

Korea League -- Goyang 1B Young-jin Kang 🇰🇷 is the first member of the KOL's 1,000-hit club.





Nederlandse Honkbal Liga -- Eindhoven RHP Rafael Padilla 🇧🇷 throws eight perfect innings, and RHP Edmond Bierman 🇳🇱 keeps Tilburg hitless in the 9th for a combined no-hitter.






Saudi League -- Mecca LHP Evan Hesse 🇺🇸 is the new single-season strikeouts record holder in the SIL. Just... don't look at any of his other stats.






05.27

Major League -- San Antonio 1B Arup Manushi 🇮🇳 is the first player with 400 Major League home runs.





Major League -- For a second-straight day, Fairfax SS Matt Fanning 🇺🇸 hits a walk-off homer to beat Mexico City.





Ligue de France -- The Nice Pantheres get back-to-back complete game shutouts from starters RHP Alexis Muller 🇫🇷 and RHP Jerome Castel 🇫🇷.






Canada League -- First Nations gets six hits from 3B John Blumberg 🇨🇦, plus three home runs, including a 10th inning grand slam from 1B Adam Buell 🇨🇦 in a 14-10 win over Edmonton.






Korea League -- Daejon OF Seung-jin Lee 🇰🇷 hits for the cycle versus Ulsan.





Chinese Pro League -- Beijing signs former CPL MVP OF Kuang-an Ngui 🇨🇳 to a 2-year, $5.6 million contract extension.





Pacific SuperLeague -- The last-place Dhaka Mammoths fire manager Shou-xin See-to 🇸🇬.






05.28

Mexico League -- Tijuana 1B Franklin Cruz 🇲🇽 goes 0-4 versus Juarez to end his hitting streak at 25 games, third-longest in MXL history.






Middle East League -- Bengaluru clinches a spot, Ashgabat eliminated from MEL playoff contention.






05.29

Elliniko Protathlima -- Chalkidas SS Ajax Valvis 🇬🇷 hits for the cycle versus Volou, but the Seirines are beaten by the Kastra thanks to four hits of his own by DH Ajax Stavrou 🇬🇷.






Saudi League -- Khobar clinches the top seed in the SIL playoffs.






05.30

Nederlandse Honkbal Liga -- Amsterdam defeats Eindhoven, 4-2, for their 16th straight win.





Pacific SuperLeague -- Just 37% of the way through the season, Port Moresby is the third PSL team to fire their manager, parting ways with Chang-lit Zhui 🇨🇳.







Pacific SuperLeague -- Hours after firing their manager, Port Moresby strikes out 15 times versus Melbourne RHP Guo-xiu Liu 🇭🇰.






TOP PERFORMANCES BY DAY

05.24


05.25


05.26


05.27


05.28


05.29


05.30




STANDINGS (As of 05.30.60)

[j.tom]

"MEET YOUR BRITISH OVERLORDS"
Wide World of Baseball Newsletter -- 05.31 - 06.06.60

WWoB PLAYER OF THE MONTH -- MAY, 2060

SS Fabian Seegers 🇳🇱 -- Huntsville Rocketeers





WWoB PITCHER OF THE MONTH -- MAY, 2060

LHP Alejandro Ramos 🇺🇸 -- Arkansas Travelers







PLAYOFF COVERAGE

SAUDI LEAGUE Semifinals, Games 1-5

قبعات المدينة المنورة الخضراء (4) VS. أشبال الخبر (1)





(3) الرياض ريد وينجز VS. (2) دبي دودجرز





Series MVP: SS Willie de la Rosa 🇵🇷🇺🇸








NATIVE LEAGUE Semifinal + Reservation Series, Games 1-2

Semifinal: (4) Cherokee Nation VS. (1) Navajo Nation






Series MVP: OF Steve Premo 🇺🇸





Semifinal: (3) Blackfoot Tribe VS. (2) Sioux Tribe






Series MVP: OF Cory Johnson 🇺🇸





2060 RESERVATION SERIES: (2) Sioux Tribe VS. (1) Navajo Nation -- Games 1-2.











WORLDWIDE NEWS

05.31

UK League -- Sheffield RHP Ryan Smith 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 strikes out 13 and earns his 6th career CGSO in the UK League (14th total), a 1-hitter of Cardiff.





T-II Union League -- Albuquerque learns the meaning of the saying "home runs are rally killers," their comeback bid versus Cleveland comes up just short in the bottom of the 9th with the tying runner in scoring position, as rookie OF Scott Poland 🇺🇸 is unable to collect his sixth hit of the day.






06.01 -- NORDIC AND HIMALAYAN LEAGUES OPENING DAYS

Nordic League -- Turku, Copenhagen, Aland and Gothenburg pick up wins to start the 17th season of the Nordic League. The Koltrastar get 8 shutout innings from RHP Rich Mendoza 🇵🇷🇺🇸 in their win over Faroe Islands.





Himalayan League -- No rainouts on the HIL's inaugural Opening Day, which is fortunate because I am just now realizing that today also begins this region's monsoon season. Nicely done by me. Pitching wins the day, with Vientiane, Yangon, Tibet, Laahor, and Thimphu holding their opponents to one or fewer runs to improve to 1-0 all-time. Drag Po LHP कुमार नुरेगेसन 🇳🇵 throws the Himalayan League's first complete game shutout, limiting Raaulpandi to five hits.







Ligue de France -- Nice OF Cedric Grand 🇫🇷 lives up to his adjectives, hitting for the cycle versus Marseille in his 14th professional baseball game.





T-V Grassroots League -- Seven hours after first pitch, with two-plus games worth of wear on his knees, Monterrey catcher Josue Lopez 🇩🇴 walks off Miami in the bottom of the 20th with an RBI single.





06.02

Lega Italia -- Roma's pitching staff comes within one out of a combined no-hitter of Genova, but instead settles for a one-hit shutout. RHP अवनिजा रायचौधरी 🇮🇳 pitches the first seven innings of the near-miss.





EuroLeague -- Dublin beats Athens 22-3, putting up several zip codes in the box score (12402 - Kingston, NY / 24027 - Roanoke, VA / 30322 - Atlanta, GA / 32225 - Jacksonville, FL)





India League -- Kolkata is the first team to clinch a spot in the 2060 INL playoffs.





T-IV Country League -- Anaheim signs RHP عمير بن قتيبة 🇸🇦 for 2 years, $830k.






06.03

Pacific SuperLeague -- Perth Fairywrens LHP Rupert Hammond 🇦🇺 throws the 9th no-hitter in PSL history, and the first in the Pacific League in 12 years.






Nippon League -- Kobe 3B リュ 広田 🇯🇵 becomes the third member of the NPL's 1,000 hits club.





Korea League -- Ulsan fans are treated to a show, with OF 김승남 🇰🇷 putting up the 15th 6-hit game in KOL history, and 1B 김창식 🇰🇵 delivering a walk-off homer in the 14th after the Leopards came back to tie it in both the 10th and 11th.






Nederlandse Honkbal Liga -- Den Haag ends Amsterdam's winning streak at 18 games.




Middle East League -- Jiddah secures a playoff spot, Bengaluru clinches the top seed, Giza, Amman, Abu Dhabi are eliminated from the playoff race with four games to go.






06.04

T-II Union League -- With his 26th and 27th homers of the season, Philadelphia 1B Jesus Rivas 🇨🇺 is now on pace to break his own Union League single-season home run record.





Nippon League -- Tokyo defeats Kyoto 24-5 in a game that appears to be baseball. Every member of the Tokyo lineup gets a hit, draws a walk, drives in a run, and scores one themselves.




Middle East League -- Tehran grabs the third MEL playoff spot, as the odds dwindle for Lebanon.





06.05

Canada League -- Regina 1B Fernando Godinez 🇻🇪 goes 5-5, and finishes a grand slam shy of the home run cycle in a 10-6 win over Montreal.





Middle East League -- Tel Aviv and Baghdad clinch playoff spots. Doha can clinch the final spot with a win tomorrow.




India League -- Delhi joins Kolkata in clinching a playoff spot. Those two will likely be the INL's only teams over .500 this season.






06.06

UK League -- Sheffield RHP Ryan Smith 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 throws his second consecutive one-hitter to lower his season ERA to 0.95 and his WHIP to 0.51.






UK League -- Birmingham 1B Joel Watson 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 smashes three homers versus London to extend his hitting streak to 26 games, two away from the UKL record.






T-V Grassroots League -- Columbus RHP Meany McCarthy 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇮🇪 ties a Grassroots League record by striking out 16 Tampa Bay Tarpons.





Middle East League -- Final day of the MEL regular season, with three teams fighting for the 6th seed. Ankara gets crushed by Cairo and is eliminated. Doha misses their chance to clinch by losing to Amman, while Lebanon gets some unlikely heroics from rookie OF 이정훈 🇰🇷, whose three-run homer in the 8th forces a tiebreaker for the final playoff spot.








TOP PERFORMANCES BY DAY:

05.31




06.01




06.02




06.03




06.04




06.05




06.06




STANDINGS (As of 06.06.60)

[j.tom]

"OFFICIALLY IN FULL SWING"
Wide World of Baseball Newsletter -- 06.07 -- 06.13.60




WWoB PLAYER OF THE WEEK 05.31 - 06.06.60

RHP Ryan Smith 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 -- Sheffield Mountain Hares





PLAYOFF COVERAGE

SAUDI LEAGUE -- Semifinals, Game 6 and 2060 Saudi Series, Games 1-4


Semifinals Game 6: قبعات المدينة المنورة الخضراء (4) VS. أشبال الخبر (1)

-- Khobar is headed back to the Saudi Series for a second straight year after a win over Medina in Game 6 of the Semifinals. OF Marvin Leonard 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 caps off his series MVP performance with a walk-off homer to end it.





SAUDI SERIES: (3) دبي دودجرز VS. (1) أشبال الخبر





Game One -- RHP Chris Clark's 🇺🇸 6.1 one-hit innings help Khobar build the cushion they need to survive a bullpen collapse. Cubs lead 1-0.





Game Two -- In a tense pitchers duel that requires an extra frame, Khobar 2B Mike Terrell 🇨🇦 extends the Cubs series lead with a walk-off base hit.





Game Three -- Dubai 1B Takuji Hamamura 🇧🇷🇯🇵 becomes the first player with four home runs in a Saudi League playoff game, and just the third in any SIL game as the Dodgers notch their first win of the series.





Game Four -- Dubai plays the bullpen game down 2-1 in the series, and it pays off as RHP عصفور بن مجدي 🇸🇦 enters in the 3rd and holds the lead until the 9th for the Dodgers to tie it at two.





The 2060 Saudi Series continues next week, tied 2-2...





NATIVE LEAGUE -- 2060 Reservation Series

-- In case you missed Games One and Two last week... (but you totally didn't... People read these, right?!?




Game Three -- Sioux 1B Bill Tortorici 🇺🇸 delivers a walk-off win in Game Three with his second homer of the night, spoiling a massive 9th inning Navajo comeback. Sioux is now just one game away from their third consecutive Reservation Series title.





Game Four -- The Navajo bullpen keeps RHP Jerry Lovato's 🇺🇸 shutout intact to break through for their first win of the series.





Game Five -- Navajo claws their way back into Game Five with a 9th-inning rally, but it's only prolonging the inevitable as Sioux gets two freebies to start the bottom of the 10th, before 2B George Figurski 🇺🇸 hits the laces off an 0-1 pitch from LHP Jeff Reynolds 🇺🇸 to complete Sioux's three-peat.









MIDDLE EAST LEAGUE -- Tiebreaker, Wild Card Series, Semifinals Games 1 & 2

TIEBREAKER: أرز لبنان 🇱🇧 VS. أعاصير الدوحة 🇶🇦

-- Lebanon and Doha face off in the tiebreaker game, with Cedars 2B عمر بن مسلم 🇮🇷 getting the party started with a first inning homer, and keeping it going with three more hits in an 11-4 blowout to advance Lebanon to the playoffs, four days after their odds were below 15%.






WILD CARD SERIES

(6) أرز لبنان 🇱🇧 VS. (3) شغال های تهران 🇮🇷

-- Tehran politely thanks Lebanon for their attendance in this year's playoffs, and sends them home in two games behind two huge games from OF بسام طریف 🇮🇷, who was signed two days ago after serving a three year suspension from pro baseball (he actually just didn't sign anywhere for three years but I'm world building here.)







(5) ברק תל אביב 🇮🇱 VS. (4) بغداد لاماسو 🇮🇶

-- Tel Aviv keeps it close versus Baghdad, but the Lamassu win a pair of nailbiters to advance. C موسى نزيه 🇪🇬 is named series MVP, going 7-9 over two games.







SEMIFINALS -- Games 1 & 2

(4) بغداد لاماسو 🇮🇶 VS. (1) बेंगलुरु टेराबाइट्स 🇮🇳

-- Through two games, Bengaluru is in control over Baghdad in the Semifinals. After a blowout in Game One, OF मुरलीधर सुग्रीव 🇮🇳 lifts the Terabytes to victory in Game Two with a go-ahead 3-run jack.







(3) شغال های تهران 🇮🇷 VS. (2) ذئاب جدة 🇸🇦

-- Tehran ambushes Jiddah in Game One, but the Wolves even the series in Game Two thanks to a walk-off two-run homer from SS مالک بن نوری 🇮🇷, his second of the night.






The Semifinals will wrap up, and we'll know who will play in this year's Middle East Series by the end of next week...



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

WORLDWIDE NEWS

🇪🇷 🇩🇯 🇪🇹 🇸🇴 🇰🇪 🇸🇸 🇺🇬 🇪🇷 🇩🇯 🇪🇹 🇸🇴 🇰🇪 🇸🇸 🇺🇬 🇪🇷 🇩🇯 🇪🇹 🇸🇴 🇰🇪 🇸🇸 🇺🇬 🇪🇷 🇩🇯 🇪🇹 🇸🇴 🇰🇪 🇸🇸 🇺🇬

WWoB -- Yet another new league has joined the WWoB, Liigii Jalqabaa will begin play in November, featuring ten teams from the Horn of Africa region.



WWoB officials (me) say leagues in Australia/NZ, Poland, and Turkey are set to be announced in the coming weeks, stay tuned...


06.07

T-III -- Salt Lake City OF Vince Zimmer 🇺🇸 is the first player in Continental League history to hit 4 home runs in a game.





Pacific SuperLeague -- Kuala Lumpur SS Rick Loetzsch 🇦🇺 hits a game-tying solo homer in the bottom of the 9th, then a walk-off grand slam to steal one from Melbourne.





Pacific SuperLeague -- Auckland RHP Don McBride 🇨🇦 throws his second shutout of the season, a 1-0 win over Singapore.






06.08

Major League -- San Antonio OF Mike Hopkins 🇺🇸 hits for the reverse cycle versus Huntsville in a 10-3 win.





Korea League -- Changwon RHP Ubaldo Cesti 🇮🇹 faces the minimum in a 2-hit shutout of Pyongyang.





Ceska Liga -- Olomouce OF Borivoj Zach 🇨🇿 secures a cycle in extras, but his team takes a loss to Liberce.





Pacific SuperLeague -- A pair of fights in the PSL, my money is on Geng 🇨🇳 and Flores 🇨🇺.







Liga Domini-Cubana -- In Liga Dominicana, San Francisco is the first team out. Meanwhile in Liga Cubana, two out of three playoff spots are spoken for by Holguin and Las Tunas.






06.09

T-II -- Fresno Sun Sox starter RHP Teodus Pospichal 🇵🇭, and relievers RHP Gil Leiva 🇩🇴, LHP Mathieu Martinez , and RHP Cody Moss 🇺🇸 combine to no-hit the Atlanta Pilots,





Nordic League -- For now, 1B Kevin Barkstrom 🇸🇪 is the NOL's career home run leader, hitting a pair versus Island to bring his career mark to 133.





Nordic League -- The Vilniaus Vilkai pitching staff throws a no-hitter versus Liepajas. RHP Harry Offredi 🇨🇦 puts up 7.2 innings, RHP Rodion Kapuro 🇱🇹 finishes the 8th and gets two outs in the 9th, and RHP 王朱 (Wang Zhu) 🇨🇳 delivers the game's final out.





Balkan League -- Cluj is the first team to clinch a spot in the inaugural BKL playoffs.






06.10 -- AFRICA LEAGUE OPENING DAY




Africa League -- The 2060 AFL season gets underway with a six-game slate. The day's first game, between Mogadishu and Antananarivo is a tense, scoreless stalemate until 1B Idir Bankole's 🇨🇩 pinch-hit, walk-off solo home run. Nairobi, Lagos, Brazzaville, Kinshasa and Luanda also pick up wins.






UK League -- Birmingham 1B Joel Watson 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 runs his hitting streak, now the longest in UKL history, to 30 games with a 2-hit night versus Cardiff. It has now been 11 months to the day since Watson's last 0-for in a UK League match.





Major League -- 3x T-III MVP, 2055 LACup MVP, 2050 Olympiad Gold Medalist and 2056 World Series Champion 1B Roberto Marrero 🇻🇪 announces his plans to retire after this season.







Ligue de France -- An inning after their offense made the game a blowout, Bordeaux's bullpen melts down in the bottom of the 9th and snatches defeat from the jaws of victory in Lyon.




Canada League -- Halfway through the Canada League season, First Nations leads the pack while five teams within two games of each other battle for the other four playoff spots. Nova Scotia and Montreal aren't dead yet, but with both teams sputtering on both sides of the ball, it's not looking good. First Nations 3B John Blumberg 🇨🇦 and Vancouver OF John Arden 🇨🇦 are looking to blow away the single-season batting average record, while Edmonton RHP Bud Hearn 🇨🇦 has his sights set on the single-season ERA record.









06.11

UK League -- One day after telling reporters he could, "take this streak to 100 games," 1B Joel Watson 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 goes hitless in four at-bats to end his UKL record hitting streak at 30 games.





T-II -- Rookie OF Jaylin Smith's 🇺🇸 walk-off grand slam lifts Newark over Arkansas.





Ceska Liga -- Pardubic RHP Radomir Chmelik 🇨🇿 still has no idea who robbed his house. Not saying this is the reason for his terrible season, but it sure doesn't seem to be helping.





Liga Domini-Cubana -- Bayamo is the first team eliminated from the Liga Cubana playoff race.






06.12

India League -- Your new single-season leader in home runs, Ahmedabad C Sacha Vodchak 🇱🇻.





Major League -- Mexico City RHP Evan Thomson 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 throws his first career shutout, a 1-hitter versus Oakland.





Pacific SuperLeague -- Beijing RHP ヤスオ宮本 🇯🇵 also throws his first career shutout, also a 1-hitter.





Ligue de France -- Nice RHP Jerome Castel 🇫🇷, at age 40, throws a 10-inning, 2-hit shutout in a 1-0 victory over Toulouse.






06.13

Filip-Indo League -- Medan OF Honesto Defensor 🇵🇭 and Bandung 2B Luzvimindo Bahia 🇵🇭 hit for dueling cycles as Defensor's Warisan prevail, 15-10.







EuroLeague -- At the midseason mark, RHP Michael Fagatti 🇮🇹, who Rome has used primarily as a follower this season, is challenging for the EuroLeague's single-season ERA record. He'll need 80 innings to qualify.





Liga Domini-Cubana -- La Vega is out of the LD playoff race, Pinar del Rio is out of the LC race. Santiago needs one more win or Havana loss to clinch the 3rd and final LC playoff spot.






TOP PERFORMANCES BY DAY

06.07



06.08



06.09



06.10



06.11



06.12



06.13






STANDINGS (As of 06.13.60)

[j.tom]

WWoB World Stats Leaders As of 06.13.60
(Across all levels and leagues/tournaments)


These are some of the greatest players in the Wide World of Baseball, if you believe in statistics, at least...
Me? I know the best players are really the ones that look the coolest. That's why Josh Harrison is going to make the Hall of Fame.

HITTERS:
3,000 PA required for rate stats

Jonathan Alicea 🇨🇺
Games Played (2,094), Plate Appearances (9,053), RBI (1,416), Runs Scored (1,352), Extra-Base Hits (868)

















Dave Lurker 🇺🇸
Hits (2,105)







Justin Evans 🇺🇸
Home Runs (563)









Jerry Saldana 🇩🇴
Stolen Bases (1,094), Baserunning Value (200.8)









Luigi Pickford 🇦🇺
Bases on Balls (1,024)






Kody Randazzo 🇺🇸
Batter WAR (65.1)








Everton Turner 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
Batting Average (.333), On-Base Percentage (.463), WRC+ (190)













PITCHERS:
1,200 IP required for rate stats

Ross Acres 🇺🇸
Strikeouts (3,076), Games Started (410), Quality Starts (244), Wins (163), rWAR (75.8)

















Francis Ledru 🇫🇷
Complete Games (30), Shutouts (17)










Victor Tabares 🇲🇽
ERA (2.68), ERA+ (160), WHIP (0.99)











中野タダシ / Tadashi Nakano 🇯🇵
Shutdowns (286)







Carlo Gadsden 🇦🇺
K/9 (13.5)






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

And these players are world leaders for less... illustrious reasons.

Mario Rios 🇻🇪
Most career plate appearances (727) without a home run.






عبد المتعال بن نوح / Abdul-Muta'al bin Nooh 🇦🇪
Most negative batter WAR (-11.9)








Eka Purbacaraka 🇮🇩
Most win probability subtracted (-10.69)






Damian Torres 🇩🇴
Most hit batsmen (138)

[j.tom]

"THE HUNT FOR THE HOME RUN CYCLE"
Wide World of Baseball Newsletter -- 06.14 - 06.20.60


Knuckleballer numbers have dropped by at least 50% over the last three generations, and they’re still in decline today. With only 18-38 left in the wild, the species is classified as endangered.
It is critical to conserve knuckleballs since they play such a vital role in making baseball fun and cool as well as contributing towards tourism and community incomes in many areas.
To make a donation towards preserving Knuckleballers, call 1-888-KNUCKLE. For just $10, you can 'adopt' a knuckleballer and track their progress.

WWoB PLAYER OF THE WEEK (06.07 - 06.13)

OF Honesto Defensor 🇵🇭 -- Medan Warisan








PLAYOFF COVERAGE


2060 SAUDI SERIES (Continued)



The series so far.


Game Five -- Khobar looks to be in good shape in the 6th, tying the game, but it's short lived as Dubai OF Clive Sargent's 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 go-ahead RBI single gives the Dodgers a lead they never relinquish.





Game Six -- The 2060 Saudi Series Champions have been crowned! The Dubai Dodgers win their 9th title, behind a big performance from Saudi Series MVP 1B 浜村託児 / Takuji Hamamura JPN. Needing a win in Game Six, Khobar's offense hits rock bottom, failing to get anything going, falling behind early, and losing their fourth straight game.








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

MIDDLE EAST LEAGUE -- Semifinals

SEMIFINALS

(4) بغداد لاماسو 🇮🇶 VS. (1) बेंगलुरु टेराबाइट्स 🇮🇳






Baghdad starts the week off strong, with their first win of the series in Game Three. However, the momentum is short lived as Bengaluru regroups to win the next two and head back to the Middle East Series. Terabytes OF मुरलीधर सुग्रीव / Muralidhara Sugriva 🇮🇳 is named series MVP.










(3) شغال های تهران 🇮🇷 VS. (2) ذئاب جدة 🇸🇦






Tied 1-1 in the series, Jiddah and Tehran split the first two games of the week, but the momentum swings the Jackals way in Game Five and stays there with a blowout in Game Six. OF عمير علاء الدين / Umair Ala' al Din 🇦🇪 hits .455 to win series MVP.












The MEL playoffs continue next week with the 2060 Middle East Series...





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

INDIA LEAGUE -- Pennant Race, Semifinals

PENNANT RACE

06.14 -- Surat, Ahmedabad, and Jaipur are in a three-way battle for the third and fourth spots in the INL playoffs. The latter two play a classic that's decided by a fielding error and a walk-off run scored on a passed ball in the 9th inning charged to Sabarmatis C Sacha Vodchak 🇱🇻. Meanwhile, Surat goes down 11-7 to Delhi and is mathematically eliminated. With Ahmedabad and Jaipur's spots locked up, tomorrow's game between them will be for seeding.





06.15 -- Jaipur locks up the #3 seed with their second straight walk-off win, this time courtesy of one of their own players, 3B श्रीधर मारिता / Sridhar Marita 🇮🇳





SEMIFINALS -- Games 1-3

(4) अहमदाबाद साबरमती VS. (1) कोलकाता टाइफून




After dominating the regular season, Kolkata continues the trend, building a 3-0 series lead to end the week. The only close game so far, Game One, is won via OF राजीव रसिया / Rajeev Rasiah's 🇮🇳 walk-off solo home run.










(3) जयपुर राजपूत VS. (2) दिल्ली सुल्तान




Jaipur and Delhi end the week with the Rajput ahead two games to one, looking for the upset. Jaipur gets a big boost in Game One, which goes 12 innings before 3B आर्यमन सुथार / Aryaman Suthar 🇮🇳 brings in two runs with a go-ahead base hit.










The India League semifinals wrap up next week...






WORLDWIDE NEWS

WWoB -- Another week, another new league in the Wide World of Baseball. The Australasia League starts play this November, with five teams each in Australia and New Zealand.




06.14

Major League -- Fairfax RHP Arturo Dominguez 🇨🇺 becomes the fourth pitcher in ML history with 16 strikeouts in a game, throwing eight one-hit innings versus Boise.





Liga Domini-Cubana -- After coming close the past two seasons, Holguin 3B Kees Bakker hits his 29th home run of the year, to set a new DCL record.





Balkan League -- Zagreb clinches the 2nd of six BKL playoff spots. Cluj mathematically clinches the #1 seed.






06.15








Liga Domini-Cubana -- In a night for the ages, Este 1B Jerry Herrera 🇻🇪 steps up to the plate in the 8th inning with a shot at the unthinkable. He's already 5-5 on the night with a solo, two-run, and three-run homer. A home run cycle has never happened in the WWoB, and it seems like Herrera's chance is over when he bats in the 7th with only a runner on 1st, whom he doubles home for his 7th RBI of the day.

But, almost like La Romana LHP Daniel Escobedo DR wants to see the same thing we do, the stars align, and Herrera gets his chance...



I like to think Jerry came up to the plate daddy hacking, trying to etch his name in the history books. If that was the case, then he just barely missed one. The WWoB's closest bid yet to the home run cycle comes up just short, as Herrera hits a bloop single that scores an insurance run instead. The hunt for the home run cycle continues a little longer, and Jerry Herrera settles for the DCL's first-ever six-hit game...





Pacific SuperLeague -- Hanoi RHP Rick Ayala 🇨🇺 carries a perfect game bid into the 7th and faces the minimum in a one-hit shutout of Tokyo.





Pacific SuperLeague -- Incheon SS Matt Kraft 🇦🇺 makes it worth the while for Saucers fans, hitting a walk-off grand slam in the 14th to extend their lead in the ASL East to five games.





Major League -- Doesn't sound like Oakland 1B Adalberto Bobadilha 🇧🇷 will be back with the Stompers next year...






06.16

EuroLeague -- Amsterdam 2B Raul Figueredo 🇨🇼🇳🇱 hits for the cycle before the 7th inning stretch, then adds a grand slam in the 8th for good measure versus Bratislava.





India League -- With the regular season officially over, the INL batting champion is Jaipur 2B अयुतानायी मंगलवेधे / Ayutanayi Mangalvedhe 🇮🇳. The ERA crown goes to Delhi RHP カムリン・イトウ / Kamlyn Ito 🇯🇵, who is still sidelined another 2-3 weeks with a rotator cuff injury.

43 batters, 17 pitchers qualify.








Balkan League -- Sofiya and Bitola join Cluj and Zagreb in locking up BKL playoff spots. With three games left in the BKL regular season, two spots are still up for grabs. Beograd is the only team mathematically eliminated. Podgorica's tragic number is now 1.





UK League -- Heading into a 4-day break for the UKL, Sheffield is riding an eight-game win streak, while Birmingham is on a 12-game heater and an eye-popping 31-5 on the season.









06.17

Filip-Indo League -- With 15 games left in the season, Medan C Eric Hannemann, Parts Unknown has skipped right by .400 and is on .500 watch. This might be the greatest season I've seen on OOTP, period.








Africa League -- On a day where Johannesburg can't get anything going on offense, RHP Eddie Whittle 🇿🇦 beats Antananarivo himself with a 5-hit, 1-0 shutout.





Liga Domini-Cubana -- Este is the first Liga Dominicana team into the playoffs this year.





Thiy Lik -- Two spots in the inaugural THL playoffs have been claimed, Hat Yai and Khon Kaen will have a shot at the title.





Filip-Indo League -- Medan, nine games ahead of any other FIL team, is the first to clinch a playoff spot.





UK League -- Sheffield RHP Lewis Froggett 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 will be neither hang-gliding nor playing baseball for the next 6-7 months.





Liga Iberica -- The Amador Expresso, locked in a tight playoff race, lose star OF Rivelino Belino 🇵🇹 to a strained oblique, likely for the rest of the regular season.







06.18

T-II -- Cleveland SS Manny Ramos 🇻🇪 becomes the fourth player in Union League history with four homers in a game as the Lakers take Atlanta behind the woodshed. His teammates score plenty, but they never load the bases for him, so no home run cycle tonight.





Osterreich-Magyar Liga -- Villach RHP Guenther Stadlober 🇦🇹 throws the first no-hitter in OML history versus Szeged, striking out 7 and allowing only a 5th inning walk.






06.19

Filip-Indo League -- Two days after I put him on .500 watch, Medan C Eric Hannemann, Parts Unknown puts up an 0-for-5 against Surabaya to drop his average below .500, his slugging below 1.000, and ends his 21-game hitting streak. Nice going, j.tom.





Nordic League -- Oslo OF Jokum Kingo 🇫🇴 gets six hits to set the NOL record for extra innings games, but doesn't even come close to the 9-inning record set by C Vilfried Moesgaard 🇫🇴, who left for mandatory military service in 2046 and uh, never came back.

(Also, what are they feeding these dudes in the Faroe Islands? Good lord.)










06.20

Balkan League -- On the final day of the BKL regular season, Sarajevo and Prishtine enter the day tied for the last playoff spot, with Maribor close behind. Sarajevo, who plays the league's worst team, wins, while Prishtine, tasked with the league's best team, loses a close game to end their season. With Sarajevo's win, Maribor is eliminated anyways before the final out of their 6-2 loss to Tirane.
Coverage of the inaugural BKL postseason kicks off next week.








Balkan League -- Fans of the Balkan League will never forget RHP Arjan Agani's 🇽🇰 inaugural season, as he wins the triple crown. Zagreb 1B Slavko Raznjatovic 🇭🇷 wins the league's first batting title. Full league leaders for the BKL are listed below.










TOP PERFORMANCES BY DAY

06.14




06.15




06.16




06.17




06.18




06.19




06.20





STANDINGS (As of 06.20)

[j.tom]

Oops, didn't mean to post that one yet. Enjoy reading while I finish it, I guess.

[j.tom]

2060 WWoB Draft Guide

With every league's draft just three weeks away (July 11), lets take a look at the top draft prospects...


Major League



Pacific SuperLeague



EuroLeague



Latin League



Africa League



Nippon League



Chinese Pro League



Korea League



Liga Brasil



Liga Domini-Cubana



Mexico League



Nederlandse Honkbal Liga



Canada League



Ceska Liga



Deutschliga



Filip-Indo League



India League



Lega Italia



Liga Gran Colombia


Liga Iberica


Liga Patagonia


Ligue de France


Nordic League


Suid-Afrikaanse Liga


UK League


Balkan League


Baltic League


Elliniko Protathlima


Kungiyar Najeriya


Liigii Jalqabaa


Middle East League


Sovetskaya Liga


Thiy Lik

[j.tom]

Hit the wrong button again. Next newsletter is coming soon.

[j.tom]

"PLAYOFFS ACROSS THE WORLD"
Wide World of Baseball Newsletter -- 06.21 - 06.27.60


WWoB PLAYER OF THE WEEK (06.14 - 06.20.60)

1B Bob Lay 🇺🇸 -- San Jose Hawks







PLAYOFF COVERAGE

(Coverage may be a bit lighter this week, I've decided to only cover non-championship series once they've finished to hopefully make it easier to follow.)





2060 MIDDLE EAST SERIES (Games 1-5)

(3) شغال های تهران 🇮🇷 VS. (1) बेंगलुरु टेराबाइट्स 🇮🇳

Game One -- Tehran smokes Bengaluru in a Game One that wasn't nearly as close as the score may suggest. Jackals SS حیدر بن طریف / Haidar bin Tarif 🇮🇷 goes 3-3 out of the 9-spot, including a two-run triple in the 8th.





Game Two -- Bengaluru once again struggles in Game Two, managing just five hits and being held out of the score column. Tehran survives an injury to their starting pitcher thanks to LHP देवसरसा पुष्कल / Devasarasa Pushkala 🇮🇳, who comes into the game cold and gives them two scoreless innings out of the bullpen.





Game Three -- The Terabytes come to life as the series shifts to Tehran, taking a second-inning lead in Game Three and never looking back. OF जॉयदीप प्रवीणकुमार / Joydeep Praveenkumar's 🇮🇳 home runs in the 2nd and 4th innings make the difference as Bengaluru shaves the series deficit to 2-1.





Game Four -- Things look grim for the Terabytes after managing just one hit over the first seven innings. However, a game-tying homer in the 8th and a go-ahead homer in the 9th are all Bengaluru needs to tie the series at 2, as RHP Tony Silva 🇨🇼🇳🇱, this year's MEL ERA champ, goes the distance allowing just one run.





Game Five -- Bengaluru strikes again in Game Five, never trailing in 6-2 win to make their series lead 3-2. 1B Baha Öğütmen 🇹🇷 is tonight's hero, going 4-5 with two doubles and a home run.




The 2060 MEL Champion will be decided next week, with Bengaluru one game away from a third-straight title.



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

INDIA LEAGUE

SEMIFINAL -- Continued





(4) अहमदाबाद साबरमती VS. (1) कोलकाता टाइफून

Needing one more win to advance to the India Series, Kolkata starts the week off with a pair of losses to Ahmedabad, but finally breaks through for the series clinching win in Game Six. Sabarmatis C Sacha Vodchak 🇱🇻 wins series MVP in the losing effort, hitting seven home runs in the series.















(3) जयपुर राजपूत VS. (2) दिल्ली सुल्तान

Jaipur puts Delhi on the ropes to begin the week, taking a 3-1 lead in the series. However, the Rajput learn why that's the most dangerous lead in sports as they get blown out in Game Five and narrowly beaten in Game Six. Then, in Game Seven, Jaipur's offense can't get anything going as they lose 4-1, ending their season in humiliating fashion. Reigning INL MVP 3B अविना श्वेतांक / Avinna Shvetank 🇮🇳 is named series MVP.












The India League's top two teams will face off next week in the India Series...



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

LIGA DOMINI-CUBANA

PLAYOFF RACE

06.22 -- With playoff spots in the LD and a #1 seed in the LC still hanging in the balance on the final day of the regular season, it turns out to be a great day for baseball.

In Liga Dominicana, the Santiago Caballeros and San Pedro Caobas enter the day one game apart for the 3rd and final LD playoff spot. The mission is simple for San Pedro, win and you're in. After trailing for most of the night, they tie things up in the bottom of the 8th, but fall in 11 innings to set up a tiebreaker rematch tomorrow night.



In Liga Cubana, Holguin has been in first place since June 2, but that all changes as they lose to Pinar del Rio in one of the wildest games of the entire WWoB season, and Las Tunas shuts out Havana to steal the top spot and force the Mineros into the Comodín.






TIEBREAKER

Santiago and San Pedro face off for the final playoff spot, with Santiago bringing their ace to the mound, which pays off. Caballeros two-time reigning Best Pitcher RHP Toshimitsu Kihara 🇯🇵 throws 7+ shutout innings for the win, and Santiago clinches the third LD playoff spot.





COMODÍN




(3) Santiago Caballeros 🇩🇴 VS. (2) La Romana Azules 🇩🇴

By virtue of their record, La Romana starts the 3-game series with a one-game advantage, and closes things out quickly by allowing just three hits for Santiago in a 5-1 win to end the series in one game. Azules OF Miguel Banuelos 🇩🇴 is named Comodin MVP, going 2-4 with a 3-run homer in the 3rd inning.









(3) Santiago Roneros 🇨🇺 VS. (2) Holguín Mineros 🇨🇺

Holguin enters the Comodin a heavy favorite over Santiago, and they live up to that billing with a win in Game One to snuff out the Roneros. OF Gabriel Camario's 🇨🇺 go-ahead 3-run homer in the 4th, and another 2-run homer in the 6th earn him Comodin MVP.





The DCL playoffs continue next week with Serie de Campeonato Nacional...






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




BALKAN LEAGUE

WILD CARD ROUND

(6) Sarajevo Golubicas 🇧🇦 VS. (3) Zagreb Zmajevi 🇭🇷

A strong start by Zagreb RHP Jovica Uskoković 🇭🇷 is nearly wasted, but the Zmajevi hang on to advance to the BKL Semifinal.





(5) Tiranë Arbërit 🇦🇱 VS. (4) Bitola Konzuli 🇲🇰

The Bitola pitching staff, tied for first in runs allowed this season, shines again in the Wild Card Game. Led by LHP Слободан Хрњак / Slobodan Hrnjak 🇲🇰, four Konzuli hurlers combine to one-hit Tiranë and move on to the Semifinal.





Coverage of the BKL's inaugural postseason picks back up next week with the Semifinal...







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


THIY LIK

PLAYOFF RACE

06.21 -- At the end of play on the 21st, three THL playoff spots are decided, with Hat Yai, Khon Kaen, and Chang Mai all having punched their ticket. With two games to go, Nonthaburi and Bangkok are tied for the 4th and final spot.





06.22 -- In their biggest game of the season, both sides of the ball deliver for Nonthaburi as their offense produces 12 runs, and their starter RHP ซวนผ่อง / Xuan Phong 🇹🇭 walks the tightrope for an 8-hit shutout. Meanwhile, Khon Kaen draws even for the #1 seed with Hat Yai by way of an extra-innings win.






06.23 -- On the final day of the THL regular season, Nonthaburi has a chance to clinch their playoff spot with a win, but they lose to last place Udon Thani while Bangkok scores a win to force a tiebreaker for the final spot.




TIEBREAKER

The Nonthaburi Klwymi are in the Thiy Lik playoffs! They defeat Bangkok 6-3 to clinch the 4th and final spot, lifted by 2B Lamar Martin's 🇩🇪 go-ahead RBI in the 8th inning.




The first-ever Thiy Lik postseason gets underway next week with the รอบรองชนะเลิศ / Semifinals.



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

WORLDWIDE NEWS

06.21

Baltic League -- Kauno RHP Foma Dadashov 🇱🇹 throws the first no-hitter in BAL history versus Tartu. A pair of errors by teammates are the only things that separate Dadashov from a perfect game.






EuroLeague -- Amsterdam LHP Bradley van Dijck 🇳🇱 ties a EuroLeague record by striking out 16 Oslo Vikings in a 9-0 win.





Osterreich-Magyar Liga -- Gyor OF Kyle Lane 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇮🇪 hits for the OML's first cycle, but it isn't enough to beat Szeged as the Folyok fall 10-7 in 13 innings.






06.22

Major League -- Today marks halfway for the 2060 Major League season, let's take a look at the standings and stats leaders so far...

Huntsville and Mexico City, currently on 12 and 13 game winning streaks, respectively, have built a 7.5-game gap on the field. Providence and Buffalo look to be in good shape, while the battle for the final playoff spot is a dogfight between five teams within one game of each other. At the bottom of the standings, Sacramento is facing a real chance of relegation just one year after they played in the World Series, but their underlying stats suggest they may have something left in the tank that Milwaukee, Oakland, and Colorado do not.





T-II -- In the Union League, San Jose and Hawaii are comfortably in position for promotions 60% of the way through the season. Albuquerque and Philadelphia have chances to dig themselves out of relegation, Iowa probably does not, and Atlanta might as well start playing in T-III tomorrow.




Pacific SuperLeague -- Beijing's offense takes a hit as they lose 2058 ASL MVP 1B 楊明 / Ming-yu Yang 🇨🇳 for 6-7 weeks to a sports hernia.





Sovetskaya Liga -- The Toshkent Savdogarlar are Paruzin the trade market.






06.23

Baltic League -- Two days after no-hitting Tartu, Vilniaus starter RHP Harry Offredi 🇨🇦 and the Vilkai bullpen combine to one-hit the other Estonian team.





Nippon League -- Saitama RHP Shinya Tamura 🇯🇵, the partial owner of the NPL's single-game record with 16 strikeouts on 06.18.2055, strikes out 15 versus Nagoya, the most by an NPL pitcher this season.




I hadn't realized before this that two of the three 16-K games in NPL history not only happened on the same day, but were the same game between Tamura's Invincibles and RHP 山本輝明 / Teruaki Yamamoto's 🇯🇵 at-the-time Nagoya Dragonflies. So, five years and five days later, let's take a moment to appreciate both hurlers from one of the great pitching duels in WWoB history.








Africa League -- Kinshasa OF Habtamu Berui 🇳🇬 delivers the Leopards a win over Antananarivo with a walk-off grand slam.





Sovetskaya Liga -- Chisinau scores 25 runs versus Kharkiv. That's it, that's the news item.





06.24

Elliniko Protathlima -- Irakleio RHP Ρόδος Γουλανδρής / Rhodes Goulandris 🇬🇷 strikes out 10 in a one-hit shutout of Larisas.





Major League -- Charleston loses star RHP Zak Butler 🇹🇨🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 to elbow inflammation for at least three weeks.






06.25

T-II -- Cleveland RHP Erick Velasquez 🇩🇴 carries a perfect game into the 7th and throws a one-hit shutout against the Hawaiian Islanders.





Native League -- The full slate of 2060 Native League awards has been announced. Navajo SS Roger Pack 🇺🇸 is named MVP, Blackfoot RHP Steve Craft 🇺🇸 wins his third NAL Pitcher of the Year.











Major League -- Boise loses star RHP Evan Summers 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 until at least early August with a sprained ankle.





06.26

Sovetskaya Liga -- Yerevan pitchers, led by 3.2 perfect innings by RHP Մինաս Բույուկլեան / Minas Buyuklian 🇦🇲, throw a no-hitter in a game called in the 7th due to weather.





Nederlandse Honkbal Liga -- With 19 games left, Amsterdam has already clinched their spot in the postseason as they search for their 12th straight NEL title.





Elliniko Protathlima -- With five games left in the season, Chalkidas is the first team to clinch an EPL playoff spot. Irakleio and Rodou need one more win to clinch.






06.27

EuroLeague -- After going down 14-2 in the 2nd inning, Prague almost completes the comeback on Rome. Almost.





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

TOP PERFORMANCES BY DAY

06.21


06.22


06.23


06.24


06.25


06.26


06.27




STANDINGS (As of 06.27.60)