Baseball: The World's Game - Page 127

FuzzyRussianHat · 10-24-2025, 08:42 AM

Pitcher Elnur Hasanov and LF Emre Fez earned first ballot selections in the Asian Baseball Federation Hall of Fame for 2037 at 92.4% and 82.6%, respectively. CL Raghid Yazdani fell just short of the 66% induction threshold at 60.8% on his seventh try. Three other returners were above or at 50% with 3B Quraishi Lalak at 58.3% on his fourth ballot, LF Ramin Abilov at 55.2% on his fifth try, and 3B Timur Tyan at 50.0% on his sixth go.

Dropped after ten failed ballots included SP Amgad Al-Jal, who debuted at an impressive 54.5% but was down at 18.4% by the end. He had a 19-year career with ten teams and also spent time in Europe. In ABF specifically, he had a 183-147 record, 3.00 ERA, 3150.2 innings, 4092 strikeouts, 878 walks, 109 ERA+, 90 FIP-, and 58.0 WAR.

Al-Jal had good tenure and ranks 12^th in strikeouts, but 37^th in pitching WAR. He had two rings with Istanbul, but had very little black ink and was only once a finalist for Pitcher of the Year, thus a Hall of Pretty Good designation. Another SP dropped after ten ballots was Ozgur Ermalci, who won two rings in 15 seasons with Tehran. He peaked at 53.7% in 2029 but was down at only 9.0% by the end.

Ermalci had a 212-154 record, 3.01 ERA, 3364.2 innings, 2913 strikeouts, 116 ERA+, 89 FIP-, and 59.4 WAR. He likewise had almost no black ink and was only a POTY finalist once. Ermalci ranks 36^th in pitching WAR, 11^th in wins, and 50^th in strikeouts. He also retired fairly early at age 35 despite being still playable and might have gotten enough raw tallies to get in had he hung around a few more years. Ermalci did notably get his #22 uniform retired by the Tarpons, but that was the biggest honor he reached.

Elnur Hasanov – Starting Pitcher – Shiraz Suns – 92.4% First Ballot

Elnur Hasanov was a 6’3’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Lisakovsk, Kazakhstan, a small city of around 37,000 in the northwestern part of the country. Hasanov had excellent stuff and very good control, but his movement was very iffy for a very high home run rate. His fastball peaked in the 94-96 mph range, but he was a master at changing speeds. Hasanov’s arsenal included an impressive screwball and curveball, a strong slider, and a decent splitter.

Hasanov’s stamina was excellent and he had ironman durability, never missing a start to injury over his 15 season career. He was great at holding runners, but subpar defensively. Hasanov was one of the most cerebral pitchers in the game and had the intelligence to know what to throw when. However, his work ethic was lackluster and some felt he wasn’t a team-first player.

Despite his humble beginnings, a teenaged Hasanov caught the eye of a scout from Shiraz, who brought him to Iran in November 2010 on a developmental deal. He spent five full years in their academy before debuting in 2016 at age 21. He had limited use initially with mixed results, throwing 135.1 innings over his first two seasons. Hasanov had 160 innings in 2018, then was a full-time starter with 230+ innings each year for the rest of his career.

Shiraz won a pennant the year before he debuted and had a first round exit in 2016, although Hasanov wasn’t used in the series. The Suns wouldn’t make the playoffs in the rest of his tenure with an average of 77.4 wins per season. Hasanov had the misfortune of allowing the West League’s most home runs twice and had the most losses once while with Shiraz. On the good side, he was good for 300+ strikeouts from 2019 onward. The Suns were generally happy with his progress and gave Hasanov a five-year, $30,180,000 extension after the 2021 season.

Hasanov led the league in strikeouts for the only time in 2022 with a career best 367. In 2023, he won Pitcher of the Year (his only time as a finalist) leading in wins (21-9), complete games (16), and shutouts (5). Those were career highs, as was his 2.51 ERA, 160 ERA+, and 74 FIP-. He also had 7.0 WAR and 359 strikeouts. Hasanov was only nine ERA points and six strikeouts from a Triple Crown season.

He dropped off in the next two seasons with Shiraz, posting ERAs above four for the first time in his career. With one year left on his deal, the 31-year old Hasanov was traded for 2026 to Dushanbe for two prospects and a third round draft pick. With the Suns, Hasanov had a 112-101 record, 3.41 ERA, 2038 innings, 2689 strikeouts, 383 walks, 98 complete games, 17 shutouts, 113 ERA+, 92 FIP-, and 34.9 WAR. He was one of the lone redeeming things for Shiraz in a downswing and his #29 uniform would later be retired for his efforts.

Hasanov bounced back in his one season in Tajikistan with 6.0 WAR and a league-best 20 wins, along with a 3.70 ERA over 248.1 innings, and 320 Ks. The Dynamo finished 87-75, missing the last wild card via tiebreaker. Dushanbe didn’t sign him long-term, sending Hasanov to free agency for the first time at age 32. Peshawar picked him up on a five-year, $33,500,000 deal. The Predators had been mediocre for a long while with a playoff drought back to 1993, although they were coming off repeat winning seasons.

His first three years with Peshawar were rock solid, including a career-best 8.1 WAR in 2029 and a league-best 20-9 record. The Predators ended the playoff drought, losing in the 2027 and 2028 East League Championship Series to Hyderabad. In 2029, 99-win Peshawar upset the 110-win Horned Frogs for their first pennant since 1992. The Predators would be denied the ABF Championship by Baku, the first title of the Blackbirds dynasty run.

Hasanov was very good in the first three playoff runs. He dropped off with an ERA above four in 2030 and struggled in that postseason as Peshawar dropped the ELCS to Lahore. In 89.1 playoff innings with the Predators, Hasanov had a 2.82 ERA, 6-7 record, 107 strikeouts, 15 walks, 5 complete games, 128 ERA+, 82 FIP-, and 2.0 WAR. He was a key figure in Peshawar’s first good seasons in more than three decades.

The Predators would miss the playoffs in 2031 at 85-77 and Hasanov had a poor start to the season with a 4.49 ERA in 136.1 innings. In July, Peshawar traded him to Almaty for two prospects. One of them, Noor Ahmadi, would give the Predators a few solid seasons as a starting catcher. With Peshawar, Hasanov had a 77-43 record, 3.43 ERA, 1140 innings, 1490 strikeouts, 149 walks, 50 complete games, 5 shutouts, 105 ERA+, 84 FIP-, and 24.2 WAR.

The trade sent him back to his home country of Kazakhstan, although Hasanov had been a regular in the World Baseball Championship. He had poor results in the WBC from 2018-31 with a 4.62 ERA over 167.2 innings, 6-9 record, 217 strikeouts, 54 walks, 76 ERA+, 126 FIP-, and 0.5 WAR. The Kazakhs would advance once to the playoffs in 2027.

Hasanov had a good second half with Almaty with a 2.65 ERA over 112 innings, 141 Ks, and 1.7 WAR. In his first week, he became the sixth ABF ace with 4500 career strikeouts. Almaty got a wild card but went one-and-done with Hasanov giving up three runs in a complete game loss. He retired that winter at age 37.

In total, Hasanov had a 216-160 record, 3.41 ERA, 3538.1 innings, 4640 strikeouts, 572 walks, 490 home runs allowed, 262/435 quality starts, 164 complete games, 26 shutouts, 110 ERA+, 88 FIP-, and 66.7 WAR. He does have the misfortune of having the most homers allowed in Asian Baseball Federation history. On the plus side, Hasanov ranks 7^th in wins, 10^th in innings, 9^th in complete games, 26^th in shutouts, 6^th in strikeouts, and 25^th in WAR for pitchers.

Among pitchers with 1000+ innings, Hasanov’s 1.45 BB/9 is 47^th and his K/9 of 11.80 is 35^th. The home run woes kept him from being a Pitcher of the Year candidate and keep him from being an inner-circle level Hall of Famer. However, ranking in the top ten for both strikeouts and wins will easily punch your pass for induction. Hasanov received 92.4% for the first ballot nod in 2037.

Emre Fez – Left Field – Bursa Blue Claws – 82.6% First Ballot

Emre Fez was a 6’4’’, 200 pound left-handed hitting left fielder from Viransehir, Turkey; a city with around 207,000 in the southeast near the border with Syrian. Fez was a very good contact and all-around hitter against right-handed pitching with a career .956 OPS and 150 wRC+. He was mediocre facing lefties with a .700 OPS and 91 wRC+.

Fez’s gap power was excellent and he had a decent knack for the long ball, posting a 162 game average of 45 doubles, 11 triples, and 27 home runs. He was mid-grade at drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts. Fez was very quick and a highly skilled baserunner, making him one of ABF’s most reliable run scorers. He played left field exclusively with serviceable metrics, grading as reliably just below average.

His durability was largely solid, playing 130+ games in each of his 14 ABF seasons with Bursa. Fez was highly respected as a team captain with strong leadership and loyalty along with a tireless work ethic. However, he was a bit dull when it came to non-baseball topics.

Fez emerged as arguably Turkey’s best prospect for the 2016 ABF Draft and went #2 overall to Bursa. He spent his entire ABF run with the Blue Claws and did see regular use in the World Baseball Championship for the Turkish team. From 2021-30, Fez had 83 games and 62 starts in the WBC with 50 hits, 35 runs, 7 doubles, 3 triples, 17 homers, 38 RBI, 19 steals, .203/.262/.463 slash, 109 wRC+, and 1.4 WAR.

After spending all of 2017 in developmental, Fez was a full-time starter from 2018-onward. He had okay results in his first two seasons, but emerged as elite with 7.9 WAR or better each year from 2019-24. Fez hit for the cycle in 2020 against Gaziantep and pushed the Blue Claws to 89-73 for a division title, ending a 14-year playoff drought. It was their first winning season since 2008.

Bursa pulled off a stunning West League Championship Series 4-3 upset over 109-win Tabriz, the defending Baseball Grand Champion. Fez was the MVP of the series and finished with 24 hits, 11 runs, 8 doubles, 3 homers, 12 RBI, and 9 steals in 19 playoff starts. The Blue Claws fell in a seven-game classic against Bishkek for the ABF Championship.

It ended up a one-off title run for Bursa, although they remained at or above .500 the next six seasons. The Blue Claws had playoff berths from 2023-25 with wild card first round losses for the end caps. They got the top overall seed in 2024 at 105-57, but lost the WLCS to Baku. For his playoff career, Fez had 35 starts, 40 hits, 19 runs, 17 doubles, 4 homers, 21 RBI, 36 Ks, 14 steals, .286/.306/.507 slash, 118 wRC+, and 1.2 WAR.

These were his best individual seasons with Silver Sluggers in 2022-24 and 2026. Fez led thrice in doubles and WAR during this stretch and was third in 2023’s MVP voting and second in 2024. Fez won the top honor in 2022 with league and career bests for runs (139), hits (217),, total bases (415), average (.360), slugging (.689), OPS (1.103), wRC+ (177), and WAR (11.1). The 139 runs set an ABF single-season record, although it would be passed twice later on. Fez also led in RBI (143) and had his career best for homers (44) and OBP (.414).

After the 2023 season, Bursa locked him up to an eight-year, $117,400,000 extension. Fez did regress a bit once he hit his 30s, but was still a solid starter through 2029. The Blue Claws fell towards the bottom of the standings in 2027 and wouldn’t be back above .500 until 2035. Fez really fell off a cliff in his last two seasons with only 0.8 WAR over 286 games.

Bursa didn’t re-sign him after the 2031 campaign, becoming a free agent for the first time heading towards his age 35 season. He would soon get his #50 uniform retired though for his strong 14 seasons of service and role in their pennant. At this point, big league clubs felt Fez was washed.

He settled for a job in the African Second League with Bloemfontein, putting up middling production even against the substandard A2L competition. The Beagles traded him to Blantyre for 2033 where he was a backup with only 52 games and 19 starts. After going unsigned in 2034, Fez retired at age 37.

With Bursa, Fez had 2090 games, 2342 hits, 1269 runs, 587 doubles, 153 triples, 347 home runs, 1445 RBI, 468 walks, 1648 strikeouts, 814 steals, .302/.346/.552 slash, 137 wRC+, and 73.3 WAR. Fez ranks 71^st in games, 28^th in runs, 36^th in hits, 31^st in total bases (4276), 10^th in doubles, 25^th in triples, 67^th in homers, 15^th in RBI, 15^th in steals, and 55^th in WAR among position players. Among batters with 3000+ plate appearances, he is 60^th in batting average, 49^th in slugging, and his .898 OPS is 45^th.

Fez isn’t an inner-circle level Hall of Famer, but he had a rock solid career and was a legitimate MVP candidate in his prime. He helped Bursa end a decade of struggles and led them to their fourth pennant. This got Fez 82.6% of the vote, enough for a first ballot nod for the Asian Baseball Federation’s two-man 2037 class.

FuzzyRussianHat · 10-24-2025, 08:21 PM

Designated hitter Hazem Ibrahim was Arab League Baseball’s only Hall of Famer in 2037 with a first ballot selection at 80.4%. 1B Faqi Al-Thakur barely missed the 66% requirement on his penultimate chance with 64.4% for the ninth ballot. Three others were above 50% with 1B Mohamed Ali Mansour at 58.6% on his third try, SP Muhammad Fadel at 54.1% with is fourth attempt, and SP Ahmed Essa at 54.1% in his debut.

Dropped after ten ballots was 3B/2B Abdul Rahman Abu Hamal, who peaked at 32.0% in 2029 and ended at 4.8%. He had a 23-year career with six Silver Sluggers, one Gold Glove, and two championship rings with Medina. He was finals MVP in the Mastodons’ 2005 triumph. Abu Hamal had 2779 games, 2921 hits, 1381 runs, 773 doubles, 88 triples, 280 home runs, 1318 RBI, 552 walks, 1295 strikeouts, 510 steals, .283/.324/.457 slash, 112 wRC+, and 76.8 WAR.

Abu Hamal is ALB’s all-time leader in doubles and ranks 8^th on the world leaderboard. He also ranks 5^th in games, 37^th in runs, 11^th in hits, 36^th in total bases (4710), 91^st in triples, 54^th in RBI, and 24^th in WAR for position players. Abu Hamal was never an MVP finalist and had almost no black ink though. Most voters dismissed him as a compiler who was merely above average for two decades. Still, holding the doubles title in ALB is a strong distinction, although Emad Tarek has a chance to catch him in either 2037 or 2038.

Hazem Ibrahim – Designated Hitter – Cairo Pharaohs – 80.4% First Ballot

Hazem Ibrahim was a 5’10’’, 205 pound right-handed designated hitter from El Harga, Egypt; an oasis town of about 87,000 in the center of the country. Ibrahim in his prime was a very well rounded batter against both sides, although he had a slight edge facing left-handed pitching (.980 OPS, 153 wRC+) compared to righties (.904 OPS, 140 wRC+). He had reliably strong power with good contact skills and an excellent eye for walks, although his strikeout rate was iffy.

Although he never was a league leader in home runs, he was good for 40 dingers and 34 doubles per his 162 game average. Ibrahim’s baserunning skills were decent, but lousy speed limited him. He was a true designated hitter who made one start and played only 22.1 career innings in the field. Ibrahim was also one of the great ironmen and never missed time to injury, playing 140+ games each year from 2015-30. He was considered very loyal to teammates, but he also liked to get paid.

Ibrahim quickly emerged as a top batting prospect out of Egypt for the 2012 ALB Draft. Despite his lack of defensive potential, he was selected #7 by Cairo. Ibrahim was still a bit raw and played only 26 games with five starts in his first two seasons. He was on the roster full-time and a part-time starter in 2015 with 5.3 WAR and 1.026 OPS over 143 games and 97 starts. That earned Ibrahim the full-time gig for the next seven seasons for the Pharaohs.

He won Silver Sluggers in 2017, 18, 20, 21, and 22. After the 2017 season, he signed a five-year, $36 million extension. Cairo ended a 13-year playoff drought and Ibrahim was Western Conference Final MVP, although they were defeated by Casablanca. This started a nine-year reign atop the Nile Division for the Pharaohs. Cairo had playoff woes initially, falling to Tripoli in the 2018-19 conference finals despite having 100 and 111 win seasons, respectively.

Ibrahim won his first MVP in 2018 with conference and career bests for runs (127), hits (222), total bases (433), OBP (.418), wRC+ (204), and WAR (10.4). He also had his career high for doubles (51) and batting average (.352) along with 50 homers and 125 RBI. Ibrahim had his best for RBI the next year at 148 and followed it with 147 and 145. From 2020-22, he had three straight seasons with 50+ homers.

In 2020, Ibrahim was third in MVP voting. He won the award for the second time in 2021, then finished second in 2022. 2021 had his best for homers (59), and OPS (1.119) and was his second time as the leader in WAR (8.1) and wRC+ (187). He led in doubles with 51 in 2022. In 2020 and 2021, Cairo got over the Western Conference Final hump. They finally got one against Tripoli in 2020 and bested Jerusalem in 2021.

The Pharaohs filled to win it all though, losing the Arab League Championship to Basra in 2020 and Jeddah in 2021. Ibrahim’s playoff stats were outstanding over 40 career starts with 55 hits, 28 runs, 14 doubles, 12 home runs, 34 RBI, 25 walks, .387/.480/.739 slash, 210 wRC+, and 3.1 WAR. Ibrahim’s 1.227 OPS is the 4^th-best in ALB playoff history among anyone with 40+ plate appearances.

Cairo did also qualify as an at-large team for the 2021 Baseball Grand Championship, although they were only 8-11. Ibrahim delivered on that stage too with 21 hits, 12 runs, 5 doubles, 5 homers, 12 RBI, 1.067 OPS, 189 wRC+, and 1.2 WAR. In 2022, the Pharaohs failed to make the conference final for the first time of the streak, dropping the first round matchup to eventual ALB champ Casablanca.

Although Ibrahim was very proud of his time in Cairo, he knew he could get big money with free agency coming after the 2022 season. At age 30, he left Egypt and the Arab League. In 1301 games, Ibrahim had 1553 hits, 876 runs, 330 doubles, 364 homers, 979 RBI, 541 walks, 1086 strikeouts, .325/.393/.631 slash, 172 wRC+, and 55.6 WAR. For his role in two pennant wins, Ibrahim’s #22 uniform would later be retired by the Pharaohs.

Although he left Egypt, Ibrahim would continue to represent his country in the World Baseball Championship. From 2016-29, he played 103 games with 63 hits, 43 runs, 12 doubles, 26 homers, 58 RBI, .194/.319/.472 slash, and 2.6 WAR. The lone playoff berth for the Egyptians with Ibrahim was 2027.

In his last year with Cairo, Ibrahim made his biggest annual salary yet at $8,400,000. He more than tripled that as he joined Major League Baseball and Phoenix in 2023 on a seven-year, $177,000,000 deal. Ibrahim would make $28 million in his best seasons financially in Arizona.

He never lived up to his Cairo hype with the Firebirds, but he was still generally a reliably decent starter good for 30-40 homers and an OPS above .800. Phoenix was stuck in the middle tier in the 2020s with a lone first round exit in 2023. In six seasons, Ibrahim played 967 games with 901 hits, 510 runs, 140 doubles, 211 home runs, 548 RBI, 459 walks, 627 strikeouts, .255/.340/.477 slash, 116 wRC+, and 14.5 WAR.

While not a complete bust, Phoenix officials were a bit let down that he never came close to Silver Slugger level. They voided the team option seventh year, sending Ibrahim to free agency for 2029 at age 36. He returned to ALB on a two-year, $14,400,000 deal with Baghdad. The Brown Bears were a perennial loser and struggled to 63 wins in 2029, although they did get to .500 in 2030.

By this point, Ibrahim’s production stayed around the lower MLB levels even in ALB. In 311 games for Baghdad, Ibrahim had 279 hits, 172 runs, 70 doubles, 60 homers, 156 RBI, 161 walks, .251/.347/.482 slash, 111 wRC+, and 3.8 WAR. He signed a veteran minimum deal with Kuwait in 2031 and only played 31 games, although he had .970 OPS and 0.6 WAR in the small sample. Ibrahim wasn’t signed in 2032 and finally retired that winter shortly after his 40^th birthday.

For his entire pro career, Ibrahim played 2610 games with 2753 hits, 1571 runs, 545 doubles, 29 triples, 640 home runs, 1693 RBI, 1169 walks, 1992 strikeouts, 110 steals, .290/.367/.556 slash, 143 wRC+, and 74.5 WAR. Just in ALB, Ibrahim had 1643 games, 1852 hits, 1061 runs, 405 doubles, 22 triples, 429 home runs, 1145 RBI, 710 walks, 1365 strikeouts, 103 steals, .311/.384/.603 slash, 160 wRC+, and 60.0 WAR.

Playing six MLB seasons lowered his ALB totals, ranking 95^th in runs, 86^th in total bases (3588), 68^th in homers, 75^th in RBI, 38^th in walks, and 59^th in WAR among position players. His .987 OPS was 29^th among all ALB batters with 3000+ plate appearances and his triple slash is 78^th/20^th/40^th. The rate stats and the accolades like two MVPs helped overcome the lack of accumulations and the DH penalty that would make many Hall of Fame voters balk.

The real clincher for Ibrahim was his outstanding playoff stats. He was remembered as a clutch hitter who played a big role in two conference titles and five straight conference finals trips for Cairo. Those factors and a quieter 2037 ballot made Ibrahim’s resume pop out. At 80.4%, Ibrahim was Arab League Baseball’s lone inductee for 2037.

FuzzyRussianHat · 10-25-2025, 07:57 AM

It was a weak Hall of Fame ballot for the African Association of Baseball in 2037 with the best debut barely cracking 20%. The open field allowed SP Labama Nkurunziza to get a big bump up to 81.8% on his third ballot, making him the lone inductee. Only two others were above 50%, but short of the 66% requirement. 1B Herve Otepa got 56.9% on his eighth try and SP Teo Tokala saw 55.4% for his fifth go.

Dropped after ten failed ballots was LF Roddy Mukeshimana, who peaked at 32.7% in his debut and ended at 8.3%. His totals were hurt by playing his final five seasons with poor results in MLB for Birmingham. His AAB career was 12 seasons with Johannesburg, winning eight Silver Sluggers. Mukeshimana was twice conference finals MVP and won four pennants with the Jackalopes, although they never could win the Africa Series.

With Johannesburg, Mukeshimana had 1685 games, 1426 hits, 1119 runs, 309 doubles, 53 triples, 452 homers, 1097 RBI, 1026 walks, 2014 strikeouts, 519 steals, .252/.377/.565 slash, 151 wRC+, and 57.8 WAR. Despite his success, he was never an MVP finalist and the lack of longevity kept his accumulations lower than what most voters required. Mukeshimana was a very solid Hall of Pretty Good guy and a popular figure still with Jackalopes fans.

Labama “Catfish” Nkurunziza – Starting Pitcher – Antananarivo Eagles – 81.8% Third Ballot

Labama Nkurunziza was a 6’6’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Kigali, the capital and largest city of Rwanda. He earned the nickname “Catfish” as that was his regular meal of choice prior to a start. Nkurunziza had very good stuff along with above average-to-good movement and control. He had a 98-100 mph fastball along with a slider and forkball and each offering was potent.

In his prime years, Nkurunziza had solid stamina compared to most AAB aces. His durability was generally strong prior to some major injuries in his 30s. Nkurunziza graded well defensively, but was subpar at holding runners. He was a sparkplug type with a scrappy work ethic and high adaptability. Those traits were very important in helping Nkurunziza become the second Rwandan Hall of Famer and the first pitcher.

In September 2011, a teenaged Nkurunziza left for Madagascar on a developmental deal with Antananarivo, where he would spend his entire African career. He debuted in 2015 at age 20 with poor results in five starts. Nkurunziza had a split starting/bullpen role in 2016, then was a full-time starter after that. It wasn’t until his sixth season that he put it altogether and became a true ace.

Nkurunziza was third in 2020’s Pitcher of the Year voting, leading the Southern Conference with a career high 282 strikeouts. It was also his only time leading in WAR (6.6) and his best ERA at 2.88. In 2021, Antananarivo ended a 12-year playoff drought, although they were defeated in the conference final by Lilongwe despite Nkurunziza’s quality start in the series.

In 2022, the Eagles finished 100-62 for the top seed and won the pennant by beating Harare. They would fall to Kampala as the Peacocks completed an Africa Series three-peat. Although Nkurunziza struggled in the playoffs, Antananarivo gave him a six-year, $80,500,000 extension in the winter.

Antananarivo repeated as conference champ over the Hustlers in 2023 at 107-55 and dethroned Kampala in an Africa Series rematch. Nkurunziza had his career best WAR at 6.8, although he was lackluster again in the playoffs with a 5.29 ERA in 17 innings. He was okay in the Baseball Grand Championship with a 4.32 ERA in 25 innings, although he did strike out 38. The Eagles finished last in the event at 6-13.

The Eagles had their best record yet in 2024 at 111-51 and Nkurunziza led in wins at 21-10, winning Pitcher of the Year. He also led with career bests for quality starts (21) and complete games (10). Antananarivo three-peated as Southern Conference champs by beating Lilongwe, but fell to Lubumbashi in the Africa Series. The Eagles got the at-large bid into the BGC and finished 7-12 with Nkurunziza posting a solid 2.93 ERA in 27.2 innings.

On the whole though, Nkurunziza’s playoff results were surprisingly mediocre. In 89.1 innings, he had a 5.32 ERA, 94 strikeouts, 3-5 record, 31 walks, 81 ERA+, 110 FIP-, and 0.8 WAR. Some speculate that the weak playoff numbers are why Nkurunziza’s #88 uniform was never retired despite his tenure. Antananarivo made the playoffs once more in 2025, missing first place by one game to Lusaka. The Lake Monsters eliminated them in the conference final. Nkurunziza was second in 2025’s POTY voting and led in wins, innings, and strikeouts.

The Eagles hovered around .500 to finish out the decade. Nkurunziza had a decent 2026, but was very average in 2027. He made it only two starts into 2028 before suffering his first major injury, a torn labrum that sidelined him nine months. Nkurunziza bounced back with a solid effort in 2029, but bone chips in his elbow ended his season in mid-August. This also ended his time in Africa, as Antananarivo let him leave for free agency at age 35.

Nkurunziza opened up an international job search and found a home in Pakistan with Rawalpindi of the Asian Baseball Federation at $30,900,000 over three years. The bone chips from the prior year tanked his stamina and Nkurunziza was used as a reliever. He was a decent closer in 2030 for the Red Wings and had nice long relief in 2031. Rawalpindi was the East League runner-up the latter year with Nkurunziza giving up one run in five playoff innings.

For Rawalpindi, he had a 2.45 ERA in 146.2 innings, 13-12 record, 45 saves, 170 strikeouts, 29 walks, 144 ERA+, 80 FIP-, and 2.5 WAR. He didn’t meet the vesting criteria for the third year of the deal and was a free agent for 2032. Nkurunziza stayed in ABF with Shymkent who split him between starting and relief, but he struggled to a 4.89 ERA and -0.7 WAR in 106.2 innings. He was under contract all year for Tashkent in 2033. Nkurunziza had a herniated disc in spring training, then wasn’t used all season even when healthy. He retired that winter shortly after his 39^th birthday.

In AAB with Antananarivo, Nkurunziza had a 177-140 record, 3.68 ERA, 2831.2 innings, 3124 strikeouts, 914 walks, 206/371 quality starts, 71 complete games, 12 shutouts, 115 ERA+, 86 FIP-, and 56.0 WAR. Nkurunziza ranks 9^th in wins, 12^th in innings, 31^st in complete games, 31^st in shutouts, 7^th in strikeouts, and 24^th in WAR for pitchers. His ERA is 78^th among pitchers with 1000+ innings while his 1.16 WHIP is 63^rd, 7.56 H/9 is 58^th, 9.93 K/9 is 42^nd, and .697 opponent’s OPS is 78^th.

Despite that resume, Nkurunziza’s bad playoff numbers hurt him with several Hall of Fame voters. The African Association of Baseball’s pitchers see far fewer innings than other world leagues, but some voters also hold their pitchers to standards more appropriate for other leagues. Thus, Nkurunziza missed the cut on his first two ballots at 65.2% and 57.4%. He got the boost up to 81.8% with a weak field in 2037, going in as the lone selection.

FuzzyRussianHat · 10-25-2025, 09:37 PM

The 2037 World Baseball Championship was the 91^st edition of the event with the host city of Izmir, Turkey. In Division 1, Australia (12-1) and the Czech Republic (11-2) dominated the field to advance. The Australians earned their ninth playoff trip and first since 2024. For the Czechs, it was their eighth playoff berth and first since the 2030-31 repeat.

The three-time defending world champion United States and Poland tied atop Division 2 at 10-3 with the Americans earning the tiebreaker with their 6-2 win against the Poles. Canada (9-4) just missed out while Guatemala, Scotland, and Yemen were each competitive ta 8-5. The USA has advanced 68 times and has won a division title each year of the 2030s. Poland advanced for the 15^th time and the fourth consecutive season.

Division 3 had a three-way tie for first at 10-3 between Bangladesh, Germany, and Taiwan. China (9-4) and last year’s runner-up Somalia (8-5) were both in the mix as well. The Germans were the odd team out as they had head-to-head losses against both (4-2 vs Taiwan, 6-0 vs Bangladesh). The Taiwanese were first place with their 3-2 win against the Bangladeshis. Taiwan advanced for the 12^th time and second time in five years. It was only the third postseason trip for Bangladesh, who also did it in 1984 and 2018.

Malaysia rolled the Division 4 field, becoming only the fourth team in the 14-team division format with an unbeaten 13-0 record. It was also only the second-ever division crown for the Malaysians (2009). Japan (10-3) got the wild card over Ecuador (9-4), Italy (8-5), and Myanmar (8-5). The Japanese advanced for the 28^th time with six trips in the last seven years.

Austria cruised in Division 5 at 11-2, advancing along with 9-4 Pakistan. Last year’s third place finisher India and Ukraine were both one back at 8-5. The Austrians have earned eight playoff trips and three in the last five years. It was the 11^th for the Pakistanis, who have done it thrice in six years.

Egypt took first for D6 at 10-3 while the Netherlands moved forward at 9-4. Russia, Spain, and Uzbekistan each fell one short at 8-5. The Egyptians have ten playoff trips with half of them coming since 2032. The Dutch also have ten postseason berths, having last done it in 2031.

Division 7 saw a three-way tie at the top at 10-3 between Indonesia, Peru, and Mexico. The head-to-head was a rock-paper-scissors as Peru beat Mexico 3-2, Mexico beat Indonesia 7-4, and Indonesia beat Peru 6-3. Run differential against common opponents ousted the Peruvians and gave the Mexicans first place. It was Mexico’s 37^th playoff berth and third in five years. The Indonesians have earned 32 postseason appearances and five in the 2030s.

Lastly for Division 8, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (10-3) and Tanzania (9-4) prevailed while Brazil, Iraq, and Venezuela each missed at 8-5. Last year’s fourth place finisher Nigeria fell to 6-7. The DR Congo earned only its second playoff trip (2026). It was the first one for the Tanzanians, becoming the 92^nd unique nation to move forward at least once.

In Double Round Robin Group A, Australia and Poland both advanced at 4-2 with Tanzania and Malaysia ousted at 2-4. The Netherlands were the top dog in Group B at 4-2 while both Indonesia and Taiwan were 3-3 with Austria at 2-4. The Taiwanese split with the Indonesians, but had the run differential advantage to advance (9-5 win, 11-10 loss).

Over in Group C, Pakistan took first at 4-2 with both Mexico and Bangladesh next at 3-3 and Egypt at 2-4. The Bangladeshis had the run differential tiebreaker over the Mexicans (6-2 win, 7-4 loss). In Group D, the United States (5-1) and Japan (4-2) advanced outright while the DR Congo (2-4) and Czechia (1-5) were sent packing.

Two quarterfinal matchups were 2-0 sweeps with the Australians over the Taiwanese and USA over the Bangladeshis. The Aussies earned their third-ever trip to the final four, having last done it with a fourth place in 2012. The Americans have been in the semifinal 60 times.

After splitting one-run games, the Netherlands beat Poland 9-3 in game three to advance. The Dutch had been to the final four only twice before, most recently with their 2008 runner-up finish. Japan and Pakistan also split one-run games to start their quarterfinal, followed by a 8-2 Japanese win in the clincher. Japan picked up its fourth trip to the semifinal of the 2030s and 16^th overall, second-most among Asian countries behind only China (19).

In the semifinal, the Netherlands earned a sweep over Australia with 2-1, 5-2, and 4-1 wins. The United States opened with a 5-1 win, followed by a 6-4 Japan victory in game two. The Americans then got back-to-back 7-5 wins, including an 11-inning result in game four. The Japanese were officially the third place finisher with the Australians fourth.

The Netherlands had been in the World Championship once before, getting swept by the United States in 2008. 2037 had the same result as the Americans completed the four-peat, moving to 47-9 all-time in the finals. The US has won six of the last seven titles with a 2030s dynasty. It is the second-ever four-peat, joining the Americans’ seven straight from 1971-77.

The series did have competitive games despite being a sweep. The US scored four in the bottom of the eighth inning to rally for a 7-6 win in game one. The clincher was also 7-6 final with both teams scoring once in the ninth. In the tenth, the Americans had four in the top half, while the Dutch could only muster three. The US had 269 hits for the event, tied for the second-most in WBC history.

Tournament MVP was Japan’s Chishou Matsui, a 29-year old LF entering his seventh season in East Asia Baseball. After six seasons with Fukuoka, he signed with Osaka in 2036. Matsui had 32 hits, 22 runs, 4 doubles, 19 homers, 35 RBI, .421/.482/1.250 slash, 385 wRC+, and 3.2 WAR in 21 games. His WAR was the 4th-best by a position player in WBC history and one of only nine above three. Matsui’s homers ranked 4^th and his 95 total bases tied for 5^th.

Best Pitcher went to Pakistan’s Jan Khaleel, a two-time Reliever of the Year winner in the Asian Baseball Federation. The 28-year old right tossed 18 scoreless innings with seven saves and a 3-0 record in ten appearances. Khaleel allowed six hits and five walks with 33 strikeouts and 1.5 WAR.

Other notes: The 2037 event had four no-hitters with Myanmar’s Yazar Win on January 7, Haiti’s Gus Rene on 1/11, Peru’s Roan Herrera on 1/16, and Germany’s Urban Bruggemann on 1/17. The Germans had a team WHIP of 0.622, the second-lowest in WBC history.

Below are the updated all-time tournament stats.

FuzzyRussianHat · 10-26-2025, 09:17 AM

The biggest payday of the 2036-37 offseason in Major League Baseball went to SS Jeffrey Mitchell. After six Silver Sluggers with Dallas, the soon-to-be 30-year old inked at $330 million over eight years with Philadelphia. He’s one of 19 players in the world set have a salary of $40 million or more for the 2037 season. The three biggest are at $53 million with Kawasaki 3B Yoshikazu Fujioka, Omaha SP Callum McGonagal, and Hiroshima 1B Hyung-Gwang Sohn. Sohn’s contract, signed prior to the 2032 season, is the largest in the world at $391,500,000 over eight years.

Other big signings to new teams include 1B Takefumi Hayashi, the 2032 Japan League MVP. After starting with Utsunomiya and playing the last two years with Osaka, he opted out of his Orange Sox deal and signed for seven years and $232,500,000 with Sapporo. Prince Kofi, a nine-time Silver Slugger winning SS in West African Baseball inked a five-year, $155,000,000 deal with Abuja. The 33-year old Ghanaian was a key starter for Dakar’s 2036 WAB title.

Below are the top-rated players in the world entering 2037.

MILESTONE WATCH

In the European Baseball Federation, veteran pitcher Nejc Novak has a chance to become the wins leader if he bounced back from a career worst 4.54 ERA from the prior year. After 20 seasons with Munich, he was traded to Dublin for 2037. The 41-yar old Slovene has 294 wins, behind only Gianfranco Marinis (302) and Jean-Luc Roch (300) for the top spot in EBF.

“The King” Binh Tang is already Austronesia Professional Baseball’s career leader for runs, total bases, doubles, RBI, and WAR. The 37-year old IF is set for his 20^th season with Hsinchu and has 735 home runs, putting him in reach of Wil Tabaldo’s record 766. Tang is also second in hits with 3324, although he likely needs two seasons to catch Junior Sanchez’s record of 3564.

2B Trey Cruz is signed for 2037 with Samoa at age 40 and has 3388 hits in the Oceania Baseball Association, within reach of Adrian Kali’s OBA record 3467. Cruz also has 1837 runs with Roe Kaupa holding the #1 spot at 1963. Adding his two MLB seasons, Cruz has 3618 hits and 1954 runs.

Sultan Han sits at 780 home runs in the Asian Baseball Federation, only four behind Hakan Mocuk for the league record. Barring injury, Han is likely to be the first in ABF to the 800 club. The 37-year old 1B is set for his fifth year with Hyderabad and has 35+ homers in all 15 of his full seasons.

Only six players in world history have 2500+ career RBI, but West African Baseball’s Abdel Aziz Ashraf (2469) and Youssoupha Diop (2416) both can get there in 2037. Diop could become the 25^th in world history with 900+ pro home runs, entering at 884. Ashraf is #4 on the world leaderboard at 1056 and a big year could make him only the second to 1100.

FuzzyRussianHat · 10-26-2025, 07:02 PM

Five teams in the African Second League’s Southern Conference were right in the mix. Lubango and Eswatini ended up tied at 93-69, just ahead of Maseru (92-70), Reunion (89-73), and Mauritius (86-76). The Engineers rallied by winning five of their last six, but they were second to the Browns via the tiebreaker as Lubango won the season series 9-6. That gave them home field advantage and the one-game advantage for the conference final.

The Browns earned their third playoff trip of the decade, but were still searching for their first-ever promotion to the African Association of Baseball’s First League. Lubango’s last playoff trip was 2031 and this was their first time in the top spot of the standings. Eswatini became the first of the eight expansion teams that started play in 2029 to earn a postseason berth.

Mbuji-Mayi (98-64) and Ndjamena (94-68) ran away from the Central Conference field for the playoff spots. Kisangani (90-72), Pointe-Noire (88-74), and Bujumbura (87-75) were the closest competitors. It was the second playoff trip for the Millionaires, who earned a promotion back in 2030. The Magic earned their second playoff trip as they looked to escape their A2L stint in their sixth year.

In the Southern Conference Championship, Lubango bested Eswatini 4-2 to earn their first-ever promotion. The Central Conference Championship went the distance as Ndjamena upset Mbuji-Mayi 4-3, returning to the AAB after a six-year absence.

In the Second League Championship, Ndjamena defeated Lubango 5-3.

Other notes: 2B Lusapho Makgetlwa won his 7^th Gold Glove.

FuzzyRussianHat · 10-27-2025, 08:09 AM

Lisbon claimed the top spot in the European Second League’s Western Conference at 96-66. The Clippers earned back-to-back playoff berths, but it was their first time in first place since getting relegated to E2L for 2028. Glasgow had a strong shot at first, but their 2-8 finish left them in second at 92-70. The Highlanders secured their first playoff spot since getting booted back to E2L for 2033.

Paris picked up its second playoff trip in three years by taking third at 91-71. The Poodles were tied for tenth at the all-star break, but rallied with a 44-19 end to the season. The final playoff spot went to 88-74 Manchester, edging out Stuttgart (87-75), Toulouse (84-78), Lyon (83-79), and Rome (83-79). The Crushers were only in their second year back in E2L. The Silver Sabres still have the misfortune of being the only original E2L team to never get promoted even once.

Suffering relegation to European Tier Three was London at 58-104, finishing just worse than 62-100 Bordeaux. It was a rough plummet for the English capital, who was demoted from the European Baseball Federation’s Elite Tier the prior year. Even though the Monarchs hadn’t had a top tier playoff spot since the 1970s, it was still stunning for many to see such a prominent world city fall to ET3.

Leipzig repeated as the Eastern Conference’s top finisher at 102-60 for their fourth consecutive playoff trip. Sofia was a strong second at 97-65, their first berth since their 2035 E2L return. Skopje grabbed its second berth in three years with a third place 92-70. The final playoff spot had a tight field with Bucharest and Yerevan tied at 85-77, just ahead of Copenhagen (84-78), Brno (84-78), and Dnipro (83-79).

The Broncos and Valiants finished the regular season against each other with Bucharest getting the road sweep to force a tiebreaker game. In the clincher in Romania, the Broncos won 3-2 on a walkoff RBI single. Bucharest won nine of their last ten to rally for the spot. The Broncos had just gotten sent back to E2L for 2037.

Palermo was by far the worst team in the conference at 58-108, 12 games behind their nearest foe Riga. The Priests fall to ET3 for the second time, having also gotten relegated after the 2033 season. They had escaped Tier Three after only one season, but hadn’t been able to build momentum in their E2L return.

Glasgow was the best team from the Western Conference Round Robin at 4-2, guaranteeing promotion back to the EBF Elite after a five-year absence. Paris and Manchester were both 3-3 while top seed Lisbon was last at 2-4. The Crushers had the run differential tiebreaker over the Poodles to advance (6-1 win, 7-4 loss). Manchester was promoted back up after only a two year E2L stint.

Skopje was the best of the Eastern Conference’s Double Round Robin at 4-2, also ending their E2L stay after five years. Leipzig and Sofia were both 3-3 and Bucharest was 2-4. The Lumberjacks had the run differential tiebreaker over the Spikes (6-3 win, 2-1 loss), ending Leipzig’s E2L stay after six years.

Glasgow would roll to a 4-0 sweep in the Western Conference Championship over Manchester, while Leipzig downed Skopje 4-2 for the Eastern Conference crown. The Second League Championship went all seven games with the Highlanders victorious over the Lumberjacks.

Other notes: Leipzig’s Teddy Colt set a bad playoff record with 34 strikeouts. Copenhagen’s Yanis Boucher had E2L’s 16^th perfect game on August 22 with 15 strikeouts facing Bratislava.

Six teams were within four games of the top spot in European Tier Three. Geneva had the lead at the all-star break and narrowly held on for first at 93-69. Cyprus was one back at 92-70 to finish second. It was the first promotion for both teams, although the Crush had been a finalist in the pilot 2029 season which didn’t feature any movement.

Ostrava went 8-2 in their last ten games, but fell one short at 91-71. Bilbao (90-72), Florence (89-73), and Newcastle (89-73) each had a shot down the stretch. Even Dresden (86-76), Lille (85-77), and Nuremberg (84-78) weren’t out of it entering September. In the ET3 Championship, Cyprus defeated Geneva 4-2.

FuzzyRussianHat · 10-27-2025, 06:52 PM

Two-time defending Southern Conference champ Dar es Salaam and Johannesburg absolutely lapped the field in the African Association of Baseball. They were in an intense battle to take the top seed and with it, home field and the game advantage for the conference final. The Sabercats at 114-48 ended up taking it over the 111-51 Jackalopes, giving Dar its third straight first place finish. Johannesburg picked up its fourth playoff berth in seven seasons.

Dar es Salaam matched the conference wins record set by themselves in 2004 and Cape Town in 1996. Those were all the second-best in AAB history behind Addis Ababa’s 120-42 from 2010. The Sabercats allowed the fewest runs in AAB at 618. Johannesburg had the best run differential (+332) with a record-setting offense. The Jackalopes set new AAB single-season bests for runs (1059), doubles (412), and team slugging (.537).

The runs mark was second only to Douala’s 1065 from the 2033 West African Baseball season for the most in any league ever. The doubles mark ranks as the third-most in world history, only two off the record. Unsurprisingly, this chase led to record attendance for both teams. Johannesburg’s 2,273,235 was the new AAB high mark with Dar es Salaam’s 2,187,075 second.

It was a sharp drop to third place Durban at 94-68, their third straight 90+ win season. Last year’s wild card Cape Town was fourth at 89-73. In the last place spot was Antananarivo at 58-104, who had just gotten promoted out of the African Second League after a six-year stint. Their nearest foes were Comoros and Lilongwe both at 65-97.

Dar es Salaam dominated the top awards with 1B Ferdinand Rajerison repeating as Southern Conference MVP, getting all but one of the first place votes. The 27-year old Malagasy lefty led in home runs (69), RBI (168), total bases (442), slugging (.767), wRC+ (181), and WAR (7.3). It was his fourth straight year leading in homers and all five of his full seasons have had 60+ dingers, a remarkable start to a career. The RBI mark was the tenth-best single season in AAB history.

Rajerison also had 190 hits, 113 runs, 45 doubles, .330 average, and 1.148 OPS. Shortly after the season, the Sabercats wisely gave “Shooter” an eight-year extension. They got him at a fairly low rate considering his bat at $128,700,000. The humble Rajerison was the ninth overall pick in the 2031 AAB Draft.

It was an intense race for Pitcher of the Year between two Dar es Salaam arms with Sylvestre Mbiwa edging out Ydnekatchew Dinkesa. The former had 13 first place votes and 135 points compared to the latter’s 11 and 129. The Sabercats also had Mazinot Rakoto, who was third in the voting. Mbiwa led in ERA (2.99), strikeouts (308), FIP- (62), and WAR (8.7) in his seventh season with Dar. The 28-year old lefty from the Central African Republic added a 16-9 record, 246.2 innings, and 158 ERA+.

As for Dinkesa, the 31-year old Ethiopian righty led in wins (24-6), innings (257), quality starts (23), complete games (14), and shutouts (3). Dinkesa had a 3.15 ERA, 254 Ks, and 7.5 WAR. He arrived in a deadline trade from Addis Ababa the prior summer and signed a four-year, $108,400,000 extension with the Sabercats in May. Dar es Salaam also had Reliever of the Year Jonathan Kabwe, who led with 45 saves and 72 games with a 1.97 ERA, 82.1 innings, and 105 Ks.

The Sabercats had the one game series advantage as the top seed, but Johannesburg brought it to them right away in the Southern Conference Championship. A Hassan Salaad two-run homer in the top of the ninth inning was the difference in a 3-2 Jackalopes victory for game one. Jo’burg then cruised to a 9-0 game two win off eight shutout innings and 11 Ks from Daniel Tarekegn.

The series shifted to South Africa, but Dar es Salaam bounced back with 3-2 and 4-2 road wins, giving them the 3-2 series edge. In game five, the Sabercats won 8-4 to clinch their third consecutive pennant and sixth overall (1997, 2004, 27, 35-37). In the finale, DH Ketema Gudeta went 4-5 with two homers and five RBI, which earned him series MVP. He was also the conference finals MVP back in 2035.

FuzzyRussianHat · 10-28-2025, 08:07 AM

Unlike AAB’s Southern Conference with two runaway teams, the Central Conference had four teams separated by only two wins. At the all-star break, Lubumbashi was first at 55-39, followed by 54-40 Nairobi, 53-41 Djibouti, both Kinshasa and Kampala at 52-42, and both Asmara and Bangui at 50-44. The Berserkers, Anteaters, and Badgers all fell out of the race with lousy second halves. Also irrelevant was reigning Africa Series winner Mombasa, who finished tied for fifth at 82-80 with Asmara.

That left four contenders with Kinshasa posting the strongest second half at 44-24, earning them a narrow first place at 96-66. A four-game winning streak to close for Kampala earned them second at 95-67 while both Nairobi and Lubumbashi were one back at 94-68. The Sun Cats earned their third playoff trip in five years, each a first place finish.

For the Peacocks, this was their first since their dynasty run of five pennants from 2018-23. Kampala suffered through a six-year stint from 2028-33 in the African Second League. Both qualifiers had a +173 run differential with Kinshasa leading the conference in scoring (929) and Kampala with the fewest runs allowed (697).

Suffering relegation for the first time in franchise history was Kigali at 56-106, 13 games worse than the next closest Brazzaville. Although the Guardians hadn’t been to the playoffs since 2012, they had been reliably mid enough to avoid demotion until now. Kigali’s pitching staff set all-time conference worsts for team ERA (5.92), runs (982), earned runs (932), and team WHIP (1.627).

Leading Kinshasa’s late charge was an all-time hitting season from 1B Martin Kulatilaka, who won his third consecutive Central Conference MVP. The 29-year old righty from Seychelles had only the sixth hitting Triple Crown in AAB history and set single-season records for runs scored (157) and total bases (524). The runs were the sixth-most in a season in any world league ever while the total bases ranked fifth. He had plenty of other marks that rated high on the all-time leaderboards.

The “Big Train” led in hits (226), homers (83), RBI (188), triple slash (.377/.442/.875), OPS (1.316), wRC+ (220), and WAR (11.3) while adding 49 doubles. It was his fourth consecutive year leading in both homers and RBI with 68+ and 145+ in all four. The homers and RBI were both second in AAB history behind only Dagne Mersha’s 90 and 189 from 2028. In world history, it was the seventh-best homer tally and fifth-best for RBI.

The slugging and OPS were second in AAB behind only Mwarami Tale’s 2009 (.886, 1.375). On the world leaderboard, Kulatilaka’s marks were third for slugging and fourth for OPS among qualifying players. His batting average also was fifth in AAB history, hit tally was 11^th, and WAR seventh for position players. Kinshasa’s offense also had Rookie of the Year 3B Joachim Kalemba, who had 38 homers and 101 RBI.

Kampala’s Abdullahi Ali won his third consecutive Pitcher of the Year. His prior two seasons were considered the two best pitching efforts in AAB history and while his 2037 wasn’t that level, it was still excellent. It was his fourth straight year with 10+ WAR with only eight total 10+ WAR seasons in AAB history for any pitcher. The 25-year old Somali lefty led in ERA (3.09), strikeouts (382), K/BB (8.1), FIP- (48), and WAR (10.4).

Ali had a 21-8 record in 235.2 innings, missing a third consecutive Triple Crown by three wins. Kinshasa’s Lawal Defallah had him beat there with 24 wins, but Ali was the unanimous award winner. Ali’s 382 Ks were the fifth-most in AAB history; he holds the top three spots. His 14.59 K/9 also ranked as the fifth-best qualifying mark in AAB.

Two games separated Kinshasa from having the top seed or being out of the playoff entirely. Their regular season dominance of Kampala played a big role as the Sun Cats were 11-4. Kinshasa continued that with a sweep in the Central Conference Championship. They had the one-game advantage, plus 6-5, 6-5, and 7-2 wins.

Game one was a classic with MVP Martin Kulatilaka’s two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth forcing extras at 5-5. In the 13^th, Delwa Alain’s RBI single brought home Yared Gebrehiwot for the walkoff. Kinshasa started up 4-0 in game two and narrowly held the lead, stranding the tying and go-ahead runs in the ninth with back-to-back strikeouts. The Peacocks were dejected after that as the Sun Cats won their AAB-record 11^th pennant (1995, 97-2000, 02-05, 33, 37). RF Malleh Dibba, the 2033 Africa Series MVP, won the conference finals MVP going 5-13 with 4 homers.

FuzzyRussianHat · 10-28-2025, 08:26 PM

The 43^rd Africa Series was the third finals meeting between Dar es Salaam and Kinshasa. The Sun Cats won their 1997 encounter, but the Sabercats got revenge in 2004. In a game one pitcher’s duel, Kinshasa opened with a solo homer by Martin Kulatilaka in the first inning. Dar tied it up in the eighth, then got the walkoff single in the ninth for a 2-1 opening win. Sebastian Malema led off with a single and eventually scored the clincher on a bases loaded walk.

Game two was low scoring until the eighth, when Dar es Salaam scored six runs including a three-run bomb by Shemsu Gugsa. Kinshasa got two back, but the Sabercats held on for a 7-4 win. Then Dar es Salaam took game three 4-1 as four pitchers combined to allow only four hits. The Sabercats had a 3-0 advantage in the best-of-nine as the series shifted from Tanzania to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Kinshasa got one back at home with a 5-4 win in game four, but had to rally to do it. Roldan Salazar’s home run to lead off the bottom of the ninth tied the game, then an RBI single by George Higgins brought in Charlie Senkumba. Game five would be a pitcher’s duel classic tied at 1-1 after regulation. Both teams led off with solo homers in the tenth. In the top of the 11^th, MVP Ferdinand Rajerison sent one just over the right field wall, ultimately the clincher for a 3-2 Sabercats win and 4-1 series advantage.

The Sun Cats stayed alive with a 7-2 win in game six. However, Dar es Salaam absolutely unloaded for a 13-2 beat down in the game seven clincher, taking the series 5-2 for their third AAB title (2004, 2035, 2037). Ketema Gudeta, the conference finals MVP, also won Africa Series MVP by going 12-24 with 2 homers and 4 RBI.

Other notes: Lusaka’s pitching staff allowed 1666 hits and Mogadishu’s gave up 1665, which were the two worst marks in AAB history. Comoros’ Jacquot Rakotobe set a single-season record with 172 singles. Zenzele Mnisi became the 24^th member of the 500 home run club. Asa Ngoie and Panya Hailemariam were the 16^th and 17^th to 1500 career RBI. Ngoie was also the 18^th to score 1500 runs. 2B Hassan Salaad won his 7^th Silver Slugger. Jan Amadhila won his 7^th Gold Glove and 6^th at shortstop.

Lovemore Chisora became the third AAB closer with 400+ saves and finished the season at 433, only 11 behind Rajad Hamadi’s record 444. He passed seven-time Reliever of the Year Sipho Zuke, who added one more save for 421 in his final season. Chisora also became the AAB leader for games pitched at 895, passing Hamadi’s 887. Ghebrezgiabhier Alemayehu and Lawal Deffallah became the 11^th and 12^th AAB pitchers with 3000 career strikeouts.

Two former MLB stars continued their climb up the pro baseball leaderboards in Africa, playing their final seasons in 2037. It was Jason Perazzo’s second year with Nairobi, although he stunk with only 36 games and two starts with -0.3 WAR. Still, that gave him a grand pro career total of 3283 games, 2114 runs, 3521 hits, 628 doubles, 947 homers, 2512 RBI, .947 OPS, 146 wRC+, and 107.2 WAR. On the world leaderboard, Perazzo ranks 13^th in homers, 7^th in RBI, 23^rd in runs, and 29^th in games played.

Mike Rojas played only one AAB season at age 42 with Bangui and struggled to -0.7 WAR in 94 games. The four-time MVP with Cincinnati finished with pro totals of 2937 games, 3607 hits, 2046 runs, 488 doubles, 895 homers, 2336 RBI, 1.005 OPS, 188 wRC+, and 135.3 WAR. Rojas just misses the all-time top 100 for WAR among all players, but his OPS is 40^th and wRC+ 28^th among Hall of Famers and retired locks. He also ranks 28^th in homers, 15^th in RBI, and 28^th in runs scored among all players.

Promotion/Relegation: Antananarivo and Kigali were both relegated to the African Second League. Lubango replaced the Eagles in the Southern Conference and Ndjamena took the Guardians’ spot in the Central Conference.

FuzzyRussianHat · 10-29-2025, 08:42 AM

The Western Conference had a slight shakeup at the top as Alexandria was the top seed at 102-60, ending a four-year playoff drought. The Astronauts had the fewest runs allowed in the WC (672) and the best run differential (+206) in all of Arab League Baseball. They had to fend off tough competition in a loaded Nile Division, which saw both wild cards.

Giza (96-66) and Suez (91-71) took those slots with the Goats leading the conference with 878 runs scored. Giza’s 1687 team hits were the third-most in conference history, giving them their second wild card in three years. It was the third berth in five years for the Sabres. Cairo, who had been the conference runner-up the past two years, was the first team out at 88-74. The Pharaohs ended the season on a seven-game win streak, but the hole was too deep to climb out of.

The other divisions had clear winners with Beirut atop the Levant at 98-64 and Algiers atop the Mediterranean at 96-66. The Bluebirds’ playoff streak grew to five seasons and the Arsenal earned their 14^th berth in 15 years. Defending conference champ Damascus and last year’s Mediterranean winner Oran both fell to 71-91. For the Dusters, it was their first losing season since 2026.

Western Conference MVP went to Suez 1B Hamdi Bahri, who also won the honor back in 2033. The 28-year old Syrian lefty led in runs (135) and had 208 hits, 32 doubles, 52 home runs, 126 RBI, .347/.414/.678 slash, 172 wRC+, and 7.8 WAR. He’s a potential free agent after the 2038 season if the Sabres don’t re-sign him. Bahri had 26 first place votes while Beirut’s Ahmed Namil had four. Namil was the conference leader in homers (61), RBI (142), OPS (1.183), and WAR (8.0).

Alexandria’s Mostafa El-Awady was Pitcher of the Year in his third season for the Astronauts. He previously won the top honor with Suez in 2033, then signed for 2035 with Alexandria at $220,200,000 over seven years. The 30-year old Egyptian lefty led in wins (20-8) while posting a 3.08 ERA in 233.2 innings, 298 strikeouts, 147 ERA+, and 8.2 WAR.

Giza downed Suez 2-0 in the wild card round and gave Alexandria a challenge in the second round. After splitting the first two games (7-4 to Alexandria, 4-3 to Giza), the Astronauts survived 9-8 in 11 innings for game three. Both teams had three runs in the ninth to tie things at 7-7. The Goats scored one in the top of the 11^th, but Alexandria got a sac fly and RBI single for the walkoff, earning their first trip to the Western Conference Final since 2029.

Beirut rolled Algiers with 5-1 and 5-0 wins on the other side of the bracket, giving the Bluebirds their second conference final trip in four years. Alexandria had home field advantage, but Beirut cruised to a sweep with 13-4, 2-0, and 6-1 wins. Abdul Muhaimin Akbar had eight shutout innings in game two and Ahmed Natiq gave up one run over 8.1 innings for game three. RF Kasib Al-Turab was series MVP, going 4-13 with three homers and six RBI. The Bluebirds picked up their third pennant (2004, 2034, 2037).

FuzzyRussianHat · 10-29-2025, 08:40 PM

For the fourth consecutive season, the Eastern Conference had the exact same five playoff teams. For the first time in that stretch, Mecca was a division champ and the top seed. Only four wins separated the Marksmen from three other teams in the fight for the #1 spot. At 100-62, Mecca won the Arabia Division for their first-ever 100 win season and first time as the top seed.

The Marksmen allowed the Arab League’s fewest runs at 660 for their fourth straight playoff trip and first division crown since 2009. They also had the top run differential in the conference at +188, six ahead of Medina. Mecca’s 397 team doubles were the second-best in ALB history. They had the best second half of any team at 46-24, allowing them to grab the top spot.

The Mastodons had won the Arabia Division in all but two years from 2026-36. Medina at 96-66 earned a wild card and led in scoring at 936. In the Gulf Division, reigning ALB champ Muscat (97-65) edged out Doha (96-66). In mid-September, the Threshers had where they went 16-1, extending their playoff streak to 11 years. The Dash earned their eighth playoff trip in a row. The next closest wild card contender was Jeddah at a distant 86-76. In the Mesopotamia Division, Basra was first at 88-74 for a fifth consecutive division crown. Sulaymaniyah gave chase at 84-78 but fell just short.

In his ninth season with Medina, 2B Mohammed Jamil won Eastern Conference MVP with 27 of 30 first place votes. He set the ALB single-season record with 30 triples as the Mastodons had 107 triples, the second-most in ALB history. The 29-year old Iraqi also led in total bases (429), slugging (.723), and WAR (9.6). Jamil added 212 hits, 115 runs, 37 doubles, 40 home runs, 128 RBI, .358 average, 1.134 OPS, and 185 wRC+. He had signed an eight-year, $172,800,000 extension with Medina in August 2033, but opted out after the 2037 season.

Although Jamil was MVP nearly unanimously, there were other notable competitors. Mecca RF Juma Javed notably had a .413 batting average, the third-best in ALB history and ninth-best qualifying season in any world league. He was also the leader in hits (249) and OPS (1.136). Meanwhile, Kuwait’s Tarak Kraouche was the top slugger with 73 home runs and 169 RBI, ranking as the ninth and fifth-best single seasons respectively. Kraouche also led with 137 runs, but struck out 259 times for the second-whiffingest season in ALB history.

Pitcher of the Year was an intense race with Doha’s Samir Shaban narrowly taking it with 15 first place votes and 160 points. Mecca’s Islam Ramadan got 12 first place votes and 150 points, while Doha’s Clifton Seepersad had three and 101. Shaban led in wins (19-6), strikeouts (321), homers (38), WHIP (0.90), and K/BB (16.9). The 26-year old Jordanian righty also had a 3.41 ERA in 222 innings and 5.8 WAR. Ramadan meanwhile led in WAR (6.2) and had a 3.42 ERA, 17-10 record, and 275 Ks. Also of note, Muscat’s Mustafa Wahib won his third Reliever of the Year.

Medina had the one-game advantage in the wild card round and got their one win against Doha to advance, although it took a 5-4 win in 12 innings. Mecca swept the Mastodons in round two with 7-3 and 3-2 wins. It was only the second-ever Eastern Conference Final berth for Islam’s holy city, joining their 1996 defeat. Basra meanwhile dethroned defending champ Muscat with a road sweep on 5-3 and 8-2 wins. The Bulldogs picked up their third conference finals trip in five years and 22^nd appearance overall, the most of any ALB squad.

Great pitching led Mecca to a 3-0 sweep over Basra to earn their first-ever Eastern Conference pennant. The Marksmen got 7-1, 4-2, and 2-1 wins. The finale went 10 innings with Mecca going ahead on a RBI double in the top half by Tag Mukhtar. LF Moussa Habib was series MVP going 5-11 with two homers and four RBI.

FuzzyRussianHat · 10-30-2025, 06:40 AM

The 48^th Arab League Championship began in Saudi Arabia with Beirut taking a 10-4 road win over Mecca. The hits were nearly even at 12-11, but the Bluebirds cashed in on their chances, including two homers and five RBI by Ahmed Namil. The Marksmen got one back 5-4 in game two. Beirut had tied the game with a run in the top of the ninth, but Mecca ended it in the bottom half on Ben Camacho’s sacrifice fly.

The series shifted to Lebanon as Beirut mauled Mecca 14-2 in game three, followed by a 9-7 Bluebirds win in game four. In game five, Beirut had a five-run eighth inning with Samih Iddaoudi’s three-run inside-the-park homer as the exclamation point. That pushed the Bluebirds to a 6-2 win, clinching the 4-1 series at home for their second Arab League crown (2004, 2037). Namil was the finals MVP in his first full season as a starter, going 7-21 with five homers and 12 RBI.

Other notes: In his 16^th season starting for Muscat, RF Ahmed Yasser Basha became ALB’s all-time hits leader. It was a down year with 146 hits and 4.1 WAR as he only played 111 games because of injury. Still, Basha got to 3378 career hits, passing Nordine Soule’s record 3339 which had held since 2014. Basha also became one of 49 in world history with 650+ career doubles, but he’s still 12^th in ALB and 114 from the league best.

Emad Tarek was chasing that doubles record, finishing his final season in 2037 with 754. That put him second behind Abdul Rahman Abu Hamal’s record of 773. Tarek is one of ten in world history to reach 750+ career doubles. Tunis’ Mustafa Al-Zuaiyin had 250 hits, the eighth-most in an ALB single season. In world history, it is one of only 47 seasons of 250+ hits. Sherif Abdelnaim had a 31-game hitting streak in the summer, six short of the ALB record.

Hassan Shanshol had his lowest full season for stolen bases, but was still good for 94 putting him at a stellar 1900 career swipes. The 36-year old Iraqi is second in all of baseball history behind only EBF’s Carsten Dal at 1995. In 2037, Shanshol, Tarek, and Khali Allawi each reached the 3000 hit club, making 11 members in ALB. Five others reached 2500 career hits, now met by 44 ALB batters.

Mohamed Neen was one of those to 2500 hits and was the 23^rd member of the 600 home run club. Basha, Mokhtar Bouziane, and Wisam Darwish grew the 500 homer club to 49 sluggers. Bouziane, Kamal Qasim, and Fekri Al-Baada were the 25^th, 26^th, and 27^th to 1500 runs scored. Qasim and Abdullah Al-Hafith made it 35 sluggers with 1500 career RBI.

Qasim also won his position-record 10^th Silver Slugger in CF and is one of eight in ALB with 10+ Sluggers. RF Nathan Nasreddine won his 15th Gold Glove, becoming one of only 13 in world history to achieve the feat. He and ABF’s Hana Zuhair are the only ones to do it as right fielders. LF Karrar Mazloum won his 11^th Gold Glove, becoming the third at any position in ALB with 11+ GGs.

FuzzyRussianHat · 10-30-2025, 06:26 PM

The Asian Baseball Federation’s East League had a competitive field as eight teams finished within eight games of the #1 seed. At the all-star break, defending EL champ Tashkent and last year’s ELCS runner-up Hyderabad had the top records at 59-41. The Tomcats held onto the top spot at 94-68 for a third consecutive North Division crown and fifth straight playoff berth. In the North, they held off Almaty (89-73), Osh (88-74), Samarkand (88-76), and Bishkek (86-76).

Rawalpindi was in position to grab the #1 seed, but ended the season getting swept at Gujranwala in four games. The Red Wings still held onto the Pakistan Division at 93-69 to grow their playoff streak to seven seasons. They had the EL’s best run differential at +162 and were the top scoring team with 711 runs. Rawalpindi had 300 team home runs, tying the EL record and tying for third-most in ABF history.

Faisalabad was one back on Rawalpindi at 92-70, earning the first wild card to end a 12-year playoff drought. Hyderabad was third at 89-73 and was tied with Almaty for the second wild card with Osh one back and both Samarkand and Bishkek four back. ABF doesn’t use tiebreaker games and head-to-head (6-2) gave the spot to the Horned Frogs, who had a four-game June home sweep over the Assassins. Hyderabad narrowly extended their ABF-record playoff streak to 14 years.

Historic power pushed Rawalpindi CF Hafayah Razam to East League MVP, although it was still a tough battle to deny Osh’s Dzhurakhon Asadullayev his fourth MVP. Razam had 21 first place votes and 393 points, while Asadullayev had 11 first place votes and 343 points. The Red Wings acquired Razam in a January trade for Multan for four pitching prospects. He was coming off a good 2036 with 5.9 WAR and 48 homers, but he had a league-worst 223 strikeouts and a 35.0% K rate.

Razam still struck out 29.4% of the time in 2037, but that doesn’t matter as much when you set the league’s single-season home run record. He smacked 79 dingers, passing Vahid Hadadi’s 74 from 1991. This was one of only 13 times in all of professional baseball history where a slugger had 79+ homers in a season. The 24-year old Pakistani also led in RBI (153) and WAR (12.3). He had a 200 wRC+ and 1.059 OPS with 151 hits, 121 runs, 19 doubles, 189 strikeouts, and .260/.327/.733 slash.

As for Asadullayev, he led in runs (124), walks (103), total bases (432), OBP (.450), slugging (.767), OPS (1.217), and wRC+ (239). The 29-year old Kazakh lefty had 196 hits, 31 doubles, 67 homers, 128 RBI, .348 average, and 11.9 WAR. Asadullayev had led in OBP in each of his seven seasons so far and has led six teams in OPS and wRC+. There have been eight qualifying seasons in ABF with an OPS above 1.200; Asadullayev has half of them. He’s signed through 2042 for Osh.

Pitcher of the Year was highly competitive with Namangan’s Tariq Sidqi just defeating Bishkek’s Andrei Tynkov. The former had 17 first place votes and 177 points, while the latter saw 14 first place nods and 158 points. Sidiqi was the 2036 Rookie of the Year in split starter/relief role. In 2037, the 23-year old Pakistani righty led in complete games (17), FIP- (55), and WAR (8.8). Sidiqi added a 2.11 ERA in 243.2 innings, 331 strikeouts, and 17-12 record.

Trynkov was a 34-year old journeyman who had signed with Bishkek for 2037 after a four-year stint in MLB. His previous best ERA in ABF was 3.08 in 2032 with Ankara, but he surprised many in 2037 with a league-best 1.57. The Azeri righty had a 16-6 record, 217.1 innings, 310 strikeouts, and 6.2 WAR. The Black Sox signed him at five years and $39 million. Trynkov had stellar stuff with a 10/10 fastball and curveball, but his abysmal control had prevented him from sustained success.

The first round opened with both division champs getting upset in the first round; Hyderabad over Tashkent 2-1 and Faisalabad 2-0 against Rawalpindi. The Fire took game one 5-3 over the Horned Frogs in the second round, but Hyderabad prevailed 12-2 and 7-5 in the next two. The Horned Frogs guaranteed a repeat appearance in the East League Championship Series and their ninth trip since 2026.

Tashkent ousted Rawalpindi 2-1 to stay alive in the double-elimination bracket. Faisalabad’s pitching locked them down though for 3-0 and 4-1 wins in round two, eliminating the defending EL champ. The Fire picked up their first ELCS trip since their four consecutive trips from 2021-24. Faisalabad earned another shot at Hyderabad and would have home field for the series.

Hyderabad opened with a 4-3 road win with a go-ahead solo homer in the ninth by Khalaf bin Abdullah. Faisalabad evened the series on a 5-0 win, getting a three-hit shutout with 11 Ks from Caglar Alatli. The Horned Frogs hosted game three and won 1-0 as five pitchers combined for a three-hit shutout. Sultan Han, the new ABF career home run leader, had the game’s only run with a solo bomb in the fourth inning.

Faisalabad evened the series on a 4-1 road win, taking the lead on a three-run eighth. Hyderabad dominated game five 11-4 to claim the 3-2 series lead. Now back at home, Faisalabad won game six 2-0 on another complete game shutout by Alatli, this one a six-hitter with 12 Ks.

The decisive game seven saw both teams with a solo run in the fourth inning. In the sixth, Faisalabad’s Rasiwala Batool put him squad ahead on a two-run homer to left. Hyderabad got one back in the eighth, but the Fire survived for a 3-2 win to earn their fourth pennant (2011, 2014, 2021, 2037). It was an impressive return to form for Faisalabad, who averaged 69 wins per season from 2025-36. Batool was the series MVP, going 12-35 with three homers and nine RBI.

FuzzyRussianHat · 10-31-2025, 08:41 AM

Baku’s reign as the Western League’s top seed and West Division champ grew to nine seasons. It was their ninth straight 100+ win season of the streak at 101-61, ending their historic run of seven years with at least 110+ wins. Reigning Asian Baseball Federation champ Bursa was a competitive second at 96-66 for their third straight wild card. Baku had the best mark at the all-star break at 61-40, allowing them to fend off the Blue Claws challenge.

Bursa had ABF’s best run differential (+194) and most runs at 837. The Blue Claws had 414 doubles, which tied the world record for most doubles by any team in any season. The Arab League’s Riyadh had also gotten 414 back in 2019. The Division also had Ankara (87-75), Istanbul (84-78), Adana (83-79) and Gaziantep (82-80) with decent efforts, although those squads each fell short in the wild card hunt.

Ahvaz was 61-41 at the all-star break and held onto the Central Division at 94-68. It was the second playoff trip in four years for the 2030 expansion squad and their first division title. Tabriz had won the division with 105+ wins in the prior three years. The Tiger Sharks dropped to 89-73, but that allowed them to edge out Isfahan (88-74) and Ankara (87-75) for the second wild card. The Imperials were doomed by a 28-33 record after the break compared to Tabriz’s 36-25. Tabriz has seven playoff berths in the last eight seasons.

Baku DH Artyom Masharipov joined the legendary Nizami Aghazade as the only players in ABF history with six or more MVPs. He had previously won the West League’s top honor in 2030, 31, 32, 34, and 35 for the Blackbirds. It was Masharipov’s second MVP as a primary designated hitter, with the first four wins coming at first base.

The 33-year old Azeri lefty was unanimous MVP as he led in home runs (65), RBI (144), total bases (459), slugging (.755), OPS (1.136), and wRC+ (218). Masharipov added 201 hits, 130 runs, 49 doubles, .331 average, and 10.1 WAR. It was his seventh time leading in homers as he became ABF’s 11^th member of the 600 home run club in September.

Bursa’s Refik Sagir won a competitive battle for Pitcher of the Year with 14 first place votes and 152 points. Close behind was Baku’s Alikhan Molotov with 11 first place votes and 145 points, as well as Izmir’s Shaukat Rizvi with 7 first place nods and 140 points. It was a repeat win for Sagir, who was still only in his third season. The 25-year old Turkish lefty led in innings (262.1) and shutouts (4). The former #3 overall pick had a 17-9 record, 3.09 ERA, 307 Ks, and 5.8 WAR along with a Gold Glove win.

Molotov meanwhile was the leader in ERA (2.45) and wins (18-5). The 29-year old Azeri lefty had 240 strikeouts and 5.9 WAR in 220.2 innings. It was Molotov’s first time as a POTY finalist and he signed a four-year, $74 million extension with the Blackbirds in April. Rizvi, the third contender, had a 2.65 ERA in 255 innings, 16-11 record, 261 Ks, and 6.2 WAR.

The playoffs opened with wins for both wild card teams with Tabriz over Baku 2-0 and Bursa over Ahvaz 2-1. The Tiger Sharks topped the Blue Claws 5-3 and 5-0 in round two, sending Tabriz to its third West League Championship Series in four years. In the loser’s bracket, Ahvaz swept Baku, making four straight years for the Blackbirds without a pennant despite the top seed. This was the first-time in their epic streak that Baku didn’t win a single playoff game.

Bursa ousted Ahvaz on 6-4 and 8-7 wins, getting a walkoff in the latter. The defending champion Blue Claws earned a rematch with Tabriz and had home field advantage to boot. Bursa had gone 6-2 against the Tiger Sharks in the regular season, although that hadn’t helped them in the second round. The Blue Claws started the WLCS hot with 6-2 and 3-2 home wins.

The series shifted to Iran with Tabriz taking game three 5-2. Bursa secured a dramatic 4-3 road win for a 3-1 series lead, going ahead on a two-run Naanin Kazem homer in the top of the ninth. The Tiger Sharks got one back on a solo homer in the bottom half, but the other batters were each struck out looking. Tabriz’s offense came alive with 18 hits for an 11-6 game five win, forcing the series back to Turkey.

In game six, Tabriz had a four-run seventh with a two-RBI single by pinch hitter Rahid Hasanov, followed by a two-run Rasimcan Ozerk bomb. Bursa had a solo homer in the ninth, but came up short 5-4, forcing game seven. The Blue Claws opened the clincher with a two-RBI double by Gokberk Altun in the first inning and a RBI double by Tao Yang in the second.

Tabriz got on the board in the sixth with a leadoff Nesuhi Cinar triple, who came home on a groundout. Sanaul Ali then had an inside-the-park solo homer to put the score at 3-2. The Tiger Sharks got two hits to start the seventh, but the first runner was thrown out trying to stretch out a double. The second succeeded in the double, but was stranded at second. Tabriz wouldn’t get on base again with five strikeouts in the final two innings, allowing Bursa to hold onto the 3-2 advantage.

Pitcher of the Year winner Refik Sagir in the clincher struck out 17 over 8.2 innings with six hits and two runs allowed. 3B Nazanin Kazem was series MVP going 13-35 with two homers and six RBI. The Blue Claws repeated as West League champs and won their sixth pennant (1999, 2001, 2004, 2020, 2036, 2037).

FuzzyRussianHat · 10-31-2025, 09:44 PM

The 53^rd Asian Baseball Federation Championship began in Bursa as the defending champs opened with a 3-2 win over Faisalabad. All three Blue Claws runs came in the eighth inning, capped off by Carlinhos Alexandre’s two-run homer. Bursa took game two 6-2 then got a 4-3 road win. Faisalabad refused to be swept, claiming game four 6-4 thanks to a four-run seventh inning.

The Fire entered the ninth inning of game five down 3-1, but back-to-back solo homers to start the inning evened it up. Issiaka Mengue reached on an error and made his way to third with two steals. That enabled Aswad Ansari to bring him in on a sacrifice fly for a 4-3 walkoff win for Faisalabad, forcing the series back to Turkey for game six.

Back at home, Bursa’s bats locked up the series on an 11-5 game six win with 15 hits, seven for extra bases. The Blue Claws became three-time ABF champs with their repeat (2004, 2036, 2037) and are the first Turkish team to repeat since Istanbul’s 2007-08 efforts.

Part-time starter Tae-Won Kim was finals MVP with a 9-24 series, grabbing two homers and five RBI. Saeed Sahar had a strong series with three runs allowed over 16 innings, bouncing back after earlier postseason struggles. For the whole postseason, he allowed a new ABF-worst 50 hits and had a 5.22 ERA.

Other notes: Sultan Han entered the season only four behind Hakan Mocuk’s 784 to become ABF’s all-time home run king. He crushed 62 dingers in his fifth season for Hyderabad to blow by the record, putting him at 842. Han is now 42^nd on the all-time world home run leaderboard. He’s at 1917 RBI, still likely two good years away from catching Mocuk’s 2132.

Han clearly still has it though with 8.4 WAR and 1.027 OPS in 2037 at age 37. He now has 121.7 career WAR to move into 2^nd among all ABF players, although Nizami Aghazade’s 183.1 is unreachable. Han also became ABF’s 9^th batter with 600+ doubles. He has 5959 total bases, primed to pass Mocuk’s 6012 for that top mark. Han is also 3^rd in ABF with 1717 runs scored behind Mehmet Fatih Canaydin’s 1880 and H.A. Rahman’s 1724.

In other hitting milestones, Youssouf Raza became the 3^rd in ABF with 700 homers and Khalaf bin Abdullah was the 10^th to 600 dingers. Raza, Majed Mahadeen, and Koji Pareevash made it eight guys with 1500 runs scored and 23 with 2500 hits. Pareevash also became the 12^th to 1500 RBI. Mahadeen set the ABF single-season record for stolen bases with 123, besting Abdul Rahman Karwan’s record 121 from 1993.

In pitching milestones, Shahrokh Morteza and Mansoor Kayam became the 16^th and 17^th to 4000 strikeouts. Halawani Ahmad became the 31^st to 3500 Ks. Morteza and Ibrahim Tolibov were the 22^nd and 23^rd to reach 200 career wins. SS Vugar Sodikov won his 11^th Silver Slugger, becoming the 4^th in ABF with 11+ Sluggers. LF Cihat Cetinkaya won his 10^th consecutive Gold Glove. He has the position record and is one of six in ABF with 10+ GGs.

On June 28, Ahvaz’s Ahmad Minoo had ABF’s ninth-ever four home run game against Tehran. Gaziantep’s Majed Namangan’s offense drew only 238 walks all season, an ABF team worst. Asgabat’s offense had 1836 strikeouts, the worst-ever in the West League.

FuzzyRussianHat · 11-01-2025, 06:48 AM

Visakhapatnam dominated the Indian League field at 112-50 with the fewest runs allowed (510) and best run differential (+269) in South Asia Baseball. The Volts also led the IL with 779 runs scored. It was their third straight playoff trip, but first South Division title since 2033. Visakhapatnam has had only winning seasons since 2022 with 11 division titles and 13 playoff berths.

Kolkata at 98-64 repeated as Central Division champ easily and got their fourth playoff berth in five years. In the West Division, Mumbai (96-66) finished on a six-game winning streak to edge out defending IL champ Pune (94-68). The Meteors earned their third berth in four years, while it was three straight for the Purple Knights as the first wild card. Bengaluru at 92-70 got the second wild card to end a 31-year postseason drought. The Blazers were nine games better than their nearest competitors for the last spot.

Visakhapatnam dominated the major awards, led by Indian League MVP Iqbal Bhaktaraja in only his third season as a starter. The 23-year old Malaysian third baseman led in total bases (390), slugging (.655), OPS (1.026), wRC+ (176), and WAR (8.1). Bhaktaraja had 202 hits, 110 runs, 45 doubles, 47 home runs, 118 RBI, and a .339 average.

The only other person who got MVP first place votes was Pitcher of the Year Thar Tan Min with a major breakout year. The 29-year old Burmese lefty had been unremarkable in his first six seasons between Can Tho and Hyderabad. Visakhapatnam signed him at $15,080,000 over four years for 2037 and he emerged as an ace, leading in innings (255), complete games (12), and shutouts (6). Min had a 21-8 record, 2.47 ERA, 302 strikeouts, 169 ERA+, and 6.7 WAR.

Pune earned 7-2 and 2-1 wins over Bengaluru in the wild card round. The defending champs then not only upset top seed Visakhapatnam in the divisional series, but swept them with 8-3, 4-2, and 5-4 wins. The game three clincher went ten innings, giving the 2037 Volts one of the all-time playoff flops. The Purple Knights advanced to the Indian League Championship Series for the 12^th time in franchise history.

The other side of the bracket saw Mumbai with a road sweep of Kolkata on 5-0, 5-3, and 2-1 wins, sending the Meteors to their third ILCS in four years. The divisional rivals had been fairly even in the regular season with Pune taking the season series 10-8. Mumbai opened with a 4-2 home walkoff win on a Thar Sone Mon two-run home run.

In game two, the Meteors scored in the ninth to tie the game at 2-2, but the Purple Knights picked up the 3-2 win in the tenth. Dana York drew a one-out walk, stole two bases, then scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch. Mumbai got their win back in game three 4-2. Pune evened it 6-5 in game four thanks to Taskin Hasan’s three-run walkoff homer.

The Purple Knights held on 3-2 in game five to take the 3-2 series lead headed back to Mumbai. Pune went up 4-0 early in game six. The Meteors got a three-run homer in the eighth, but went one-two-three in the ninth. The Purple Knights held on for the 4-3 win to take the series in six games. The repeat gives Pune seven Indian League titles (1981, 83, 84, 2019, 27, 36, 37). Catcher Thanh Duong was series MVP, going 8-20 with one homer and 4 RBI.

FuzzyRussianHat · 11-01-2025, 06:19 PM

The Southeast Asia League was top heavy with three teams fighting for the top seed. The best two battled in the Central Division as reigning South Asia Baseball champ Hanoi (108-54) held off 105-57 Yangon. The Hounds had the fewest runs allowed in SEAL at 625. The Green Dragons are back in the playoffs after getting only their third miss since 1995 the prior year. Yangon won a lot of close games, as their 68 team saves set a single-season SAB record.

South Division champ Da Nang was in the mix for the #1 seed at 104-58 having scored 1010 runs, a new SAB record. The Nailers had SEAL’s best run differential at +244 for repeat division crowns. Da Nang and Yangon both had a team .355 OBP, tying for the new SAB record. The Green Dragons also had a .304 team batting average, the second-best in SAB history.

Rajshahi was 60-39 before the all-star break, which allowed them to hold onto the West Division despite a sub-.500 second half. The Red Pandas at 90-72 became the first of the 2030 expansion teams to earn a playoff spot. Mandalay was next at 87-75 for only their second playoff miss since 2026. The Mammoths ended up two games back in a tight race for the second wild card.

Colombo and Ho Chi Minh City finished even for that spot at 89-73, just ahead of 88-74 Korat and 87-75 Mandalay. The tiebreaker game was a classic with the Catfish scoring solo runs in the eighth and ninth to force extras tied at 4-4. The Hedgehogs went ahead on a RBI single in the top of the 11^th. In the bottom half, Rick Tam got a two-run homer that just cleared the right field corner fence, giving Colombo the 6-5 walkoff win.

For the Catfish, this was their second playoff trip in three years and their fifth of the decade. The loss ended an eight-year playoff streak for Ho Chi Minh City. Two notable streaks also ended in 2037. Dhaka finished 70-92, their first losing season since 2020. Meanwhile Phnom Penh was 82-80, their first time above .500 since 2019.

Yangon LF Davinder Abhik was the unanimous Southeast Asia League MVP in his third season with the Green Dragons. The 29-year old Indian lefty also won the Indian League’s MVP back in 2031 with Chennai. He joined up with Yangon for 2035 on an eight-year, $166,400,000 free agent deal. Abhik’s 2037 included his fourth Silver Slugger and MVP honors in the all-star game.

Abhik led SEAL in runs (138), hits (232), RBI (156), total bases (411), stolen bases (122), OBP (.425), and WAR (10.1). He added 36 doubles, 16 triples, 37 homers, .375 average, 1.089 OPS, and 187 wRC+. Abhik’s 122 steals tied as the sixth-best in SAB history.

At age 35 in his 11^th year with Hanoi, Advaith Basava surprised many by taking Pitcher of the Year. The Indian lefty had only been a finalist once before. Basava led in ERA (2.20), WHIP (0.86), shutouts (4), FIP- (53), and WAR (7.2). He had an 18-3 record over 200.2 innings and 264 strikeouts with a 211 ERA+.

105-win Yangon was a heavy favorite in the wild card round and opened with a 9-4 win, but Colombo shocked them with back-to-back 3-1 wins for the upset. The Catfish got a game two win against top seed Hanoi in the divisional series, but couldn’t keep the magic going as the Hounds won the series 3-1. This was Hanoi’s 17^th appearance in the Southeast Asia League Championship.

Da Nang swept Rajshahi on the other side of the bracket to set up a finals rematch with Hanoi as the Nailers looked for their first pennant. In game one, Da Nang went ahead in the ninth for a 5-4 road win. Hanoi evened the series with a 3-1 win in game two with all runs scored in the eighth inning. The Hounds claimed the advantage on a 6-3 road win for game three. Da Nang matched with a 12-2 blowout in game four. Hanoi countered with their own 14-2 blowout to take a 3-2 series lead back home.

The Nailers rolled 8-3 in game six to force game seven. Da Nang was up 4-1 early, but Hanoi gained control on a six-run fourth inning. The Nailers tried a late rally with three runs in the ninth but the Hounds survived for an 11-9 win to repeat as SEAL champs. 1B Saad Khan was series MVP going 11-28 with 1 homer and 7 RBI and was 3-3 with three runs and three RBI in game seven. This was Hanoi’s eighth Southeast Asia League crown (1985, 2007, 08, 10, 13, 16, 36, 37)

FuzzyRussianHat · 11-02-2025, 07:53 AM

The 58^th South Asia Baseball Championship was the first repeat finals matchup since Ho Chi Minh City versus Bengaluru from 2003-04 and the many Hedgehogs versus Ahmedabad battles of the 1990s. Pune opened with a 4-1 road win over Hanoi, led by Brian Truong’s effort with one unearned run, four hits, and 10 strikeouts over 7.2 innings of work. The Hounds responded with an emphatic 10-1 game two victory to even it as the series shifted to India.

Hanoi clobbered Pune again 13-2 in game three, but eight innings with one run from Rony Hassan propelled the Purple Knights to a 7-1 victory for game four. Pune led 5-1 for most of game five, but a four-run ninth tied it up. The Purple Knights avoided the collapse with a Thar Thang Win walkoff single in the bottom half. The 6-5 win put Pune up 3-2 in the series, but they’d need to get another win in Vietnam to claim the cup.

In game six, Hanoi grabbed a 4-2 home win to keep the repeat bid alive. The highly anticipated game seven was anticlimactic with a dominant 9-1 Hounds win, making them six-time SAB champs (2007, 08, 13, 16, 36, 37). 3B Mohamad Kazi was series MVP, going 12-25. Pune rookie LF Cong Loc Huynh was notable in defeat as he tied the SAB playoff record with 10 doubles.

Other notes: On April 16, Da Nang’s Janisthra Pran had SAB’s 12^th four-home run game against Can Tho. Zulfiker Barua and Jasper Ha became the 41^st and 42^nd members of the 500 home run club. Barua and Alexander Thongsuk both reached 1500 RBI, now met by 27 SAB sluggers. Thongsuk was also the 44^th to 2500 hits.

Arumugampilllai Raman, Emeka Rahman, and Rony Hassan made 53 pitchers with 3000+ strikeouts. 3B Vatish Bharat won his 10^th Gold Glove and SS Madfai Mirza grabbed his 9^th. They are among only eight SAB players with nine or more Gold Glove wins.

Nagpur had historically bad pitching as they finished 50-112, the second-worst record in Indian League history. The Patriots set all-time IL worsts for team ERA (5.27), hits allowed (1708), runs (912), earned runs (837), H/9 (10.76), and WHIP (1.510). Can Tho at 60-102 set SAB and SEAL worsts for ERA (5.83), runs (969), earned runs (927) and team WHIP (1.552).

FuzzyRussianHat · 11-02-2025, 07:17 PM

Bissau and Accra had the Western League’s top records at the all-star break and were able to hold onto their division titles despite lackluster ends to the season. The Bullets were 2-8 on their last ten, but won the North Division at 95-67 and got the top seed. It was the first playoff spot for the 2030 expansion squad, who allowed the WL’s fewest runs at 738.

Defending West African Baseball champion Dakar took the second place slot in the North at 91-71, holding off 88-74 Bamako. The Dukes led the WL with 942 runs and had the best run differential at +136. Dakar grew its playoff streak to 14 seasons, tying Kumasi (1978-91) for the longest streak in WAB history.

The Alligators allowed 739 and won the South Division at 94-68. While it was Accra’s third straight playoff berth, their only previous first place finish in the standings was back in their lone championship season of 1996. Last year’s division champ and WLCS runner-up Daloa took the wild card at 88-74, holding off 86-76 Monrovia and 83-79 Kumasi and Abidjan.

Western League MVP went to 1B Daouda Adamou in his Dakar debut. The 27-year old Nigerien lefty was the #1 draft pick in 2029 by expansion Touba and played well with 5+ WAR seasons from 2033-36. However, the Twins didn’t expect to be able to lock him up long-term.

In December 2036, he was traded for the Dukes for SP Ben Traore and SS prospect Goue Toure. Adamou immediately delivered for Dakar, who signed him to a three-year, $63,200,000 extension after the 2037 season. Adamou led the WL in RBI (143) and total bases (402). He had 203 hits, 126 runs, 46 doubles, 49 home runs, a .337/.425/.668 slash, 171 wRC+, and 7.1 WAR. He also hit for the cycle on August 1 against Monrovia.

Accra’s Mohammed Otu repeated as Pitcher of the Year and won his third ERA title at 2.74. The 26-year old Nigerian lefty also led in strikeouts (306) and quality starts (19) for the first time with a 63 FIP- and 167 ERA+. Otu had a 16-6 record over 193.2 innings with 6.5 WAR.

The stepladder postseason began with Daloa getting a 5-2 upset win over Dakar, although the Dukes evened it 6-3 in game two. Dakar held off a late rally in the finale 8-7 to advance. Accra opened round two with a 5-2 win, but Dakar grabbed 5-2 and 7-4 road wins to oust the Alligators. The big moment came in the top of the ninth in game two, a three-run home run by Jonas Verbickas.

Dakar earned a third straight trip to the Western League Championship Series and their tenth trip since 2025. Even on the road, many felt the defending champs were the favorite over a first-time WLCS squad in Bissau. The Dukes had won the season series 9-6, although the Bullets finished four games ahead of them in the division.

The series was intense from the start with a 13-inning game one. Leonardo Fonseca had six fall balls in his at-bat before finally ending it on a walkoff single for the 6-5 Bissau win. The defeat didn’t faze Dakar as they claimed game two 10-5 to even the series as it shifted to Senegal. They took the advantage on a 4-1 victory in game three.

In game four, both teams scored two runs in the first inning. The only other run was in the bottom of the eighth on a Rick Burns RBI single that scored Youssoupha Diop. The 2-1 win clinched the series in four games for Dakar for repeat pennants and their 11^th overall (1988, 2012, 13, 16, 25, 27, 29, 30, 32, 36, 37). 3B Rudy Caron won series MVP going 6-13 with three runs.

10-24-2025, 08:42 AM	#2521
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,128	2037 ABF Hall of Fame Pitcher Elnur Hasanov and LF Emre Fez earned first ballot selections in the Asian Baseball Federation Hall of Fame for 2037 at 92.4% and 82.6%, respectively. CL Raghid Yazdani fell just short of the 66% induction threshold at 60.8% on his seventh try. Three other returners were above or at 50% with 3B Quraishi Lalak at 58.3% on his fourth ballot, LF Ramin Abilov at 55.2% on his fifth try, and 3B Timur Tyan at 50.0% on his sixth go. Dropped after ten failed ballots included SP Amgad Al-Jal, who debuted at an impressive 54.5% but was down at 18.4% by the end. He had a 19-year career with ten teams and also spent time in Europe. In ABF specifically, he had a 183-147 record, 3.00 ERA, 3150.2 innings, 4092 strikeouts, 878 walks, 109 ERA+, 90 FIP-, and 58.0 WAR. Al-Jal had good tenure and ranks 12^th in strikeouts, but 37^th in pitching WAR. He had two rings with Istanbul, but had very little black ink and was only once a finalist for Pitcher of the Year, thus a Hall of Pretty Good designation. Another SP dropped after ten ballots was Ozgur Ermalci, who won two rings in 15 seasons with Tehran. He peaked at 53.7% in 2029 but was down at only 9.0% by the end. Ermalci had a 212-154 record, 3.01 ERA, 3364.2 innings, 2913 strikeouts, 116 ERA+, 89 FIP-, and 59.4 WAR. He likewise had almost no black ink and was only a POTY finalist once. Ermalci ranks 36^th in pitching WAR, 11^th in wins, and 50^th in strikeouts. He also retired fairly early at age 35 despite being still playable and might have gotten enough raw tallies to get in had he hung around a few more years. Ermalci did notably get his #22 uniform retired by the Tarpons, but that was the biggest honor he reached. Elnur Hasanov – Starting Pitcher – Shiraz Suns – 92.4% First Ballot Elnur Hasanov was a 6’3’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Lisakovsk, Kazakhstan, a small city of around 37,000 in the northwestern part of the country. Hasanov had excellent stuff and very good control, but his movement was very iffy for a very high home run rate. His fastball peaked in the 94-96 mph range, but he was a master at changing speeds. Hasanov’s arsenal included an impressive screwball and curveball, a strong slider, and a decent splitter. Hasanov’s stamina was excellent and he had ironman durability, never missing a start to injury over his 15 season career. He was great at holding runners, but subpar defensively. Hasanov was one of the most cerebral pitchers in the game and had the intelligence to know what to throw when. However, his work ethic was lackluster and some felt he wasn’t a team-first player. Despite his humble beginnings, a teenaged Hasanov caught the eye of a scout from Shiraz, who brought him to Iran in November 2010 on a developmental deal. He spent five full years in their academy before debuting in 2016 at age 21. He had limited use initially with mixed results, throwing 135.1 innings over his first two seasons. Hasanov had 160 innings in 2018, then was a full-time starter with 230+ innings each year for the rest of his career. Shiraz won a pennant the year before he debuted and had a first round exit in 2016, although Hasanov wasn’t used in the series. The Suns wouldn’t make the playoffs in the rest of his tenure with an average of 77.4 wins per season. Hasanov had the misfortune of allowing the West League’s most home runs twice and had the most losses once while with Shiraz. On the good side, he was good for 300+ strikeouts from 2019 onward. The Suns were generally happy with his progress and gave Hasanov a five-year, $30,180,000 extension after the 2021 season. Hasanov led the league in strikeouts for the only time in 2022 with a career best 367. In 2023, he won Pitcher of the Year (his only time as a finalist) leading in wins (21-9), complete games (16), and shutouts (5). Those were career highs, as was his 2.51 ERA, 160 ERA+, and 74 FIP-. He also had 7.0 WAR and 359 strikeouts. Hasanov was only nine ERA points and six strikeouts from a Triple Crown season. He dropped off in the next two seasons with Shiraz, posting ERAs above four for the first time in his career. With one year left on his deal, the 31-year old Hasanov was traded for 2026 to Dushanbe for two prospects and a third round draft pick. With the Suns, Hasanov had a 112-101 record, 3.41 ERA, 2038 innings, 2689 strikeouts, 383 walks, 98 complete games, 17 shutouts, 113 ERA+, 92 FIP-, and 34.9 WAR. He was one of the lone redeeming things for Shiraz in a downswing and his #29 uniform would later be retired for his efforts. Hasanov bounced back in his one season in Tajikistan with 6.0 WAR and a league-best 20 wins, along with a 3.70 ERA over 248.1 innings, and 320 Ks. The Dynamo finished 87-75, missing the last wild card via tiebreaker. Dushanbe didn’t sign him long-term, sending Hasanov to free agency for the first time at age 32. Peshawar picked him up on a five-year, $33,500,000 deal. The Predators had been mediocre for a long while with a playoff drought back to 1993, although they were coming off repeat winning seasons. His first three years with Peshawar were rock solid, including a career-best 8.1 WAR in 2029 and a league-best 20-9 record. The Predators ended the playoff drought, losing in the 2027 and 2028 East League Championship Series to Hyderabad. In 2029, 99-win Peshawar upset the 110-win Horned Frogs for their first pennant since 1992. The Predators would be denied the ABF Championship by Baku, the first title of the Blackbirds dynasty run. Hasanov was very good in the first three playoff runs. He dropped off with an ERA above four in 2030 and struggled in that postseason as Peshawar dropped the ELCS to Lahore. In 89.1 playoff innings with the Predators, Hasanov had a 2.82 ERA, 6-7 record, 107 strikeouts, 15 walks, 5 complete games, 128 ERA+, 82 FIP-, and 2.0 WAR. He was a key figure in Peshawar’s first good seasons in more than three decades. The Predators would miss the playoffs in 2031 at 85-77 and Hasanov had a poor start to the season with a 4.49 ERA in 136.1 innings. In July, Peshawar traded him to Almaty for two prospects. One of them, Noor Ahmadi, would give the Predators a few solid seasons as a starting catcher. With Peshawar, Hasanov had a 77-43 record, 3.43 ERA, 1140 innings, 1490 strikeouts, 149 walks, 50 complete games, 5 shutouts, 105 ERA+, 84 FIP-, and 24.2 WAR. The trade sent him back to his home country of Kazakhstan, although Hasanov had been a regular in the World Baseball Championship. He had poor results in the WBC from 2018-31 with a 4.62 ERA over 167.2 innings, 6-9 record, 217 strikeouts, 54 walks, 76 ERA+, 126 FIP-, and 0.5 WAR. The Kazakhs would advance once to the playoffs in 2027. Hasanov had a good second half with Almaty with a 2.65 ERA over 112 innings, 141 Ks, and 1.7 WAR. In his first week, he became the sixth ABF ace with 4500 career strikeouts. Almaty got a wild card but went one-and-done with Hasanov giving up three runs in a complete game loss. He retired that winter at age 37. In total, Hasanov had a 216-160 record, 3.41 ERA, 3538.1 innings, 4640 strikeouts, 572 walks, 490 home runs allowed, 262/435 quality starts, 164 complete games, 26 shutouts, 110 ERA+, 88 FIP-, and 66.7 WAR. He does have the misfortune of having the most homers allowed in Asian Baseball Federation history. On the plus side, Hasanov ranks 7^th in wins, 10^th in innings, 9^th in complete games, 26^th in shutouts, 6^th in strikeouts, and 25^th in WAR for pitchers. Among pitchers with 1000+ innings, Hasanov’s 1.45 BB/9 is 47^th and his K/9 of 11.80 is 35^th. The home run woes kept him from being a Pitcher of the Year candidate and keep him from being an inner-circle level Hall of Famer. However, ranking in the top ten for both strikeouts and wins will easily punch your pass for induction. Hasanov received 92.4% for the first ballot nod in 2037. Emre Fez – Left Field – Bursa Blue Claws – 82.6% First Ballot Emre Fez was a 6’4’’, 200 pound left-handed hitting left fielder from Viransehir, Turkey; a city with around 207,000 in the southeast near the border with Syrian. Fez was a very good contact and all-around hitter against right-handed pitching with a career .956 OPS and 150 wRC+. He was mediocre facing lefties with a .700 OPS and 91 wRC+. Fez’s gap power was excellent and he had a decent knack for the long ball, posting a 162 game average of 45 doubles, 11 triples, and 27 home runs. He was mid-grade at drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts. Fez was very quick and a highly skilled baserunner, making him one of ABF’s most reliable run scorers. He played left field exclusively with serviceable metrics, grading as reliably just below average. His durability was largely solid, playing 130+ games in each of his 14 ABF seasons with Bursa. Fez was highly respected as a team captain with strong leadership and loyalty along with a tireless work ethic. However, he was a bit dull when it came to non-baseball topics. Fez emerged as arguably Turkey’s best prospect for the 2016 ABF Draft and went #2 overall to Bursa. He spent his entire ABF run with the Blue Claws and did see regular use in the World Baseball Championship for the Turkish team. From 2021-30, Fez had 83 games and 62 starts in the WBC with 50 hits, 35 runs, 7 doubles, 3 triples, 17 homers, 38 RBI, 19 steals, .203/.262/.463 slash, 109 wRC+, and 1.4 WAR. After spending all of 2017 in developmental, Fez was a full-time starter from 2018-onward. He had okay results in his first two seasons, but emerged as elite with 7.9 WAR or better each year from 2019-24. Fez hit for the cycle in 2020 against Gaziantep and pushed the Blue Claws to 89-73 for a division title, ending a 14-year playoff drought. It was their first winning season since 2008. Bursa pulled off a stunning West League Championship Series 4-3 upset over 109-win Tabriz, the defending Baseball Grand Champion. Fez was the MVP of the series and finished with 24 hits, 11 runs, 8 doubles, 3 homers, 12 RBI, and 9 steals in 19 playoff starts. The Blue Claws fell in a seven-game classic against Bishkek for the ABF Championship. It ended up a one-off title run for Bursa, although they remained at or above .500 the next six seasons. The Blue Claws had playoff berths from 2023-25 with wild card first round losses for the end caps. They got the top overall seed in 2024 at 105-57, but lost the WLCS to Baku. For his playoff career, Fez had 35 starts, 40 hits, 19 runs, 17 doubles, 4 homers, 21 RBI, 36 Ks, 14 steals, .286/.306/.507 slash, 118 wRC+, and 1.2 WAR. These were his best individual seasons with Silver Sluggers in 2022-24 and 2026. Fez led thrice in doubles and WAR during this stretch and was third in 2023’s MVP voting and second in 2024. Fez won the top honor in 2022 with league and career bests for runs (139), hits (217),, total bases (415), average (.360), slugging (.689), OPS (1.103), wRC+ (177), and WAR (11.1). The 139 runs set an ABF single-season record, although it would be passed twice later on. Fez also led in RBI (143) and had his career best for homers (44) and OBP (.414). After the 2023 season, Bursa locked him up to an eight-year, $117,400,000 extension. Fez did regress a bit once he hit his 30s, but was still a solid starter through 2029. The Blue Claws fell towards the bottom of the standings in 2027 and wouldn’t be back above .500 until 2035. Fez really fell off a cliff in his last two seasons with only 0.8 WAR over 286 games. Bursa didn’t re-sign him after the 2031 campaign, becoming a free agent for the first time heading towards his age 35 season. He would soon get his #50 uniform retired though for his strong 14 seasons of service and role in their pennant. At this point, big league clubs felt Fez was washed. He settled for a job in the African Second League with Bloemfontein, putting up middling production even against the substandard A2L competition. The Beagles traded him to Blantyre for 2033 where he was a backup with only 52 games and 19 starts. After going unsigned in 2034, Fez retired at age 37. With Bursa, Fez had 2090 games, 2342 hits, 1269 runs, 587 doubles, 153 triples, 347 home runs, 1445 RBI, 468 walks, 1648 strikeouts, 814 steals, .302/.346/.552 slash, 137 wRC+, and 73.3 WAR. Fez ranks 71^st in games, 28^th in runs, 36^th in hits, 31^st in total bases (4276), 10^th in doubles, 25^th in triples, 67^th in homers, 15^th in RBI, 15^th in steals, and 55^th in WAR among position players. Among batters with 3000+ plate appearances, he is 60^th in batting average, 49^th in slugging, and his .898 OPS is 45^th. Fez isn’t an inner-circle level Hall of Famer, but he had a rock solid career and was a legitimate MVP candidate in his prime. He helped Bursa end a decade of struggles and led them to their fourth pennant. This got Fez 82.6% of the vote, enough for a first ballot nod for the Asian Baseball Federation’s two-man 2037 class. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports The Level Playing Field: Alternate MLB History From 1884-Onward Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

10-24-2025, 08:21 PM	#2522
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,128	2037 ALB Hall of Fame Designated hitter Hazem Ibrahim was Arab League Baseball’s only Hall of Famer in 2037 with a first ballot selection at 80.4%. 1B Faqi Al-Thakur barely missed the 66% requirement on his penultimate chance with 64.4% for the ninth ballot. Three others were above 50% with 1B Mohamed Ali Mansour at 58.6% on his third try, SP Muhammad Fadel at 54.1% with is fourth attempt, and SP Ahmed Essa at 54.1% in his debut. Dropped after ten ballots was 3B/2B Abdul Rahman Abu Hamal, who peaked at 32.0% in 2029 and ended at 4.8%. He had a 23-year career with six Silver Sluggers, one Gold Glove, and two championship rings with Medina. He was finals MVP in the Mastodons’ 2005 triumph. Abu Hamal had 2779 games, 2921 hits, 1381 runs, 773 doubles, 88 triples, 280 home runs, 1318 RBI, 552 walks, 1295 strikeouts, 510 steals, .283/.324/.457 slash, 112 wRC+, and 76.8 WAR. Abu Hamal is ALB’s all-time leader in doubles and ranks 8^th on the world leaderboard. He also ranks 5^th in games, 37^th in runs, 11^th in hits, 36^th in total bases (4710), 91^st in triples, 54^th in RBI, and 24^th in WAR for position players. Abu Hamal was never an MVP finalist and had almost no black ink though. Most voters dismissed him as a compiler who was merely above average for two decades. Still, holding the doubles title in ALB is a strong distinction, although Emad Tarek has a chance to catch him in either 2037 or 2038. Hazem Ibrahim – Designated Hitter – Cairo Pharaohs – 80.4% First Ballot Hazem Ibrahim was a 5’10’’, 205 pound right-handed designated hitter from El Harga, Egypt; an oasis town of about 87,000 in the center of the country. Ibrahim in his prime was a very well rounded batter against both sides, although he had a slight edge facing left-handed pitching (.980 OPS, 153 wRC+) compared to righties (.904 OPS, 140 wRC+). He had reliably strong power with good contact skills and an excellent eye for walks, although his strikeout rate was iffy. Although he never was a league leader in home runs, he was good for 40 dingers and 34 doubles per his 162 game average. Ibrahim’s baserunning skills were decent, but lousy speed limited him. He was a true designated hitter who made one start and played only 22.1 career innings in the field. Ibrahim was also one of the great ironmen and never missed time to injury, playing 140+ games each year from 2015-30. He was considered very loyal to teammates, but he also liked to get paid. Ibrahim quickly emerged as a top batting prospect out of Egypt for the 2012 ALB Draft. Despite his lack of defensive potential, he was selected #7 by Cairo. Ibrahim was still a bit raw and played only 26 games with five starts in his first two seasons. He was on the roster full-time and a part-time starter in 2015 with 5.3 WAR and 1.026 OPS over 143 games and 97 starts. That earned Ibrahim the full-time gig for the next seven seasons for the Pharaohs. He won Silver Sluggers in 2017, 18, 20, 21, and 22. After the 2017 season, he signed a five-year, $36 million extension. Cairo ended a 13-year playoff drought and Ibrahim was Western Conference Final MVP, although they were defeated by Casablanca. This started a nine-year reign atop the Nile Division for the Pharaohs. Cairo had playoff woes initially, falling to Tripoli in the 2018-19 conference finals despite having 100 and 111 win seasons, respectively. Ibrahim won his first MVP in 2018 with conference and career bests for runs (127), hits (222), total bases (433), OBP (.418), wRC+ (204), and WAR (10.4). He also had his career high for doubles (51) and batting average (.352) along with 50 homers and 125 RBI. Ibrahim had his best for RBI the next year at 148 and followed it with 147 and 145. From 2020-22, he had three straight seasons with 50+ homers. In 2020, Ibrahim was third in MVP voting. He won the award for the second time in 2021, then finished second in 2022. 2021 had his best for homers (59), and OPS (1.119) and was his second time as the leader in WAR (8.1) and wRC+ (187). He led in doubles with 51 in 2022. In 2020 and 2021, Cairo got over the Western Conference Final hump. They finally got one against Tripoli in 2020 and bested Jerusalem in 2021. The Pharaohs filled to win it all though, losing the Arab League Championship to Basra in 2020 and Jeddah in 2021. Ibrahim’s playoff stats were outstanding over 40 career starts with 55 hits, 28 runs, 14 doubles, 12 home runs, 34 RBI, 25 walks, .387/.480/.739 slash, 210 wRC+, and 3.1 WAR. Ibrahim’s 1.227 OPS is the 4^th-best in ALB playoff history among anyone with 40+ plate appearances. Cairo did also qualify as an at-large team for the 2021 Baseball Grand Championship, although they were only 8-11. Ibrahim delivered on that stage too with 21 hits, 12 runs, 5 doubles, 5 homers, 12 RBI, 1.067 OPS, 189 wRC+, and 1.2 WAR. In 2022, the Pharaohs failed to make the conference final for the first time of the streak, dropping the first round matchup to eventual ALB champ Casablanca. Although Ibrahim was very proud of his time in Cairo, he knew he could get big money with free agency coming after the 2022 season. At age 30, he left Egypt and the Arab League. In 1301 games, Ibrahim had 1553 hits, 876 runs, 330 doubles, 364 homers, 979 RBI, 541 walks, 1086 strikeouts, .325/.393/.631 slash, 172 wRC+, and 55.6 WAR. For his role in two pennant wins, Ibrahim’s #22 uniform would later be retired by the Pharaohs. Although he left Egypt, Ibrahim would continue to represent his country in the World Baseball Championship. From 2016-29, he played 103 games with 63 hits, 43 runs, 12 doubles, 26 homers, 58 RBI, .194/.319/.472 slash, and 2.6 WAR. The lone playoff berth for the Egyptians with Ibrahim was 2027. In his last year with Cairo, Ibrahim made his biggest annual salary yet at $8,400,000. He more than tripled that as he joined Major League Baseball and Phoenix in 2023 on a seven-year, $177,000,000 deal. Ibrahim would make $28 million in his best seasons financially in Arizona. He never lived up to his Cairo hype with the Firebirds, but he was still generally a reliably decent starter good for 30-40 homers and an OPS above .800. Phoenix was stuck in the middle tier in the 2020s with a lone first round exit in 2023. In six seasons, Ibrahim played 967 games with 901 hits, 510 runs, 140 doubles, 211 home runs, 548 RBI, 459 walks, 627 strikeouts, .255/.340/.477 slash, 116 wRC+, and 14.5 WAR. While not a complete bust, Phoenix officials were a bit let down that he never came close to Silver Slugger level. They voided the team option seventh year, sending Ibrahim to free agency for 2029 at age 36. He returned to ALB on a two-year, $14,400,000 deal with Baghdad. The Brown Bears were a perennial loser and struggled to 63 wins in 2029, although they did get to .500 in 2030. By this point, Ibrahim’s production stayed around the lower MLB levels even in ALB. In 311 games for Baghdad, Ibrahim had 279 hits, 172 runs, 70 doubles, 60 homers, 156 RBI, 161 walks, .251/.347/.482 slash, 111 wRC+, and 3.8 WAR. He signed a veteran minimum deal with Kuwait in 2031 and only played 31 games, although he had .970 OPS and 0.6 WAR in the small sample. Ibrahim wasn’t signed in 2032 and finally retired that winter shortly after his 40^th birthday. For his entire pro career, Ibrahim played 2610 games with 2753 hits, 1571 runs, 545 doubles, 29 triples, 640 home runs, 1693 RBI, 1169 walks, 1992 strikeouts, 110 steals, .290/.367/.556 slash, 143 wRC+, and 74.5 WAR. Just in ALB, Ibrahim had 1643 games, 1852 hits, 1061 runs, 405 doubles, 22 triples, 429 home runs, 1145 RBI, 710 walks, 1365 strikeouts, 103 steals, .311/.384/.603 slash, 160 wRC+, and 60.0 WAR. Playing six MLB seasons lowered his ALB totals, ranking 95^th in runs, 86^th in total bases (3588), 68^th in homers, 75^th in RBI, 38^th in walks, and 59^th in WAR among position players. His .987 OPS was 29^th among all ALB batters with 3000+ plate appearances and his triple slash is 78^th/20^th/40^th. The rate stats and the accolades like two MVPs helped overcome the lack of accumulations and the DH penalty that would make many Hall of Fame voters balk. The real clincher for Ibrahim was his outstanding playoff stats. He was remembered as a clutch hitter who played a big role in two conference titles and five straight conference finals trips for Cairo. Those factors and a quieter 2037 ballot made Ibrahim’s resume pop out. At 80.4%, Ibrahim was Arab League Baseball’s lone inductee for 2037. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports The Level Playing Field: Alternate MLB History From 1884-Onward Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

10-25-2025, 07:57 AM	#2523
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,128	2037 AAB Hall of Fame It was a weak Hall of Fame ballot for the African Association of Baseball in 2037 with the best debut barely cracking 20%. The open field allowed SP Labama Nkurunziza to get a big bump up to 81.8% on his third ballot, making him the lone inductee. Only two others were above 50%, but short of the 66% requirement. 1B Herve Otepa got 56.9% on his eighth try and SP Teo Tokala saw 55.4% for his fifth go. Dropped after ten failed ballots was LF Roddy Mukeshimana, who peaked at 32.7% in his debut and ended at 8.3%. His totals were hurt by playing his final five seasons with poor results in MLB for Birmingham. His AAB career was 12 seasons with Johannesburg, winning eight Silver Sluggers. Mukeshimana was twice conference finals MVP and won four pennants with the Jackalopes, although they never could win the Africa Series. With Johannesburg, Mukeshimana had 1685 games, 1426 hits, 1119 runs, 309 doubles, 53 triples, 452 homers, 1097 RBI, 1026 walks, 2014 strikeouts, 519 steals, .252/.377/.565 slash, 151 wRC+, and 57.8 WAR. Despite his success, he was never an MVP finalist and the lack of longevity kept his accumulations lower than what most voters required. Mukeshimana was a very solid Hall of Pretty Good guy and a popular figure still with Jackalopes fans. Labama “Catfish” Nkurunziza – Starting Pitcher – Antananarivo Eagles – 81.8% Third Ballot Labama Nkurunziza was a 6’6’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Kigali, the capital and largest city of Rwanda. He earned the nickname “Catfish” as that was his regular meal of choice prior to a start. Nkurunziza had very good stuff along with above average-to-good movement and control. He had a 98-100 mph fastball along with a slider and forkball and each offering was potent. In his prime years, Nkurunziza had solid stamina compared to most AAB aces. His durability was generally strong prior to some major injuries in his 30s. Nkurunziza graded well defensively, but was subpar at holding runners. He was a sparkplug type with a scrappy work ethic and high adaptability. Those traits were very important in helping Nkurunziza become the second Rwandan Hall of Famer and the first pitcher. In September 2011, a teenaged Nkurunziza left for Madagascar on a developmental deal with Antananarivo, where he would spend his entire African career. He debuted in 2015 at age 20 with poor results in five starts. Nkurunziza had a split starting/bullpen role in 2016, then was a full-time starter after that. It wasn’t until his sixth season that he put it altogether and became a true ace. Nkurunziza was third in 2020’s Pitcher of the Year voting, leading the Southern Conference with a career high 282 strikeouts. It was also his only time leading in WAR (6.6) and his best ERA at 2.88. In 2021, Antananarivo ended a 12-year playoff drought, although they were defeated in the conference final by Lilongwe despite Nkurunziza’s quality start in the series. In 2022, the Eagles finished 100-62 for the top seed and won the pennant by beating Harare. They would fall to Kampala as the Peacocks completed an Africa Series three-peat. Although Nkurunziza struggled in the playoffs, Antananarivo gave him a six-year, $80,500,000 extension in the winter. Antananarivo repeated as conference champ over the Hustlers in 2023 at 107-55 and dethroned Kampala in an Africa Series rematch. Nkurunziza had his career best WAR at 6.8, although he was lackluster again in the playoffs with a 5.29 ERA in 17 innings. He was okay in the Baseball Grand Championship with a 4.32 ERA in 25 innings, although he did strike out 38. The Eagles finished last in the event at 6-13. The Eagles had their best record yet in 2024 at 111-51 and Nkurunziza led in wins at 21-10, winning Pitcher of the Year. He also led with career bests for quality starts (21) and complete games (10). Antananarivo three-peated as Southern Conference champs by beating Lilongwe, but fell to Lubumbashi in the Africa Series. The Eagles got the at-large bid into the BGC and finished 7-12 with Nkurunziza posting a solid 2.93 ERA in 27.2 innings. On the whole though, Nkurunziza’s playoff results were surprisingly mediocre. In 89.1 innings, he had a 5.32 ERA, 94 strikeouts, 3-5 record, 31 walks, 81 ERA+, 110 FIP-, and 0.8 WAR. Some speculate that the weak playoff numbers are why Nkurunziza’s #88 uniform was never retired despite his tenure. Antananarivo made the playoffs once more in 2025, missing first place by one game to Lusaka. The Lake Monsters eliminated them in the conference final. Nkurunziza was second in 2025’s POTY voting and led in wins, innings, and strikeouts. The Eagles hovered around .500 to finish out the decade. Nkurunziza had a decent 2026, but was very average in 2027. He made it only two starts into 2028 before suffering his first major injury, a torn labrum that sidelined him nine months. Nkurunziza bounced back with a solid effort in 2029, but bone chips in his elbow ended his season in mid-August. This also ended his time in Africa, as Antananarivo let him leave for free agency at age 35. Nkurunziza opened up an international job search and found a home in Pakistan with Rawalpindi of the Asian Baseball Federation at $30,900,000 over three years. The bone chips from the prior year tanked his stamina and Nkurunziza was used as a reliever. He was a decent closer in 2030 for the Red Wings and had nice long relief in 2031. Rawalpindi was the East League runner-up the latter year with Nkurunziza giving up one run in five playoff innings. For Rawalpindi, he had a 2.45 ERA in 146.2 innings, 13-12 record, 45 saves, 170 strikeouts, 29 walks, 144 ERA+, 80 FIP-, and 2.5 WAR. He didn’t meet the vesting criteria for the third year of the deal and was a free agent for 2032. Nkurunziza stayed in ABF with Shymkent who split him between starting and relief, but he struggled to a 4.89 ERA and -0.7 WAR in 106.2 innings. He was under contract all year for Tashkent in 2033. Nkurunziza had a herniated disc in spring training, then wasn’t used all season even when healthy. He retired that winter shortly after his 39^th birthday. In AAB with Antananarivo, Nkurunziza had a 177-140 record, 3.68 ERA, 2831.2 innings, 3124 strikeouts, 914 walks, 206/371 quality starts, 71 complete games, 12 shutouts, 115 ERA+, 86 FIP-, and 56.0 WAR. Nkurunziza ranks 9^th in wins, 12^th in innings, 31^st in complete games, 31^st in shutouts, 7^th in strikeouts, and 24^th in WAR for pitchers. His ERA is 78^th among pitchers with 1000+ innings while his 1.16 WHIP is 63^rd, 7.56 H/9 is 58^th, 9.93 K/9 is 42^nd, and .697 opponent’s OPS is 78^th. Despite that resume, Nkurunziza’s bad playoff numbers hurt him with several Hall of Fame voters. The African Association of Baseball’s pitchers see far fewer innings than other world leagues, but some voters also hold their pitchers to standards more appropriate for other leagues. Thus, Nkurunziza missed the cut on his first two ballots at 65.2% and 57.4%. He got the boost up to 81.8% with a weak field in 2037, going in as the lone selection. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports The Level Playing Field: Alternate MLB History From 1884-Onward Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

10-25-2025, 09:37 PM	#2524
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,128	2037 World Baseball Championship The 2037 World Baseball Championship was the 91^st edition of the event with the host city of Izmir, Turkey. In Division 1, Australia (12-1) and the Czech Republic (11-2) dominated the field to advance. The Australians earned their ninth playoff trip and first since 2024. For the Czechs, it was their eighth playoff berth and first since the 2030-31 repeat. The three-time defending world champion United States and Poland tied atop Division 2 at 10-3 with the Americans earning the tiebreaker with their 6-2 win against the Poles. Canada (9-4) just missed out while Guatemala, Scotland, and Yemen were each competitive ta 8-5. The USA has advanced 68 times and has won a division title each year of the 2030s. Poland advanced for the 15^th time and the fourth consecutive season. Division 3 had a three-way tie for first at 10-3 between Bangladesh, Germany, and Taiwan. China (9-4) and last year’s runner-up Somalia (8-5) were both in the mix as well. The Germans were the odd team out as they had head-to-head losses against both (4-2 vs Taiwan, 6-0 vs Bangladesh). The Taiwanese were first place with their 3-2 win against the Bangladeshis. Taiwan advanced for the 12^th time and second time in five years. It was only the third postseason trip for Bangladesh, who also did it in 1984 and 2018. Malaysia rolled the Division 4 field, becoming only the fourth team in the 14-team division format with an unbeaten 13-0 record. It was also only the second-ever division crown for the Malaysians (2009). Japan (10-3) got the wild card over Ecuador (9-4), Italy (8-5), and Myanmar (8-5). The Japanese advanced for the 28^th time with six trips in the last seven years. Austria cruised in Division 5 at 11-2, advancing along with 9-4 Pakistan. Last year’s third place finisher India and Ukraine were both one back at 8-5. The Austrians have earned eight playoff trips and three in the last five years. It was the 11^th for the Pakistanis, who have done it thrice in six years. Egypt took first for D6 at 10-3 while the Netherlands moved forward at 9-4. Russia, Spain, and Uzbekistan each fell one short at 8-5. The Egyptians have ten playoff trips with half of them coming since 2032. The Dutch also have ten postseason berths, having last done it in 2031. Division 7 saw a three-way tie at the top at 10-3 between Indonesia, Peru, and Mexico. The head-to-head was a rock-paper-scissors as Peru beat Mexico 3-2, Mexico beat Indonesia 7-4, and Indonesia beat Peru 6-3. Run differential against common opponents ousted the Peruvians and gave the Mexicans first place. It was Mexico’s 37^th playoff berth and third in five years. The Indonesians have earned 32 postseason appearances and five in the 2030s. Lastly for Division 8, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (10-3) and Tanzania (9-4) prevailed while Brazil, Iraq, and Venezuela each missed at 8-5. Last year’s fourth place finisher Nigeria fell to 6-7. The DR Congo earned only its second playoff trip (2026). It was the first one for the Tanzanians, becoming the 92^nd unique nation to move forward at least once. In Double Round Robin Group A, Australia and Poland both advanced at 4-2 with Tanzania and Malaysia ousted at 2-4. The Netherlands were the top dog in Group B at 4-2 while both Indonesia and Taiwan were 3-3 with Austria at 2-4. The Taiwanese split with the Indonesians, but had the run differential advantage to advance (9-5 win, 11-10 loss). Over in Group C, Pakistan took first at 4-2 with both Mexico and Bangladesh next at 3-3 and Egypt at 2-4. The Bangladeshis had the run differential tiebreaker over the Mexicans (6-2 win, 7-4 loss). In Group D, the United States (5-1) and Japan (4-2) advanced outright while the DR Congo (2-4) and Czechia (1-5) were sent packing. Two quarterfinal matchups were 2-0 sweeps with the Australians over the Taiwanese and USA over the Bangladeshis. The Aussies earned their third-ever trip to the final four, having last done it with a fourth place in 2012. The Americans have been in the semifinal 60 times. After splitting one-run games, the Netherlands beat Poland 9-3 in game three to advance. The Dutch had been to the final four only twice before, most recently with their 2008 runner-up finish. Japan and Pakistan also split one-run games to start their quarterfinal, followed by a 8-2 Japanese win in the clincher. Japan picked up its fourth trip to the semifinal of the 2030s and 16^th overall, second-most among Asian countries behind only China (19). In the semifinal, the Netherlands earned a sweep over Australia with 2-1, 5-2, and 4-1 wins. The United States opened with a 5-1 win, followed by a 6-4 Japan victory in game two. The Americans then got back-to-back 7-5 wins, including an 11-inning result in game four. The Japanese were officially the third place finisher with the Australians fourth. The Netherlands had been in the World Championship once before, getting swept by the United States in 2008. 2037 had the same result as the Americans completed the four-peat, moving to 47-9 all-time in the finals. The US has won six of the last seven titles with a 2030s dynasty. It is the second-ever four-peat, joining the Americans’ seven straight from 1971-77. The series did have competitive games despite being a sweep. The US scored four in the bottom of the eighth inning to rally for a 7-6 win in game one. The clincher was also 7-6 final with both teams scoring once in the ninth. In the tenth, the Americans had four in the top half, while the Dutch could only muster three. The US had 269 hits for the event, tied for the second-most in WBC history. Tournament MVP was Japan’s Chishou Matsui, a 29-year old LF entering his seventh season in East Asia Baseball. After six seasons with Fukuoka, he signed with Osaka in 2036. Matsui had 32 hits, 22 runs, 4 doubles, 19 homers, 35 RBI, .421/.482/1.250 slash, 385 wRC+, and 3.2 WAR in 21 games. His WAR was the 4th-best by a position player in WBC history and one of only nine above three. Matsui’s homers ranked 4^th and his 95 total bases tied for 5^th. Best Pitcher went to Pakistan’s Jan Khaleel, a two-time Reliever of the Year winner in the Asian Baseball Federation. The 28-year old right tossed 18 scoreless innings with seven saves and a 3-0 record in ten appearances. Khaleel allowed six hits and five walks with 33 strikeouts and 1.5 WAR. Other notes: The 2037 event had four no-hitters with Myanmar’s Yazar Win on January 7, Haiti’s Gus Rene on 1/11, Peru’s Roan Herrera on 1/16, and Germany’s Urban Bruggemann on 1/17. The Germans had a team WHIP of 0.622, the second-lowest in WBC history. Below are the updated all-time tournament stats. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports The Level Playing Field: Alternate MLB History From 1884-Onward Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

10-26-2025, 09:17 AM	#2525
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,128	2036-37 Offseason The biggest payday of the 2036-37 offseason in Major League Baseball went to SS Jeffrey Mitchell. After six Silver Sluggers with Dallas, the soon-to-be 30-year old inked at $330 million over eight years with Philadelphia. He’s one of 19 players in the world set have a salary of $40 million or more for the 2037 season. The three biggest are at $53 million with Kawasaki 3B Yoshikazu Fujioka, Omaha SP Callum McGonagal, and Hiroshima 1B Hyung-Gwang Sohn. Sohn’s contract, signed prior to the 2032 season, is the largest in the world at $391,500,000 over eight years. Other big signings to new teams include 1B Takefumi Hayashi, the 2032 Japan League MVP. After starting with Utsunomiya and playing the last two years with Osaka, he opted out of his Orange Sox deal and signed for seven years and $232,500,000 with Sapporo. Prince Kofi, a nine-time Silver Slugger winning SS in West African Baseball inked a five-year, $155,000,000 deal with Abuja. The 33-year old Ghanaian was a key starter for Dakar’s 2036 WAB title. Below are the top-rated players in the world entering 2037. MILESTONE WATCH In the European Baseball Federation, veteran pitcher Nejc Novak has a chance to become the wins leader if he bounced back from a career worst 4.54 ERA from the prior year. After 20 seasons with Munich, he was traded to Dublin for 2037. The 41-yar old Slovene has 294 wins, behind only Gianfranco Marinis (302) and Jean-Luc Roch (300) for the top spot in EBF. “The King” Binh Tang is already Austronesia Professional Baseball’s career leader for runs, total bases, doubles, RBI, and WAR. The 37-year old IF is set for his 20^th season with Hsinchu and has 735 home runs, putting him in reach of Wil Tabaldo’s record 766. Tang is also second in hits with 3324, although he likely needs two seasons to catch Junior Sanchez’s record of 3564. 2B Trey Cruz is signed for 2037 with Samoa at age 40 and has 3388 hits in the Oceania Baseball Association, within reach of Adrian Kali’s OBA record 3467. Cruz also has 1837 runs with Roe Kaupa holding the #1 spot at 1963. Adding his two MLB seasons, Cruz has 3618 hits and 1954 runs. Sultan Han sits at 780 home runs in the Asian Baseball Federation, only four behind Hakan Mocuk for the league record. Barring injury, Han is likely to be the first in ABF to the 800 club. The 37-year old 1B is set for his fifth year with Hyderabad and has 35+ homers in all 15 of his full seasons. Only six players in world history have 2500+ career RBI, but West African Baseball’s Abdel Aziz Ashraf (2469) and Youssoupha Diop (2416) both can get there in 2037. Diop could become the 25^th in world history with 900+ pro home runs, entering at 884. Ashraf is #4 on the world leaderboard at 1056 and a big year could make him only the second to 1100. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports The Level Playing Field: Alternate MLB History From 1884-Onward Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

10-26-2025, 07:02 PM	#2526
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,128	2037 in A2L Five teams in the African Second League’s Southern Conference were right in the mix. Lubango and Eswatini ended up tied at 93-69, just ahead of Maseru (92-70), Reunion (89-73), and Mauritius (86-76). The Engineers rallied by winning five of their last six, but they were second to the Browns via the tiebreaker as Lubango won the season series 9-6. That gave them home field advantage and the one-game advantage for the conference final. The Browns earned their third playoff trip of the decade, but were still searching for their first-ever promotion to the African Association of Baseball’s First League. Lubango’s last playoff trip was 2031 and this was their first time in the top spot of the standings. Eswatini became the first of the eight expansion teams that started play in 2029 to earn a postseason berth. Mbuji-Mayi (98-64) and Ndjamena (94-68) ran away from the Central Conference field for the playoff spots. Kisangani (90-72), Pointe-Noire (88-74), and Bujumbura (87-75) were the closest competitors. It was the second playoff trip for the Millionaires, who earned a promotion back in 2030. The Magic earned their second playoff trip as they looked to escape their A2L stint in their sixth year. In the Southern Conference Championship, Lubango bested Eswatini 4-2 to earn their first-ever promotion. The Central Conference Championship went the distance as Ndjamena upset Mbuji-Mayi 4-3, returning to the AAB after a six-year absence. In the Second League Championship, Ndjamena defeated Lubango 5-3. Other notes: 2B Lusapho Makgetlwa won his 7^th Gold Glove. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports The Level Playing Field: Alternate MLB History From 1884-Onward Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

10-27-2025, 08:09 AM	#2527
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,128	2037 in E2L & ET3 Lisbon claimed the top spot in the European Second League’s Western Conference at 96-66. The Clippers earned back-to-back playoff berths, but it was their first time in first place since getting relegated to E2L for 2028. Glasgow had a strong shot at first, but their 2-8 finish left them in second at 92-70. The Highlanders secured their first playoff spot since getting booted back to E2L for 2033. Paris picked up its second playoff trip in three years by taking third at 91-71. The Poodles were tied for tenth at the all-star break, but rallied with a 44-19 end to the season. The final playoff spot went to 88-74 Manchester, edging out Stuttgart (87-75), Toulouse (84-78), Lyon (83-79), and Rome (83-79). The Crushers were only in their second year back in E2L. The Silver Sabres still have the misfortune of being the only original E2L team to never get promoted even once. Suffering relegation to European Tier Three was London at 58-104, finishing just worse than 62-100 Bordeaux. It was a rough plummet for the English capital, who was demoted from the European Baseball Federation’s Elite Tier the prior year. Even though the Monarchs hadn’t had a top tier playoff spot since the 1970s, it was still stunning for many to see such a prominent world city fall to ET3. Leipzig repeated as the Eastern Conference’s top finisher at 102-60 for their fourth consecutive playoff trip. Sofia was a strong second at 97-65, their first berth since their 2035 E2L return. Skopje grabbed its second berth in three years with a third place 92-70. The final playoff spot had a tight field with Bucharest and Yerevan tied at 85-77, just ahead of Copenhagen (84-78), Brno (84-78), and Dnipro (83-79). The Broncos and Valiants finished the regular season against each other with Bucharest getting the road sweep to force a tiebreaker game. In the clincher in Romania, the Broncos won 3-2 on a walkoff RBI single. Bucharest won nine of their last ten to rally for the spot. The Broncos had just gotten sent back to E2L for 2037. Palermo was by far the worst team in the conference at 58-108, 12 games behind their nearest foe Riga. The Priests fall to ET3 for the second time, having also gotten relegated after the 2033 season. They had escaped Tier Three after only one season, but hadn’t been able to build momentum in their E2L return. Glasgow was the best team from the Western Conference Round Robin at 4-2, guaranteeing promotion back to the EBF Elite after a five-year absence. Paris and Manchester were both 3-3 while top seed Lisbon was last at 2-4. The Crushers had the run differential tiebreaker over the Poodles to advance (6-1 win, 7-4 loss). Manchester was promoted back up after only a two year E2L stint. Skopje was the best of the Eastern Conference’s Double Round Robin at 4-2, also ending their E2L stay after five years. Leipzig and Sofia were both 3-3 and Bucharest was 2-4. The Lumberjacks had the run differential tiebreaker over the Spikes (6-3 win, 2-1 loss), ending Leipzig’s E2L stay after six years. Glasgow would roll to a 4-0 sweep in the Western Conference Championship over Manchester, while Leipzig downed Skopje 4-2 for the Eastern Conference crown. The Second League Championship went all seven games with the Highlanders victorious over the Lumberjacks. Other notes: Leipzig’s Teddy Colt set a bad playoff record with 34 strikeouts. Copenhagen’s Yanis Boucher had E2L’s 16^th perfect game on August 22 with 15 strikeouts facing Bratislava. Six teams were within four games of the top spot in European Tier Three. Geneva had the lead at the all-star break and narrowly held on for first at 93-69. Cyprus was one back at 92-70 to finish second. It was the first promotion for both teams, although the Crush had been a finalist in the pilot 2029 season which didn’t feature any movement. Ostrava went 8-2 in their last ten games, but fell one short at 91-71. Bilbao (90-72), Florence (89-73), and Newcastle (89-73) each had a shot down the stretch. Even Dresden (86-76), Lille (85-77), and Nuremberg (84-78) weren’t out of it entering September. In the ET3 Championship, Cyprus defeated Geneva 4-2. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports The Level Playing Field: Alternate MLB History From 1884-Onward Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

10-27-2025, 06:52 PM	#2528
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,128	2037 AAB Southern Conference Two-time defending Southern Conference champ Dar es Salaam and Johannesburg absolutely lapped the field in the African Association of Baseball. They were in an intense battle to take the top seed and with it, home field and the game advantage for the conference final. The Sabercats at 114-48 ended up taking it over the 111-51 Jackalopes, giving Dar its third straight first place finish. Johannesburg picked up its fourth playoff berth in seven seasons. Dar es Salaam matched the conference wins record set by themselves in 2004 and Cape Town in 1996. Those were all the second-best in AAB history behind Addis Ababa’s 120-42 from 2010. The Sabercats allowed the fewest runs in AAB at 618. Johannesburg had the best run differential (+332) with a record-setting offense. The Jackalopes set new AAB single-season bests for runs (1059), doubles (412), and team slugging (.537). The runs mark was second only to Douala’s 1065 from the 2033 West African Baseball season for the most in any league ever. The doubles mark ranks as the third-most in world history, only two off the record. Unsurprisingly, this chase led to record attendance for both teams. Johannesburg’s 2,273,235 was the new AAB high mark with Dar es Salaam’s 2,187,075 second. It was a sharp drop to third place Durban at 94-68, their third straight 90+ win season. Last year’s wild card Cape Town was fourth at 89-73. In the last place spot was Antananarivo at 58-104, who had just gotten promoted out of the African Second League after a six-year stint. Their nearest foes were Comoros and Lilongwe both at 65-97. Dar es Salaam dominated the top awards with 1B Ferdinand Rajerison repeating as Southern Conference MVP, getting all but one of the first place votes. The 27-year old Malagasy lefty led in home runs (69), RBI (168), total bases (442), slugging (.767), wRC+ (181), and WAR (7.3). It was his fourth straight year leading in homers and all five of his full seasons have had 60+ dingers, a remarkable start to a career. The RBI mark was the tenth-best single season in AAB history. Rajerison also had 190 hits, 113 runs, 45 doubles, .330 average, and 1.148 OPS. Shortly after the season, the Sabercats wisely gave “Shooter” an eight-year extension. They got him at a fairly low rate considering his bat at $128,700,000. The humble Rajerison was the ninth overall pick in the 2031 AAB Draft. It was an intense race for Pitcher of the Year between two Dar es Salaam arms with Sylvestre Mbiwa edging out Ydnekatchew Dinkesa. The former had 13 first place votes and 135 points compared to the latter’s 11 and 129. The Sabercats also had Mazinot Rakoto, who was third in the voting. Mbiwa led in ERA (2.99), strikeouts (308), FIP- (62), and WAR (8.7) in his seventh season with Dar. The 28-year old lefty from the Central African Republic added a 16-9 record, 246.2 innings, and 158 ERA+. As for Dinkesa, the 31-year old Ethiopian righty led in wins (24-6), innings (257), quality starts (23), complete games (14), and shutouts (3). Dinkesa had a 3.15 ERA, 254 Ks, and 7.5 WAR. He arrived in a deadline trade from Addis Ababa the prior summer and signed a four-year, $108,400,000 extension with the Sabercats in May. Dar es Salaam also had Reliever of the Year Jonathan Kabwe, who led with 45 saves and 72 games with a 1.97 ERA, 82.1 innings, and 105 Ks. The Sabercats had the one game series advantage as the top seed, but Johannesburg brought it to them right away in the Southern Conference Championship. A Hassan Salaad two-run homer in the top of the ninth inning was the difference in a 3-2 Jackalopes victory for game one. Jo’burg then cruised to a 9-0 game two win off eight shutout innings and 11 Ks from Daniel Tarekegn. The series shifted to South Africa, but Dar es Salaam bounced back with 3-2 and 4-2 road wins, giving them the 3-2 series edge. In game five, the Sabercats won 8-4 to clinch their third consecutive pennant and sixth overall (1997, 2004, 27, 35-37). In the finale, DH Ketema Gudeta went 4-5 with two homers and five RBI, which earned him series MVP. He was also the conference finals MVP back in 2035. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports The Level Playing Field: Alternate MLB History From 1884-Onward Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

10-28-2025, 08:07 AM	#2529
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,128	2037 AAB Central Conference Unlike AAB’s Southern Conference with two runaway teams, the Central Conference had four teams separated by only two wins. At the all-star break, Lubumbashi was first at 55-39, followed by 54-40 Nairobi, 53-41 Djibouti, both Kinshasa and Kampala at 52-42, and both Asmara and Bangui at 50-44. The Berserkers, Anteaters, and Badgers all fell out of the race with lousy second halves. Also irrelevant was reigning Africa Series winner Mombasa, who finished tied for fifth at 82-80 with Asmara. That left four contenders with Kinshasa posting the strongest second half at 44-24, earning them a narrow first place at 96-66. A four-game winning streak to close for Kampala earned them second at 95-67 while both Nairobi and Lubumbashi were one back at 94-68. The Sun Cats earned their third playoff trip in five years, each a first place finish. For the Peacocks, this was their first since their dynasty run of five pennants from 2018-23. Kampala suffered through a six-year stint from 2028-33 in the African Second League. Both qualifiers had a +173 run differential with Kinshasa leading the conference in scoring (929) and Kampala with the fewest runs allowed (697). Suffering relegation for the first time in franchise history was Kigali at 56-106, 13 games worse than the next closest Brazzaville. Although the Guardians hadn’t been to the playoffs since 2012, they had been reliably mid enough to avoid demotion until now. Kigali’s pitching staff set all-time conference worsts for team ERA (5.92), runs (982), earned runs (932), and team WHIP (1.627). Leading Kinshasa’s late charge was an all-time hitting season from 1B Martin Kulatilaka, who won his third consecutive Central Conference MVP. The 29-year old righty from Seychelles had only the sixth hitting Triple Crown in AAB history and set single-season records for runs scored (157) and total bases (524). The runs were the sixth-most in a season in any world league ever while the total bases ranked fifth. He had plenty of other marks that rated high on the all-time leaderboards. The “Big Train” led in hits (226), homers (83), RBI (188), triple slash (.377/.442/.875), OPS (1.316), wRC+ (220), and WAR (11.3) while adding 49 doubles. It was his fourth consecutive year leading in both homers and RBI with 68+ and 145+ in all four. The homers and RBI were both second in AAB history behind only Dagne Mersha’s 90 and 189 from 2028. In world history, it was the seventh-best homer tally and fifth-best for RBI. The slugging and OPS were second in AAB behind only Mwarami Tale’s 2009 (.886, 1.375). On the world leaderboard, Kulatilaka’s marks were third for slugging and fourth for OPS among qualifying players. His batting average also was fifth in AAB history, hit tally was 11^th, and WAR seventh for position players. Kinshasa’s offense also had Rookie of the Year 3B Joachim Kalemba, who had 38 homers and 101 RBI. Kampala’s Abdullahi Ali won his third consecutive Pitcher of the Year. His prior two seasons were considered the two best pitching efforts in AAB history and while his 2037 wasn’t that level, it was still excellent. It was his fourth straight year with 10+ WAR with only eight total 10+ WAR seasons in AAB history for any pitcher. The 25-year old Somali lefty led in ERA (3.09), strikeouts (382), K/BB (8.1), FIP- (48), and WAR (10.4). Ali had a 21-8 record in 235.2 innings, missing a third consecutive Triple Crown by three wins. Kinshasa’s Lawal Defallah had him beat there with 24 wins, but Ali was the unanimous award winner. Ali’s 382 Ks were the fifth-most in AAB history; he holds the top three spots. His 14.59 K/9 also ranked as the fifth-best qualifying mark in AAB. Two games separated Kinshasa from having the top seed or being out of the playoff entirely. Their regular season dominance of Kampala played a big role as the Sun Cats were 11-4. Kinshasa continued that with a sweep in the Central Conference Championship. They had the one-game advantage, plus 6-5, 6-5, and 7-2 wins. Game one was a classic with MVP Martin Kulatilaka’s two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth forcing extras at 5-5. In the 13^th, Delwa Alain’s RBI single brought home Yared Gebrehiwot for the walkoff. Kinshasa started up 4-0 in game two and narrowly held the lead, stranding the tying and go-ahead runs in the ninth with back-to-back strikeouts. The Peacocks were dejected after that as the Sun Cats won their AAB-record 11^th pennant (1995, 97-2000, 02-05, 33, 37). RF Malleh Dibba, the 2033 Africa Series MVP, won the conference finals MVP going 5-13 with 4 homers. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports The Level Playing Field: Alternate MLB History From 1884-Onward Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

10-28-2025, 08:26 PM	#2530
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,128	2037 AAB Africa Series The 43^rd Africa Series was the third finals meeting between Dar es Salaam and Kinshasa. The Sun Cats won their 1997 encounter, but the Sabercats got revenge in 2004. In a game one pitcher’s duel, Kinshasa opened with a solo homer by Martin Kulatilaka in the first inning. Dar tied it up in the eighth, then got the walkoff single in the ninth for a 2-1 opening win. Sebastian Malema led off with a single and eventually scored the clincher on a bases loaded walk. Game two was low scoring until the eighth, when Dar es Salaam scored six runs including a three-run bomb by Shemsu Gugsa. Kinshasa got two back, but the Sabercats held on for a 7-4 win. Then Dar es Salaam took game three 4-1 as four pitchers combined to allow only four hits. The Sabercats had a 3-0 advantage in the best-of-nine as the series shifted from Tanzania to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kinshasa got one back at home with a 5-4 win in game four, but had to rally to do it. Roldan Salazar’s home run to lead off the bottom of the ninth tied the game, then an RBI single by George Higgins brought in Charlie Senkumba. Game five would be a pitcher’s duel classic tied at 1-1 after regulation. Both teams led off with solo homers in the tenth. In the top of the 11^th, MVP Ferdinand Rajerison sent one just over the right field wall, ultimately the clincher for a 3-2 Sabercats win and 4-1 series advantage. The Sun Cats stayed alive with a 7-2 win in game six. However, Dar es Salaam absolutely unloaded for a 13-2 beat down in the game seven clincher, taking the series 5-2 for their third AAB title (2004, 2035, 2037). Ketema Gudeta, the conference finals MVP, also won Africa Series MVP by going 12-24 with 2 homers and 4 RBI. Other notes: Lusaka’s pitching staff allowed 1666 hits and Mogadishu’s gave up 1665, which were the two worst marks in AAB history. Comoros’ Jacquot Rakotobe set a single-season record with 172 singles. Zenzele Mnisi became the 24^th member of the 500 home run club. Asa Ngoie and Panya Hailemariam were the 16^th and 17^th to 1500 career RBI. Ngoie was also the 18^th to score 1500 runs. 2B Hassan Salaad won his 7^th Silver Slugger. Jan Amadhila won his 7^th Gold Glove and 6^th at shortstop. Lovemore Chisora became the third AAB closer with 400+ saves and finished the season at 433, only 11 behind Rajad Hamadi’s record 444. He passed seven-time Reliever of the Year Sipho Zuke, who added one more save for 421 in his final season. Chisora also became the AAB leader for games pitched at 895, passing Hamadi’s 887. Ghebrezgiabhier Alemayehu and Lawal Deffallah became the 11^th and 12^th AAB pitchers with 3000 career strikeouts. Two former MLB stars continued their climb up the pro baseball leaderboards in Africa, playing their final seasons in 2037. It was Jason Perazzo’s second year with Nairobi, although he stunk with only 36 games and two starts with -0.3 WAR. Still, that gave him a grand pro career total of 3283 games, 2114 runs, 3521 hits, 628 doubles, 947 homers, 2512 RBI, .947 OPS, 146 wRC+, and 107.2 WAR. On the world leaderboard, Perazzo ranks 13^th in homers, 7^th in RBI, 23^rd in runs, and 29^th in games played. Mike Rojas played only one AAB season at age 42 with Bangui and struggled to -0.7 WAR in 94 games. The four-time MVP with Cincinnati finished with pro totals of 2937 games, 3607 hits, 2046 runs, 488 doubles, 895 homers, 2336 RBI, 1.005 OPS, 188 wRC+, and 135.3 WAR. Rojas just misses the all-time top 100 for WAR among all players, but his OPS is 40^th and wRC+ 28^th among Hall of Famers and retired locks. He also ranks 28^th in homers, 15^th in RBI, and 28^th in runs scored among all players. Promotion/Relegation: Antananarivo and Kigali were both relegated to the African Second League. Lubango replaced the Eagles in the Southern Conference and Ndjamena took the Guardians’ spot in the Central Conference. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports The Level Playing Field: Alternate MLB History From 1884-Onward Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

10-29-2025, 08:42 AM	#2531
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,128	2037 ALB Western Conference The Western Conference had a slight shakeup at the top as Alexandria was the top seed at 102-60, ending a four-year playoff drought. The Astronauts had the fewest runs allowed in the WC (672) and the best run differential (+206) in all of Arab League Baseball. They had to fend off tough competition in a loaded Nile Division, which saw both wild cards. Giza (96-66) and Suez (91-71) took those slots with the Goats leading the conference with 878 runs scored. Giza’s 1687 team hits were the third-most in conference history, giving them their second wild card in three years. It was the third berth in five years for the Sabres. Cairo, who had been the conference runner-up the past two years, was the first team out at 88-74. The Pharaohs ended the season on a seven-game win streak, but the hole was too deep to climb out of. The other divisions had clear winners with Beirut atop the Levant at 98-64 and Algiers atop the Mediterranean at 96-66. The Bluebirds’ playoff streak grew to five seasons and the Arsenal earned their 14^th berth in 15 years. Defending conference champ Damascus and last year’s Mediterranean winner Oran both fell to 71-91. For the Dusters, it was their first losing season since 2026. Western Conference MVP went to Suez 1B Hamdi Bahri, who also won the honor back in 2033. The 28-year old Syrian lefty led in runs (135) and had 208 hits, 32 doubles, 52 home runs, 126 RBI, .347/.414/.678 slash, 172 wRC+, and 7.8 WAR. He’s a potential free agent after the 2038 season if the Sabres don’t re-sign him. Bahri had 26 first place votes while Beirut’s Ahmed Namil had four. Namil was the conference leader in homers (61), RBI (142), OPS (1.183), and WAR (8.0). Alexandria’s Mostafa El-Awady was Pitcher of the Year in his third season for the Astronauts. He previously won the top honor with Suez in 2033, then signed for 2035 with Alexandria at $220,200,000 over seven years. The 30-year old Egyptian lefty led in wins (20-8) while posting a 3.08 ERA in 233.2 innings, 298 strikeouts, 147 ERA+, and 8.2 WAR. Giza downed Suez 2-0 in the wild card round and gave Alexandria a challenge in the second round. After splitting the first two games (7-4 to Alexandria, 4-3 to Giza), the Astronauts survived 9-8 in 11 innings for game three. Both teams had three runs in the ninth to tie things at 7-7. The Goats scored one in the top of the 11^th, but Alexandria got a sac fly and RBI single for the walkoff, earning their first trip to the Western Conference Final since 2029. Beirut rolled Algiers with 5-1 and 5-0 wins on the other side of the bracket, giving the Bluebirds their second conference final trip in four years. Alexandria had home field advantage, but Beirut cruised to a sweep with 13-4, 2-0, and 6-1 wins. Abdul Muhaimin Akbar had eight shutout innings in game two and Ahmed Natiq gave up one run over 8.1 innings for game three. RF Kasib Al-Turab was series MVP, going 4-13 with three homers and six RBI. The Bluebirds picked up their third pennant (2004, 2034, 2037). __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports The Level Playing Field: Alternate MLB History From 1884-Onward Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

10-29-2025, 08:40 PM	#2532
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,128	2037 ALB Eastern Conference For the fourth consecutive season, the Eastern Conference had the exact same five playoff teams. For the first time in that stretch, Mecca was a division champ and the top seed. Only four wins separated the Marksmen from three other teams in the fight for the #1 spot. At 100-62, Mecca won the Arabia Division for their first-ever 100 win season and first time as the top seed. The Marksmen allowed the Arab League’s fewest runs at 660 for their fourth straight playoff trip and first division crown since 2009. They also had the top run differential in the conference at +188, six ahead of Medina. Mecca’s 397 team doubles were the second-best in ALB history. They had the best second half of any team at 46-24, allowing them to grab the top spot. The Mastodons had won the Arabia Division in all but two years from 2026-36. Medina at 96-66 earned a wild card and led in scoring at 936. In the Gulf Division, reigning ALB champ Muscat (97-65) edged out Doha (96-66). In mid-September, the Threshers had where they went 16-1, extending their playoff streak to 11 years. The Dash earned their eighth playoff trip in a row. The next closest wild card contender was Jeddah at a distant 86-76. In the Mesopotamia Division, Basra was first at 88-74 for a fifth consecutive division crown. Sulaymaniyah gave chase at 84-78 but fell just short. In his ninth season with Medina, 2B Mohammed Jamil won Eastern Conference MVP with 27 of 30 first place votes. He set the ALB single-season record with 30 triples as the Mastodons had 107 triples, the second-most in ALB history. The 29-year old Iraqi also led in total bases (429), slugging (.723), and WAR (9.6). Jamil added 212 hits, 115 runs, 37 doubles, 40 home runs, 128 RBI, .358 average, 1.134 OPS, and 185 wRC+. He had signed an eight-year, $172,800,000 extension with Medina in August 2033, but opted out after the 2037 season. Although Jamil was MVP nearly unanimously, there were other notable competitors. Mecca RF Juma Javed notably had a .413 batting average, the third-best in ALB history and ninth-best qualifying season in any world league. He was also the leader in hits (249) and OPS (1.136). Meanwhile, Kuwait’s Tarak Kraouche was the top slugger with 73 home runs and 169 RBI, ranking as the ninth and fifth-best single seasons respectively. Kraouche also led with 137 runs, but struck out 259 times for the second-whiffingest season in ALB history. Pitcher of the Year was an intense race with Doha’s Samir Shaban narrowly taking it with 15 first place votes and 160 points. Mecca’s Islam Ramadan got 12 first place votes and 150 points, while Doha’s Clifton Seepersad had three and 101. Shaban led in wins (19-6), strikeouts (321), homers (38), WHIP (0.90), and K/BB (16.9). The 26-year old Jordanian righty also had a 3.41 ERA in 222 innings and 5.8 WAR. Ramadan meanwhile led in WAR (6.2) and had a 3.42 ERA, 17-10 record, and 275 Ks. Also of note, Muscat’s Mustafa Wahib won his third Reliever of the Year. Medina had the one-game advantage in the wild card round and got their one win against Doha to advance, although it took a 5-4 win in 12 innings. Mecca swept the Mastodons in round two with 7-3 and 3-2 wins. It was only the second-ever Eastern Conference Final berth for Islam’s holy city, joining their 1996 defeat. Basra meanwhile dethroned defending champ Muscat with a road sweep on 5-3 and 8-2 wins. The Bulldogs picked up their third conference finals trip in five years and 22^nd appearance overall, the most of any ALB squad. Great pitching led Mecca to a 3-0 sweep over Basra to earn their first-ever Eastern Conference pennant. The Marksmen got 7-1, 4-2, and 2-1 wins. The finale went 10 innings with Mecca going ahead on a RBI double in the top half by Tag Mukhtar. LF Moussa Habib was series MVP going 5-11 with two homers and four RBI. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports The Level Playing Field: Alternate MLB History From 1884-Onward Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

10-30-2025, 06:40 AM	#2533
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,128	2037 Arab League Championship The 48^th Arab League Championship began in Saudi Arabia with Beirut taking a 10-4 road win over Mecca. The hits were nearly even at 12-11, but the Bluebirds cashed in on their chances, including two homers and five RBI by Ahmed Namil. The Marksmen got one back 5-4 in game two. Beirut had tied the game with a run in the top of the ninth, but Mecca ended it in the bottom half on Ben Camacho’s sacrifice fly. The series shifted to Lebanon as Beirut mauled Mecca 14-2 in game three, followed by a 9-7 Bluebirds win in game four. In game five, Beirut had a five-run eighth inning with Samih Iddaoudi’s three-run inside-the-park homer as the exclamation point. That pushed the Bluebirds to a 6-2 win, clinching the 4-1 series at home for their second Arab League crown (2004, 2037). Namil was the finals MVP in his first full season as a starter, going 7-21 with five homers and 12 RBI. Other notes: In his 16^th season starting for Muscat, RF Ahmed Yasser Basha became ALB’s all-time hits leader. It was a down year with 146 hits and 4.1 WAR as he only played 111 games because of injury. Still, Basha got to 3378 career hits, passing Nordine Soule’s record 3339 which had held since 2014. Basha also became one of 49 in world history with 650+ career doubles, but he’s still 12^th in ALB and 114 from the league best. Emad Tarek was chasing that doubles record, finishing his final season in 2037 with 754. That put him second behind Abdul Rahman Abu Hamal’s record of 773. Tarek is one of ten in world history to reach 750+ career doubles. Tunis’ Mustafa Al-Zuaiyin had 250 hits, the eighth-most in an ALB single season. In world history, it is one of only 47 seasons of 250+ hits. Sherif Abdelnaim had a 31-game hitting streak in the summer, six short of the ALB record. Hassan Shanshol had his lowest full season for stolen bases, but was still good for 94 putting him at a stellar 1900 career swipes. The 36-year old Iraqi is second in all of baseball history behind only EBF’s Carsten Dal at 1995. In 2037, Shanshol, Tarek, and Khali Allawi each reached the 3000 hit club, making 11 members in ALB. Five others reached 2500 career hits, now met by 44 ALB batters. Mohamed Neen was one of those to 2500 hits and was the 23^rd member of the 600 home run club. Basha, Mokhtar Bouziane, and Wisam Darwish grew the 500 homer club to 49 sluggers. Bouziane, Kamal Qasim, and Fekri Al-Baada were the 25^th, 26^th, and 27^th to 1500 runs scored. Qasim and Abdullah Al-Hafith made it 35 sluggers with 1500 career RBI. Qasim also won his position-record 10^th Silver Slugger in CF and is one of eight in ALB with 10+ Sluggers. RF Nathan Nasreddine won his 15th Gold Glove, becoming one of only 13 in world history to achieve the feat. He and ABF’s Hana Zuhair are the only ones to do it as right fielders. LF Karrar Mazloum won his 11^th Gold Glove, becoming the third at any position in ALB with 11+ GGs. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports The Level Playing Field: Alternate MLB History From 1884-Onward Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

10-30-2025, 06:26 PM	#2534
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,128	2037 ABF East League The Asian Baseball Federation’s East League had a competitive field as eight teams finished within eight games of the #1 seed. At the all-star break, defending EL champ Tashkent and last year’s ELCS runner-up Hyderabad had the top records at 59-41. The Tomcats held onto the top spot at 94-68 for a third consecutive North Division crown and fifth straight playoff berth. In the North, they held off Almaty (89-73), Osh (88-74), Samarkand (88-76), and Bishkek (86-76). Rawalpindi was in position to grab the #1 seed, but ended the season getting swept at Gujranwala in four games. The Red Wings still held onto the Pakistan Division at 93-69 to grow their playoff streak to seven seasons. They had the EL’s best run differential at +162 and were the top scoring team with 711 runs. Rawalpindi had 300 team home runs, tying the EL record and tying for third-most in ABF history. Faisalabad was one back on Rawalpindi at 92-70, earning the first wild card to end a 12-year playoff drought. Hyderabad was third at 89-73 and was tied with Almaty for the second wild card with Osh one back and both Samarkand and Bishkek four back. ABF doesn’t use tiebreaker games and head-to-head (6-2) gave the spot to the Horned Frogs, who had a four-game June home sweep over the Assassins. Hyderabad narrowly extended their ABF-record playoff streak to 14 years. Historic power pushed Rawalpindi CF Hafayah Razam to East League MVP, although it was still a tough battle to deny Osh’s Dzhurakhon Asadullayev his fourth MVP. Razam had 21 first place votes and 393 points, while Asadullayev had 11 first place votes and 343 points. The Red Wings acquired Razam in a January trade for Multan for four pitching prospects. He was coming off a good 2036 with 5.9 WAR and 48 homers, but he had a league-worst 223 strikeouts and a 35.0% K rate. Razam still struck out 29.4% of the time in 2037, but that doesn’t matter as much when you set the league’s single-season home run record. He smacked 79 dingers, passing Vahid Hadadi’s 74 from 1991. This was one of only 13 times in all of professional baseball history where a slugger had 79+ homers in a season. The 24-year old Pakistani also led in RBI (153) and WAR (12.3). He had a 200 wRC+ and 1.059 OPS with 151 hits, 121 runs, 19 doubles, 189 strikeouts, and .260/.327/.733 slash. As for Asadullayev, he led in runs (124), walks (103), total bases (432), OBP (.450), slugging (.767), OPS (1.217), and wRC+ (239). The 29-year old Kazakh lefty had 196 hits, 31 doubles, 67 homers, 128 RBI, .348 average, and 11.9 WAR. Asadullayev had led in OBP in each of his seven seasons so far and has led six teams in OPS and wRC+. There have been eight qualifying seasons in ABF with an OPS above 1.200; Asadullayev has half of them. He’s signed through 2042 for Osh. Pitcher of the Year was highly competitive with Namangan’s Tariq Sidqi just defeating Bishkek’s Andrei Tynkov. The former had 17 first place votes and 177 points, while the latter saw 14 first place nods and 158 points. Sidiqi was the 2036 Rookie of the Year in split starter/relief role. In 2037, the 23-year old Pakistani righty led in complete games (17), FIP- (55), and WAR (8.8). Sidiqi added a 2.11 ERA in 243.2 innings, 331 strikeouts, and 17-12 record. Trynkov was a 34-year old journeyman who had signed with Bishkek for 2037 after a four-year stint in MLB. His previous best ERA in ABF was 3.08 in 2032 with Ankara, but he surprised many in 2037 with a league-best 1.57. The Azeri righty had a 16-6 record, 217.1 innings, 310 strikeouts, and 6.2 WAR. The Black Sox signed him at five years and $39 million. Trynkov had stellar stuff with a 10/10 fastball and curveball, but his abysmal control had prevented him from sustained success. The first round opened with both division champs getting upset in the first round; Hyderabad over Tashkent 2-1 and Faisalabad 2-0 against Rawalpindi. The Fire took game one 5-3 over the Horned Frogs in the second round, but Hyderabad prevailed 12-2 and 7-5 in the next two. The Horned Frogs guaranteed a repeat appearance in the East League Championship Series and their ninth trip since 2026. Tashkent ousted Rawalpindi 2-1 to stay alive in the double-elimination bracket. Faisalabad’s pitching locked them down though for 3-0 and 4-1 wins in round two, eliminating the defending EL champ. The Fire picked up their first ELCS trip since their four consecutive trips from 2021-24. Faisalabad earned another shot at Hyderabad and would have home field for the series. Hyderabad opened with a 4-3 road win with a go-ahead solo homer in the ninth by Khalaf bin Abdullah. Faisalabad evened the series on a 5-0 win, getting a three-hit shutout with 11 Ks from Caglar Alatli. The Horned Frogs hosted game three and won 1-0 as five pitchers combined for a three-hit shutout. Sultan Han, the new ABF career home run leader, had the game’s only run with a solo bomb in the fourth inning. Faisalabad evened the series on a 4-1 road win, taking the lead on a three-run eighth. Hyderabad dominated game five 11-4 to claim the 3-2 series lead. Now back at home, Faisalabad won game six 2-0 on another complete game shutout by Alatli, this one a six-hitter with 12 Ks. The decisive game seven saw both teams with a solo run in the fourth inning. In the sixth, Faisalabad’s Rasiwala Batool put him squad ahead on a two-run homer to left. Hyderabad got one back in the eighth, but the Fire survived for a 3-2 win to earn their fourth pennant (2011, 2014, 2021, 2037). It was an impressive return to form for Faisalabad, who averaged 69 wins per season from 2025-36. Batool was the series MVP, going 12-35 with three homers and nine RBI. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports The Level Playing Field: Alternate MLB History From 1884-Onward Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

10-31-2025, 08:41 AM	#2535
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,128	2037 ABF West League Baku’s reign as the Western League’s top seed and West Division champ grew to nine seasons. It was their ninth straight 100+ win season of the streak at 101-61, ending their historic run of seven years with at least 110+ wins. Reigning Asian Baseball Federation champ Bursa was a competitive second at 96-66 for their third straight wild card. Baku had the best mark at the all-star break at 61-40, allowing them to fend off the Blue Claws challenge. Bursa had ABF’s best run differential (+194) and most runs at 837. The Blue Claws had 414 doubles, which tied the world record for most doubles by any team in any season. The Arab League’s Riyadh had also gotten 414 back in 2019. The Division also had Ankara (87-75), Istanbul (84-78), Adana (83-79) and Gaziantep (82-80) with decent efforts, although those squads each fell short in the wild card hunt. Ahvaz was 61-41 at the all-star break and held onto the Central Division at 94-68. It was the second playoff trip in four years for the 2030 expansion squad and their first division title. Tabriz had won the division with 105+ wins in the prior three years. The Tiger Sharks dropped to 89-73, but that allowed them to edge out Isfahan (88-74) and Ankara (87-75) for the second wild card. The Imperials were doomed by a 28-33 record after the break compared to Tabriz’s 36-25. Tabriz has seven playoff berths in the last eight seasons. Baku DH Artyom Masharipov joined the legendary Nizami Aghazade as the only players in ABF history with six or more MVPs. He had previously won the West League’s top honor in 2030, 31, 32, 34, and 35 for the Blackbirds. It was Masharipov’s second MVP as a primary designated hitter, with the first four wins coming at first base. The 33-year old Azeri lefty was unanimous MVP as he led in home runs (65), RBI (144), total bases (459), slugging (.755), OPS (1.136), and wRC+ (218). Masharipov added 201 hits, 130 runs, 49 doubles, .331 average, and 10.1 WAR. It was his seventh time leading in homers as he became ABF’s 11^th member of the 600 home run club in September. Bursa’s Refik Sagir won a competitive battle for Pitcher of the Year with 14 first place votes and 152 points. Close behind was Baku’s Alikhan Molotov with 11 first place votes and 145 points, as well as Izmir’s Shaukat Rizvi with 7 first place nods and 140 points. It was a repeat win for Sagir, who was still only in his third season. The 25-year old Turkish lefty led in innings (262.1) and shutouts (4). The former #3 overall pick had a 17-9 record, 3.09 ERA, 307 Ks, and 5.8 WAR along with a Gold Glove win. Molotov meanwhile was the leader in ERA (2.45) and wins (18-5). The 29-year old Azeri lefty had 240 strikeouts and 5.9 WAR in 220.2 innings. It was Molotov’s first time as a POTY finalist and he signed a four-year, $74 million extension with the Blackbirds in April. Rizvi, the third contender, had a 2.65 ERA in 255 innings, 16-11 record, 261 Ks, and 6.2 WAR. The playoffs opened with wins for both wild card teams with Tabriz over Baku 2-0 and Bursa over Ahvaz 2-1. The Tiger Sharks topped the Blue Claws 5-3 and 5-0 in round two, sending Tabriz to its third West League Championship Series in four years. In the loser’s bracket, Ahvaz swept Baku, making four straight years for the Blackbirds without a pennant despite the top seed. This was the first-time in their epic streak that Baku didn’t win a single playoff game. Bursa ousted Ahvaz on 6-4 and 8-7 wins, getting a walkoff in the latter. The defending champion Blue Claws earned a rematch with Tabriz and had home field advantage to boot. Bursa had gone 6-2 against the Tiger Sharks in the regular season, although that hadn’t helped them in the second round. The Blue Claws started the WLCS hot with 6-2 and 3-2 home wins. The series shifted to Iran with Tabriz taking game three 5-2. Bursa secured a dramatic 4-3 road win for a 3-1 series lead, going ahead on a two-run Naanin Kazem homer in the top of the ninth. The Tiger Sharks got one back on a solo homer in the bottom half, but the other batters were each struck out looking. Tabriz’s offense came alive with 18 hits for an 11-6 game five win, forcing the series back to Turkey. In game six, Tabriz had a four-run seventh with a two-RBI single by pinch hitter Rahid Hasanov, followed by a two-run Rasimcan Ozerk bomb. Bursa had a solo homer in the ninth, but came up short 5-4, forcing game seven. The Blue Claws opened the clincher with a two-RBI double by Gokberk Altun in the first inning and a RBI double by Tao Yang in the second. Tabriz got on the board in the sixth with a leadoff Nesuhi Cinar triple, who came home on a groundout. Sanaul Ali then had an inside-the-park solo homer to put the score at 3-2. The Tiger Sharks got two hits to start the seventh, but the first runner was thrown out trying to stretch out a double. The second succeeded in the double, but was stranded at second. Tabriz wouldn’t get on base again with five strikeouts in the final two innings, allowing Bursa to hold onto the 3-2 advantage. Pitcher of the Year winner Refik Sagir in the clincher struck out 17 over 8.2 innings with six hits and two runs allowed. 3B Nazanin Kazem was series MVP going 13-35 with two homers and six RBI. The Blue Claws repeated as West League champs and won their sixth pennant (1999, 2001, 2004, 2020, 2036, 2037). __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports The Level Playing Field: Alternate MLB History From 1884-Onward Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

10-31-2025, 09:44 PM	#2536
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,128	2037 ABF Championship The 53^rd Asian Baseball Federation Championship began in Bursa as the defending champs opened with a 3-2 win over Faisalabad. All three Blue Claws runs came in the eighth inning, capped off by Carlinhos Alexandre’s two-run homer. Bursa took game two 6-2 then got a 4-3 road win. Faisalabad refused to be swept, claiming game four 6-4 thanks to a four-run seventh inning. The Fire entered the ninth inning of game five down 3-1, but back-to-back solo homers to start the inning evened it up. Issiaka Mengue reached on an error and made his way to third with two steals. That enabled Aswad Ansari to bring him in on a sacrifice fly for a 4-3 walkoff win for Faisalabad, forcing the series back to Turkey for game six. Back at home, Bursa’s bats locked up the series on an 11-5 game six win with 15 hits, seven for extra bases. The Blue Claws became three-time ABF champs with their repeat (2004, 2036, 2037) and are the first Turkish team to repeat since Istanbul’s 2007-08 efforts. Part-time starter Tae-Won Kim was finals MVP with a 9-24 series, grabbing two homers and five RBI. Saeed Sahar had a strong series with three runs allowed over 16 innings, bouncing back after earlier postseason struggles. For the whole postseason, he allowed a new ABF-worst 50 hits and had a 5.22 ERA. Other notes: Sultan Han entered the season only four behind Hakan Mocuk’s 784 to become ABF’s all-time home run king. He crushed 62 dingers in his fifth season for Hyderabad to blow by the record, putting him at 842. Han is now 42^nd on the all-time world home run leaderboard. He’s at 1917 RBI, still likely two good years away from catching Mocuk’s 2132. Han clearly still has it though with 8.4 WAR and 1.027 OPS in 2037 at age 37. He now has 121.7 career WAR to move into 2^nd among all ABF players, although Nizami Aghazade’s 183.1 is unreachable. Han also became ABF’s 9^th batter with 600+ doubles. He has 5959 total bases, primed to pass Mocuk’s 6012 for that top mark. Han is also 3^rd in ABF with 1717 runs scored behind Mehmet Fatih Canaydin’s 1880 and H.A. Rahman’s 1724. In other hitting milestones, Youssouf Raza became the 3^rd in ABF with 700 homers and Khalaf bin Abdullah was the 10^th to 600 dingers. Raza, Majed Mahadeen, and Koji Pareevash made it eight guys with 1500 runs scored and 23 with 2500 hits. Pareevash also became the 12^th to 1500 RBI. Mahadeen set the ABF single-season record for stolen bases with 123, besting Abdul Rahman Karwan’s record 121 from 1993. In pitching milestones, Shahrokh Morteza and Mansoor Kayam became the 16^th and 17^th to 4000 strikeouts. Halawani Ahmad became the 31^st to 3500 Ks. Morteza and Ibrahim Tolibov were the 22^nd and 23^rd to reach 200 career wins. SS Vugar Sodikov won his 11^th Silver Slugger, becoming the 4^th in ABF with 11+ Sluggers. LF Cihat Cetinkaya won his 10^th consecutive Gold Glove. He has the position record and is one of six in ABF with 10+ GGs. On June 28, Ahvaz’s Ahmad Minoo had ABF’s ninth-ever four home run game against Tehran. Gaziantep’s Majed Namangan’s offense drew only 238 walks all season, an ABF team worst. Asgabat’s offense had 1836 strikeouts, the worst-ever in the West League. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports The Level Playing Field: Alternate MLB History From 1884-Onward Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

11-01-2025, 06:48 AM	#2537
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,128	2037 SAB Indian League Visakhapatnam dominated the Indian League field at 112-50 with the fewest runs allowed (510) and best run differential (+269) in South Asia Baseball. The Volts also led the IL with 779 runs scored. It was their third straight playoff trip, but first South Division title since 2033. Visakhapatnam has had only winning seasons since 2022 with 11 division titles and 13 playoff berths. Kolkata at 98-64 repeated as Central Division champ easily and got their fourth playoff berth in five years. In the West Division, Mumbai (96-66) finished on a six-game winning streak to edge out defending IL champ Pune (94-68). The Meteors earned their third berth in four years, while it was three straight for the Purple Knights as the first wild card. Bengaluru at 92-70 got the second wild card to end a 31-year postseason drought. The Blazers were nine games better than their nearest competitors for the last spot. Visakhapatnam dominated the major awards, led by Indian League MVP Iqbal Bhaktaraja in only his third season as a starter. The 23-year old Malaysian third baseman led in total bases (390), slugging (.655), OPS (1.026), wRC+ (176), and WAR (8.1). Bhaktaraja had 202 hits, 110 runs, 45 doubles, 47 home runs, 118 RBI, and a .339 average. The only other person who got MVP first place votes was Pitcher of the Year Thar Tan Min with a major breakout year. The 29-year old Burmese lefty had been unremarkable in his first six seasons between Can Tho and Hyderabad. Visakhapatnam signed him at $15,080,000 over four years for 2037 and he emerged as an ace, leading in innings (255), complete games (12), and shutouts (6). Min had a 21-8 record, 2.47 ERA, 302 strikeouts, 169 ERA+, and 6.7 WAR. Pune earned 7-2 and 2-1 wins over Bengaluru in the wild card round. The defending champs then not only upset top seed Visakhapatnam in the divisional series, but swept them with 8-3, 4-2, and 5-4 wins. The game three clincher went ten innings, giving the 2037 Volts one of the all-time playoff flops. The Purple Knights advanced to the Indian League Championship Series for the 12^th time in franchise history. The other side of the bracket saw Mumbai with a road sweep of Kolkata on 5-0, 5-3, and 2-1 wins, sending the Meteors to their third ILCS in four years. The divisional rivals had been fairly even in the regular season with Pune taking the season series 10-8. Mumbai opened with a 4-2 home walkoff win on a Thar Sone Mon two-run home run. In game two, the Meteors scored in the ninth to tie the game at 2-2, but the Purple Knights picked up the 3-2 win in the tenth. Dana York drew a one-out walk, stole two bases, then scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch. Mumbai got their win back in game three 4-2. Pune evened it 6-5 in game four thanks to Taskin Hasan’s three-run walkoff homer. The Purple Knights held on 3-2 in game five to take the 3-2 series lead headed back to Mumbai. Pune went up 4-0 early in game six. The Meteors got a three-run homer in the eighth, but went one-two-three in the ninth. The Purple Knights held on for the 4-3 win to take the series in six games. The repeat gives Pune seven Indian League titles (1981, 83, 84, 2019, 27, 36, 37). Catcher Thanh Duong was series MVP, going 8-20 with one homer and 4 RBI. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports The Level Playing Field: Alternate MLB History From 1884-Onward Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

11-01-2025, 06:19 PM	#2538
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,128	2037 SAB Southeast Asia League The Southeast Asia League was top heavy with three teams fighting for the top seed. The best two battled in the Central Division as reigning South Asia Baseball champ Hanoi (108-54) held off 105-57 Yangon. The Hounds had the fewest runs allowed in SEAL at 625. The Green Dragons are back in the playoffs after getting only their third miss since 1995 the prior year. Yangon won a lot of close games, as their 68 team saves set a single-season SAB record. South Division champ Da Nang was in the mix for the #1 seed at 104-58 having scored 1010 runs, a new SAB record. The Nailers had SEAL’s best run differential at +244 for repeat division crowns. Da Nang and Yangon both had a team .355 OBP, tying for the new SAB record. The Green Dragons also had a .304 team batting average, the second-best in SAB history. Rajshahi was 60-39 before the all-star break, which allowed them to hold onto the West Division despite a sub-.500 second half. The Red Pandas at 90-72 became the first of the 2030 expansion teams to earn a playoff spot. Mandalay was next at 87-75 for only their second playoff miss since 2026. The Mammoths ended up two games back in a tight race for the second wild card. Colombo and Ho Chi Minh City finished even for that spot at 89-73, just ahead of 88-74 Korat and 87-75 Mandalay. The tiebreaker game was a classic with the Catfish scoring solo runs in the eighth and ninth to force extras tied at 4-4. The Hedgehogs went ahead on a RBI single in the top of the 11^th. In the bottom half, Rick Tam got a two-run homer that just cleared the right field corner fence, giving Colombo the 6-5 walkoff win. For the Catfish, this was their second playoff trip in three years and their fifth of the decade. The loss ended an eight-year playoff streak for Ho Chi Minh City. Two notable streaks also ended in 2037. Dhaka finished 70-92, their first losing season since 2020. Meanwhile Phnom Penh was 82-80, their first time above .500 since 2019. Yangon LF Davinder Abhik was the unanimous Southeast Asia League MVP in his third season with the Green Dragons. The 29-year old Indian lefty also won the Indian League’s MVP back in 2031 with Chennai. He joined up with Yangon for 2035 on an eight-year, $166,400,000 free agent deal. Abhik’s 2037 included his fourth Silver Slugger and MVP honors in the all-star game. Abhik led SEAL in runs (138), hits (232), RBI (156), total bases (411), stolen bases (122), OBP (.425), and WAR (10.1). He added 36 doubles, 16 triples, 37 homers, .375 average, 1.089 OPS, and 187 wRC+. Abhik’s 122 steals tied as the sixth-best in SAB history. At age 35 in his 11^th year with Hanoi, Advaith Basava surprised many by taking Pitcher of the Year. The Indian lefty had only been a finalist once before. Basava led in ERA (2.20), WHIP (0.86), shutouts (4), FIP- (53), and WAR (7.2). He had an 18-3 record over 200.2 innings and 264 strikeouts with a 211 ERA+. 105-win Yangon was a heavy favorite in the wild card round and opened with a 9-4 win, but Colombo shocked them with back-to-back 3-1 wins for the upset. The Catfish got a game two win against top seed Hanoi in the divisional series, but couldn’t keep the magic going as the Hounds won the series 3-1. This was Hanoi’s 17^th appearance in the Southeast Asia League Championship. Da Nang swept Rajshahi on the other side of the bracket to set up a finals rematch with Hanoi as the Nailers looked for their first pennant. In game one, Da Nang went ahead in the ninth for a 5-4 road win. Hanoi evened the series with a 3-1 win in game two with all runs scored in the eighth inning. The Hounds claimed the advantage on a 6-3 road win for game three. Da Nang matched with a 12-2 blowout in game four. Hanoi countered with their own 14-2 blowout to take a 3-2 series lead back home. The Nailers rolled 8-3 in game six to force game seven. Da Nang was up 4-1 early, but Hanoi gained control on a six-run fourth inning. The Nailers tried a late rally with three runs in the ninth but the Hounds survived for an 11-9 win to repeat as SEAL champs. 1B Saad Khan was series MVP going 11-28 with 1 homer and 7 RBI and was 3-3 with three runs and three RBI in game seven. This was Hanoi’s eighth Southeast Asia League crown (1985, 2007, 08, 10, 13, 16, 36, 37) __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports The Level Playing Field: Alternate MLB History From 1884-Onward Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

11-02-2025, 07:53 AM	#2539
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,128	2037 SAB Championship The 58^th South Asia Baseball Championship was the first repeat finals matchup since Ho Chi Minh City versus Bengaluru from 2003-04 and the many Hedgehogs versus Ahmedabad battles of the 1990s. Pune opened with a 4-1 road win over Hanoi, led by Brian Truong’s effort with one unearned run, four hits, and 10 strikeouts over 7.2 innings of work. The Hounds responded with an emphatic 10-1 game two victory to even it as the series shifted to India. Hanoi clobbered Pune again 13-2 in game three, but eight innings with one run from Rony Hassan propelled the Purple Knights to a 7-1 victory for game four. Pune led 5-1 for most of game five, but a four-run ninth tied it up. The Purple Knights avoided the collapse with a Thar Thang Win walkoff single in the bottom half. The 6-5 win put Pune up 3-2 in the series, but they’d need to get another win in Vietnam to claim the cup. In game six, Hanoi grabbed a 4-2 home win to keep the repeat bid alive. The highly anticipated game seven was anticlimactic with a dominant 9-1 Hounds win, making them six-time SAB champs (2007, 08, 13, 16, 36, 37). 3B Mohamad Kazi was series MVP, going 12-25. Pune rookie LF Cong Loc Huynh was notable in defeat as he tied the SAB playoff record with 10 doubles. Other notes: On April 16, Da Nang’s Janisthra Pran had SAB’s 12^th four-home run game against Can Tho. Zulfiker Barua and Jasper Ha became the 41^st and 42^nd members of the 500 home run club. Barua and Alexander Thongsuk both reached 1500 RBI, now met by 27 SAB sluggers. Thongsuk was also the 44^th to 2500 hits. Arumugampilllai Raman, Emeka Rahman, and Rony Hassan made 53 pitchers with 3000+ strikeouts. 3B Vatish Bharat won his 10^th Gold Glove and SS Madfai Mirza grabbed his 9^th. They are among only eight SAB players with nine or more Gold Glove wins. Nagpur had historically bad pitching as they finished 50-112, the second-worst record in Indian League history. The Patriots set all-time IL worsts for team ERA (5.27), hits allowed (1708), runs (912), earned runs (837), H/9 (10.76), and WHIP (1.510). Can Tho at 60-102 set SAB and SEAL worsts for ERA (5.83), runs (969), earned runs (927) and team WHIP (1.552). __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports The Level Playing Field: Alternate MLB History From 1884-Onward Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)

11-02-2025, 07:17 PM	#2540
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,128	2037 WAB Western League Bissau and Accra had the Western League’s top records at the all-star break and were able to hold onto their division titles despite lackluster ends to the season. The Bullets were 2-8 on their last ten, but won the North Division at 95-67 and got the top seed. It was the first playoff spot for the 2030 expansion squad, who allowed the WL’s fewest runs at 738. Defending West African Baseball champion Dakar took the second place slot in the North at 91-71, holding off 88-74 Bamako. The Dukes led the WL with 942 runs and had the best run differential at +136. Dakar grew its playoff streak to 14 seasons, tying Kumasi (1978-91) for the longest streak in WAB history. The Alligators allowed 739 and won the South Division at 94-68. While it was Accra’s third straight playoff berth, their only previous first place finish in the standings was back in their lone championship season of 1996. Last year’s division champ and WLCS runner-up Daloa took the wild card at 88-74, holding off 86-76 Monrovia and 83-79 Kumasi and Abidjan. Western League MVP went to 1B Daouda Adamou in his Dakar debut. The 27-year old Nigerien lefty was the #1 draft pick in 2029 by expansion Touba and played well with 5+ WAR seasons from 2033-36. However, the Twins didn’t expect to be able to lock him up long-term. In December 2036, he was traded for the Dukes for SP Ben Traore and SS prospect Goue Toure. Adamou immediately delivered for Dakar, who signed him to a three-year, $63,200,000 extension after the 2037 season. Adamou led the WL in RBI (143) and total bases (402). He had 203 hits, 126 runs, 46 doubles, 49 home runs, a .337/.425/.668 slash, 171 wRC+, and 7.1 WAR. He also hit for the cycle on August 1 against Monrovia. Accra’s Mohammed Otu repeated as Pitcher of the Year and won his third ERA title at 2.74. The 26-year old Nigerian lefty also led in strikeouts (306) and quality starts (19) for the first time with a 63 FIP- and 167 ERA+. Otu had a 16-6 record over 193.2 innings with 6.5 WAR. The stepladder postseason began with Daloa getting a 5-2 upset win over Dakar, although the Dukes evened it 6-3 in game two. Dakar held off a late rally in the finale 8-7 to advance. Accra opened round two with a 5-2 win, but Dakar grabbed 5-2 and 7-4 road wins to oust the Alligators. The big moment came in the top of the ninth in game two, a three-run home run by Jonas Verbickas. Dakar earned a third straight trip to the Western League Championship Series and their tenth trip since 2025. Even on the road, many felt the defending champs were the favorite over a first-time WLCS squad in Bissau. The Dukes had won the season series 9-6, although the Bullets finished four games ahead of them in the division. The series was intense from the start with a 13-inning game one. Leonardo Fonseca had six fall balls in his at-bat before finally ending it on a walkoff single for the 6-5 Bissau win. The defeat didn’t faze Dakar as they claimed game two 10-5 to even the series as it shifted to Senegal. They took the advantage on a 4-1 victory in game three. In game four, both teams scored two runs in the first inning. The only other run was in the bottom of the eighth on a Rick Burns RBI single that scored Youssoupha Diop. The 2-1 win clinched the series in four games for Dakar for repeat pennants and their 11^th overall (1988, 2012, 13, 16, 25, 27, 29, 30, 32, 36, 37). 3B Rudy Caron won series MVP going 6-13 with three runs. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports The Level Playing Field: Alternate MLB History From 1884-Onward Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)