Baseball: The World's Game

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The 62^nd South Asia Baseball Championship had Da Nang looking to resume its dynasty. The Nailers won their first-ever title in 2038 at 114-48, then went 122-40 and lost the 2039 final to Visakhapatnam. It was the third-ever finals trip for Jaipur, who won in 2006 and lost in 2009. Da Nang was a huge favorite having won 21 more games than the Jokers, but the Nailers had to come back from down two games in both of their previous series.

Da Nang avoided the slow starts from earlier in the postseason, opening with 3-1 and 2-1 home wins. Jaipur took game three at home 7-6, but the Nailers snagged the next game 4-1 and 7-1 to clinch the series in five in India. 3B Chhoeun Hok was series MVP, going 10-19 with five homers and nine RBI. In the finale, the 26-year old Cambodian 3B went 3-5 with two homers, three RBI, and three runs.



It was a historic run for Hok, who set the SAB playoff record for total bases (66) and tied the record for runs scored (19). In 17 playoff starts, he had 30 hits, 7 doubles, 9 homers, 19 RBI, a .411/.419/.904 slash, 257 wRC+, and 1.7 WAR. Hok’s effort ranked as the second-most hits and sixth-most homers in a SAB playoff run. It was a big breakout in Hok’s first year as a full-time starter, getting 48 homers, 1.015 OPS, and 8.1 WAR in the regular season. He also had a 29-game hitting streak in the spring.

Other notes: Alexander Thongsuk was the 9^th to 3000 hits, playing the last of a 20-year run mostly with Mandalay. The Thai OF had 3022 hits, 1669 runs, 576 doubles, 720 home runs, 1850 RBI, .946 OPS 147 wRC+, and 88.9 WAR. Thongsuk retires 9^th in hits, 11^th in runs, 9^th in homers, 8^th in RBI, but 33^rd in WAR among position players.

SS Madfai Mirza won his 13^th Gold Glove, joining 3B Manju Abbas as the only 13+ GG winners in SAB history. Mirza is one of 31 in world history with 13+ Gold Gloves and the 5^th to do it exclusively playing shortstop. Felix Brown was the 22^nd member of the 600 home run club. Brown, Isa Yazdani, and Tokiya Oshima each reached 1500 RBI, a mark met by 32 sluggers in SAB. Hamidul Islam and Chanratana Try were the 28^th and 29^th to 1500 runs scored. Islam and Kap Mitanu grew the 2500 hit club to 52 members.

Surat’s Jav Kumar had a 20 strikeout game on March 24 against Ahmedabad, missing the SAB single-game record by one. In other pitching notables; Jirayu Chanthara was the 18^th to 200 wins, Brian Truong was the 58^th to 3000 strikeouts, and Phillip Da Silva was the 25^th to 300 saves.

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No one team was overwhelmingly dominant in the Western League. At the all-star break, Nouakchott had the best record at 60-37, six games ahead of Banjul in the North Division, while defending WL champ Bissau was nine back. In the South Division, Kumasi and Bouake were tied for first at 57-39, but both Accra and Monrovia were in striking distance.

The Night Riders’ strong start allowed them to fend off the Bucks in the North, although Banjul had the best post-break record in the WL at 40-25. Nouakchott took the top seed at 97-65, followed by the Bucks at 94-68. The Night Riders ended a five-year playoff drought and guaranteed their first Western League Championship Series trip since 2031.

Banjul grabbed its third playoff trip in four years. The Bullets were 83-79, ending their four year playoff streak. Also of note, Dakar collapsed to last place at 61-101, ending a 17-year run of winning seasons for the Dukes. Nouakchott had the WL’s best run differential at +161.

The Monkeys and Blood Hawks remained even in the South Division at 93-69, finishing just ahead of last year’s WLCS runner-up Accra (90-72), Monrovia (88-74), and Abidjan (83-79). Kumasi narrowly won the season series 9-7 over Bouake, giving them the division title as a tiebreaker.

Although it was their second playoff trip in three years, this was the first division crown since 2002 for the Monkeys. The Blood Hawks earned repeat wild cards. Daloa, the WL champ in 2038-39, fell off to 71-91. It was Monrovia with the WL’s most runs (891) and Bissau with the fewest allowed (693).



Boauke’s LF Mohamed Hamden and DH Adama Aidara split the first place votes for Western League MVP, but Hamden had more points (342-333) to take the honor. Aidara was notably West African Baseball’s home run leader with 61 and had the best slugging (.776) and OPS (1.136), but lost some value as a DH.

Hamdan meanwhile led in hits (225), total bases (414), average (.361), and WAR (7.3). The 27-year old lefty from Chad added 115 runs, 56 doubles, 41 homers, 119 RBI, 1.063 OPS, and 174 wRC+. Hamdan has one year left under team control for the Blood Hawks.

Pitcher of the Year was also tight between two Nouakchott arms. The Reliever of the Year winner Louis Quee had the most first place votes with 15, but just lost out on points (143-136) to starter Gjord Andersen. Andersen had 12 first place votes, while Accra’s Youssef Awada (2) and Banjul’s Rachid Habibou (1) both got first place nods. Andersen was a 35-year old Norwegian, who came to WAB in 2035 after an eight-year run in Europe. After stints with Lagos and Abuja, he joined the Night Riders in 2039 on a four-year deal.

The 6’6’’ righty was the leader in WAR (7.3), quality starts (20), and complete games (12). Andersen had a 3.42 ERA, 252.2 innings, 15-11 record, 246 strikeouts, 132 ERA+, and 72 FIP-. His teammate Quee notably had 90.1 innings in relief with 38 saves, a 1.59 ERA, 150 Ks, 282 ERA+, 39 FIP-, and 4.9 WAR.



Round one opened with Banjul besting Bouake 6-3 and 10-9. The Bucks kept rolling with 2-0 and 3-2 road wins over Kumasi in the second round. Game two went ten innings with Banjul getting solo runs in the ninth and tenth innings, the latter on a solo homer by Hakeem Baba. The Bucks earned their second Western League Championship Series trip in three years, with both of their previous pennants in the mid 2010s.

Nouakchott stopped Banjul’s momentum with a pair of 5-3 home wins. The Bucks responded with 4-3 and 10-3 wins back in Gambia. Back in Mauritania for game five, the Night Riders prevailed 6-3 to end a 43-year pennant drought and earn the franchise’s third pennant (1984, 1997, 2041). Banjul CF Pierre Hassan was WLCS MVP in a losing effort, going 11-20 with one homer, five RBI, and five runs.

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It was Abuja with the Eastern League’s best record at the all-star break at 61-35, although Benin City was right behind them in the Interior Division at 59-36. Lagos led the Coastal Division at 58-38, but Lome and the two-time defending West African Baseball champ Libreville were right in the mix. The Blue Devils had the best finish at 44-23, while the Aliens were middling at 34-32. That allowed Benin City to take the top seed and the Interior Division at 103-59, guaranteeing repeat ELCS trips.

Abuja’s earlier success allowed them to finish 95-67, fending off Kano (93-69), Jos (91-71), and Niamey (88-74) for second. This was the second playoff trip in five years for the 2030 expansion Aliens. The Jaspers were the top-scoring team in WAB at 919 runs. Ibadan’s five-year playoff streak ended with a hard thud, as the Iguanas fell hard to 64-98.

Both Lome and Libreville had strong second halves, allowing them to pass Lagos in the Coastal Division. The Lasers grabbed first at 99-63 and allowed the fewest runs (660), ending a 12-year playoff drought. Lome hadn’t been a division champ since 2015. The Lakers took second at 97-65 to keep the three-peat bid intact. Libreville’s playoff streak grew to eight, although this was their first sub-100 win season in the run. The Lizards ended up missing the cut at 95-67, ending third for back-to-back seasons. Libreville and Abuja tied for the best differential at +164.



Eastern League MVP went to Abuja DH Milton Sempa with 25 first place votes. Libreville 3B Kossi Wilson had one, but was second in points, while five-time MVP Ram Lengani with Douala had four first place votes. Lengani notably was the leader in home runs with 58. Wilson was second in WAR at 8.9. The winner Sempa was the WARlord (9.2) even with the penalty of being DH.

Sempa also was the leader in runs (148), triples (30), and total bases (454). The 26-year old lefty from South Sudan had 227 hits, 35 doubles, 44 homers, 131 RBI, .367/.429/.735 slash, 1.164 OPS, and 191 wRC+. Sempa also hit for the cycle in September against Ouagadougou and had a 25-game hit streak. The Aliens extended him in the offseason at $133,300,000 over eight years.

Lome’s Christopher Daniel had a breakout year as Pitcher of the Year, leading in ERA (1.96), strikeouts (305), WHIP (0.87), quality starts (23), FIP- (52), and WAR (8.0). The 23-year old Nigerian righty missed the Triple Crown by two wins at 19-7 and pitched 197 innings with a 226 ERA+. This was Daniel’s first full season, having missed much of 2039-40 to a damaged elbow ligament. He’s the first qualified starter since 2012 in the high-scoring WAB to have an ERA below two, one of only 34 to achieve the feat.

Also of note, Lagos’ Thad Diggs won his third Reliever of the Year award, becoming the seventh to win the honor thrice. The 33-year old Liberian lefty previously won in 2034 with Jos and 2038 with Port Harcourt. For the Lizards in 2041, Diggs had a 1.01 ERA over 71.1 innings, 34 saves, 127 strikeouts, and 4.2 WAR.



Libreville edged Abuja in a pair of 6-5 wins in the first round. In game one, the Lakers had a four-run ninth inning rally. Game two went ten innings with the Aliens scoring one in the top half, but Libreville got two. Lome opened the second round on a 5-2 win, but the Lakers earned 6-1 and 7-2 run wins to keep going. Libreville earned its fifth straight Eastern League Championship Series trip and the seventh in eight years.

Benin City took the opener 2-1, but the Lakers rolled 6-1 the next night. The Blue Devils countered with their own 4-2 road win in game three, but Libreville held off a rally to take game four by a 7-5 margin. In game five, the Lakers’ Momodou Manka gave up only a solo homer and a walk over 8.2 innings with eight Ks, pushing Libreville to a 5-1 win.



Libreville is the third Eastern League team to three-peat in the last two decades, joining Douala (2036-38) and Cotonou (2026-30). The Lakers became six-time EL champs (2016, 34, 35, 39, 40, 41). SS Oumar Sibibe was named ELCS MVP going 7-22 with a homer and five RBI. The 31-year old from Mali had been the ELCS and WAB finals MVP in 2039.

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The 67^th West African Championship had Libreville looking for the three-peat, which had only been done in WAB by Kano in 1997-99 and again in 2001-03 with that epic dynasty. Several other teams had gotten three in four or five years. Libreville was shooting for a fourth crown, having also won in 2035. Nouakchott’s only WAB title was way back in 1984.

Unlike their recent titles, Libreville wasn’t the top seed in 2041. The Night Riders were, but both teams had a 97-65 record. The Lakers had swept Nouakchott in the regular season, thus Libreville had home field advantage. They used it to open with 10-5 and 7-3 wins. The Night Riders couldn’t get any momentum even at home, as the Lakers won the next two by 11-2 and 7-0 margins for the first finals sweep since 2028.



SS Oumar Sibide was finals MVP for the second time in three years, going 8-18 with a homer and six RBI. He hit for the cycle in game four, which was the second-ever cycle in the WAB finals. The 31-year old Malian was in his tenth year as a Laker to earn his fourth ring. In 14 playoff starts, Sidibe had 21 hits, 8 runs, 5 doubles, 4 homers, 16 RBI, 1.040 OPS, 170 wRC+, and 0.6 WAR.

Libreville manager Henrik Lessert retired at age 65, becoming the second WAB manager with 4+ rings. Ahead of him was Geandris Frias, who won seven with Kano’s 1997-2005 dynasty run. The easygoing American Lessert played only 274 pro games as a journeyman outfielder. He became Abidjan’s bench coach from 2018-28, helping them to the 2022 WAB title.

Lessert took over the Lakers in 2031, who were in a dire place with back-to-back 100+ loss seasons before his arrive. He started their dynasty with a 1069-713 record, .600 win percentage, eight playoff trips, five EL pennants, and four WAB crowns. Lessert has the second-best win percentage among WAB’s managers with 1000+ career victories.

Other notes: Five-time MVP Junior Jose struggled to -0.7 WAR and 82 wRC+ in his 19^th and final season with Dakar. However, he finished with 2006 runs, the 7^th in WAB and one of 47 in world history to crack 2000. The Mozambican 3B ended with 3230 hits, 588 doubles, 928 home runs, 2330 RBI, .308/.372/.636 slash, 1.008 OPS, 150 wRC+, and 121.2 WAR.

On the WAB leaderboard, Jose retires 11^th in hits, 3^rd in homers, 4^th in RBI, and 3^rd in WAR among position players. On the world leaderboard, Jose ends 25^th in homers and 20^th in RBI. Among world Hall of Famers and retired locks, Jose is tied for 38^th in slugging percentage and is 46^th in OPS. He’s one of only 60 guys in that group ending with an OPS above one, cementing his place as one of WAB’s all-time legends.

Lome’s Alexis Konate had a 38-game hitting streak in the summer, which is tied for the 5^th-longest in WAB history. It is one of only 30 streaks in world history of 38+ games. In other milestones, Emmanuel Marshall became the 11^th to 700 home runs. The 500 homer club grew to 39 members with Ekoe Noumonvi, Ram Lengani, and Leonard de Sousa joining.

36 guys now have 1500+ RBI with Marshall, Lengani, and de Sousa all reaching it. Additionally, de Sousa was the 53^rd to 2500 hits. Lengani got his 10^th straight Silver Slugger at 2B, one of only five to have 10+ Sluggers in WAB. He’s tied with Bright Abubakar among second basemen. Marshall won his 9^th Silver Slugger in RF and Oumar Sidibe got his 7^th at SS.

Fuwad Mohammed was the 32^nd pitcher to 3000 strikeouts and Sylvain Zinsou was the 3^rd to 300 saves. C Chuck Koffie won his 10^th Gold Glove. He’s one of six at any position with 10+ GGs in WAB and has the most among catchers. CF Samba Boucher won his 7^th consecutive Gold Glove.

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Chinese League Baseball had seen two expansions previously, adding six teams in 2008 and two in 2030. CLB had originally used a format without divisions, but switched to four divisions of four apiece per league in 2030 with 32 total teams. The divisional format had proven unpopular, especially as only division champs advanced. Many officials wanted to scrap that as they wanted to do another big expansion to try to compete on the global stage.

Certainly with more than a billion citizens, China had plenty of cities with the population and infrastructure to support a big-league team. After investigating sites and taking bids in the 2030s, CLB came up with a plan to add four teams to each league; the eight new squads bringing them up to 40 teams total.

Joining the Northern League would be the Baotou Bull Moose, Hefei Hawkeyes, Suzhou Salamanders, and Taiyuan Tarantulas. Entering the Southern League was the Fuzhou Fighting Fish, Guiyang Governors, Tibet Terrapins, and Zhongshan Skunks.



Between the lack of support for the divisional format and no clean way to expand and keep the same groupings, CLB opted to revert to the single-division format. Each team would play eight games (two four-game series) against their league opponents, with the remaining ten games as two-game interleague series. The playoff format remained unchanged; the top four teams advanced into the Triple Round Robin. The top two from that go to the best-of-seven semifinal, then the best-of-seven China Series.

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Urumqi had Chinese League Baseball’s best record at the all-star break by a healthy margin at 76-29. Qingdao was the only team remotely close in the Northern League at 68-37. They easily took the top spot spots with the Unicorns at 110-52 and Devils 104-58; franchise records for both. It was the third playoff trip in four years for Urumqi and the second in five years for Qingdao. The Unicorns led all of CLB in runs scored (737) and differential (+207), while the Devils had the fewest allowed (456).

It was a far more crowded fight for the remaining two playoff spots. Hangzhou was 38-19 after the break and ended on a six-game winning streak, taking third at 92-70. The Hens earned their fourth consecutive playoff trip. Dalian’s good start allowed them to overcome a weak finish for fourth at 88-74. The Gold Dragons earned their sixth playoff trip in eight years.

They fended off defending China Series winner Zhengzhou (86-76) despite a six-game winning streak to close for the Zips. They had struggled to 47-58 before the break, too big of a hole despite having the NL’s best post-break record. Also in the mix for the final spot were Nanjing (85-77), Shenyang (84-78), Shijiazhuang (83-79), and Harbin (81-81).



Leading Urumqi to CLB’s top record was LF Na Yuan, the Northern League MVP with 34/40 first place votes. The other six first place votes went to Huaze Liu, who was the unanimous Pitcher of the Year winner for Qingdao. It was Yuan’s second season, as he was the 2040 Rookie of the Year on a 43 homer, 6.1 WAR campaign.

In his sophomore effort, the 25-year old lefty led in runs (108), hits (202), home runs (47), RBI (127), total bases (381), slugging (.644), OPS (1.037), and WRC+ (207). Yuan added a .341 average, .394 OBP, and 9.5 WAR. Yuan missed out on the Triple Crown narrowly, behind only Changchun’s Ning Mi at .350.

Liu meanwhile succeeded in earning the Triple Crown, only the sixth CLB pitcher to do so and the first since Ta Choi in 2019. The #1 draft pick by Qingdao in 2034, Liu posted a 21-5 record, 12 saves, 1.43 ERA, and 320 strikeouts over 233.2 innings. He also led in WHIP (0.63), K/BB (18.8), complete games (19), shutouts (7), ERA+ (228), FIP- (40), and WAR (10.6). It was a remarkable bounce back, as Liu suffered a ruptured MCL the prior summer. He has one more year under team control for the Devils at age 30.



The bottom two seeds stunned the top two in the Triple Round Robin, as Hangzhou (6-3) and Dalian (5-4) advanced while Qingdao (4-5) and Urumqi (3-6) were eliminated. The Hens earned their third straight semifinal trip and the Gold Dragons got their third in six years. Hangzhou’s last pennant came over Dalian in 2036. The Gold Dragons had a drought back to their epic 1989-94 dynasty run.

Dalian took the opener 12-4 on the road, but the Hens countered 4-1 the next night. Hangzhou then rattled off 2-0, 3-2, and 4-3 road wins to clinch the series in five games. Game four and game five both had go-ahead ninth inning runs by the Hens. Hangzhou earned its sixth trip to the China Series (1979, 90, 2013, 33, 36, 41). 3B Ying Xiang was series MVP, going 12-30 across the playoffs against Dalian with two homers, six RBI, and six runs.

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The top two at the all-star break in the Southern League was Hong Kong (67-38), and Shantou (66-39). Both were merely decent after the break at 30-27, allowing other teams to make up ground. Only three wins separated first from fourth, but the Champions (97-65) and Scorpions (96-66) managed to hold onto the top two spots. It was HK’s second playoff berth in five years, while Shantou ended a 14-year drought. The Scorpions led in scoring (733), while the Champions had the fewest runs allowed (510) and best differential (+120).

Nanchang ended on a seven-game winning streak, vaulting the Crickets to a close third at 95-67 to extend their playoff streak to four seasons. Shenzhen grabbed fourth at 94-68, ending a seven-year playoff drought and seven-year run of losing seasons. The first teams out were Guangzhou (90-72), Wuhan (89-73), Kunming (88-74), Foshan (87-75), and Wenzhou (87-75). Although they missed out, the Gamecocks still have a run of 13 straight winning seasons. Last year’s SL champ Macau were a mediocre 14^th place at 77-85.



In only his second season as a full-time starter, Shantou CF Wenyang Huang was the unanimous Southern League MVP. The #1 pick in the 2038 draft, Huang led in home runs (57), hits (188), total bases (408), slugging (.683), OPS (1.065), wRC+ (221), and WAR (11.5). He added 117 runs, 114 RBI, and a .315 average.

Changsha’s Zhenying Chen narrowly won Pitcher of the Year with 21 first place votes and 218 points. Hong Kong’s Shucheng Yang was a close second with 201 points and 15 first place votes. Kunming’s Yoksing Hu and Hong Kong’s Oktai Dolgorsuren both earned first place votes. The runner-up Yang notably won the ERA title at 1.63.

Chen meanwhile had a 1.77 ERA and was the leader in strikeouts (309), and FIP- (40). The 30-year old righty posted a 13-9 record and 11 saves, 203 innings, 180 ERA+, and 8.7 WAR in his ninth year with the Cannons. He previously won POTY back in 2035 and has led the league four times in strikeouts. Chen signed a seven-year, $106,600,000 extension with Changsha after the 2037 season, locking him up through 2044. Scouts rate his screwball and changeup both as 10/10 offerings.



In the Triple Round Robin, Nanchang fared the best at 6-3 to earn a third consecutive semifinal trip. Hong Kong and Shantou both finished 5-4 and Shenzhen was 2-5. The Champions got 9-4 and 4-2 wins over the Scorpions with a 3-2 loss, giving HK the tiebreaker to advance. This was Hong Kong’s first semifinal since winning the pennant in 2031.

Nanchang had home field advantage from their first place in the Round Robin, but Hong Kong opened with 5-2 and 5-3 road wins. The Crickets countered with three straight road wins; 4-2, 9-2, and 5-3. However, the Champions took game six back on the road by a 4-1 margin. Game seven had the lone home victory of the season, a 6-4 score in favor of the Crickets.



In the finale, 1B Ling Yang was 3-4 with two doubles, a homer, three RBI, and three runs. The 33-year old was the series MVP, hitting .359 across their playoff games with HK with three homers, six RBI, and eight runs. Yang had been there since Nanchang’s second-ever season in 2031. Remarkably, the Crickets already had two China Series trips in only 12 years of existence (2035, 41).

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The 72^nd China Series was the third trip in a decade for Hangzhou, although their only previous titles came way back in 1979 and 1990. Nanchang, a 2030 expansion team, won their previous appearance in 2035 over Urumqi. Both finished third in their respective leagues in 2041 and the Crickets had home field advantage. The Hens had home field advantage and used it for 3-2 and 8-2 wins to open the series.

Nanchang battled back 8-2 in game three, but Hangzhou took the next two by 8-3 and 3-2 margins to clinch in five games. In game five, Chen-Hua Lee hit the go-ahead RBI double in the ninth, ultimately sealing the Hens’ third title. 1B Weihui Yao was series MVP, going 9-19 with two homers and seven RBI.



Other notes: Nanchang’s Tzuyu Liu had 57 strikeouts over 42 playoff innings, giving him 253 career playoff strikeouts. This passes Sihua Fan’s 246 for the CLB career lead. Wendell Chavez had a no-hitter in back-to-back seasons. Tarzin Dohadailo and Hao Tian became the 7^th and 8^th members of the 500 home run club. Yan Bashi was the 26^th to 2000 hits and the 27^th to 1000 runs scored. Liang Xu also got to 1000 runs and Xiaotian Xu was the 25^th to 1000 RBI.

Syamsul Azzahari became the 1^st in CLB to 3000 career hits in his 18^th and final season with Jinan. The Malaysian 1B retires as CLB’s career leader in runs (1571), hits (3032), total bases (5539), home runs (728), RBI (1675), and walks (1110). Azzahari is 3^rd in WAR (138.76) among position players and ranks 95^th in WAR among all players in baseball history.

His 184 wRC+ is tied for 50^th among world Hall of Famers and retired locks. Azzahari’s .963 OPS is also 8^th among CLB batters with 3000+ plate appearances. He’s certainly in the conversation as the best batter in CLB history and you’d be hard-pressed not to put him in the top five. Azzahari is also generally viewed as the best player ever to come out of Malaysia.

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Around six different teams were in the Taiwan-Philippine Association playoff mix around the all-star break. The top team after the break going 44-25 was Manila, who claimed the top seed and their fourth consecutive Philippine League title at 102-60. The Manatees led all of Austronesia Professional Baseball in run differential (+181) and runs scored (690).

Zamboanga also had a good post-break run at 40-28, while Davao was around .500 and Quezon had a losing record. The Zebras took the #2 spot at 96-66, extending their playoff streak to seven seasons. The Devil Rays finished 88-74, which did end an 11-year stretch of losing seasons. Davao still has APB’s longest playoff drought at 25 years. Quezon ended up fourth at 85-77. Zamboanga’s 445 runs allowed were the fewest in the TPA.

In the Taiwan League, Taipei was 8-2 in the final ten games while defending TPA champ Taichung was 3-7. This pushed the Tigercats to first at 95-67, while the Toucans took second at 91-71. Kaohsiung missed the playoffs at 89-73 despite a strong second half, unable to erase their 49-45 start. Taipei ended a four-year playoff drought with their first TL crown since 2032. Taichung earned its third straight playoff trip.



Chiayi was lackluster at 77-85, but their 1B Maysaroh Putro was the unanimous Taiwan-Philippine Association MVP. He set new single-season TPA records for slugging percentage (.712) and total bases (422) while tying Po-Yu Shao’s home run record of 62 set back in 1969. The previous slugging best was Binh Tang’s .702 in 2024, while the former total bases mark was 399 by Chin-Tsai Lan in 2033. Putro is the fourth in APB history to breach 60 home runs in a season.

The 30-year old Indonesian lefty also led in runs (121), RBI (119), OPS (1.077), wRC+ (229), and WAR (11.4). The runs and OPS were both fourth-best in APB history and the RBI third-best. Nicknamed “Bluto,” Putro also had 188 hits, 30 doubles, and a .317 average. Putro signed an eight-year, $124 million extension with the City Hawks back in October 2038.

Manila’s Xuan Lam Phan was Pitcher of the Year with all but one first place vote. The 32-year old Vietnamese righty pitched with Penang mostly as a mid-level starter before getting traded to the Manatees in June 2040. He broke through in 2041, leading in wins (20-10), shutouts (6), FIP- (58), and WAR (8.7). Phan had a 2.24 ERA, 273.2 innings, 284 strikeouts, and 149 ERA+. Two weeks after he was traded, Manila gave him a five-year, $87,800,000 extension.



Taichung upset Manila 5-0 in the opener of the divisional series on an eight-hit shutout by Ralph Montoia. The Manatees had the one-game bonus though, then got 6-1 and 6-5 wins to advance to their fourth consecutive Taiwan-Philippine Association Championship. In the clincher, Manila had a walkoff solo homer by Budiman Ngateman with two outs.

Zamboanga won their own pitcher’s duel 1-0 to open versus Taipei on a four-hitter by Syamsir Wahyudi. The Tigercats had the bonus, followed by 4-2 and 3-0 wins to advance. Three pitchers combined for a two-hit shutout in the finale. Taipei earned its first TPA finals trip since 2032. Their last pennant had come in 2030 against Manila, while the Manatees last won in 2038.

Manila opened with a 7-5 home win. In game two, Taipei had three runs in the top of the ninth inning to go-ahead, but Manila got one back on a Ngateman solo homer to force extras at 4-4. The Tigercats scored twice in the tenth en route to the 6-4 road win. Taipei then snagged the series lead on a 5-3 home win, although Manila countered with a 2-1 road win.

In game five, the Tigercats had four singles in the bottom of the ninth for a 2-1 walkoff rally. Back in the Philippines for game six, Taipei clinched the series on a 6-1 win as Muhamad Zuhair gave up three hits in a complete game effort. The Tigercats became nine-time Taiwan-Philippine Association champs (1968, 88, 89, 93, 2016, 19, 20, 30, 41). Manila was runner-up for the third year in a row. Series MVP was LF Andik Rizal, who was 9-21 with a homer and six RBI. He was a journeyman 34-year old LF whom Taipei acquired from Makassar in a July trade.

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Surabaya dominated the first half in the Sundaland Association at 62-32 and held onto the top seed from there at 103-59. The Sunbirds ended a nine-year playoff drought with only their second playoff trip in 30 years. Surabaya’s last Java Sea League title or top seed was back in 2011. They had the fewest runs allowed in Austronesia Professional Baseball at 400.

Both Depok and Palembang had strong second halves, but the Panthers couldn’t overcome a losing start to the year. The Demons secured the #2 spot firmly at 96-66 with Palembang at 87-75. Depok led the SA with 635 runs, which were the second-most in Association history. Their .409 team slugging was the third-best in SA history. Both Depok and Surabaya had a +150 run differential. For the Demons, it was their third consecutive playoff berth.

In the Malacca League, reigning APB champ Pekanbaru went 8-2 in their last ten to finish 93-69, fending off Johor Bahru (91-71). Batam (86-76) and Singapore (83-7) were the first teams out. The Palms picked up their third straight playoff trip and repeat ML crowns. The Blue Wings ended a three-year playoff drought.



Sundaland Association MVP was Depok 2B Chun-Hsiu Lai with all but one first place vote. It was the second MVP in three years for the fifth-year righty from Taiwan. Lai led in runs (124), triples (24), total bases (366), slugging (.609), OPS (.938), wRC+ (191), and WAR (10.9). The 28-year old added 180 hits, 21 doubles, 39 home runs, 94 RBI, and .300 average. Lai’s 124 runs was the second-best single-season in APB history, behind only Joe Hok Prastowo’s 130 from 2033.

In his second year as a starter, Surabaya’s Thuy Hai Mai was Pitcher of the Year. The 23-year old Vietnamese righty had a 1.84 ERA over 250 innings, 21-4 record, 285 strikeouts, 163 ERA+, 57 FIP-, and 8.6 WAR. Mai also won a Gold Glove. Despite his unanimous win, the only stat he led the association in was winning percentage (.840).



Pekanbaru had the one game bonus for the divisional round, then edged Depok 1-0 and 5-4 to advance with a sweep, although it wasn’t a pushover. Game one was scoreless until a tenth inning walkoff single by Dimas Fahry. The Demons had a three-run rally to force extras in game two but the Palms won it in the 12^th via a Zach Nuno solo homer.

Surabaya had the bonus, but Johor Bahru took the opener 3-1. The Sunbirds countered 5-0 on a two-hitter by Nandar Rafli. However, the Blue Wings pulled off 7-3 and 2-0 road wins to complete the upset. In the finale, three pitchers combined for a three-hitter. Johor Bahru earned its first Sundaland Association Championship trip since 2036, which also saw them prevail despite having the weakest record of the four playoff teams.

Only two wins separated Pekanbaru and Johor Bahru in the regular season, while the Palms had dominated the regular season series 13-7. Regardless, the Blue Wings began the series with a 1-0 road win in ten innings. They had only two hits in the game, but one was Made Daniel’s solo homer in the tenth. Palms starter Ai Sung had a perfect game through eight innings with 13 strikeouts and only 98 pitches, but they stunningly took him out and eventually regretted it.

Pekanbaru evened the series 5-2 in game two. Johor Bahru grabbed game three at home 6-5, but the Palms countered 4-1. Game five was another pitcher’s duel that stayed scoreless into extra innings. In the 11^th, Josua Ikhsan crushed a 469 foot two-run homer for the 2-0 walkoff win by JB. The Blue Wings them clinched on the road in game six by a 6-2 margin to dethrone the defending champs.



Johor Bahru became six-time Sundaland Association champs (2017, 18, 26, 28, 36, 41). They also had a pennant back in 1993 while in South Asia Baseball. LF Made Daniel was the MVP, going 10-23 with five homers, six RBI, and seven runs. In game six, he was 3-4 with two homers, a triple, three RBI, and three runs. The 29-year old Indonesian LF was in his ninth year starting for the Blue Wings, getting picked #6 in the 2031 APB Draft.

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The 77^th Austronesia Championship was the ninth trip for Taipei and the sixth for Johor Bahru. The Tigercats’ previous titles were 1968, 1988, 2020, and 2030. The Blue Wings had won it all in 2017 and 2036, as well as in 1993 in South Asia Baseball. Home field alternated between associations, giving Johor Bahru the honors this time despite Taipei’s superior record.

Game one went ten innings with a walkoff RBI single for Stephen Robinson, giving JB the 2-1 victory. The Blue Wings got two in the eighth to go ahead and claim game two by a 4-3 margin. Taipei evened the series up on their home field with 10-4 and 3-0 victories. Johor Bahru narrowly took game five with a 4-3 score, giving them the 3-2 series lead heading back to Malaysia. The Tigercats grabbed a 3-1 win in game six to force a decisive game seven.

The finale was tied 1-1 after the second inning. Taipei’s Liu Liu had a solo homer in the sixth which proved decisive for a 2-1 Tigercats win. Starter Muhamad Zuhair struck out ten with four hits and one run allowed in 7.1 innings. Han Wei got the save by pitching the final 1.2 innings clean with three strikeouts. Taipei is the first Taiwanese team to win the APB title since Tainan in 2034.



LF Andik Rizal was series MVP, going 8-26 with two homers and four RBI. The journeyman outfielder, whom the Tigercats got in a trade in July with Makassar, was also the association finals MVP. In 16 playoff games, Rizal had 18 hits, 8 runs, 3 doubles, 3 homers, 10 RBI, 178 wRC+, and 0.9 WAR. For Johor Bahru, reliever Lenard Lacson notably set a playoff record with 11 appearances.

Other notes: Six-time MVP James Yuwono signed with Depok at age 42 and had the weakest year of his illustrious career, but still had 2.2 WAR and 147 wRC+ over 67 games before suffering a fractured ankle in June. Yuwono became the 4^th in APB with 1500 runs scored. He is a free agent again for 2042 and wants to continue playing. Yuwono currently has 2822 hits, 418 doubles, 721 home runs, 1580 RBI, .895 OPS, 205 wRC+, and 146.6 WAR.

He ranks 3^rd in homers in APB behind Binh Tang (771) and Will Tabaldo (766). Yuwono is also at 146.6 WAR, behind only Tang for APB position players. On the world leaderboard for all players ever, Yuwono is now up to 61^st in WAR. If it doesn’t drop significantly, he could be one of only 13 world greats with a wRC+ at 200 or better, showing his remarkable efficiency in the hyper-low scoring world of APB.

In other milestones, Ashraf Zeky and Peter Luque were the 16^th and 17^th to 2500 hits. Luque and Bilal Budianto were the 43^rd and 44^th to 1000 runs scored. 57 now have 1000 RBI with Budianto, Saiful Wahyu, Imran Rosman, and Chih-Fang Hu reaching the mark.

Muhammad Danial Ismail was the 29^th pitcher to 4000 strikeouts. Chin-Tien Tsai and Faiz Arif were the 48^th and 49^th to 3500 Ks. Yuchi Jiang was the 35^th to 200 wins. Henhen Wulandari and Mohd Nafuzi Abdullah were the 20^th and 21^st to 300 saves. 1B Amir Yusman won his 9^th Gold Glove and RF Raja Zaharudin got his 7^th.

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The Oceania Baseball Association had been the smallest of the major leagues with 20 teams since its lone expansion in 2006. While the other leagues grew, OBA was limited by its geography. Australia and New Zealand were both relatively small countries population-wise for the Australasia League. The Pacific League also had few options as the remaining island nations without a team were generally viewed as way too small to be feasible.

There had already been a few PL teams that were way smaller markets than almost any other pro team out there, but baseball had proven incredibly popular in places like Guam, Tahiti, and the Solomon Islands in particular. The Caribbean League had seen expansions in the 21^st Century to even smaller island countries, which gave some hope for the potential options in the Pacific.

By the 2040s, population and infrastructure growth made expansion finally seem like a realistic option for OBA. Officials opted to grow both leagues by two teams in 2041, giving OBA 24 teams overall. Joining the Australasia League from Australia were the Newcastle Crocs and the Wellington Walruses from New Zealand. The Pacific League added the Tonga Tyrants and the Kiribati Chukars.



OBA maintained the division-less format with only the champions advancing to a best-of-seven final. This keeps OBA as the only league without any sort of League Championship Series prior to its main championship. The schedule would be 12 games against each divisional foe, leaving 30 interleague games.

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The defending Oceania Champion Sydney obliterated the Australasia League competition at 111-51, earning their third AL title in four years. The Snakes were now ten-time champs, remarkably with each title over the last 24 years (2018, 19, 22, 24, 25, 28, 29, 38, 40, 41). Sydney had OBA’s fewest runs allowed (514) and the best run differential (+225). Their pitching staff also set a new OBA team record with only 198 walks allowed.

Adelaide had a fine season, but were a distant second at 96-66. The Aardvarks have averaged 97 wins over their last four seasons, but their pennant drought grew to 40 seasons. Auckland was third (87-75) followed by Gold Coast (86-76) with the Avengers leading OBA with 758 runs. Hobart notably was 79-83, ending a nine-year run of winning seasons.



Adelaide RF Isitolo Nau narrowly won Australasia League MVP with 12 first place votes and 275 points. Sydney LF Sam Erickson was a close second with 10 first place votes and 260 points. Erickson notably led in home runs (44) and OPS (1.035). The winner Nau led in runs (113), hits (224), triples (41), total bases (389), and batting average (.344).

Nau’s 41 triples was the fourth-most in OBA history and one of only 23 seasons in world history of 40+. He holds the OBA record 44 from the prior year, one shy of the world record. Nau joined EBF’s Franco Gilbert and OBA’s David Odom as the only players in world history with multiple 40+ triple seasons. The 29-year old Tongan also had 29 doubles, 18 home runs, 107 RBI, 81 stolen bases, .950 OPS, 170 wRC+, and 7.4 WAR. Nau has two years left on his deal with the Aardvarks.

Pitcher of the Year was Sydney’s Dustin Wicker with 20 first place votes, while Hobart’s Howard Harley had the remaining four. The 25-year old New Zealander led in WHIP (0.81), K/BB (19.7), FIP- (51), and WAR (11.4). Wicker added a 2.17 ERA, 277.1 innings, 20-8 record, 165 ERA+, and 315 strikeouts. Unfortunately in mid-September, Wicker suffered a damaged elbow ligament and is expected to miss all of 2042. Still, the Snakes are optimistic that their young ace will rebound, giving him a five-year, $77 million extension.

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At the all-star break in the Pacific League, Guadalcanal was first at 54-33, just ahead of Tahiti (51-36) and Vanuatu (50-37). These teams all kept roughly the exact pace the rest of the way, giving the Green Jackets first place at 95-67. The Tropics took second at 91-71 with the Wizards at 90-72.

Guadalcanal became 12-time PL champs (1961, 64, 66, 68, 77, 2010, 12, 13, 31, 32, 36, 41). Guam and Honolulu tied for fourth place at 88-74 and defending PL champ Timor was sixth at 86-76. The Honu had the most runs scored at 742 while the Wizards had the fewest allowed at 544. Guadalcanal had the best differential at +127.



Despite a losing season for Port Moresby, their LF Teheivarii Ludivion won Pacific League MVP with 14 first place votes and 278 points. Vanuatu 1B Jody Riley had seven first place votes and 246 points, while Guam DH Robert Bush had three first place votes and 218 points. Riley had the most homers (60) while Bush saw the best OPS (1.003).

Ludivion repeated as MVP and led in hits (233), doubles (37), triples (30), average (.379), OBP (.402), wRC+ (183), and WAR (9.2). His batting average was the second-best in OBA history, behind his own .382 from last year. Ludivion’s 233 hits also ranked as fifth-best. The 22-year old Tahitian lefty added 107 runs, 12 home runs, 68 RBI, and .999 OPS from the leadoff spot. In September, the Mud Hens locked him up on an eight-year, $165,700,000 extension.

Guadalcanal’s Alfie Smith was Pitcher of the Year unanimously in his third season as a starter. The 25-year old Australian righty led in wins (26-6), K/BB (11.5), FIP- (61), and WAR (10.5). Smith saw a 2.48 ERA over 305 innings, 146 ERA+, and 401 strikeouts.

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The 82^nd Oceania Championship was the first-ever finals battle between Sydney and Guadalcanal. The Snakes were looking to repeat and continue a dynasty, shooting for a third ring in four years. That hadn’t happened since Port Moresby won four of five from 2023-27. The Green Jackets most recently won titles in 2026 and 2032. Sydney won their season series 2-1 over Guadalcanal.

The Snakes opened with back-to-back home shutouts with 3-0 and 7-0 scores. Game one had a four-hit shutout by Tawa Taumua Guadalcanal got a 7-2 home win in game three, but Sydney took 6-1 and 4-2 road wins to claim the series in five. The dynasty moved the Snakes to a remarkable 9-1 record all-time in the finals with wins in 2018, 19, 22, 25, 28, 29, 38, 40, and 41. The Green Jackets are 6-6 in their finals trips.



Pitcher Tawa Taumua was series MVP. In addition to his game one four-hitter, he gave up only an unearned run over 8.1 innings in game four. The 30-year old Samoan had a zero ERA over 17.1 innings, 16 Ks, and nine hits allowed. Of OBA’s repeats, the 2040-41 Snakes were the first to win 110+ wins in both seasons, staking their claim for an all-time run.

Other notes: Timor’s Bret Poblano tossed a no-hitter for the third time in four years. It was one hit batsmen that kept him from his second perfect game in August 6’s win 8-0 over New Caledonia with ten strikeouts and 124 pitches. Poblano joins Akira Brady (4) and Brad Nelson as the only OBA pitchers with 3+ no-hitters.

In other pitching milestones, Allan Clover was the 10^th to 4500 strikeouts and the 40^th to 200 wins. Ashton Aucoin was the 27^th to 3500 Ks. Noel Boanemoa and Jun Lopez-Torres were the 31^st and 32^nd batters to 2500 hits. Chaz Callihan was the 63^rd to 400 homers.

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When Eurasian Professional Baseball formed in 1955, it had 32 teams based in the “Soviet Bloc” and was comparable in talent and prestige to the European Baseball Federation. However in 2000, there was the big exodus of teams from EPB to either EBF or the Asian Baseball Federation. EPB has held three expansions since then to rebuild, but never reclaimed the former glory. They were largely limited to new Russian teams, although the later expansions did have teams in Belarus, Israel, and Kazakhstan.

EPB’s last expansion was 2020 and officials were still hoping to get back eventually to the original 32 team format, split between two divisions of eight teams per league. One benefit of Russia’s massive landmass meant there were many decent sized cities and regions that were geographically still quite far away from the nearest franchise. Some of Russia’s states also had unique ethnic and cultural makeups compared to the rest of the country. Many of these areas grew since the last expansion and improved infrastructure, making a pro team a possibility.

To get to 32 teams would require a mammoth eight-team expansion at once, which some teams were leery of for talent balance reasons. But ultimately the plan gained steam in the 2030s and became a reality by 2041. Seven of the teams would be Russian with one in Kazakhstan. The Kazakh teams are split between EPB and ABF, but like Russia, Kazakhstan has a huge landmass with some cities and regions much closer geographically to Russian teams than the rest of the Central Asian teams in ABF.

Joining the European League’s North Division were the Kaliningrad Gladiators and Izhevsk Ignition. Entering the South Division would be the Saratov Sheep and Makhachkala Malamutes. For the Asian League, the West Division added the Aktobe Angel Fish and Tyumen Turkeys, while the East Division inserted the Yakutsk Laikas and Barnaul Blacksmiths.



EPB didn’t change the playoff format at all, so you still have the two division champs and two wild cards. A best-of-five first round, best-of-seven LCS, and best-of-seven championship. Teams would play 14 games against each divisional foe and six games versus those in the adjacent division, leaving 16 interleague games.

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Unrelated programming note, it is bonkers to see this thread has over a million views on it now. Even if a good chunk of those are just me and bots, I appreciate that folks are out there also enjoying a wacky world of fake baseball. Back to the action now...



At the all-star break, Minsk (61-33) and St. Petersburg (60-32) were near even for both the North Division title and the top seed in the European League. Krasnodar had the South Division’s best mark at 56-38, five games ahead of Samara. The Polar Bears held onto the top spot, aided by the Miners ending the season on a five-game losing streak. St. Petersburg went 100-62, securing a fourth consecutive division title and a seventh straight playoff berth.

Minsk ended up 98-64, settling for a third straight wild card. Krasnodar maintained its South Division lead at 95-67, growing the Steamers’ playoff streak to six seasons. It was the Miners with the best run differential at +167. Four teams fought for the final wild card spot. Nizhny Novgorod had the best post-break record of 44-24, earning them the final spot at 92-70. The Ninjas led Eurasian Professional Baseball with 785 runs, but allowed the most in the EL at 741. Nizhny Novgorod ended an eight-year playoff drought.

Finishing behind them at 90-72 was defending EPB champ Rostov and Samara, while Moscow went 88-74. The Rhinos had an excellent 43-27 finish, but couldn’t make up for their lackluster 47-45 start. Rostov had been in the ELCS in three straight seasons. The Steelers notably allowed the EL’s fewest runs at 536.



St. Petersburg LF Gavrilovich Somov nearly unanimously won his fifth consecutive European League MVP. The only other player to five-peat was fellow Polar Bears great Jov Sakharov from 2004-08. Maksim Krutov was the only other five-time winner in EPB, although his weren’t consecutive. It was statistically the weakest of Somov’s five wins, but he led in home runs (54), total bases (368), and OPS (1.059) for the fifth consecutive year.

The 26-year old from Russia’s Far East also led in walks (75) and OBP (1.059). Somov had 175 hits, 109 runs, 23 doubles, 110 RBI, .315 average, 193 wRC+, and 7.7 WAR. He also had a 35-game hitting streak in the summer, the second-longest in EPB history behind only Murad Maksikov’s 37 from 2039. St. Petersburg finally locked Somov up for the long haul, giving him an eight-year, $187,500,000 extension in April.

The Polar Bears also had the Pitcher of the Year Veijo Kattilakoski, his second win in three seasons. The 27-year old Finnish lefty led in wins (24-5), shutouts (4), and WAR (8.7). Kattilakoski had a 2.38 ERA, 268.2 innings, 326 strikeouts, 148 ERA+, and 64 FIP-. St. Petersburg also extended him at a bargain, a six-year, $75,800,000 extension inked in October 2040. Barring injury, the Polar Bears have their star hitter and ace pitcher secured together for the next six seasons.



St. Petersburg opened the first round with a pair of 3-2 home wins over Nizhny Novgorod. The Ninjas rallied with 8-3 and 7-5 wins on their home diamond. Back in St. Pete, the Polar Bears advanced with a 3-0 shutout, eight innings of which came from Timofei Merkushin. St. Petersburg secured a third consecutive trip to the European League Championship Series.

Krasnodar grabbed a 5-3 home win on the other side, but Minsk took game two on the road 3-2. The Miners then got 8-3 and 11-0 wins back in the Belarusian capital to advance. Minsk has been in the ELCS 37 times, giving them more appearances in a subleague final than any team in the world. They last did it in 2034 with their most recent pennant in 2033. Only two wins separated Minsk and St. Petersburg in the regular season with an even 7-7 split in their prior meetings.

The Polar Bears won the opener 8-6, but dropped game two in 11 innings by a 6-5 score. St. Petersburg bounced back with their own 5-3 and 8-6 road wins. The Miners won game five by a 6-3 score, forcing the series back to Russia. In a game six pitcher’s duel, two errors in the fifth inning led to the game’s only run. The Polar Bears prevailed 1-0 for their second pennant in three years and sixth overall (1971, 76, 77, 2026, 39, 41). 1B Romchka Volgin won ELCS MVP, going 12-24 with one homer, four RBI, and seven runs. He was an eight-year starter with St. Petersburg.

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Defending Asian League champ Irkutsk was the AL’s standout again. The Ice Cats had the best record at the all-star break at 62-32, although East Division foe Khabarovsk kept up early on at 58-39. The Rockets were a middling 33-32 the rest of the way and Irkutsk cruised to the top seed at 105-57. The Ice Cats grew their playoff streak to nine seasons with their fourth division title of the run. They led all of Eurasian Professional Baseball in run differential (+266) and fewest runs allowed (509).

At the break, shockingly it was expansion Tyumen leading the West Division at 53-41, although it was a crowded field. Omsk had the best post-break record in EPB at 46-25 with Yekaterinburg close behind at 44-25. They ended up tied atop the division at 94-68, requiring a tiebreaker game to determine the division champ and the host for their playoff series. The Yaks prevailed 6-4 at home, getting their fourth division title in seven years. Omsk still could celebrate ending a ten-year playoff drought.



The Otters also led EPB with 784 runs and their .469 team slugging was the second-best in AL history. Although Tyumen fell out of first, the Turkeys were still just good enough at 92-70 to take the second wild card ahead of Khabarovsk (91-71), Ufa (88-74), and Chelyabinsk (85-77). They’re the first-ever expansion team in EPB to earn a playoff trip in the inaugural season. Krasnoyarsk, the ALCS runner-up last year, dropped to 82-80.



The Turkeys’ exciting start led to a 1,785,462 season attendance, the second-most in AL history. Leading the way was the unanimous Asian League MVP DH Ben Beal. It was also a stunning EPB debut for Beal, a 36-year old American from Washington State. He had been a decent 13-year starter in Major League Baseball with the hapless Miami Mallards with a career 35.8 WAR and 126 wRC+ over 1856 games.

In Beal’s debut season in Russia, he led the AL in RBI (127), total bases (417), slugging (.671), OPS (1.042), and wRC+ (191). He added 204 hits, 109 runs, 34 doubles, 51 home runs, .329 average, and 7.8 WAR. Beal also hit for the cycle against Barnaul in September and was the Al-Star Game MVP. He signed a three-year, $11,280,000 deal with Tyumen and already has well exceeded expectations.

For the second time in three years, Yekaterinburg’s Javaid Kamran won Pitcher of the Year. A unanimous winner, the 28-year old Afghan lefty led in ERA (1.80), strikeouts (374), WHIP (0.85), FIP- (44), and WAR (12.2). Kamran missed the Triple Crown by one win at 20-6 and had a 196 ERA+ over 270.1 innings. The Yaks gave Kamran a six-year, $102,800,000 extension in July 2040.



Despite losing the division and home field, Omsk edged Yekaterinburg with 1-0 and 3-2 results to open the first round. Game two went 11 innings with a go-ahead RBI double by Duarte Zuccaro. The Yaks got a road win back 4-3 in game three, that one needing 15 innings. However, the Otters claimed the series on a 7-2 win in game four, earning their first Asian League Championship Series trip since their 2022 title.

Irkutsk won their playoff opener 8-3, but Tyumen outlasted them 5-2 in 12 innings the next night. The Ice Cats reclaimed the advantage on the road 3-2, but the Turkeys to the next one by a 2-0 score on Fernando Furlan’s six-hitter. In game five, Irkutsk was down 5-3 entering the ninth inning. They got one back, but stranded a man at third, giving Tyumen the 5-4 win and the stunning upset over the top seed. Only once in world history had an expansion team made it to an LCS, as Da Nang was the Southeast Asia League runner-up in 2004.

The improbable run continued with 2-1 and 6-5 road wins for Tyumen to open the ALCS. Omsk countered with their own 15-9 and 11-2 road wins. The Turkeys took game five 4-1 to reclaim the advantage. Back home, Omsk won game six with a 7-4 score. But in game seven, Tyumen held firm with a 4-2 road win, becoming the first-ever expansion franchise to win a pennant in an inaugural campaign. League MVP Ben Beal was also ALCS MVP going 8-26 with five homers, eight RBI, and nine runs.

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Tyumen’s remarkable story captured the hearts of baseball fans not just in Russia, but worldwide. An expansion franchise getting to an overall championship had never happened before and most people outside of St. Petersburg were rooting for the Turkeys in the 87^th Eurasian Professional Baseball Championship. Unfortunately, the magic ran out against a juggernaut Polar Bear squad, who rolled to a decisive sweep with 7-1, 10-5, 7-3, and 7-0 wins.

St. Petersburg established a dynasty with their second title in three years. It was their fifth championship overall (1971, 1977, 2026, 2039, 2041). League MVP Gavrilovich Somov was series MVP, going 8-16 with three homers and six RBI. Closer Eloi Sacko notably tied the EPB playoff record for saves with nine, posting a 0.98 ERA over 18.1 innings with 23 Ks. He was a 33-year old Guinean who came over after a decade in West African Baseball for Accra.



Other notes: EPB’s 36^th perfect game came on May 24 for Gomel’s Oleh Kovalets, striking out 12 over 105 pitches against Izhevsk. In other pitching notables, Vardan Aslan became the 13^th to 250 career wins. LF Dmytro Korzh won his 7^th Gold Glove.



For batters, Yuri Demyan became the 15^th member of the 600 home run club and the 45^th to 2500 hits. Anar Arzhanov and Konstantin Antonov were the 34^th and 35^th to 500 homers. 42-year old Timofei Kolarov won his 9^th Silver Slugger at 2B. RF Jabir Abdul won his 9^th Slugger.

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Defending European Champion Dublin matched the 108-54 record from the prior campaign, repeating as West Division champ and as the Northern Conference’s top seed. The Dinos posted their seventh consecutive 100+ win season and grew their playoff streak to nine years. Several teams were close to them at the all-star break, but Dublin’s 41-18 post-break record was the best among all teams in the European Baseball Federation. The Dinos had the fewest runs allowed (539) and the best differential (+245) in EBF.

Stockholm, Hamburg, and Antwerp were each right with Dublin early on. The Hammers and Swordsmen battled closely in the East Division with Hamburg narrowly taking first place at 102-60 ahead of 101-61 Stockholm. The Hammers earned repeat playoff trips and their first division title since 2037, while the Swordsmen grew their playoff streak to five seasons.

It was Stockholm’s fourth straight 100+ win season as they led EBF with 942 runs, the second-highest total in conference history. Their 1760 hits were third-most in NC annals. Stockholm had the better differential (+199 to +130), but Hamburg outperformed their expected win/loss by eight. As for Antwerp, they were a game below .500 after the break, but their strong start still got them second in the West at 95-67. The Airedales are back in the playoffs after a five-year streak was ended the prior year.

The remaining two wild cards went to Reykjavik (92-70) and Brussels (91-71) with a five-game drop to the next closest teams Wroclaw and Manchester at 86-76. It was the first-ever playoff trip in the EBF Elite Tier for the Raccoons. For the Beavers, this ended a 23-year playoff drought which had included three relegations to the European Second League. Both Amsterdam and Krakow had three-year playoff streaks ended with 85-77 and 80-82 finishes, respectively.

Cardiff was relegated with EBF’s worst overall record of 55-107. The Crew had a decade back in the top tier with four playoff berths from 2032-36, but they fell into mediocrity after. In the East Division, Helsinki at 69-93 took the last place spot, while Oslo (70-92), Tallinn (74-88), and Berlin (75-87) survived. The latter two both notably had winning records after the break to avoid demotions. The Honkers had a decade-long run back in the EBF Elite with only one playoff trip, although they had typically stayed around .500 until their demotion in 2041.



Stockholm 3B Harvey Smith with the nearly unanimous Northern Conference MVP, giving him five straight MVPs and his sixth in seven years. He joined Harvey Coyle (9) and Sean Houston (7) as the only 6+ time MVPs. Only Coyle had previously won five consecutively. Smith also won his second Gold Glove in his tenth season in the Swedish capital.

The 30-year old Englishman surprisingly didn’t lead the conference in any stat, but was rated highly in all of the big ones. Smith had 230 hits, 126 runs, 27 doubles, 55 home runs, 139 RBI, .367/.396/.679 slash, 1.076 OPS, 179 wRC+, and 9.6 WAR. For his career, Smith has a 1.022 OPS, 174 wRC+, and 85.0 WAR. He is signed through 2045 with Stockholm.

Antwerp’s Jens Rijkaard repeated as Pitcher of the Year, getting 44 first place votes while Dublin’s Christopher Norregaard got the remaining eight. The 25-year old dual Dutch-Irish national led in ERA (1.79), strikeouts (262), K/BB (10.1), quality starts (25), shutouts (6), ERA+ (233), FIP- (57), and WAR (9.2). Rijkaard missed the Triple Crown by only two wins with a 20-7 record over 241.1 innings.

It was a remarkable year for Rijkaard, who threw a no-hitter for the Dutch national team against Hawaii in the World Baseball Championship. Then on September 5, he tossed EBF’s 49^th perfect game with 14 strikeouts against Kharkiv. Rijkaard had pitched two no-hitters in 2040, joining the legendary Jean-Luc Roch as the only EBF aces with three career no-nos. Roch likewise had his three in a two-year stretch from 1975-76.



Also of note, Hamburg’s Lukas Grothe won his third straight Reliever of the Year award. He’s the 13^th to win the award thrice and the third to do so consecutively. The 30-year old German is due free agency after an eight-year run with the Hammers. In 2041, Grothe had 33 saves over 75.2 innings with a 2.14 ERA, 112 Ks, 200 ERA+, 62 FIP-, and 2.8 WAR.



In the first round of the playoffs, Antwerp got a 3-2 walkoff win to start their series against Reykjavik. However, the Raccoons countered with 6-5 and 8-0 wins to advance. Brussels upset Stockholm 6-4 to open that series, followed by a 9-1 Swordsmen blowout. The Beavers used a four-run seventh inning to take game three on the road 5-3 to oust last year’s conference runner-up.

Neither winner had any luck against the division champs. Dublin swept Brussels on 7-4, 7-6, and 8-4 wins, notably getting a walkoff solo homer in game two from Alekss Purins. Hamburg swept Reykjavik with 4-3, 4-2, and 7-3 results. Game one went ten innings with a walkoff RBI single.

The Dinos earned their 21^st trip to the Northern Conference Championship and their sixth in the last decade. Dublin has made it 15 times in the 21^st Century. The Hammers earned their first trip since 2022, which had a defeat to the Dinos. The year prior was Hamburg’s last pennant, which had a win over Dublin. The Dinos narrowly won the regular season series 4-2.

Game one had drama with Hamburg tying the game at 3-3 in the top of the ninth inning. Dublin broke the deadline in the 12^th as Aymeric Bottesini smacked a solo walkoff homer on the first pitch he saw. The Hammers grabbed the next one by an 8-5 margin. Now in Germany for game three, Hamburg rallied with three runs on five hits in the ninth for a 5-4 walkoff win. However, the Dinos routed them 12-3 in game four to even it back up.

A two-run eighth pushed Hamburg to the 3-2 win in game five. Back in Ireland, Dublin won game six 9-3, forcing the decisive finale for the third straight year. The Dinos held on 7-3 in game seven to repeat and earn their 14^th pennant, the most of any EBF team (1962, 67, 68, 95, 2010, 11, 13, 20, 22, 23, 24, 35, 40, 41). C Alekss Purins was series MVP, as the Latvian went 10-26 with four homers, ten RBI, and six runs.