Baseball: The World's Game - Page 140

FuzzyRussianHat · 03-23-2026, 01:39 PM

Valparaiso cruised to the Southern Cone League’s top seed at 106-56, a new franchise best for the 2029 expansion squad. It was the fourth straight South Central Division title for the Voodoo and back-to-back 100+ win seasons. They allowed only 554 runs, the best in Beisbol Sudamerica in 2040. Valparaiso also had the best run differential at +185.

Defending league champ Rio de Janeiro and Fortaleza both won their divisions by healthy margins while fighting for the #2 seed. The Foxes had the best record after the all-star break at 44-20, but couldn’t overcome a weaker start relative to the Redbirds. Rio won the Southeast at 97-65 and Fortaleza took the North at 96-66. Both won their respective divisions for the third straight year, while the Redbirds’ playoff streak extended to five seasons.

Both wild cards came out of the South Central with Santiago and Salta at 91-71. Buenos Aires (88-74), Montevideo (86-76), and Concepcion (85-77) were the first teams out. The Saints ended a three-year playoff drought, while the Silver Hawks got their sixth berth in seven years. Salta notably closed the year on a five-game winning streak. The Chiefs led the league with 799 runs. Sao Paulo at 81-81 had their streak of winning records end at 19 seasons, although they’ve won 80+ games still in 22 consecutive seasons.

Fortaleza LF Mauricio Fernandez won Southern Cone League MVP with 39 first place votes, while Sao Paulo’s Lonnie Defendi had the other three. Fernandez broke the BSA single-season record for runs scored with 150, passing Paco Amorim’s 147 from 2034. Across all world leagues, this is one of only 20 seasons where a batter scored 150+ runs.

Fernandez was in his sixth season with the Foxes and second as a full-time starter. The 26-year old Venezuelan lefty also led in stolen bases (113), OBP (.449), slugging (.712), OPS (1.161), wRC+ (202), and WAR (10.8). Fernandez added 210 hits, 27 doubles, 12 triples, 48 home runs, 109 RBI, and a.369 average. In late May, Fortaleza locked Fernandez up long-term with an eight-year, $170,900,000 extension.

Valparaiso’s Charles Cuellar was the unanimous Pitcher of the Year in his tenth season with the squad. The 32-year old Chilean righty led in wins (24-7), quality starts (29), shutouts (4), and WAR (9.1). Cuellar had a 2.38 ERA in 269 innings, 305 strikeouts, 166 ERA+, and 63 FIP-. Next year is the final one of his current deal with the Voodoo.

Santiago and Salta had the same record, but the Saints’ 9-4 record head-to-head gave them home field for the first round. The opener went to Santiago 2-1 on a tenth inning walkoff homer by B.J. Pantoja. Salta rallied for 7-5 and 6-3 road wins to advance. In game three, the Silver Hawks went ahead on a four-run ninth inning.

Salta kept the momentum going with a 3-2 upset to start the divisional series with top-ranked Valparaiso, getting the go-ahead in the ninth on Andy Valdivia’s solo homer. The Voodoo took a 4-3 win in game two, followed by a 3-1 road victory. The Silver Hawks battled back 5-2 in game four, but Valparaiso survived 3-2 back at home to take the series. The Voodoo earned a third straight appearance in the Southern Cone League Championship.

Fortaleza caught Rio de Janeiro off guard on the other side with 3-1 and 4-2 road wins to open their series. Game one was 1-0 until the Foxes scored in the ninth to force extras, then they finally pulled ahead with two runs in the 15^th. The Redbirds won game three 6-1 on the road, but Fortaleza exploded 14-7 in game four to take the series at home. The Foxes earned a second LCS trip in three years, having lost to Valparaiso in 2038.

Game one was a stunning 16-4 rout for Fortaleza on the road, but the Voodoo countered with their own lopsided 10-2 win. The Foxes grabbed game three at home 5-2, but Valparaiso matched 6-5 the next night in a 15 inning marathon. Fortaleza unloaded again 12-1 in game five for the 3-2 series lead heading back to Chile.

In game six, Mateo Morales’ solo homer in the ninth pushed the Foxes to the 3-2 win to clinch the series. The 33-year old 3B was in his second year with Fortaleza and earned series MVP, going 10-28 with four homers and 12 RBI. The Foxes ended a 14-year pennant drought and became 14-time Southern Cone kings (1932, 40, 65, 67, 72, 78, 94, 2005, 13, 14, 21, 22, 25, 40).

FuzzyRussianHat · 03-24-2026, 04:35 AM

The 110^th Copa Sudamerica was the first finals meeting between Ciudad Guayana and Fortaleza as both franchises wanted their fifth-ever title. The Giants were looking to be the first repeat Cup winner since Caracas in 2022-23. The Foxes hadn’t done it since 2013 and were a lackluster 4-9 all-time in the finals. They had the same record, although the Giants won the season series 4-2. CG had home field, although that was because the Bolivar League champ had the honor in even years.

Ciudad Guayana began the series with 10-4 and 4-2 home wins. Fortaleza flipped the script in Brazil with 5-4 and 4-2 wins. In game four, the Foxes won on a two-run walkoff homer by Emanuel Madera. The Giants prevailed 6-1 in game five though for the first road win of the series, giving them the 3-2 series advantage heading back to Venezuela. CG took game six by a 5-1 margin to secure the repeat and their fifth title (1984, 2017, 2036, 2039, 2040).

League and BLCS MVP Renato Barquero continued his incredible season as Copa Sudamerica MVP, as the 36-year old 1B went 9-24 with two homers and eight RBI. Fortaleza has been the runner-up ten times, tied for the most with Sao Paulo. Ciudad Guayana is also the first team to win three Cups in a five year span in nearly eight decades. The only teams to do it before was Caracas (1959-62), Buenos Aires (1941-44), and La Paz (1939-43).

Giants manager E.X. Lalli was the eighth BSA manager to win three or more Cups, although each of the others did it with at least 13+ year careers. The 58-year old Pakistani took over the Ciudad Guayana job at the end of 2034 and has since posted a 598-423 record. Lalli won his third Manager of the Year in 2040

Other notes: Beisbol Sudamerica’s 54^th perfect game came July 9 from Belo Horizonte’s Carlos Alonso. He struck out eight over 100 pitches against Maracaibo. Unfortunately two starts later, the 25-year old righty suffered a torn rotator cuff. The Hogs’ Enrique Elenez had a four home run game against Salvador on July 28, the 13th such game in BSA.

Rio de Janerio’s Nereus Rebellin tossed his second no-hitter on July 6 over Fortaleza. Buenos Aires’ Tiago Silva hit exactly .400, becoming the 12^th qualified BSA player and the 62^nd in any world league to hit .400 or better. Paco Amorim became the 5^th BSA slugger to 800 career home runs in his final season, although he struggled to -1.2 WAR and .659 OPS in his second year with La Paz.

Amorim had a legendary run, winning five MVPs over two decades with Arequipa. He finished with 3859 hits, 2^nd in BSA history to Owen Arcia’s 3940 and 21^st on the world leaderboard. He finished with 3182 games, 2230 runs, 593 doubles, 815 homers, 2172 RBI, 1741 walks, .349/.436/.640 slash, 1.076 OPS, 175 wRC+, and 152.3 WAR.

On the BSA leaderboard, Amorim retires as the career leader in runs and walks, as well as in OBP for those with 3000+ plate appearances. He also ranks 2^nd in OPS, 4^th in games, 2^nd in total bases (7073), 4^th in doubles, 5^th in homers, 3^rd in RBI, and 3^rd in WAR among position players. You could certainly make a case for Amorim when discussing BSA’s best-ever position player.

On the world leaderboards, Amorim is also 50^th in games played, 11^th in runs, 54^th in homers, 38^th in RBI, 9^th in walks, and 34^th in WAR for position players. Among all players ever, Amorim is 48^th in WAR. Additionally among world Hall of Famers and retired locks, Amorim’s OPS is the best ever while his triple slash ranks 13^th/2^nd/30^th. Only CABA’s Loyd Wayne (.438) has him beat for OBP. Amorim’s 175 wRC+ while excellent does miss the world top 50, which does reflect BSA’s high-scoring environment.

In other milestones, Antonio Coria became the 24^th to 3000 hits while Nicolas De Leon was the 97^th to 2500 hits. The 500 homer club grew to 79 members with Renato Barquero, Caio Mergulho, B.J. Pantoja, and Erik Ortega joining. Junior Cerna became the 48^th closer with 300 saves. 1B Rafael Sertiantoro won his 10^th Gold Glove and SS Ace Benavidez won his 7^th. 2B Joseph Ramirez won his 7^th Silver Slugger.

FuzzyRussianHat · 03-24-2026, 03:29 PM

Hamamatsu returned to the top seed in the Japan League in 2040 with their eighth consecutive Central Division title at 112-50. The Chickenhawks have won 98+ games in each year of the streak, but they’ve missed out in the pennant the last three years since their historic 126-win Grand Champion campaign of 2036. They had Japan’s best run differential at +222 and were strong for the entire season.

Sapporo (104-58) and Fukuoka (103-59) were next in line as North and West Division champs, respectively. It was the fifth straight division crown for the Swordsmen and their sixth straight playoff trip. For the defending East Asian Baseball champ Frogs, it was also their fifth straight division title. Fukuoka led Japan in runs scored (767) while Sapporo had the fewest allowed.

Saitama and Yokohama had an intense fight for the Capital Division. The Yellow Jackets had a two game lead at the all-star break, but the Sting’s 41-17 record post-break was the JL’s best. Saitama repeated as the division winner at 101-61, but Yokohama at 99-63 did take the first wild card. Both teams had playoff streaks extended to four seasons.

The second wild card went to 95-67 Kitakyushu, the one team that wasn’t extending a multi-year playoff streak as the Kodiaks ended a four-year drought. Kyoto, a wild card last year, was their only real foe at 92-70. The next closest was Tokyo at 84-78.

For the fifth consecutive season, the Japan League’s MVP played for Hamamatsu. It was the second for CF Issei Sakamoto, who also won in 2038. Sakamoto had 31 first place votes, while teammate Mitsuru Ishida had five and Kitakyushu’s Shigeo Sato had four. Ishida, winners of three of the last four MVPs, notably led in home runs (57), RBI (133), and OPS (1.042).

Sakamoto notably won a Gold Glove in center, with that helping him to the WARlord title at 11.0. The 29-year old also led in runs (120), hits (209), average (.363), and OBP (.403). Sakamoto had 30 doubles, 22 triples, 28 homers, 83 RBI, 78 stolen bases, a 1.040 OPS, and 195 wRC+. It was his third year as a Chickenhawk, having started with Yokohama and Ulsan. Sakamoto joined Hamamatsu in 2038 on an eight-year, $255,500,000 deal.

Tokyo’s Toshio Takahashi won Pitcher of the Year with 38 first place votes, while Sapporo’s Takumi Yoshida had the other two. It was a banner year for the 35-year old lefty in his 14^th season for the Tides. Takahashi posted a 1.46 ERA, which was the 15^th-best ERA ever for a qualified starter in EAB. He also led in WHIP (0.75), quality starts (26), and shutouts (7). His .474 opponents’ OPS was the 29^th best in EAB history.

Takahashi also had a 17-6 record, 5 saves, 259.1 innings, 271 strikeouts, 235 ERA+, 60 FIP-, and 8.8 WAR. He had been a very steady but generally unexceptional pitcher in his career, as he was only a POTY finalist once before with an ERA title in 2029. This effort probably locked him in for an eventual Hall of Fame spot. It also locked Takahashi in for another big pay day, opting out of his Tokyo deal after the season to test free agency with his stock at a peak.

Both wild card round matchups were won by the division champ, who only needed to win twice to advance. Saitama got 4-0 and 4-3 wins over Yokohama, while Fukuoka had 4-3 and 4-1 wins against Kitakyushu In the divisional round, the Sting came out hot with 6-1 and 3-2 road wins against top seed Hamamatsu. The Chickenhawks dominated game three on the road 11-1, but Saitama completed the upset 6-2 in game four. It was the Sting’s first Japan League Championship Series trip since their 2037 title, while Hamamatsu remains pennant-less for the fourth year running.

Sapporo opened its series with a 7-4 win, but Fukuoka survived in 13 innings to claim game two 5-4. Both scored a solo run in the ninth, then the next run was the Frogs’ Fumihiro Kimura with a solo homer in the 13^th. The Swordfish countered with an 8-4 road win in game three, but Fukuoka grabbed game four 7-1. In the finale, the Frogs were a road winner 4-2 to keep their repeat bid alive. They had home field for the JCLS against Saitama and had won the season series 4-2.

Fukuoka won game one 8-4, but Saitama answered 3-2 the next night in 11 innings. That game was 2-2 from the fifth until the 11th, which had a two-out Eichiro Nakatani double followed by Yuto Mizuhara’s RBI go-ahead single. In game three at Saitama, Encai Xia smacked a walkoff home run to lead off the ninth in a 6-5 Sting victory.

The momentum stayed with Saitama, who erased a 4-2 hole to win 6-4 in game four. They held on 3-2 in game five to clinch the series at home, earning their fourth Japan League title (1930, 2025, 2037, 2040). RF Eichiro Nakatani was series MVP, going 5-16 with three homers, six RBI, and five runs. He was in his eighth year with the Sting, having been drafted #3 overall in 2033.

FuzzyRussianHat · 03-25-2026, 06:13 AM

It was an incredible season for Goyang, whose playoff streak grew to 14 seasons with their 13^th North Division title of the run. The Green Sox finished 125-37, a win mark met only six other times in all of world history. The most notable was Hamamatsu’s 126-36 in 2036, which culminated in both the East Asian Baseball title and the Baseball Grand Championship.

The other five examples though had failed to win their league’s overall title, a fate Goyang hoped to avoid. In South Asia Baseball, Ho Chi Minh City was 126-36 with a first round loss in 1993, while Ahmedabad was 125-37 in 2001 and the runner-up. Christchurch was 126-36 in 2016, but lost the Oceania Championship. Madrid was 125-37 in the 1951 EBF season with a first round loss, and Kano was 125-37 in the 2000 season with a loss in the West African Championship.

The Green Sox unsurprisingly led EAB in both runs (884) and fewest allowed (481). They obliterated a bad division with 67-95 Seoul as the only team to avoid 105+ losses. The 58 game difference between first and second place almost certainly was a world record. Of the 33 teams in world history with 120+ win seasons, Goyang’s +403 run differential ranked 6^th.

The Green Sox also set the new EAB season attendance record at 3,221,704 tickets sold, besting their own 3,210,050 from two years prior. They were 75-28 at the all-star break and 50-9 after. The prior wins record in the Korea League was set back in 1926 with Hamhung going 122-40.

Other divisions were top heavy as well with Gwangju getting the #2 seed at 110-52 in the Southwest Division and Yongin at 104-58 atop the Central Division. The Grays earned an eighth consecutive division title and the Gold Sox made it three straight.

The only competitive division was the Southeast with Busan maintaining their lead despite a late charge from defending KL champ Ulsan. The Blue Jays finished 96-66 for repeat playoff trips and their first division title since the 2035 pennant. The Swallows’ playoff streak grew to six seasons as a wild card, although their 92-70 mark was far less impressive than the 116 from the prior year.

Cheongju’s solid first half allowed them to hang onto the second wild card at 90-72 ahead of Daegu (87-75), Jeju (85-77), Suwon (84-78), and Incheon (83-79). The Islanders were notably right there, but collapsed with an eight-game losing streak to end the year and a 21-37 record after the break. It was the second playoff berth for the Checkers (2032), one of the 2030 expansion teams. The Snappers have a streak of 12 straight winning seasons, although this was their third playoff miss of that run.

Yongin RF Won-Bin Lee was the unanimous Korea League MVP. He won previously in 2036 with Changwon, but they didn’t re-sign him after injuries in 2038 and 2039. Lee joined the Gold Sox for 2040 on a four-year, $104,300,000 deal and they were rewarded instantly.

Nicknamed “Tuna,” the 28-year old South Korean led in runs (125), total bases (404), triple slash (.356/.426/.739), OPS (1.165), wRC+ (228), and WAR (11.3). Lee was third in home runs (48) and second in RBI (130) while adding 195 hits, 25 doubles, and 20 triples.

Gwangju’s Sung-Jun Jang won a competitive Pitcher of the Year race with 22 first place votes and 224 points, edging out Goyang’s Hideki Yamauchi with 18 first place votes and 214 points. The runner-up Yamauchi notably led in complete games (16) and shutouts (7), earning Rookie of the Year honors. It was the Green Sox’s Daigo Ikemizu who led in wins (25-5) while Busan’s Mi-Reu Pai led in strikeouts (339).

The winner Jang led in ERA (2.05), innings (276.2), and quality starts (29). The 27-year old lefty had a 21-7 record, 294 strikeouts, 184 ERA+, 66 FIP-, and 7.6 WAR. Jang started with Seoul, who traded him in 2038 to Suwon. He was a free agent for 2039, joining the Grays at $130 million over four years.

Busan swept defending KL champ Ulsan with 1-0 and 5-4 wins in the wild card round. Game one was a combined two-hitter, while game two had a walkoff RBI single by Eui-Won Ro after Jin Ngai’s leadoff triple. On the other side, Chenogju came out firing for the upset, needing to win three as the wild card while Yongin only needed two wins.

The Checkers took game one by a 5-3 margin, but the Gold Sox survived 4-3 in ten innings the next night. Cheongju then scored 13-8 and 7-2 wins to complete the upset. The Checkers lost 3-2 and 8-3 to start the divisional round against Gwangju. They snagged game three 7-3 at home, but the Grays countered 7-3 to earn repeat Korea League Championship Series trips.

The other side of the bracket was shocking as not only was 125-win Goyang upset by Busan, but they were swept. The Blue Jays took the opener 2-1 on the road. In game two, the Green Sox had a two-run ninth inning on solo homers to force extras, but Busan used a two out single and a double in the tenth to win 4-3. The Blue Jays won the clincher at home 7-2, making them 5-0 to start the playoffs.

For Goyang, it was one of the most disappointing and shocking ends to a season considering their historic dominance. It continued the general trend in world history of big regular seasons not guaranteeing playoff success. Of the 33 teams in world history with 120+ win seasons, only 10 won their league’s overall title. Not even getting a single playoff win though was especially upsetting for the Green Sox.

Busan earned its first KLCS trip since winning the 2035 pennant. Gwangju had won the season series 5-1 and had 14 more wins, but clearly that wasn’t a guarantee. The Grays opened with 4-3 and 4-2 home wins with game one requiring a walkoff RBI single in the tenth inning. The Blue Jays next won 4-1 and 10-9 games at home, the latter in a 13 inning thriller. A one out error put a man on, who was knocked in by a RBI single.

Gwangju got the first road win of the series 7-4 in game five, but couldn’t put it away with a 2-1 Busan road win in game six. In the finale, Busan had a three-run second inning and held on from there for a 4-2 win. The Blue Jays lead all KL teams with 17 pennants (1933, 34, 38, 39, 40, 42, 43, 44, 71, 80, 2009, 23, 24, 29, 32, 35, 40). Gwangju’s title drought grew to 47 seasons. RF Seo-Bin Chin was series MVP going 10-28 with six RBI.

FuzzyRussianHat · 03-25-2026, 06:00 PM

The 120^th East Asian Championship was the fourth for Saitama, with wins in 2037 and 2025. Busan was 6-10 all-time in their prior trips with the last title in 2032. The Sting had home field advantage and the series had an exciting star. It was 1-1 after the second inning and stayed there until the 11^th. Saitama’s Toshiyasu Tamada had a two out single, stole second, then was knocked in by Giichiro Hashimoto for a 2-1 walkoff win.

The Sting got another 2-1 walkoff win the next night, this time in regulation with Minoru Kawabe knocking in Kosuke Fukuhara on a RBI single. Busan took control as the series shifted to South Korea, taking the next three games with 4-2, 2-1, and 6-4 scores. The high drama resumed for game six back in Japan, needing extra innings. Both scored in the tenth, then Saitama won it in the 11^th on a Hashimoto RBI walkoff single for a 5-4 result.

In game seven, Busan’s Jun-Seong Chung allowed only seven hits and one run with three strikeouts over a complete game. The Blue Jays won it 3-1 to become seven-time EAB champs (1933, 1938, 1942, 1944, 1971, 2032, 2040). 3B Ju-An Youm was series MVP in a pinch hitter role, going 4-6 with a solo homer.

Other notes: It was a disappointing end of the managing career of Goyang’s Si-Wan Kang, since they failed in the playoffs despite going 125-37. He retired at age 66 though after winning his sixth Manager of the Year, one of three to achieve the feat. Kang was a -5.9 WAR player, but became a legendary manager taking over the Green Sox in 2025. He set the EAB managing record of 14 playoff trips, going 1626-967 for a .627 win percentage, four Korea League titles, and two EAB titles. Kang retires 4^th in wins and he has the best win percentage by far of any EAB coach with 2000+ games.

EAB’s 52^nd perfect game came on June 10 by Gwangju’s Rishou Ishino with six strikeouts and 88 pitches against Ulsan. Swallows ace Si-Won Joon had six shutouts to get to 55, passing Zeshin Saito’s record 54 which had held more than a century. He’s one of 51 pitchers in world history with 55+ career shutouts.

Joon is now 2^nd on EAB’s strikeout list at 5386 behind the unrelated Sang-Hun Joon, whose record of 5694 has held since 1976. The 37-year old Si-Won had 327 Ks in 2040, so he could conceivably catch Sang-Hun next season. 15 of his 17 seasons have had 300+ Ks, moving him up to 21^st on the world strikeout leaderboard. Joon is up to 9^th in wins in EAB at 275-168 and has a 2.81 ERA, 4319 innings, 128 ERA+, 77 FIP-, and 104.0 WAR. He is a free agent in the winter after four years with Ulsan and runs with Incheon and Saitama before that.

In other pitching notables, Oniji Yamamoto became the 24^th to 4000 strikeouts and 19^th to 250 wins. Mitsumasa Suzuki and Jun-O Han were the 56^th and 57^th to reach 3500 Ks. Shoda Kano was the 81^st to 200 career wins. Russ Peng was the 128^th to hit 3000 strikeouts.

Han Yi became only the 5^th to 3500 hits in EAB and the 7^th to 800 home runs. At age 39, he led the KL with 51 home runs and 144 RBI for Goyang. He also crossed the 3000 games marker, one of 14 in EAB to do so. Yi is a 16-time all-star with 3501 hits, 1811 runs, 552 doubles, 807 homers, 2144 RBI, .963 OPS, 163 wRC+, and 118.3 WAR. He’ll be in his fourth season with the Green Sox next year and could feasibly become EAB’s RBI leader, (135 away from Soo-Geum Yim) but the other big stats need 2-4 more solid years to get to the #1 spot. Yi is an ironman though and could do it if he avoids a sharp decline.

Hyung-Gwang Sohn was the 42^nd to 600 home runs. Sohn and Hyeon-Bin Eun made it 59 guys with 1500 RBI. Dendi Hidayat and Geon-Ho Whang were the 113rd and 114^th to 2500 hits. LF Su-Yeon Han won his 8^th Silver Slugger split between LF/RF/DH.

FuzzyRussianHat · 03-26-2026, 05:13 AM

Defending Central American Baseball Association champion Leon and Torreon pulled away from the Mexican League field by the all-star break with the Lions at 64-33 and Tomahawks at 64-35. The next closest team was Ecatepec at 54-45. The Lions were a middling 33-32 after the break, while allowed the Tomahawks to pass them and claim the #1 seed at 100-62.

Torreon won the North Division for the fourth consecutive season and grew its playoff streak to a decade. Leon at 97-65 won a fifth straight Central Division crown with their playoff streak at 16 seasons; two away from Monterrey’s 1988-2005 record. The Tomahawks led Mexico with 829 runs scored and had the best run differential in CABA at +196.

Ecatepec’s 40-23 mark after the break was the best in CABA, giving them the South Division crown at 94-68 to end a seven-year playoff drought. North runner-up Chihuahua firmly had the first wild card at 92-70 for repeat berths. The Warriors’ 590 runs allowed were the best in CABA. It was a tight battle for the remaining two wild cards with nine teams separated by nine wins.

An 8-2 finish for Tuxtla pushed them to 89-73 for repeat berths. A strong finish for Aguascalientes and a weak one for Toluca put them tied for the second spot at 86-76. Just missing the cut was Culiacan and San Luis Potosi both at 84-78, Juarez at 83-79, Mexico City at 82-80, and both Hermosillo and Puebla at 80-82. In the tiebreaker game, five pitchers combined for a shutout as the Cactus defeated the Tortugas 4-0. It was the second playoff berth for Aguascalientes (2033) since joining in the 2030 expansion.

Torreon Oliver Lemus won Mexican League MVP with 31 first place votes, while Tuxtla 2B Esequiel Chavira had the remaining nine top votes. Chavira notably won the batting title at .355 and led with 220 hits. It was the second MVP for Lemus, who also won back in 2033. The 33-year old Mexican led in runs (125), home runs (49), total bases (423), slugging (.733), OPS (1.128), wRC+ (201), and WAR (9.9).

Lemus added 194 hits, 34 doubles, 24 triples, 131 RBI, and a .336 average. He was in his 15^th season with the Tomahawks and under contract through 2043. Lemus crossed 2500 hits, 550 home runs, and 1500 RBI in 2040. He also sits at 123.7 WAR, 17^th among all CABA position players.

Torreon also had the Pitcher of the Year Gilberto Terrero, who had all but one first place vote. This was the breakout year for the 24-year old Puerto Rican, who missed most of 2039 with a torn labrum. Terrero led in wins (22-3) and posted a 2.12 ERA over 241.2 innings, 298 strikeouts, 185 ERA+, 66 FIP-, and 7.5 WAR. Despite a lower career inning count, the Tomahawks gave him a seven-year, $166,100,000 extension in August. Terrero would suffer rotator cuff tendinitis in his second playoff start.

Also of note, Leon’s Nicky Aparicio became the 13^th closer in CABA history to win Reliever of the Year four times. His first two were 2034-35 with Culiacan, followed by repeat wins for the Lions. Leon got him in a trade from the Cocks for 2039, but Apraicio is due free agency in the winter ahead of his age 31 season.

For the first round, Ecatepec had their one game bonus and got the needed 4-2 win over Aguascalientes to advance. The Explosion won dramatically on Rogerio Peraza’s two-run walkoff homer. Chihuahua only had to win once to advance, but Tuxtla upset them with 4-2 and 3-2 road wins. In game two, the Terror scored twice in the top of the ninth, fending off a two-run bottom half by the Warriors.

Torreon opened the second round with a 9-2 win over Tuxtla, but the Terror countered 8-2 the next night. Game three was 1-1 after the fifth inning and stayed there until the 12^th. Tuxtla had a solo homer in the top half to go ahead, but the Tomahawks had a two out rally. Hugo Castillo delivered a two RBI walkoff double for a 3-2 Torreon win. The Tomahawks held on 4-3 in game four to earn their fifth Mexican League Championship Series trip in six years.

Ecatepec upset Leon 2-1 to start their series, getting both runs in the ninth via three walks and two singles. The Lions won game two by a 4-1 margin, but the Explosion grabbed game three 6-3. Ecatepec completed the upset taking game four by a 7-5 score, dethroning the reigning CABA kings. The Explosion earned their first MLCS trip since their 2031 pennant.

Torreon won the MLCS opener 7-4, but Ecatepec snagged a 3-2 road win the next night. The Tomahawks countered with their own 3-2 road win, but the Explosion tied it back up on a 6-5 win in game four. They used a three-run eighth inning to pull ahead. Ecatepec held on 4-3 in game five to take a 3-2 series lead back onto the road. Torreon prevailed 3-1 in game six to set up a decisive finale.

The clincher was a pitcher’s duel until the seventh inning, which saw the Tomahawks unload with four runs. Torreon won 5-1, earning their third pennant in six years. The Tomahawks became seven-time Mexican champs (1979, 87, 2013, 14, 35, 37, 40). Ecatepec RF Alfredo Escobedo was MLCS MVP in a losing effort, going 13-29 with four homers and seven RBI.

FuzzyRussianHat · 03-26-2026, 07:59 PM

The Caribbean League was incredibly competitive as the top eight teams were separated by only seven wins. Five of these teams were in the West Division with Haiti holding the best record at the all-star break of 61-37. The Herons went .500 the rest of the way, which allowed Santo Domingo to move into first place and take the top seed at 97-65. This ended a five-year playoff drought for the Dolphins, who had the CL’s best run differential.

Costa Rica in the Central Division was one back on SD for the top seed at 96-66, which ended a two-year drought for the Rays. Puerto Rico meanwhile won a non-competitive East Division at 92-70, ten games ahead of Trinidad. It was the fourth straight division crown for the Pelicans, who led the Central American Baseball Association in 2040 with 915 runs.

Haiti and Havana were both four back in the West at 93-69, which grabbed them the first two wild cards. The Hurricanes had the best post-break record in the CL at 39-25, extending their playoff streak to five seasons. The Herons had their wild card streak extended to three seasons.

For the final spot, Honduras (91-71) edged out Jamaica (90-72), and Bahamas (90-70). The Horseman have now posted 19 consecutive seasons with a winning record and are back in the playoff field after a rare miss in 2039. The Jazz missed for only the second time in nine years. Next in line was Nicaragua (85-77) as well as defending CL champ Guatemala (84-78) and Panama (84-78). The Buccaneers notably had 1730 hits as a team, third-best in CABA history.

Santo Domingo 2B Noel Goulet was the unanimous Caribbean League MVP with one of the all-time great seasons in league history. The 24-year old Haitian led in runs (150), home runs (64), RBI (158), total bases (475), slugging (.762), OPS (1.170), wRC+ (215), and WAR (13.9). Goulet was one run short of Donald Gonzalez’s single-season record from 2005. It is one of only 20 seasons in world history of 150+ runs scored.

Goulet’s 13.95 WAR was the third-best by a CABA position player and 35^th among all position players in all world leagues. His OPS was also good for the 25^th-best by a CABA qualifier. Goulet also added 230 hits, 35 doubles, 9 triples, and a .369 average; missing the Triple Crown by three points. He also hit for the cycle in April and was all-star game MVP in June. Goulet is set to be a free agent in the winter and could get a record-breaking deal considering his 2040 effort and young age.

Havana’s Melido Cervantes repeated as Pitcher of the Year, getting 33 first place votes while Suriname’s Duaner Castanon had five and SD’s Alejandro Rosales had two. The 28-year old Dominican righty Cervantes led in ERA (2.78), FIP (2.79), and FIP- (64). He had a 16-7 record, 220 innings, 265 strikeouts, 155 ERA+, and 6.2 WAR. In June, Cervantes signed a three-year, $57,600,000 extension to stick with the Hurricanes.

Puerto Rico had the one-game bonus and shutout Honduras 4-0 in the first round. Haiti had the bonus over Havana, but the Hurricanes upset them with 4-2 and 7-3 road wins. Despite losing the division to Santo Domingo, Havana had gone 10-3 against them in the regular season. The Dolphins seemed destined to lose initially down 7-1 in game one, but a six-run ninth inning tied it, capped off by Noel Goulet’s dramatic grand slam.

Santo Domingo would earn the walkoff in the 12^th on a solo homer by Yunel Llano with a 8-7 final. The Dolphins won the next two by 5-3 and 9-8 for a hard-earned sweep, although game three also needed a late rally. Santo Domingo earned its first trip to the Caribbean League Championship Series since 2034, their most recent playoff berth. Their pennant drought was back to 2027.

Puerto Rico opened their series with a 4-3 road upset of Costa Rica, but the Rays rebounded 5-4 in game two. CR had a three-run rally in game three for a walkoff sacrifice fly in an 8-7 win. Game four had another two-run rally, ending on Ulisses Alvarez’s walkoff RBI single for a 5-4 win. Costa Rica earned its first CLCS trip since winning the CABA title in 2036.

Both teams combined for 23 hits in game one, but the Rays did the scoring for a 6-1 road win. Costa Rica took game two by a 7-3 margin, leading the series before playing at home. Game three went 13 innings with a RBI walkoff single by Sonny Montero for an 8-7 Rays victory. Santo Domingo wouldn’t go down without a fight, taking the next two on the road by 4-1 and 5-3 margins.

Back in the DR, the Dolphins got two runs in the ninth, but couldn’t complete the rally with a 5-3 final for game six. Costa Rica claimed the series in six games for its ninth Caribbean crown (1932, 35, 36, 48, 77, 86, 87, 2036, 40). CF Jeronimo Polanco was CLCS MVP, going 10-22 with four homers, eight RBI, and eight runs. The two-time league MVP was in his eighth season with the Rays.

FuzzyRussianHat · 03-27-2026, 07:04 AM

The 130^th Central American Baseball Association Championship was a rematch from 1987, which had a Costa Rica win over Torreon. Both had recent rings with the Tomahawks winning it all in 2035 and the Rays the next year. Torreon was also the runner-up in 2037, entering at 2-4 in the finals to Costa Rica’s 5-3. The Tomahawks had home field advantage, but CR led 6-2 after the third inning and held on 6-4 in game one.

The Rays won again on the road 5-3, then kept rolling in San Jose. Costa Rica rolled 9-2 in game three, then had a go-ahead run in the eighth to secure game four by a 3-2 margin. It was the third time in five years the CABA final was a sweep, which included the Rays’ 2036 win over Toluca. They were now six-time champs with rings additionally in 1935, 48, 86, and 87. LF Mohamed Al-Aqrobi was series MVP, going 9-18 with one homer and nine RBI. The Emirati had mostly been a backup since coming to CABA, but was a decent starter in 2040 at age 30.

Other notes: 2040 was the final year for the legendary SP Israel Montague at age 43. After a torn rotator cuff kept him out most of 2039, the Panamanian made it back and was still decent with a 13-9 record, 2.91 ERA, 154.2 innings, 122 strikeouts, 147 ERA+, and 2.3 WAR. This allowed CABA’s career wins and strikeouts leader to reach two more big milestones; 350+ wins and 6000+ strikeouts.

Montague finished with a 360-131 record, 82 saves, 2.34 ERA, 4442 innings, 6085 strikeouts, 171 ERA+, 58 FIP-, and 161.93 WAR. He’s just behind the legendary Ulices Montero as the pitching WARlord at 165.65 and Montero has him beat for overall pro wins and Ks when adding his MLB totals. Montague is also CABA’s career leader for winning percentage (.733) and has the fewest losses of the world’s 300+ game winners.

He is one of only three pitchers in world history to win 11 Pitcher of the Year awards along with CABA contemporary Richard Wright and EPB legend Matvey Ivanov. On the world leaderboard, Montague retires 4^th in wins, 5^th in strikeouts, 6^th in pitching WAR, and 23^rd in WAR among all players ever;. Montague easily goes down on the shortlist for the best pitchers in baseball history.

Leon’s Benedetto Rodriguez completed his 22^nd season at age 43, becoming the 6^th in CABA to 3500 hits and the 3^rd to 2000 runs scored. He currently ranks 4^th in games (3192), 2^nd in runs (2069), 5^th in hits (3592), 19^th in homers (668), 15^th in RBI (1806), and 9^th in WAR for position players (133.57). On the world leaderboard, Rodriguez ranks 45^th in games, 31^st in runs, and 50^th in hits. He was still good for 3.7 WAR and 142 wRC+ in 2040 and is signed through 2043 with the Lions with plans to return for 2041.

Tuxtla’s Esequiel Chavira set the playoff record for slugging (1.200) and OPS (1.887). He had 21 plate appearances (20 required to qualify) with 13 hits, 5 runs, 3 doubles, 1 triple, and 2 homers. Costa Rica closer Jayce Kowlessar set the CABA record for appearances by a pitcher with 85. Both Cesario Gonzalez and Ernesto Escandel had four home run games, a feat that has occurred 28 times in CABA. CR’s Jeronimo Polanco again hit for the cycle, becoming the 6^th CABA player to do it thrice.

Guadeloupe had an all-time terrible team at 41-121, the worst record in Caribbean League history and only one win better than Mexico’s Guadalajara (40-122 in 1912) for the all-time worst. The Glory set CABA all-time pitching worsts for team ERA (5.74), runs allowed (976), earned runs (906), H/9 (11.24), and WHIP (1.625). Guadeloupe’s 1775 hits allowed were 2^nd-worst. In a positive CL team record, Santo Domingo’s 2,800,595 season attendance was the 3^rd-best.

In other hitting milestones, Leonardo Martinez (with Haiti) was the 33^rd to join the 600 home run club. Him, the other Leonardo Martinez (with Honduras), Oliver Lemus, and Cristopher Rodriguez made it 52 batters with 1500 RBI. Lemus, Ernesto Escandel, and Martinez (Haiti) made it 77 batters with 2500 hits. Wscandel also won his 7^th Silver Slugger in RF. Leonardo Santos was the 79^th to 500 home runs. Kian Baromeo and Castor Sanchez were the 92^nd and 93rd pitchers with 3000 strikeouts.

FuzzyRussianHat · 03-27-2026, 05:21 PM

The National Association had a noticeable shakeup from the prior year with four different division champs and only two returning playoff teams out of seven. The reigning World Series champ Cincinnati fell to 82-80, ending their three-year playoff streak. Last year’s NACS runner-up Grand Rapids meanwhile dropped to 76-86, ending their six-year playoff reign.

The clear standout was Chicago, who ran away with the top seed at 107-55. The Cubs ended a three-year playoff drought, but it was their first Upper Midwest Division title since 2030. The last time Chicago had the top seed was 1980. The Cubs had MLB’s best record at the all-star break at 66-33, but Cleveland kept pace in the division and was only four back. The Cobras collapsed going 25-38 in the back end, finishing 20 back at 87-75 and one out from the last wild card. Chicago had the best run differential (+203) and most runs scored (862) in the NA.

The other three divisions had competitive races. Brooklyn earned the #2 seed and won the East Division at 94-68, while Pittsburgh at 90-72 earned a wild card. The Dodgers ended a five-year playoff drought and 22-year division title drought. The Pirates snapped the second-longest active postseason drought in the NA at 33 years back to 2006. Wichita’s drought is the longest back to 2004. Raleigh (84-78) and last year’s division champ Philadelphia (82-80) both fell short in the wild card race. Washington notably dropped to 78-84, ending a 19-year run of winning records.

St. Louis closed the year on a seven-game winning streak, which vaulted them to the Lower Midwest Division title at 93-69 and a third straight playoff trip. Columbus at 90-72 earned a wild card to end a seven-year skid, an impressive turnaround since the Chargers were 63-99 the prior year.

Tulsa went 9-1 in their last ten to grab the final wild card at 88-74. It was their second berth in five years and also a strong turnaround, as they had won only 71 and 61 the prior two seasons. The Tornado allowed the NA’s fewest runs at 630. Most of the other wild card competitors were in the Lower Midwest with near misses for Louisville (85-77), Kansas City (83-79), and Cincinnati (82-80). The Lynx led the division at the break but fell apart down the stretch. Tulsa’s 40-23 mark was the best pro-break run in the NA apart from the Cubs.

The weakest division champ was Ottawa at 90-72 in the Northeast, earning repeat playoff trips and their first division crown since 2036. Just behind them and just short in the wild card race was Halifax (86-76), Montreal (84-78), and Quebec City (82-80). The Elks were a playoff team for the 46^th time, second-most among NA teams behind Philadelphia’s 55.

Leading the way for Chicago as National Association MVP was LF Kenneth Armstrong with 59/64 first place votes. It was the second year in the United States for the 26-year old Jamaican lefty, whose first five pro seasons came with Merida in Mexico. Armstrong signed with the Cubs to a hefty eight year, $312 million deal prior to the 2039 season. In 2040, Armstrong led the NA in home runs (55), RBI (162), and total bases (410). He added 202 hits, 123 runs, 35 doubles, a .332/.386/.679 slash, 179 wRC+, and 8.8 WAR.

Kansas City’s Rodney Marengue won Pitcher of the Year with 43 first place votes, while Brooklyn’s Tommy Nunn had 20 and KC’s Jack Enamorado had one. Marengue also had four first place votes for MVP as a two-way player. In his second season as a full-time pitcher, the 26-year old Filipino lefty led in wins (18-10), ERA (2.74), innings (279), complete games (22), FIP- (59), and WAR (10.5). Marengue was second in strikeouts with 248 and had a 151 ERA+. Marengue was also a full-time left fielder with 134 games and 113 starts, posting 132 hits, 76 runs, 24 doubles, 21 home runs, 54 RBI, .300/.372/.516 slash, 142 wRC+, and 4.2 WAR.

The combined 14.7 WAR was the most ever in a single-season for a player in MLB, even beating out Alair White’s insane year (13.69) over in the American Association. Marengue’s WAR was tied for 60^th best among all players ever in world history in a single-season. He was drafted out of Iowa in 2034 and spent his first four seasons as a part-time starting OF with limited innings. 2040 was certainly a breakout season that even his biggest fans didn’t expect.

Division champs got home field and the one-game bonus in the first round, needing only two wins while their foes needed three to advance. Ottawa swept Pittsburgh on 3-2 and 2-1 wins, the latter in ten innings on a walkoff single. St. Louis meanwhile got the sweep on 7-3 and 6-3 victories against divisional rival Columbus.

Tulsa meanwhile got 5-1 and 4-1 road wins over Brooklyn to start their series. The Dodgers held on winning 7-6 in game three, but the Tornado countered with their own 7-6 win to pull off the upset. In game four, Tulsa erased a 6-2 hole, getting the lead in the ninth on a two-run homer by Patrick Young.

Chicago opened round two with a 5-2 home win over Tulsa, but the Tornado countered 9-2 the next night. The Cubs rolled 14-0 in game three, but Tulsa stayed feisty with a 6-4 score in game four. In the finale back at Wrigley Field, Chicago took the 5-1 win, earning their first National Association Championship Series trip since 2022. The Cubs were hoping to end a 55-year pennant drought back to 1984.

St. Louis came out with 8-5 and 8-1 home wins against Ottawa. Back in the Canadian capital, the Elks took the next two by 7-4 and 4-3 margins. Game four saw the winning run score on a passed ball. The Cardinals bounced back to win game five 7-4 for their second NACS trip in three years. St. Louis had a pennant drought back to their 2014-15 repeat.

The last time two Lower Midwest Division teams got to the NACS was Cincinnati’s 2020 win over Kansas City. Although the Cubs were 14 wins better, the Cardinals had won the season series 4-2. Chicago opened the NACS on a 7-3 win, but the Cardinals countered 4-1. St. Louis then took the series lead on a 7-6 home victory in a 13-inning marathon. The winning run scored on Edward Toata’s RBI single.

Game four had drama with the Cardinals scoring three in the bottom of the ninth, but leaving two on base to force extras at 5-5. The Cubs got three runs off three hits and an error in the top of the tenth. St. Louis got one back and loaded the bases, but left them loaded as Chicago escaped an 8-6 road winner. The Cardinals claimed a 2-1 pitcher’s duel the next night though, giving them the 3-2 series lead heading back to the Windy City.

Chicago won game six by a 6-4 margin, then held on 5-4 in game seven. In the finale, the Cubs scored the tying and go-ahead run in the seventh on two hits, one walk, and one error. The final six Cardinal batters were retired in order and Chicago’s 55-year pennant drought ended.

The Cubs became four-time National Association champs (1964, 1980, 1984, 2040) and the sixth different champ in as many years. 2B Ryan Robinson was NACS MVP, going 15-29 with one homer, five RBI, and six runs. He was 3-4 in the finale with a run and RBI. The 25-year old Rhode Islander was a fourth-year starter for Chicago, picked in the 2035 MLB Draft.

FuzzyRussianHat · 03-28-2026, 08:23 AM

The two-time defending American Association champ and reigning Baseball Grand Champion Houston dominated the AA field at 107-55, leading MLB in runs scored (987) and differential (+255). The Hornets now outright hold the longest playoff streak in MLB history at 14 seasons. They won their 12^th consecutive South Central Division title and posted a fourth straight 100+ win season. Houston now has 66 playoff berths and 51 division titles, both the most of any MLB team by a healthy margin.

The other three division champs were 10+ games from Houston, but close together fighting for the #2 seed. Atlanta got the #2 spot at 96-66 atop the Southeast Division for their fourth playoff trip in six years. Birmingham was a distant second at 86-76, but that was a huge bounce-back as the Boomers were an abysmal 54-108 the prior year. Tampa was third at 85-77, which snapped their eight-year playoff streak as they were six games short in the wild card hunt. Charlotte, a division champ last year, was a non-factor at 78-84.

Denver ended an 11-year playoff drought and 17-year division title drought by winning the Northwest at 95-67. Seattle, last year’s top seed and AACS finalist, fell five short at 90-72 and Anchorage was 87-75. In the Southwest, a five-game winning streak and 40-23 run after the all-star break propelled San Diego to first at 94-68. The Seals got their second berth in four years and first division title since 2034.

Phoenix and San Francisco were close behind San Diego to get two wild cards. The Firebirds at 93-69 allowed MLB’s fewest runs at 608, ending the longest playoff drought in franchise history at 16 seasons. The Gold Rush went 9-1 in their final ten games to end at 91-71, their fifth wild card in six seasons.

In the South Central, Oklahoma City won 10 of their last 13 games, including taking two of three over Memphis. The Outlaws ended 91-71 for a wild card, one win ahead of the Mountain Cats. Seattle also fell one short at 90-72, although their run of winning seasons is now at 21 years. Also just missing the cut was 88-74 Las Vegas, who had posted four straight 100+ win seasons. This was only the second playoff miss in eight years for the vipers.

In his second season with San Diego, 1B Alair White obliterated records to win American Association MVP unanimously. It was his fifth MVP, having won from 2032-35 with Vancouver. White joined Elijah Cashman, Morgan Short, and Andrei Tanev as the only MLB players with 5+ MVPs. MLB’s home run record entering the season as 84 by Jose Angel Esqueda in 2036, a number that had seemed impossible for the talent of the league. Before that, 70+ had only been breached once in MLB.

White had three of the top ten MLB seasons with 67, 67, and 65. But his 2040 was insane with 90 home runs, one short of the world record set in 2009 by Majed Darwish of South Asia Baseball. White smashed the MLB records for slugging (.864), OPS (1.310) and total bases (527); as the previous bests were .786, 1.243, and 500, respectively.

His 13.69 WAR was also a single-season record for MLB position players, passing Killian Fruechte’s 13.04 from 2014. It would’ve been the overall MLB record if not for Rodney Marengue’s 14.7 two-way season for Kansas City. White’s 184 RBI tied Esqueda’s MLB record from 2036, while his 153 runs scored was second-best to Esqueda’s 166. The 30-year old lefty from Mississippi also led in hits (231), average (.379), OBP (.446), and wRC+ (240).

White earned only the ninth Triple Crown hitting season in MLB history and the first since Mike Rojas in 2020. On the world leaderboards for all leagues in baseball history, White’s season ranked as the 5^th-most total bases, 10^th-most runs scored, 9^th-most RBI, 6^th-best qualified slugging and 7^th-best OPS. The WAR was 49^th-best for a position player in any season.

He also became the 59^th in MLB with 600 home runs and won his seventh Silver Slugger. Through ten seasons, White has 616 homers, 1469 RBI, 1961 hits, 1234 runs, a 1.086 OPS, 175 wRC+, and 81.9 WAR. White’s seven-year, $245,500,000 deal with the Seals runs through 2045, but he does have an opt-out clause after the 2043 season.

Phoenix’s Leo Chapa won Pitcher of the Year with 41 first place votes, beating Atlanta’s Orlando Cepeda (10), Charlotte’s Mohammed Otu (12), and teammate Sutrisno Kartanto (1). Chapa was the leader in quality starts (24) and posted a 2.78 ERA, 15-12 record, 265 innings, 226 strikeouts, 163 ERA+, 65 FIP-, and 7.7 WAR. The 28-year old Cuban righty was in his seventh season with the Firebirds.

San Diego swept Phoenix on 5-3 and 6-5 wins in the first round. Game two was a 15-inning marathon ending with a solo walkoff homer by Jeremy Rioux. Denver had the one-game bonus as a division champ, but San Francisco upset them with 5-3, 3-0, and 5-1 road wins. Atlanta edged Oklahoma City 6-5 to open their series, but OKC won 9-2 the next night. The Aces advanced on a 7-6, ten inning win in game three.

San Diego outraced Atlanta 11-7 for a road win to open round two, but the Aces countered 10-6 despite Alair White hitting for the cycle in the defeat. The Seals then snagged 10-3 and 6-3 home wins to advance to their first American Association Championship Series since their 2032 World Series win.

Top seed Houston held on 4-3 in game one against San Francisco, getting a walkoff solo homer from Jose Angel Esqueda. The Hornets rallied again in game two, as Esqueda had a game-tying double in the bottom of the ninth to send the game to extras at 5-5. In the 12^th, Esqueda led off the inning with a solo homer to win it 6-5.

San Francisco earned a 2-1 home win in game three, but Houston clinched 9-2 in game four to keep the three-peat bid intact. It was their seventh AACS trip in a decade and 31^st overall, the most CS trips for any MLB team by a healthy margin. Despite both franchise’s storied histories, it was only the third AACS between the Hornets and San Diego. The Seals won 4-3 back in 1966 and 4-2 in 2008. Since 2008, roughly half the pennants have been split between them. The team that won would be the first MLB franchise with 16 pennants.

Houston was the favorite having won 13 more games, home field advantage, and having swept San Diego in their season series. In game one, SD tied it at 5-5 in the top of the ninth, but a RBI single by Toshiki Naruse in the bottom half gave the Hornets the 6-5 walkoff win. In game two, Rex Seguin smacked a walkoff homer in a 7-6 Houston win.

Most importantly in game two, MVP Alair White was injured running the bases; plantar fascitis that knocked him out the rest of the series. Even without their star, San Diego earned back-to-back 8-2 home wins to tie the series. However, Houston dominated game five 10-2 to take the 3-2 lead back to Texas. They held firm 6-3 in game six, earning the fifth-ever AACS three-peat. The Hornets did it previously in 1910-12, along with 1913-15 Memphis, 1970-72 New Orleans, and the Seals’ 2026-29 four-peat.

Houston’s 16 pennants came in 1905, 06, 08, 10, 11, 12, 20, 22, 52, 2019, 24, 31, 35, 38, 39, and 40. Seguin was the series MVP, going 11-25 with two homers, four RBI, and five runs. The 31-year old Frenchman was in his tenth season with the Hornets and had been dealing with recurring injuries. He had only 1.6 WAR and 87 wRC+ in the regular season over 112 games, but stepped up when it counted.

FuzzyRussianHat · 03-28-2026, 07:01 PM

The 140^th World Series was the 16^th for Houston, their third straight, and fifth in a decade. Despite winning the Baseball Grand Championship with a dominant 20-1 run last year, the Hornets have been the runner-up in the last two Fall Classics. They fell to Cincinnati in 2039 and Quebec City in 2038, but had recent wins over Louisville (2035) and Toronto (2031). It was the fourth trip for Chicago, who won in 1964 and 1984, while falling in 1980.

Both teams were the top seed at 107-55 and both had been the top scoring squad in their association. Home field alternates with even-numbered years going to the National Association squad. Houston jumped out to a 9-2 lead after the fourth inning in game one and held off a rally bid to take game one on the road 9-7. The Cubs bounced back 3-2 in game two, then took the series lead off a 10-6 road win.

Game four went extras at 8-8. In the 11^th, Binh Tang scored on Bryce Hall’s walkoff RBI double, tying the series with the 9-8 result for Houston. In the bottom of the ninth in game five, Marty Wolters led off with a 337 foot homer that just cleared the left field fence, giving the Hornets a 5-4 win and the 3-2 series lead. Back in Illinois, Chicago won 6-2 to send the World Series to game seven for the first time since 2036.

In the finale, Toshiki Naruse smacked a three-run homer in the sixth to put Houston up 4-0. Chicago got two back in the eighth, but left the bases loaded. They went down 1-2-3 in the ninth for a 4-2 Hornets road win. 1B Jose Angel Esqueda was series MVP, going 7-23 with three homers and five RBI. In three seasons with the Hornets, the 33-year old Dominican has delivered three pennants, plus 164 homers, a 1.063 OPS and 24.1 WAR.

Houston became 11-time MLB champs (1908, 10, 11, 12, 20, 22, 52, 2019, 31, 35, 40), second only to San Diego’s 12. The only other franchises in any world league to win their overall title 11+ times are CABA’s Mexico City and Honduras (11 each), EPB’s Minsk (15), WAB’s Kano (12), and SAB’s Ahmedabad (13). They will also have a chance to join San Diego as the only repeat Grand Champions as the favorite for the 2040 edition.

Also of note, NL MVP Kenneth Armstrong with the Cubs scored 23 runs across the postseason, a new MLB record. The only player in any world league with more in a playoff run was Sol Kim’s 24 in the 1979 EAB season. Armstrong had 29 hits, 7 doubles, 7 homers, 18 RBI, 1.162 OPS, 215 wRC+, and 1.5 WAR.

Other notes: Earning his first World Series ring was 13-time APB MVP Binh Tang, who signed a two-year deal with the Hornets. He spent his first two MLB seasons with Washington after his storied run as APB’s GOAT. It was his weakest season since his rookie year, but the 40-year old Vietnamese IF set a high standard as he was still good for 4.7 WAR, 28 homers, .871 OPS, and 135 wRC+.

Through 23 pro seasons, Tang now has 3402 games played, 3977 hits, 2229 runs, 632 doubles, 892 home runs, 2243 RBI, .969 OPS, 188 wRC+, and 207.0 WAR. He passed world strikeout king Mohamed Ramos on the all-time WARboard for all players ever, now just behind legendary shortstops Harvey Coyle (234.9) and Jimmy Caliw (214). Tang also ranks 17^th in games, 12^th in runs, 10^th in hits, 36^th in homers, and 27^th in RBI. He plans to return with the Hornets in 2041.

A former Cub and Hornet, RF Milton Ramirez played his final season with Seattle in 2040, struggling to -0.4 WAR over 105 games. He retired with 4078 hits, falling short of Stan Provost’s MLB record of 4078. Ramirez retires 6^th among all players in world history for hits. He ended with 2970 games, 2176 runs, 543 doubles, 263 triples, 311 homers, 1542 RBI, 1200 steals, 735 caught stealing, .361/.420/.539 slash, 164 wRC+, and 126.6 WAR.

Ramirez is MLB’s all-time leader for steals, caught stealing, and singles (2961). He also ranks 27^th in games, 3^rd in runs, 11^th in total bases (6080), 19^th in doubles, 6^th in triples, and 12^th in WAR among position players. On the world leaderboard, Ramirez clocks in at 16^th in runs.

He was the MLB leader for career batting average but the active Taylor Jarrawillah is ahead at .367, although he’s only played seven seasons and has room to drop. Ramirez also sits 3^rd in OBP among MLB qualifiers (3000+ plate appearances). Among world Hall of Famers and retired locks, Ramirez’s average ranks 4^th and OBP 5^th.

Another guy just short of the 4000 hit club for his combined pro career is 3B Jamel Forsyth, who at age 43 with Detroit finally looked human with 121 games, .653 OPS, 76 wRC+, and 0.2 WAR. The Grenadan wants to play somewhere in 2041, but is a free agent. Combined from CABA/MLB, Forsyth has 3085 games, 3955 hits, 2048 runs, 642 doubles, 706 homers, 2354 RBI, and 151.7 WAR. On the world leaderboard he’s 33^rd in runs, 12^th in hits, 12^th in RBI, and 50^th in WAR among all players.

For the first time in his 19 year run with Orlando, 1B Jackson Brafford failed to hit 40 home runs and for the second time missed 100 RBI. He was still close with 35 homers, 98 RBI, and 2.6 WAR at age 39. Brafford is up to 922 homers and 2309 RBI for his career, within striking distance of the MLB records of 929 homers and 2333 RBI by Isaac Cox.

Brafford became the 29^th in world history with 900+ pro homers and now sits 24^th for homers and 18th for RBI. He has 3414 hits, 1984 runs, 575 doubles, .988 OPS, 152 wRC+, and 105.3 WAR. Brafford has one more year left on his current deal with the Orcas.

Neil Hollinger is also giving chase, smacking 49 homers and 114 RBI in his age 38 season with Toronto. He moved into #3 in homers (883) and 6^th in RBI (2130) on the MLB chart. Hollinger has 3402 hits, 1998 runs, 1.009 OPS, and 113.0 WAR and is set for free agency in the winter. He’s up to #38 on the world home run list.

In other dinger news, Will Desbiens became the 6^th in MLB to 800 homers and is one of 68 in world history. Steve Castro became the 21^st member of MLB’s 700 home run club. 59 have reached 600 with Alair White and Woodrow Reed getting there in 2040. Pablo Rivera became the 81^st to 3000 hits and the 138^th to 1500 runs scored.

Calgary’s Bryce Henry hit for the cycle on both August 24 and August 31. He’s the second player in MLB to get the cycle twice in a week, joining Dylan Fabian in 2028. SS Titus Palmer and CF Andy Nagel both won their 7^th Gold Glove. C Montrell Curtis won his 7^th Silver Slugger.

FuzzyRussianHat · 03-29-2026, 08:31 AM

The 31^st Baseball Grand Championship was hosted in Manila, Philippines with the autobids going to MLB’s Houston and Chicago; CABA’s Costa Rica and Torreon; EAB’s Busan and Saitama; BSA’s Fortaleza and Ciudad Guayana; EBF’s Dublin and Zagreb; EPB’s Rostov, OBA’s Sydney, APB’s Pekanbaru, CLB’s Zhengzhou, WAB’s Libreville, SAB’s Mumbai, ABF’s Faisalabad, ALB’s Cairo, and AAB’s Kampala. The at-large spots went to AAB’s Dar es Salaam, EPB’s Irkutsk, and OBA’s Timor.

Houston was the defending champion after a record-setting 20-1 run in the 2039 event. Only San Diego (2026-27) had pulled off the repeat previously. The 2038 champ Kampala was also back in the mix hoping for another strong run. At the first break day through five games, the Hornets and Saitama were both 4-1, while 13 different teams were 3-2.

By the second break day, three teams had pulled away. Houston held the lead at 13-3 with both Dublin and Chicago at 12-4, followed by 10-6 marks for Torreon, Kampala, and Zagreb. The Hornets had beaten their World Series foe 8-4 in the first game and had a matchup still to come with the Dinos. Dublin meanwhile had edged the Cubs 3-2 in the first week. Chicago was on a nine-game winning streak and had gone 10-1 since the first break day.

The Houston/Dublin showdown ended up a pitcher’s duel with the only run scoring in the first inning on a passed ball. The Hornets prevailed 1-0 and won their first three games after the break. The Cubs went 0-3 in the same stretch, while Dublin was 2-1. Houston lost their last two games, but the Dinos split and would’ve lost on the tiebreaker had they won out. Thus, the Hornets became the second-ever repeat Grand Champion at 16-5, holding off Dublin (15-6) and Chicago (14-7).

On top of repeating, Houston became the first franchise to win the BGC thrice, having also won in 2035. They had the best run differential (+44), fewest allowed (56), and best ERA (2.50) of the field. The Hornets were second in runs scored with 100. All of their losses were by only one run except for a 5-1 defeat to Cairo. MLB teams have been Grand Champion 13 times, 10 of those by American Association teams.

For their pitching staff, Borey Chhorn was 4-0 with a 1.32 ERA and 41 Ks in 34 innings; Marko Kusko was 3-0 in four starts with a 2.48 ERA, 32.2 innings, and 45 Ks; and closer Marten Hasan had a 0.90 ERA over 10 innings with eight saves. SS Paulo Costancia led the offense with 23 hits, 17 runs, 8 homers, 17 RBI, 1.152 OPS, 232 wRC+, and 2.1 WAR. Although he had a surprisingly weak showing (-0.3 WAR), Binh Tang’s 2040 saw a Grand Championship ring, World Series ring, and a World Baseball Championship ring with Vietnam.

Dublin notably finished in the top three for the fifth time. The Dinos were the 2024 champ and had taken third in 2022, 23, and 35. Chicago was the top scoring team with 107 runs. There was a four-way tie for fourth place at 12-9 and based on tiebreakers, the finishing order was Torreon, Zagreb, Kampala, and Fortaleza. The Tomahawks were 3-0 against that group, including an 18-inning, 3-2 win against the Gulls. That was the first time a CABA team has been in the top four since Tijuana was third in 2030.

Next in line were five teams at 11-10; Cairo, Dar es Salaam, Irkutsk, Libreville, and Mumbai. Finishing 10-11 was Ciudad Guayana, Pekanbaru, and Saitama. At 9-12 was Busan and Costa Rica, while Rostov was alone at 8-13. Sydney, Timor, and Zhengzhou each finished 7-14. Faisalabad was alone in last place at 6-15.

*NOTE: The leaderboard for some reason doesn’t log all players properly, although their stats do show up in their individual pages and on the all-time leaderboard.

Awarded Tournament MVP was Dar es Salaam LF Sebastian Malema. The 29-year old South African had 24 hits, 17 runs, 4 doubles, 10 home runs, 19 RBI, .308/.386/.744 slash, 226 wRC+, and 1.4 WAR. Pekanbaru leadoff man Palani Pathammavong notably had 32 hits, tying the event record set in 2035 by Rex Seguin. The 29-year old Lao 1B had a .427 average, the third-best by a qualifier in even history (65 plate appearances).

Ciudad Guayana’s Rafael Menendez earned Best Pitcher with a 1.32 ERA over 34 innings, 4-0 record, 48 strikeouts, 280 ERA+, 35 FIP-, and 1.7 WAR. Kampala’s Yue Xu notably set a record with three shutouts in his five stars. He was 4-0 with a 1.02 ERA, 44 innings, 60 Ks, and 2.1 WAR.

His Peacocks teammate Abdullahi Ali struck out 72, tied for the second-most which he hit the prior year. He also had a 22 strikeout complete game with two runs allowed against Timor. That tied the single game Ks record for the BGC, previously met in 2025 by Rotterdam’s Pasquale Barola against Nanjing. Ali also holds the BGC record with 83 in 2038.

Other notes: Chicago’s Amani Gonalves tied the BGC single-game runs record with five against Zhenghzou. That same game, Kenneth Armstrong tied the RBI record with eight. In bad pitching records, Zhgenzhou’s Duguan Xiao allowed the most hits in a BGC with 47, and Faisalabad’s Zahman Momand was the tenth pitcher to record five losses in an event.

FuzzyRussianHat · 03-30-2026, 07:28 AM

Major League Baseball had a hefty five-man Hall of Fame class in 2041; the third time they’ve had a five-man class in the last eight years. They were all first ballot picks as well, although SP Riley Morales was the only no-doubter at 98.6%. SP Truman Bloodworth and 1B Tommy Sy earned solid marks of 79.7% and 77.6%, respectively. CL Vic McCallister (69.5%) and C Mike Woods (66.4%) both narrowly breached the 66% requirement.

1B Gilbert Windemere was a near miss at 64.4% on his fifth ballot. SP Storm de Ruyter was the only other above 50%, getting 50.5% on his eighth try. Surprisingly, no players were dropped from the ballot in 2041 after ten failed attempts.

Riley Morales – Starting Pitching – Cincinnati Reds – 98.6% First Ballot

Riley Morales was a 6’0’’, 205 pound right-handed pitcher from Shorewood, Minnesota; a town of around 8,000 on Lake Minnetonka. He was a renowned ironman who never missed a start to injury and was remarkably consistent over an 18-year career. Morales also had good-to-great stuff, movement, and control throughout his run.

His fastball hit 99-101 mph regularly and was his best option, but Morales also had a nice forkball and changeup, along with an okay curveball. His durability also came with excellent stamina, tossing 230+ innings in all but his final season. Morales was solid at holding runners, but otherwise weak defensively. He was known as a clubhouse leader and became a fixture of postseason baseball.

Morales pitched at West Virginia for college and excelled in three seasons with a 21-11 record, 1.86 ERA, 324.1 innings, 336 strikeouts, 180 ERA+, 56 FIP-, and 12.3 WAR. He was second in NCAA Pitcher of the Year voting as a sophomore and threw a no-hitter as a junior against Oklahoma State. After this effort, he was picked sixth overall by Cincinnati in the 2017 MLB Draft.

To that point in history, the Reds really hadn’t had any long sustained runs of success. Recently, they had won pennants in 2008-09 with a World Series win in 2008. But that was only a three-year playoff streak and they fell off after that. From 2011-17, Cincinnati averaged an abysmal 66.8 wins per season. Morales would help reverse those fortunes with immediate consistency. He had 6.3 WAR as a rookie, leading in complete games with 15. In all nine of his seasons with the Reds, Morales was good for 5+ WAR.

The Reds ended an eight-year playoff drought in 2018, losing in the first round was a wild card. After a near miss in 2019, Cincinnati started an eight-year playoff run in 2020, averaging 101.25 wins per season with seven division titles. Morales’ standout season was 2020 with a career best 2.27 ERA, winning Pitcher of the Year honors.

Morales stepped up big in the playoff run, going 4-0 over 42 innings with a 1.50 ERA, 33 strikeouts, three complete games, and 1.4 WAR. He had a shutout in the National Association Championship Series as the Reds dethroned two-time defending champ Kansas City in five games. Cincinnati would fall 4-2 against Denver in the World Series. In the Baseball Grand Championship, the Reds were in a three-way tie for fifth at 11-8. Morales kept rolling with a 1.54 ERA over 35 innings with four complete games and 42 Ks.

At the start of 2020, Morales also had a solid World Baseball Championship run, going 4-0 with a 1.41 ERA over 32 innings with 43 Ks and 1.1 WAR. The United States won the world title that year with Morales and would be runner-up in 2023 and 2024. While it was a relatively down period for American dominance in the WBC, Morales was ol’ reliable. From 2019-28, he had an 18-6 record, 2.71 ERA, 189.1 innings, 237 strikeouts, and 4.5 WAR.

Cincinnati went 101-61 in 2021, but lost in the second round to Detroit. The Reds grabbed the top seed the next two years at 109-53 and 107-55, respectively. They beat Chicago in the 2022 NACS and Detroit in 2023, giving Cincy three pennants in four years. The Reds were swept in a World Series rematch with Denver in 2022, but earned the franchise’s third MLB ring in 2023 over San Diego 4-2. In both BGCs, Cincinnati went 9-10.

Morales wasn’t overwhelmingly dominant in these later runs, but he was incredibly consistent and reliable as always. After the 2022 season, he signed a seven-year, $166 million extension. The Reds went 95-67 in 2024, losing to Washington in the NACS. They were the #1 seed in 2025 at 103-59, but lost to the Admirals in the second round. 2025 was Morales’s first year leading one of the major stats with the most wins at 21-5, taking third in Pitcher of the Year voting.

The Reds went 102-60 in 2026, but ended up a wild card as they shared a division with 105-win Louisville. They knocked out the Lynx 3-1 in the second round, then defeated Montreal 4-2 for a fourth NACS win in seven years. Cincinnati met San Diego again in the World Series, this time a 4-2 Seals win. It was a shockingly poor playoff run though for Morales with a 5.60 ERA over 35.1 innings. He looked better in the BGC with a 2.91 ERA over 34 innings. The Reds were one of six teams at 12-7, officially sixth after tiebreakers.

For his playoff career with Cincinnati, Morales had a 13-11 record, 3.00 ERA, 207 innings, 165 strikeouts, 122 ERA+, 96 FIP-, and 3.3 WAR. He surprised many by opting out of his contract after the 2026 season, becoming a free agent for his age 30 season. Morales’ role in the Reds’ dynasty run earned the retirement of his #10 uniform once he was done. In total, he had a 152-90 record, 3.02 ERA, 2220 innings, 2003 strikeouts, 473 walks, 102 complete games, 119 ERA+, 78 FIP-, and 54.3 WAR.

While he was still popular with Reds fans, there was some annoyance that he left for the team they met twice in the World Series. Morales signed a six-year, $195,900,000 deal with San Diego, who went onto win the Baseball Grand Championship. This was the start of an historic dynasty for the Seals, who would four-peat as World Series champ from 2026-29. They defeated Montreal in the 2027 Fall Classic and Ottawa in both 2028 and 2029.

Morales posted a career and American Association best 23-6 record in 2028, taking second in Pitcher of the Year voting. 2029 had his lone ERA title at 2.95, winning his second POTY. In the playoffs for San Diego, Morales had a 7-2 record, 3.01 ERA, 95.2 innings, 63 strikeouts, 145 ERA+, 100 FIP-, and 1.3 WAR. In the BGC, he had 3.15, 3.06, and 3.21 ERAs. The Seals won again in 2027 at 14-5, the first-ever repeat Grand Champion. They were sixth in 2028 at 12-7 and tied for seventh in 2029 at 12-9.

After three seasons and three rings, Morales again opted out and returned to free agency for his age 33 season. With San Diego, Morales had a 62-24 record, 3.34 ERA, 798.2 innings, 607 strikeouts, 131 ERA+, 86 FIP-, and 16.6 WAR. Coming off his second Pitcher of the Year, Morales signed a five-year, $195 million deal with Houston. He would ultimately play out the duration of the contract.

Morales wasn’t a POTY finalist as a Hornet, but he still posted his career best WAR seasons in 2032 (7.4) and 2033 (7.2). He also led in wins for the third time in 2030. Houston had been a regular contender in the 2020s and 2027 started a playoff streak that is still active as of Morales’ induction. However, the Hornets didn’t get out of the second round from 2027-30. 2030 was a huge letdown as they were the top seed at 111-51, getting upset in the second round 3-2 by Charlotte.

In 2031, Houston won another division title at 99-63 and went on one of the most dominant playoff runs in MLB history. They were 14-1 in the postseason, the lone loss in round two against Las Vegas. The Hornets swept Charlotte in the AACS and Toronto in the World Series. Morales was 3-0 in 36 innings with a 3.25 ERA, 30 Ks, and 1.1 WAR in the run. In the BGC, he had a 3.31 ERA over 32.2 innings, 39 Ks, and 0.8 WAR. Houston finished tied for first at 14-7 with Hyderabad, but the Horned Frogs were Grand Champion having won their head-to-head meeting 6-4.

This was the eighth and final Baseball Grand Championship for Morales. The only other players to appear in eight different BGCs were CABA LF Matias Esquilin (7 with Juarez, 1 with Chihuahua), and RF Loyd Wayne (5 with Juarez, 3 with San Diego). Against the world’s best, Morales tossed 275.2 innings with a 21-12 record, 2.87 EERA, 336 strikeouts, and 7.2 WAR. He’s the all-time BGC career leader for wins, starts (33), complete games (25), innings, hits allowed (177), and strikeouts (336) and ranks third in pitching WAR.

Morales’ playoff stats were a mixed bag the rest of the way with Houston, finishing with a 4.48 ERA over 72.1 innings, 5-3 record, 44 Ks, 98 ERA+, 100 FIP-, and 1.1 WAR. The Hornets kept their division title streak going, but had a first round exit in 2032. They dominated the regular season in 2033 at 116-46, but were stunned by Albuquerque in the second round. Houston got back to the AACS at 89-73 in 2034, losing to Birmingham.

Overall with Houston, Morales had an 89-52 record, 3.95 ERA, 1291 innings, 940 strikeouts, 111 ERA+, 83 FIP-, and 28.9 WAR. In his last year, he became the 12^th MLB ace to earn 300 career wins. At induction, only 47 pitchers in world history have 300+ pro wins. Morales’ control and durability were still rock solid, but his velocity was declining with age. He was now peaking in the 95-97 mph range after regularly hitting triple digits before that.

Morales signed a two-year, $21,600,000 deal with Louisville. He struggled in 2035 with a 5.23 ERA over 172 innings and 0.4 WAR. Regardless, the Lynx claimed the National Association’s top seed at 105-57 and won the pennant; the ninth of Morales’s career. Louisville lost the World Series to Houston and Morales was only used for a lone relief appearance for the entire postseason run. Instead of lobbying for a BGC spot, Morales retired after the World Series at age 38.

His playoff career had a 25-16 record, 3.28 ERA, 376 innings, 272 strikeouts, 75 walks, 13 complete games, 3 shutouts, 122 ERA+, 98 FIP-, 5.6 WAR, nine Association titles, and five World Series rings. Very few can claim five WS rings and Morales may be the only one to do it with three different teams. He also had a Grand Championship ring and a World Championship ring on top of that.

Unsurprisingly, his longevity and consistency meant Morales retired as MLB’s career playoff leader in wins, losses, games (55), starts (51), innings, hits allowed (335), home runs allowed (55), strikeouts, and walks (75); and ranks 3^rd in WAR. Morales is also the world leader for postseason starts, innings. Only EBF’s Nejc Novak has him beat for wins with 26.

For his regular season career, Morales had a 315-175 record, 3.43 ERA, 4481.2 innings, 3626 strikeouts, 883 walks, 349/582 quality starts, 235 complete games, 51 shutouts, 116 ERA+, 83 FIP-, and 100.2 WAR. On the MLB leaderboard, Morales ranks 7^th in wins, 29^th in starts, 36^th in complete games, 12^th in shutouts, 27^th in innings, 24^th in strikeouts, and 27^th in pitching WAR. He also ranks 27^th in the world for pitching wins.

Morales’ exact spot in the all-time rankings can really vary based on how much value is placed on team success. His rate stats certainly aren’t out of place among Major League Baseball Hall of Famers, but they don’t put him in the top ten conversations. There were a few of the other ironman-type pitchers as well that played a few more years than Morales and got above 5000+ career innings. But Morales was consistently a winner and his teams won more than almost anyone in baseball history.

When you add up regular season, playoffs, and tournament stats; Morales had a 379-209 record, 3.36 ERA, 5322.2 innings, 4471 strikeouts, and 117.5 WAR. Still, there were definitely more dominant guys and Morales won’t come up in GOAT conversations. That said, he was easily an inner-circle Hall of Famer and one of the game’s immortals. At 98.6%, Morales headlined a five-man 2041 class for MLB.

FuzzyRussianHat · 03-31-2026, 08:14 AM

Truman “Brick” Bloodworth – Starting Pitcher – Virginia Beach Vikings – 79.7% First Ballot

Truman Bloodworth was a 6’7’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Brooklyn, New York. Nicknamed “Brick,” Bloodworth was known for excellent powerful stuff along with rock solid control and good movement. He had a 98-100 mph fastball, but his changeup was generally his most dangerous pitch. Bloodworth also had a forkball and slider in the arsenal.

Bloodworth’s stamina was quite good early in his career, but injuries chipped away at that. He managed to gut out a 20-year career despite having some recurring back issues, especially in his 30s. Bloodworth was a good defensive pitcher and average at holding runners. He was one of the smarter aces in the game and knew how to pick his spots.

In three seasons at Florida State, Bloodworth had a 13-7 record, 2.69 ERA, 211 innings, 203 strikeouts, 125 ERA+, 77 FIP-, and 5.3 WAR. He missed half of his freshman season to recurring back spasms. Although a few teams were worried about possible injury issues, being 6’7’’ with a 100 mph fastball will get you plenty of looks anyway. Bloodworth was picked eighth overall in the 2017 MLB Draft by Virginia Beach.

The Vikings at this point were on a two decade playoff drought. Virginia Beach had surprised many by winning two World Series rings in the franchise’s first decade after the 1982 expansion, but they had been mostly lousy in the 21^st Century. Bloodworth was used as a reliever mostly as a rookie with decent results over 84 innings in 2018. He became a full-time starter in 2019 and was an ace by 2020.

Bloodworth led the National Association for innings pitched in both 2020 and 2022 and started a four-year run of 6+ WAR seasons. In 2022, he led and posted career bests in strikeouts (300), quality starts (28), FIP- (55), and WAR (10.2); winning his lone Pitcher of the Year. 2022 also had his career-best 2.17 ERA and best record of 20-6. Bloodworth was second in 2023’s POTY voting leading in wins at 20-10 and posting 8.5 WAR.

Virginia Beach finally snapped the playoff drought back to 1997 with an 88-74 record and East Division title in 2022, but they were denied in the second round. Bloodworth‘s limited playoff experience saw a 3.15 ERA over three starts and 20 innings with 25 Ks and 0.9 WAR, although a 0-2 record. The Vikings were a wild card with a first round exit the next year. VB spent the remainder of the 2020s outside of the playoffs, but did at least hover consistently around .500.

Bloodworth did see some use in the World Baseball Championship for the United States, pitching in 2022, 24, and from 27-29. His WBC stats were surprisingly lousy with a 6.01 ERA over 82.1 innings, 4-4 record, 0.2 WAR, and 113 Ks. The 2020s were a relative down period for the typically dominant American team. Bloodworth’s best finish with the squad was a runner-up in 2024.

After the 2022 POTY win, Bloodworth signed a five-year, $96,600,000 extension with Virginia Beach. Back spasms cost him most of the summer in 2024, but he otherwise avoided major injuries with the Vikings. He didn’t reach his award-winning peak again, but Bloodworth remained a reliably solid starter for the rest of the Virginia Beach run. For his efforts, his #31 uniform would later be retired; the first Viking to earn the honor.

For Virginia Beach, Bloodworth had a 147-96 record, 2.97 ERA, 2254 innings, 2185 strikeouts, 523 walks, 85 complete games, 26 shutouts, 125 ERA+, 77 FIP-, and 56.4 WAR. He became a free agent after the 2027 season heading into his age 31 campaign. Bloodworth signed a four-year, $105,800,000 deal with Houston. The Hornets had won pennants in 2019 and 2024, while 2027 began a decade-plus playoff streak.

Bloodworth wasn’t an award winner in Houston, but he mostly delivered the same steady production he had seen in the later years with the Vikings. Houston had initial playoff woes in the streak, including a one-and-done in 2030 despite leading the American Association at 111-51. 2031 would be the breakthrough, winning the World Series at 99-63 over Toronto. They tied for first at 14-7 in the Baseball Grand Championship, but finished second via tiebreaker to Hyderabad. For Bloodworth though, he was out from late-July on with a ruptured disc in his back.

His contract was up after the World Series win and he was a free agent for a month. Eventually, Bloodworth signed a new four-year, $103 million deal to stay with Houston. He would miss most of 2032 though with a torn labrum, his first significant arm/shoulder injury. Bloodworth was back by the playoffs, but got lit up in his one start as the Hornets went one-and-done.

The biggest critique of Bloodworth would be poor playoff results. With Houston, he posted a 5.43 ERA over 66.1 innings, 2-4 record, 34 Ks, 81 ERA+, 97 FIP-, and 1.1 WAR. His combined career had a 2-6 record, 4.90 ERA, 86.1 innings, 59 Ks, 86 ERA+, 85 FIP-, and 2.0 WAR. The FIP and WAR marks did suggest some bad luck, but the overall results wasn’t what you wanted or expected from an ace.

Bloodworth was solid again in 2033, but missed the second half with a herniated disc. That would be an issue again in 2035 and he saw more middling production in his latter two seasons. Houston had another one-and-done in 2033 despite going 116-46. The Hornets at 89-73 then lost the 2034 AACS to Birmingham. In 2035, Houston returned to the top at 104-58. They beat Edmonton for the pennant, then won the World Series over Louisville.

2035 was Bloodworth’s best long playoff run with a 3.72 ERA over 19.1 innings. He would be excellent in the Baseball Grand Championship, winning his three starts with a 1.84 ERA in 29.1 innings, 24 Ks, and 0.7 WAR. Houston won the Grand Championship at 18-3 and the run helped cement a Hall of Fame resume for Bloodworth in the minds of many. While it was his second BGC trip and World Series ring for Houston, he had missed the previous run to injury.

It was a strong way to end his eight-year tenure with Houston, finishing with an 88-69 record, 3.98 ERA, 1466.1 innings, 1171 strikeouts, 348 walks, 93 complete games, 2 shutouts, 111 ERA+, 83 FIP-, and 33.3 WAR. It also ended his MLB run, although Bloodworth wanted to still pitch at age 39. While his control was still strong in his last Hornets season, his velocity had dipped into the lower 90s and MLB teams felt he had limited upside.

Bloodworth had to pack up for Kazakhstan on a two-year, $15,200,000 deal with Nur-Sultan of Eurasian Professional Baseball. He was still passable in 120.2 innings with a 3.65 ERA, 72 Ks, and 1.3 WAR. However, Bloodworth suffered another ruptured disc in August, this time a catastrophic one with a 12 month recovery time. He was let go by the Setters, but didn’t immediately retire. Bloodworth singed in May 2037 with Gdansk of European Tier Three in hopes of a comeback, but he ultimately didn’t see the field for the Gunners. Bloodworth retired that winter at age 40.

In his MLB career, Bloodworth had a 235-165 record, 3.37 ERA, 3720.1 innings, 3356 strikeouts, 871 walks, 281/480 quality starts, 178 complete games, 28 shutouts, 119 ERA+, 80 FIP-, and 89.7 WAR. Adding the EPB season, he had a 243-172 record, 3.37 ERA, 3841 innings, 3428 Ks, 118 ERA+, 80 FIP-, and 90.9 WAR.

On the MLB leaderboards, Bloodworth is 85^th in wins, 53^rd in strikeouts, and 64^th in pitching WAR. While certainly not an inner-circle Hall of Famer, Bloodworth’s bonafides were generally comparable or better than the average posted by previous Major League Baseball inductees. Bloodworth received 79.7% to earn a first ballot nod as part of a five-man class in 2041.

Tommy Sy – First Base – Houston Hornets – 77.6% First Ballot

Tommy Sy was a 6’5’’, 205 pound left-handed first baseman from Kitchener, Ontario; a city of 257,000 people located 62 miles west of Toronto. Sy was known as a very well-rounded batter facing right-handed pitching with strong contact ability, plus reliably solid power and vision. Facing RHP, he had a career .944 OPS and 160 wRC+. Sy was closer to average facing lefties with a .739 OPS and 106 wRC+.

He was among the better batters in MLB at drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts. Sy didn’t have prolific power, but was good for 30 home runs per his 162 game average. His gap power was merely decent with 23 doubles and 3 triples per 162. Sy was also a very slow baserunner, although his instincts were decent.

Sy was exclusively a first baseman and graded as a reliably solid and consistent defender. He ran into some smaller injuries later in his career, but generally held up quite well over a 22-year run. Sy had an impressive work ethic that enabled his longevity and consistency, making him popular broadly with MLB fans. Some fans and teammates did knock him for a lack of loyalty, but Sy was by no means a malcontent or troublemaker.

He came to America to play college baseball at Mississippi State. In three seasons, Sy played 148 games with 154 hits, 99 runs, 29 doubles, 38 home runs, 101 RBI, .277/.348/.535 slash, 167 wRC+, and 7.6 WAR. He ended up closer to home when picked 31^st in the 2013 MLB Draft by Toronto. However, there wasn’t an immediate starting spot open for him.

Sy spent all of 2014 and most of 2016 in minor league Hamilton. He thrived at that level though, winning an MVP in 2014 and taking third in 2016’s MVP voting. He saw 86 games and 22 starts in 2015 and had eight playoff at-bats as the Timberwolves made it to the National Association Championship Series.

In 2017, Sy was a full-time starter with solid results, but was back to a part-time role in 2018. He finally locked down the full-time gig in 2019, a somewhat late bloomer at age 26, but he’d be a full-time starter for the rest of his career from there. While not an award winner, he was reliable for 5+ WAR and 30+ homers with Toronto. After the 2021 season, Sy signed a four-year, $64 million extension.

The Timberwolves were largely in the middle-tier in late 2010s and early 2020s. Their lone playoff berth with Sy as a starter was a division title and first round exit in 2023. He decided to opt out of his deal after the 2023 season, becoming a free agent at age 30. For Toronto, Sy played 1163 games and started 963 with 1138 hits, 570 runs, 158 doubles, 208 home runs, 612 RBI, .300/.363/.515 slash, 164 wRC+, and 38.3 WAR.

Sy had become popular with Canadian fans generally as a World Baseball Championship regular from 2018-35. He played 183 games with 150 hits, 105 runs, 29 doubles, 41 home runs, 94 RBI, .252/.356/.511 slash, and 6.6 WAR. Canada took third in 2021 on a solid effort by Sy, but his national stock soared in 2023.

That year, Sy had 33 hits, 23 runs, 6 doubles, 10 homers, 25 RBI, .284/.354/.612 slash, 178 wRC+, and 1.7 WAR. The Canadians won their first World Championship since 2004, winning a dramatic seven game showdown against the United States with a 4-3, 10 inning game seven. Canadian fans continued to cheer on Sy from there, although he didn’t play for any of Canada’s pro squads after the Toronto run.

For 2024, Sy signed a four-year, $135 million deal with Philadelphia. His 2024 was arguably his best season of his career with bests for home runs (43), average (.347), and WAR (7.4). The Phillies won the division at 99-63, but lost in the second round. He had a similar pace in 2025, but missed more than a month to a herniated disc. Philadelphia ended up finishing at 80-82 and to their surprise, Sy opted out after two years. He had 339 hits, 188 runs, 53 doubles, 65 homers, 181 RBI, .319/.390/.556 slash, 175 wRC+, and 12.8 WAR.

Coming up on his age 33 season, Sy signed a five-year, $145 million deal with Houston. This would be his most famous tenure, joining three of his fellow Class of 2041 inductees as part of the Hornets roster during their 2030s run. Houston missed the playoffs in his debut season in 2026, but began their decade-plus playoff run the next year. Sy was steady and was a league leader for the only time in 2028 with a .412 OBP. That season also had his career high OPS of 1.001.

Sy did decline his contract option after the 2029 season and spent a month as a free agent before inking a new three-year, $87,200,000 deal with the Hornets. Houston didn’t get beyond the second round from 2027-30 with the biggest letdown in their 111-win 2030 season. 2031 would be the breakthrough at 99-63, knocking off 104-win Charlotte in the American Association Championship Series with Sy as series MVP.

Houston went onto win the World Series over Toronto, then finished tied for first in the Baseball Grand Championship at 14-7, losing the head-to-head tiebreaker to Hyderabad. Sy had an especially solid BGC with 21 hits, 9 runs, 3 doubles, 3 homers, 8 RBI, .313/.418/.522 slash, 178 wRC+, and 1.0 WAR. His overall playoff stats with Houston were respectable over 42 starts with 47 hits, 24 runs, 6 doubles, 2 triples, 9 homers, 34 RBI, .294/.380/.525 slash, 137 wRC+, and 1.7 WAR.

Sy remained a reliable and steady starter into his early 40s for Houston, although he did miss time in 2032 to injuries. That winter, he signed a new two-year, $52,800,000 extension. The Hornets had their best record of the playoff streak in 2033 at 116-46, but got upset in the second round by Albuquerque. In 2034, the 89-win Hornets lost the AACS 4-3 to Birmingham.

That marked the end of a nine-year tenure with Houston for Sy, who made a strong impression and got his #21 uniform soon retired. For the Hornets, he had 1346 games, 1522 hits, 874 runs, 200 doubles, 23 triples, 261 home runs, 833 RBI, .307/.388/.514 slash, 133 wRC+, and 41.2 WAR. Coming up on age 42, Sy signed a one-year, $17,400,000 deal with Nashville.

With the Knights, Sy joined the 3000 career hit club and 550 homer club and was still a decent starter with a .283/.383/.453 slash, 121 wRC+, and 3.4 WAR. That marked the end of his MLB tenure, although he wasn’t done with pro baseball yet. In 2036, Sy went to Mexico on a one-year, $8 million deal with Guadalajara.

He was still serviceable with a .271/.364/.466 slash, 117 wRC+, and 2.1 WAR. Sy wasn’t ready to call it quits, but no one signed him in 2037 and he eventually retired that winter at age 44. Adding the year with the Hellhounds, Sy played 3096 games with 3282 hits, 1785 runs, 446 doubles, 581 home runs, 1775 RBI, 1270 walks, .303/.378/.514 slash, 146 wRC+, and 97.9 WAR.

In MLB, Sy finished with 2944 games, 3138 hits, 1702 runs, 431 doubles, 44 triples, 554 homers, 1688 RBI, 1197 walks, 1180 strikeouts, .305/.379/.516 slash, 148 wRC+, and 95.8 WAR. He ranks 31^st in games, 58^th in runs, 55^th in hits, 55^th in total bases (5319), 94^th in homers, 65^th in RBI, 64^th in walks, and 69^th in WAR among position players.

There were a few stingy Hall of Fame voters that dismissed Sy as a compiler, as he lacked individual awards and black ink. However, first base is a loaded position for hitters when looking at things like Silver Sluggers. . Sy’s consistency and longevity were impressive, plus he was strong at some of the unsexy things like drawing walks, avoiding Ks, and defense.

Getting 3000+ hits, 1500+ runs, 1500+ RBI, and 550+ homers was plenty for most voters even if Sy wasn’t ever an MVP contender. Plus he was generally well liked by his peers and an important part of Houston’s 2031 World Series win. He received 77.6% for a first ballot slot with a five-man 2041 class for Major League Baseball.

FuzzyRussianHat · 04-01-2026, 08:19 AM

Vic “The Wizard” McCallister – Closer – Memphis Mountain Cats – 69.5% First Ballot

Vic McCallister was a 6’8’’, 200 pound left-handed closer from Shreveport, Louisiana; the state’s third-most populated city with around 187,000 people. McCallister was known for stellar stuff along with rock solid movement and control. His 99-101 mph fastball was an all-timer with a curveball as the counterweight. McCallister’s stamina was decent by reliever standards and while he did have a few major injuries, he held up pretty well over an 18 year career.

He graded as a strong defender and was solid at holding runners. McCallister was a known prankster in the clubhouse, although his weaker intelligence meant his jokes weren’t always timed well. His nickname “The Wizard” came partly from his ability to get out of tight spots on the mound, but also from his sleight of hand with many of his pranks.

He attended Wichita State University and was a closer as a freshman. McCallister ran into a major injury as a sophomore, a damaged elbow ligament that knocked him out nine months. He was back and a starter as a junior, finishing his Shockers run with an 8-8 record, 10 saves, 2.43 ERA, 152 innings, 204 strikeouts, 140 ERA+, 53 FIP-, and 6.1 WAR.

Injury worries and having only two pitches meant McCallister was looked at as a relief prospect. However, a tall lefty with a tremendous fastball always has a spot on a roster. McCallister went 18^th overall to Memphis in the 2017 MLB Draft. He was middle relief mostly as a rookie with promising results, earning the closer role after that. In his second season, McCallister was second in Reliever of the Year voting.

McCallister made his mark in 2020, winning Best Pitcher in the World Baseball Championship as part of the United States’ title run. In 11 appearances, he gave up one run over 22.1 innings with seven saves, 50 strikeouts, and 1.3 WAR. McCallister split time between relief and starting in the WBC, but was excellent in either role. From 2020-33, he had an 8-3 record and 19 saves, 1.35 ERA, 133 innings, 266 Ks, and 6.7 WAR.

Among WBC pitchers with 100+ innings, McCallister ranks 5^th in ERA, 18^th in K/9 (18.00), 14^th in H/9 (3.65), 19^th in WHIP (0.68), and his .426 opponent’s OPS is 9^th. Batters had a .123/.207/.217 slash against him, ranking 15^th/25^th/6^th. In 2030, McCallister was second in Best Pitcher voting. He won additional world titles with the 2031 and 2032 American squads.

2020 was McCallister’s first Reliever of the Year win. He took second in 2021 and 2022, then missed two months in 2023 to an oblique strain. 2022 saw an American Association-best 35 saves. McCallister took his second ROTY in 2024 and third in 2025. He was second in 2026, but did lead in saves (34) and games (70).

McCallister couldn’t rack up huge save counts as Memphis was a mediocre squad in his run. The Mountain Cats averaged 73.8 wins per season during his tenure and only once had a winning record at 83-79 in 2026. McCallister was still appreciated for his efforts and Memphis later retired his #16 uniform. The run ended in July 2027 as he was traded to Washington for two prospects and a fifth round draft pick. For the Mountain Cats, McCallister had 224 saves and 275 shutdowns, 1.66 ERA, 594.2 innings, 781 strikeouts, 242 ERA+, 47 FIP-, and 29.2 WAR.

The Admirals gave McCallister a two-year, $27,400,000 extension in the fall. His 2028 was his worst season to that point with a 3.39 ERA, but he rebounded in 2029 with his fourth Reliever of the Year award. Despite being a big game pitcher in the WBC, he was unremarkable in his 2029 playoff debut with a 3.86 ERA and -0.2 WAR in seven innings. Washington was a division champ, but had a second round exit.

A free agent for the first time at age 32, McCallister joined Houston in March 2030. He initially inked a one-year, $12,100,000 deal, but signed a two-year, $16,800,000 extension by July. McCallister was second in 2030’s ROTY voting and third in 2031 with the Hornets, where he joined three of his eventual 2041 Hall of Fame classmates.

Houston went 111-51 in 2030 but was shocked in the second round of the playoffs by Charlotte. McCallister struggled in three playoff appearances, taking two losses with four runs over four innings. He made up for it in 2031 with an all-time postseason run. Over eight appearances and 11.2 innings, McCallister didn’t give up a run, recording four wins, three saves, 20 strikeouts, and 1.1 WAR.

The Hornets avenged the prior year’s loss to the Canaries in the AACS, then defeated Toronto in the World Series. McCallister was World Series MVP, an incredibly rare honor for a closer to win. He would be merely okay in the Baseball Grand Championship with a 3.86 ERA over 14 innings, but had 32 strikeouts and 1.0 WAR. Houston finished tied for the top spot at 14-7, but lost the head-to-head tiebreaker to Hyderabad.

McCallister opted out in the winter, finishing the Hornet tenure with 57 saves, a 2.08 ERA, 117 innings, 186 strikeouts, 213 ERA+, 43 FIP-, and 6.4 WAR. He joined Halifax for 2032 on a two-year, $8,400,000 deal. There, he won his fifth Reliever of the Year award, a feat only achieved previously in MLB by Noah Pugliese a century earlier. McCallister also became the sixth in MLB with 400 career saves.

His one year with Halifax was his statistical best with highs for saves (37), innings (83), strikeouts (132), ERA (0.76), ERA+ (517), FIP- (14), and WAR (6.4). It was the third-best WAR ever by a Reliever of the Year winner in MLB, behind only J.J. Fuller’s 7.2 in 2021 and his 6.6 in 2019. The Hound Dogs were 84-78, but missed the playoffs. McCallister opted out of the second year and went back to Washington for a second stint on a two-year, $19,400,000 deal.

McCallister missed most of 2033 to a partially torn labrum, but was back by the playoffs. He got lit up in his two playoff outings, but the Admirals won the National Association title and fell to Albuquerque in the World Series. McCallister returned to form though in his three BGC appearances, tossing 10 scoreless innings with 18 strikeouts. Washington finished 18-3 to claim Grand Champion honors.

Still, his control and stuff started to dip and the Admirals cut him in spring training 2034. Between stints in DC, McCallister had 82 saves and 88 shutdowns, 2.38 ERA, 200.1 innings, 261 strikeouts, 167 ERA+, 58 FIP-, and 7.3 WAR. McCallister was done as a closer at this point, but wasn’t out of the game yet.

In 2034, he pitched 29.2 innings with a 3.03 ERA for Cincinnati. The Reds cut him in mid-August and he was picked up by Nashville, although McCallister never made an appearance for the Knights. McCallister joined Atlanta in 2035 with a 2.05 ERA over 22 innings, but was cut at the end of July. Miami immediately scooped him up and he posted a 4.15 ERA in 13 innings for the Mallards. McCallister retired in the winter at age 38.

McCallister finished with 403 saves and 483 shutdowns, an 114-72 record, 1.85 ERA, 916 games, 1059.2 innings, 1417 strikeouts, 293 walks, 220 ERA+, 48 FIP-, and 50.6 WAR. Among MLB pitchers with 1000+ innings, McCallister’s ERA is second only to Stevie Ray Thornton’s 1.71. He ranks 5^th in saves and 13^th in games pitched. McCallister is also 5^th in H/9 (5.68), 7^th in K/9 (12.03), and 5^th in WHIP (0.91). McCallister’s triple slash of .183/.249/.287 ranks 5^th/6^th/4^th and his .537 OPS is 4^th.

His rate stats also put him on the world leaderboards among the top relievers, ranking 48^th in ERA, 40^th in WAR, 11^th in ERA+, and just outside the top 50 for FIP-. Among Major League Baseball Hall of Fame closers, McCallister is 5^th in WAR, 4^th in strikeouts, and has the best ERA. Despite that, he wasn’t an overwhelming yes for voters. MLB voters aren’t generally particularly stingy for closers, but McCallister only received 69.5% upon his debut ballot. Perhaps many of his best years being on weaker, smaller market teams hurt his notoriety. Stull, it was enough for a first ballot induction with a five-man 2041 class.

Mike Woods – Catcher – Albuquerque Isotopes – 66.4% First Ballot

Mike Woods was a 6’4’’, 200 pound switch-hitting catcher from Phoenix, Arizona. Woods was known for his longevity and an outstanding eye for drawing walks. He was an above average contact hitter, although his strikeout rate was unremarkable. Woods’s 162 game average got you 25 doubles, 2 triples, and 16 home runs. He was notably more effective facing right-handed pitching (.821 OPS, 130 wRC+) compared to against lefties (.742 OPS, 111 wRC+). As with most catchers, Woods was comically slow on the basepaths, although his baserunning ability was decent.

By catcher standards, Woods was a better hitter than most. He was also a better defender than most, grading just a notch below Gold Glove level. He retired as the MLB career leader in assists with 2027. Longevity certainly played a role with a 22 year career with generally solid durability. He was adaptable to the situation as well, helping Woods become one of the more popular catchers in MLB history.

Woods left the desert for scenic Muncie, Indiana, winning Silver Sluggers as a freshman and sophomore at Ball State. In three seasons, he played 127 games with 98 hits, 64 runs, 18 doubles, 24 home runs, 55 RBI, 101 walks, .244/.400.469 slash, 163 wRC+, and 5.8 WAR. In the 2013 MLB Draft, Woods went 24^th to Albuquerque. He had a part-time role in 2014 as a rookie, but was mostly a full-time after that.

He had steady production, although he missed the final part of 2017 to a hamstring strain. Still, that winter the Isotopes gave Woods an eight-year, $135,400,000 extension. He won his three Silver Sluggers in Albuquerque in 2019, 21, and 22. 2021 was his best season there by WAR at 6.5. His efforts were appreciated in an era of mid-ness for the Isotopes. They were a one-and-done wild card his rookie year, but didn’t make the playoffs after that. Albuquerque was rarely awful and averaged 83.3 wins per season with Woods, but it wasn’t enough in the always-strong Southwest Division.

Woods did get experience on the big stage for the United States in the World Baseball Championship. He was rostered from 2016-31, although he was more commonly the #2 catcher in his later years. Over 141 games, Woods had 86 hits, 64 runs, 23 doubles, 18 home runs, 59 RBI, .200/.343/.378 slash, and 2.8 WAR. He was part of World Champion American teams in 2017, 2020, and 2031.

For Albuquerque, Woods played 1073 games with 969 hits, 508 runs, 193 doubles, 111 home runs, 428 RBI, 553 walks, 652 Ks, .277/.379/.436 slash, 125 wRC+, and 38.2 WAR. His steady efforts made him very popular with Isotopes fans and his #1 uniform eventually was retired. Woods opted out of the remainder of his deal after the 2022 season, becoming a free agent at age 30. He signed a four-year, $128 million deal with Detroit.

Woods would remain a regular all-star as a Tiger and was All-Star Game MVP in 2024. That winter, he opted out of his deal to sign a new four-year, $148 million extension with Detroit. Woods’ first three seasons were worth 6+ WAR and he led the National Association with 89 walks in 2024. He had his career best 100 walks in 2025 and had career bests for runs (96), OBP (.425), OP S(.909), wRC+ (158), and WAR (6.7).

In his debut in 2023, Detroit got to the NACS and lost to defending champ Cincinnati 4-2. The Tigers repeated as division champs the next two years with a second round exit in 2024. In 2025, Detroit dethroned Washington 4-2 to win the pennant, then defeated Nashville 4-2 to win the franchise’s second-ever World Series title. The Tigers’ only prior title was back in 1902; 122 years prior; the longest drought in pro baseball history between overall titles.

Woods’ playoff stats for Detroit weren’t exceptional but he played his role with 39 career starts, 33 hits, 15 runs, 8 doubles, 3 homers, 15 RBI, .241/.348/.365 slash, 103 wRC+, and 0.7 WAR. In the Baseball Grand Championship, he had a .585 OPS, 71 wRC+, and 0.1 WAR as the Tigers finished fourth at 12-7. Still, his role in ending such a long drought in the Motor City played a strong part in Woods’ later candidacy.

Detroit would be a one-and-done in 2026, then fell below .500 for the rest of the 2020s. In six seasons for the Tigers, Woods played 824 games with 728 hits, 413 runs, 116 doubles, 83 homers, 355 RBI, 474 walks, 521 Ks, .277/.390/.428 slash, 136 wRC+, and 30.1 WAR. Although he played longer with Albuquerque and won his Silver Sluggers there, Woods’ most efficient run was with Detroit. In his last year, he did notably miss a month to hamstring strain.

Woods was a free agent for 2029 at age 36 and joined Indianapolis on a three-year, $63,400,000 deal. He ended up signing a two-year, $36 million extension after the 2031 season. The Racers made three playoff trips in his five year tenure, but didn’t advance beyond the second round. Woods kept up his usual production most of the time with Indy, but injuries did start to catch up with age. He lost six weeks in 2031 to torn ankle ligaments.

In 2033, Woods’ bat regressed notably to a lousy .600 OPS and 70 wRC+, although his defense was still good enough for positive WAR over 113 games. In five seasons for Indianapolis, he had 639 games, 521 hits, 278 runs, 78 doubles, 65 homers, 243 RBI, 360 walks, .266/.382/.412 slash, 124 wRC+, and 19.7 WAR.

Now 41, Woods went to Halifax in 2034 on a one-year, $8,600,000 deal. He had torn ankle ligaments again that spring and posted 0.3 WAR in 91 games with a.593 OPS and 66 wRC+. Woods still wanted to play and signed a minor league deal with Seattle in late April 2035. He struggled in 24 games with -0.4 WAR for the Grizzlies and was released in late July. Woods officially retired that winter at age 43.

Woods finished with 2651 games, 2289 hits, 1229 runs, 403 doubles, 34 triples, 264 home runs, 1052 RBI, 1435 walks, 1754 strikeouts, .271/.379/.421 slash, 125 wRC+, and 87.9 WAR. He is 23^rd among all MLB players in walks drawn and just misses the top 100 for WAR among position players. Woods is 6^th in WAR for catchers, 11^th in hits, 3^rd in runs, 24^th in homers, and 19^th in RBI.

His Hall of Fame candidacy came up against the normal challenges any catcher faces with lower offensive totals that come with the position relative to other great position players. Major League Baseball’s voters weren’t as cartoonishly stingy as other world leagues, but there still had only been nine inductees at catcher in MLB to that point. Woods didn’t have a ton of awards and even by catcher standards, he was merely an above average hitter.

Many voters place limited value on things like defense and walks; two of Woods’ standout qualities. He also had longevity, was well liked, and was a starter for Detroit’s first World Series win in more than a century. Woods only barely crossed the 66% threshold at 66.4%, but it was enough for the first ballot induction to cap off an impressive five-man 2041 class.

FuzzyRussianHat · 04-02-2026, 07:19 AM

The 2041 Hall of Fame class for the Central American Baseball Association was captained by three stellar starting pitchers with Richard Wright (98.8%), Angel Brea (98.8%) and Stinky Pasillas (97.3%) getting in easily. Closer Jose Toyos joined them as a first ballot nod as his 66.3% just crossed the 66% requirement. Also above 50% was 1B Martin Diaz-Garcia debuting at 52.7% and CL Diamante Navarette at 51.8% on his second try. No players were dropped from the ballot after ten failed tries.

Angel Brea – Starting Pitcher – Suriname Silverbacks – 98.8% First Ballot

Angel Brea was a 6’1’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Santiago de los Caballeros, the Dominican Republic’s second-largest city with around 772,000 inhabitants. Brea had fantastic stuff with very good control and decent movement. His velocity peaked in the 98-100 mph range and he had four equally potent options; fastball, changeup, splitter, and cutter.

Brea’s stamina was fantastic, leading the Caribbean League six times in innings pitched and five times in complete games. He also had excellent durability and avoided major injuries over an 18-year career. Brea had an excellent pickoff move and was a solid defensive pitcher. He was also a respected team captain with high marks for leadership, work ethic, and intelligence.

In December 2013, Brea left the DR for Suriname on a developmental deal. The Silverbacks were still a relatively new franchise from the 2003 expansion. Apart from their debut season, they hadn’t been to the playoffs. Brea spent four years in their academy, debuting in 2018 at age 20 as a part-time starter. He earned a full-time spot in 2019 and was a legit ace the next year.

In 2020, Brea led the CL with a career-best 0.91 WHIP and was second in Pitcher of the Year voting. He led in wins the next two years and had career bests in 2022 of a 26-4 record, 294 innings, 359 strikeouts, and 7.9 WAR. Brea was second in POTY voting both years to Guatemala’s Israel Montague, who went onto win 11 POTY awards.

Brea’s efforts helped Suriname with a three-year playoff streak from 2020-22. They had first round exits in 2020-21, then set a franchise-best 102-60 in 2022. They lost the division title to the 106-win Ghosts, who bested them in the CLCS. In May 2021, Suriname signed Brea to a six-year, $67,100,000 extension. Brea was out of awards conversations for the rest of the Silverbacks, but remained a solid ace for them.

Suriname was just outside the playoffs in 2023-24, then had a second round defeat in 2025. Brea held up his end with a 1.99 ERA over 58.2 playoff innings, a 4-2 record, 75 Ks, 195 ERA+, and 2.0 WAR. He also was a top performer in his 20s for his native Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Championship. From 2019-35, Brea tossed 256.1 innings with a 17-8 record, 3.51 ERA, 351 strikeouts, and 3.6 WAR. The DR’s deepest run was a division title in 2025.

After the 2026 season, Brea declined his contract option to enter free agency at age 29. For the Silverbacks, he had a 153-90 record, 3.21 ERA, 2280.1 innings, 2609 strikeouts, 419 walks, 121 ERA+, 83 FIP-, and 49.2 WAR. Brea’s #53 uniform was the first to be retired by Suriname. He and 2041 classmate Jose Toyos became the first Hall of Famers inducted in their green and silver.

Brea signed a seven-year, $134,400,000 deal with Haiti. He maintained his usual standard production with the Herons, who started a seven-year playoff streak in 2027. Haiti was a wild card with first round exits from 2027-29, then broke through. They won the Caribbean League title in 2030 against Curacao and in 2031 against Honduras. Haiti lost in the CABA Championship to Tijuana in 2030, but won it all in 2031 over Ecatepec.

In the playoffs for Haiti, Brea had a 5-6 record, 3.98 ERA, 86.1 innings, 99 strikeouts, 103 ERA+, 100 FIP-, and 1.1 WAR. The Herons went 8-13 in the 2030 Baseball Grand Championship with Brea posting a 4.02 ERA over 31.1 innings with 40 Ks and 0.6 WAR. Haiti tied for seventh in 2031 at 12-9 with Brea posting a 3.38 ERA in 32 innings with 42 Ks and 0.8 WAR.

In 2032, Brea was the Pitcher of the Year runner-up for the first time in a decade, leading in wins (19-11), and strikeouts (343). In six seasons for Haiti, Brea had a 105-57 record, 3.09 ERA, 1492 innings, 1784 strikeouts, 132 ERA+, 76 FIP-, and 37.0 WAR. Brea joined the 4000 strikeout club in 2031 and the 250 win club in 2032.

He was a free agent again for 2033 at age 35 after the Herons voided the team-option seventh year of his deal. Brea signed a three-year, $64,200,000 deal with Leon, who was the defending Mexican League champ. Brea’s production continued at a high level, but he suffered forearm inflammation that cost him two months in the summer of 2034.

The Lions were a one-and-done wild card in 2033. In 2034, they took the MLCS over Puebla and defeated Honduras to win the CABA Championship. Brea had a strong playoff run with a 2.73 ERA over 33 innings with 39 Ks. He struggled in the BGC with a 5.64 ERA and -0.9 WAR in 30.1 innings as Leon finished 10-11. Brea didn’t meet the vesting criteria for the third year of the Lions deal, finishing with a 27-14 record, 2.50 ERA, 411 innings, 483 Ks, 146 ERA+, 79 FIP-, and 9.7 WAR.

Costa Rica was optimistic Brea could still be an ace with a three-year, $29,400,000 deal. However, his velocity dropped down to the 91-93 mph range and he struggled immensely with a 5.50 ERA over 126 innings and -1.4 WAR. Brea hoped to reach the 300 win and 5000 strikeout milestones, but fell short with his terrible 2035. He retired that winter at age 38.

Brea finished with a 288-169 record, 4309.1 innings, 3.17 ERA, 4958 strikeouts, 732 walks, 303/494 quality starts, 230 complete games, 50 shutouts, 125 ERA+, 82 FIP-, and 94.5 WAR. On the CABA leaderboards, Brea ranks 3^rd in wins, 6^th in innings, 2^nd in complete games, 5^th in shutouts, 4^th in strikeouts, and 16^th in pitching WAR. His 10.35 K/9 is 84^th among pitchers with 1000+ innings. Brea also just misses the world top 50 for wins and Ks.

His longevity and consistency made Brea an easy Hall of Fame lock for the Central American Baseball Association’s 2041 class. He ended up with the same 98.8% as Richard Wright despite Wright being universally rated ahead of him as an 11-time Pitcher of the Year. Stinky Pasillas got 97.3% and was far more dominant than Brea, but had nearly half as many innings.

Depending on how one values peak/accolades compared to longevity, Brea could be a top five CABA pitcher or might be better suited just as a top 20 guy. In any event, he was an obvious inductee who would’ve been a standalone headliner in most other years.

Richard Wright – Starting Pitcher – Tijuana Toros – 98.8% First Ballot

Richard Wright was a 6’1’’, 195 pound left-handed pitcher from Kingston, the capital of Jamaica. Wright was one of the select few starters in history with a 10/10 stuff rating during his prime run. Some scouts even gave him an 11/10 at his peak. He also had excellent movement and solid control. Wright had 98-100 mph velocity with a five-pitch arsenal of slider, changeup, splitter, cutter, and circle change. Each option was potent, but the slider and splitter were especially effective at drawing walks and weak groundballs.

Wright’s stamina wasn’t exceptional relative to other CABA aces, but he was so dominant that he often went deep in games with very low pitch counts. He’s not close to the world top 50 for complete games, yet he ranks tenth among all pitchers ever for shutouts. Wright also had generally solid durability and didn’t see any significant injuries until his mid 30s. He was excellent at holding runners, but had weak grades for defense otherwise.

On top of being one of the most gifted pitchers ever, Wright was an absolute top-notch human. He was a team captain with incredibly high character known for his leadership, intelligence, loyalty, and work ethic. Wright became one of the most universally beloved and popular pitchers of all-time , becoming a legend back home in Jamaica, the Caribbean broadly, and in Mexico over a 17 year career with Tijuana.

Although his entire run came in the Mexican League, Wright was proud of his Jamaican heritage and was a regular in the World Baseball Championship. He was a regular from 2021-3 with a 19-12 record over 262.1 innings, 2.06 ERA, 427 strikeouts, and 11.5 WAR. In WBC history, Wright is 27^th in strikeouts and 16^th in pitching WAR. Jamaica’s smaller statue meant they didn’t advance despite Wright’s strong showings.

Wright left for Mexico in March 2015 as a teenager on a developmental deal with Tijuana. After four years in the academy, he debuted in 2019 as a full-time starter and won Rookie of the Year on a 3.00 ERA, 209 Ks, and 3.3 WAR in 207.1 innings. In his second season, Wright won his first Pitcher of the Year award with his first of eight straight years as the leader in ERA and WHIP. 2020 saw a 100-62 record for Tijuana, surprisingly the #4 seed that year, with a first round exit.

In 2021, Wright became undeniable with his first Triple Crown season on a 22-5 record, 1.47 ERA, and 318 Ks. It was his first of nine seasons leading in strikeouts and ten seasons as the WARlord. He would be worth at least 7.8 WAR each year through 2032 and nine times had 10+ WAR. On May 16, Wright had his first no-hitter with 13 strikeouts and four walks facing Juarez.

Tijuana was the top seed at 103-59 and defeated defending champ Juarez in the MLCS. The Toros then topped Puerto Rico 4-1 for their first CABA Championship win since their 1910s dynasty. Wright was excellent in the playoff run with a 1.38 ERA over 26 innings, 26 Ks, and 0.8 WAR. Wright kept rolling in the Baseball Grand Championship and was third in Best Pitcher voting with a 1.82 ERA over 34.2 innings, 54 strikeouts, and 1.5 WAR. Tijuana was one of five teams tied for fourth at 11-8, officially taking the #4 spot via tiebreakers.

The Toros stayed above .500, but missed the playoffs the next two years. Wright won his third Pitcher of the Year in 2022, then took second in 2023. May 22, 2022 had his second no-hitter with nine Ks and two walks facing Monterrey. In April 2023, Wright committed to a seven-year, $131 million deal with Tijuana.

2024 saw his fourth Pitcher of the Year award and began an unprecedented eight-year streak as the POTY winner. At this point, CABA fans delighted in comparing Wright with Guatemala’s Israel Montague, who concurrently locked up the Caribbean League’s Pitcher of the Year seemingly annually. Both would win the award 11 times, a feat only met by one other pitcher in world history; Matvey Ivanov of Eurasian Professional Baseball in the early 21^st Century. Another CABA great Junior Vergara had won ten between his CABA and MLB career.

Wright’s 2024 was also his career best ERA at 1.27, which was just short of the CABA single-season record of 1.24 set a century earlier by Lian Llanes in 1922. A sub-1.50 ERA by a qualifier has happened 21 times in CABA, mostly pre-World War II in a lower scoring era. The only guys to do it from the 21^st Century were Wright (thrice) and Montague (twice). Montague would set the record in 2025 at 1.22; Wright’s 2024 remains the #3 season among qualifiers (162+ innings) in CABA history.

The effort also would be one of four seasons for Wright worth 12+ WAR, which has only happened 18 times by any CABA pitcher. Tijuana finished 90-72, getting the last wild card by one win. The Toros shocked reigning champ Mexico City, who was a stellar 120-42, in the first round 3-1. They then outlasted Juarez 4-3 to win the Mexican League title with Wright earning MLCS MVP. The series included a one-hitter with 11 Ks and one walk over 106 pitches.

This set up a CABA Championship battle with Guatemala, finally pitting Wright’s squad against Montague’s. The Ghosts ultimately rolled 4-1 for their second CABA crown in three years. Wright had another strong playoff run with a 1.77 ERA in 35.2 innings, 52 strikeouts, and 1.7 WAR. He was even more exceptional in the BGC as Tijuana tied for sixth at 11-8. Wright won Best Pitcher with a 0.61 ERA over six appearances with three wins and three saves, striking out 56 with 2.2 WAR.

Tijuana couldn’t turn it into a dynasty run, although they remained competitive in the 2020s. They missed the playoffs in 2025 and 2028, but had division titles in 2026, 27, and 29. 2026 was their only MLCS trip, falling to Mexico City. The Toros got the top seed in 2027 at 104-58 but was upset in the second round. Wright continued his run of excellent play in the regular season and playoffs, keeping the Pitcher of the Year streak alive.

2025 was his second Triple Crown with a 22-8 record, 2.01 ERA, and 375 Ks; his most strikeouts to that point. Wright posted nine shutouts in 2027, one shy of the CABA record. He matched 375 Ks in 2028 and got 376 in 2029. He missed the Triple Crown in 2028 by ERA in 2028 and by wins the other years. 2029 was Wright’s second best ERA at 1.44 and matched his career best WAR at 12.4. In 2029, Wright was also second in MVP voting.

Coming up on age 32 in 2030, Wright signed a six-year, $148,200,000 extension with Tijuana in March. He had his first notable injury, forearm tendinitis that cost him a few weeks. That kept him below 200 innings, 10 WAR, and 300 Ks for the first time in nearly a decade, but he still won POTY and another ERA title. Tijuana was a division champ at 93-69 and won their third pennant of Wright’s run, sweeping San Luis Potosi in the MLCS.

In the CABA Championship, the Toros defeated Haiti 4-2 with Wright earning series MVP which included a six-hit shutout. For the playoff run, Wright had a 2.30 ERA in 43 innings, 1.5 WAR, and a CABA playoff record 62 strikeouts. He was stellar again in the Baseball Grand Championship with a 1.72 ERA over 36.2 innings, 63 Ks, and 2.3 WAR. Tijuana finished 14-7 and was third place on the tiebreaker as Wright was second in Best Pitcher voting.

2031 was his 11^th and final Pitcher of the Year award and third Triple Crown. Only Junior Vergara had as many pitching triple Crowns, getting five in his illustrious run. This year had Wright’s strikeout best at 414, the sixth-best in CABA history. It was one of only 10 seasons of 400+ Ks in CABA and only Wright and Montague had done it since the turn of the Millennium. This year also had Wright’s best for wins (23-6) and innings (271.1), his only time with the most innings.

This was Tijuana’s best record by far of his tenure at 115-47, tying a franchise record set in 1917. It was a huge letdown though with a 3-1 second round loss to Torreon. In 2032, Tijuana finished 88-74, two wins short of a wild card. Wright still led in WAR with 7.8, but his 2.55 ERA was the worst of since his rookie year. 2033 would see frustration with bone chips in his elbow suffered in late April, keeping Wright out more than half of the season.

Wright made it back by the fall and had another great playoff run left in him. Tijuana was a 97-65 wild card, but shocked 116-win Torreon with a second round sweep. The Toros then took out Puebla 4-1 in the MLCS and won the CABA Championship 4-1 against Honduras; the third CABA ring for Wright. In 31.2 playoff innings, he had a 2.27 ERA, 44 Ks, and 0.9 WAR.

In his final Baseball Grand Championship, Wright went 4-1 with a 2.06 ERA in 35 innings, 56 strikeouts, and 1.9 WAR. The Toros were mid-tier at 10-11 and Wright was second in Best Pitcher voting. Over four BGCs, Wright tossed 135.2 innings with a 13-3 record, 1.59 ERA, 229 strikeouts, and 8.0 WAR; a remarkable stat line against the best teams in the world.

Among pitchers with 125+ innings in the BGC, Wright has the best ERA and the best win percentage (.812). His .494 opponents’ OPS is second only to Nejc Novak and he’s also only behind Novak WAR among all players. Wright also ranks 5^th in strikeouts, 4^th in wins, 4^th in WHIP (0.77), 2^nd in K/9 (15.19), and 3^rd in H/9 (5.11). Opponents against him had a .164/.216/.278 triple slash.

In 2034, Wright was second in Pitcher of the Year voting despite missing a month to shoulder bursitis. He then fell off with career worsts in 2025 with a 3.63 ERA, 230 Ks, and 3.9 WAR over 243 innings. Those are still respectable stats for most starters, but well below Wright’s standard. He also struggled in his final two playoff starts as Tijuana was a wild card with first round exits both years.

Still, Wright naturally finished with stellar career playoff numbers with an 18-7 record, 2.58 ERA, 209.2 innings, 280 strikeouts, 23 walks, 8 complete games, 4 shutouts, 141 ERA+, 69 FIP-, and 6.6 WAR. Wright ranks 3^rd in playoff pitching WAR, 2^nd in wins, 2^nd in strikeouts, and 6^th in innings.

His velocity dipped into the mid 90s in 2035, but he still was able to reach the 5000 career strikeout mark; met only by Montague and Ulices Montero. Wright had a year left on his Tijuana deal and some thought he might chase the 300 win mark, but he wasn’t interested in pitching as a middling level to chase stats. Wright retired at age 37 that winter and immediately had his #39 retired by the Toros.

Wright finished with a 283-124 record, 2.06 ERA, 3791 innings, 5193 strikeouts, 572 walks, 352/451 quality starts, 171 complete games, 74 shutouts, 177 ERA+, 52 FIP-, and 150.7 WAR. On the CABA leaderboard, Wright is 4^th in wins, 8^th in winning percentage (.695), 13^th in complete games, 1^st in shutouts, 3^rd in strikeouts, and 3^rd in pitching WAR.

Among CABA pitchers with 1000+ innings, Wright is 8^th in ERA, 17^th in H/9 (6.45), 13^th in K/9 (12.33), 8^th in WHIP (0.87), and 6^th in opponent’s OPS (.532). His .201/.236/.296 triple slash ranks 18^th/10^th/8^th. Among world Hall of Famers and retired locks, Wright is 41^st in ERA, 5^th in ERA+, 14^th in FIP-, 35^th in opponents’ OPS.

For counting stats, Wright is 32^nd in strikeouts and 10^th in shutouts among all pitchers ever. He ranks 13^th in WAR among all pitchers and 54^th among all players in baseball history. Certainly he’s one of baseball’s immortals and among the absolute best pitchers ever, but his exact ranking in the Central American Baseball Association echelon is up for date.

Naturally, the big argument is Wright versus Montague considering their careers were concurrent. Montague played a few more seasons and has him beat on counting stats, although Wright does have the edge on efficiency. Both had excellent playoff and tournament stats as well with a similar story with Wright having a bit better efficiency, but more tallies out of Montague. You could fairly make the case for either legend as the best of their era with 22 Pitcher of the Year awards between them.

Both have a case for CABA’s best-ever pitcher, although Ulices Montero often still gets that distinction. He wasn’t as overwhelmingly dominant or had the playoff accolades of the other two, but Montero’s longevity was insane. When you add his six MLB seasons, Montero is the world wins leader at 398 and has 191.7 WAR, behind only world strikeout king Mohamed Ramos of Beisbol Sudamerica for pitchers. Montero is 3^rd on the world Ks list and 7^th among all players in WAR.

Of course, he also pitched a century prior in the earliest days of CABA and major professional baseball; a very different era indeed. Ten-time Pitcher of the Year Junior Vergara from the 1970s-80 also gets mentioned with comparable dominance, although he had a lower inning count and WAR total. That is pretty universally the top four guys in the CABA discussions for the GOAT pitcher.

Regardless of how you rank them, Wright is undoubtedly in rare company in baseball history. Along with being a top five CABA ace, you could certainly make a legitimate case that he’s a top ten pitcher in world history, especially when factoring his playoff and tournament dominance into the equation. He received 98.6% to co-headline the impressive four-pitcher 2041 Hall of Fame class for CABA.

FuzzyRussianHat · 04-03-2026, 06:23 AM

Stinky “Smiley” Pasillas – Starting Pitcher - Mexicali Maroons – 97.3% First Ballot

Stinky Pasillas was a 6’0’’, 185 pound left-handed pitcher from Guadalajara, Mexico. His actual first name was Samuel, but he got Stinky as a child and it stuck. He also was nicknamed “Smiley” and tried to make that one stick more, but fans had more fun with Stinky. While a childhood insult, it became a compliment later onto referring to his stuff, similar to how someone might call great stuff filthy.

Pasillas indeed had top notch stuff along with very good control and solid movement. His velocity peaked in the 98-100 mph range with a five-pitch arsenal of slider, curveball, changeup, splitter, and cutter. Each was a potent option to fool hitters. Pasillas’ main weakness was poor stamina, as he only posted seven complete games in his entire career. Even without major injury issues, he also finished below 200 innings many seasons, fewer than expected for your standard ace.

Still, Pasillas was efficient enough to still be an impressive starter. He was excellent at holding runners and graded as a good defensive pitcher. Pasillas was also a highly intelligent pitcher with strong leadership skills, making him very popular over a 12-year career. The stamina worries though did weaken his draft prospects coming out of college, as some teams felt he would have to be a reliever. Pasillas went second in the second round in 2021, 35^th overall, to Mexicali.

Pasillas had limited use initially for the Maroons, as he didn’t pitch in 2022 and only saw two innings in 2023. He tossed 45.2 innings in 2024, then finally grabbed a full-time rotation spot in 2025. Pasillas proved he could be an ace even with a lower inning count, posting 6+ WAR each year from 2027-34. After the 2027 season, Mexicali gave Pasillas a six-year, $90,900,000 extension. The Maroons ended a 17-year playoff drought in 2027, although they were a wild card with a first round exit.

2028 saw his lone ERA title at 1.59 and a league-best 0.73 WHIP, but he was second in Pitcher of the Year voting to Hall of Fame classmate Richard Wright. Mexicali won the division at 96-66 and got to the MLCS, but fell to Leon. Pasillas posted a 0.79 ERA over 11.1 innings with 14 Ks. He would also see use with solid numbers in the World Baseball Championship for Mexico. From 2027-35, Pasillas had 112.2 WBC innings with an 8-4 record, 2.88 ERA, 164 Ks, 126 ERA+, 53 FIP-, and 4.2 WAR. The deepest run for the Mexicans with Pasillas was a third place in 2028.

Pasillas was third in 2029 and 2030’s POTY voting, the latter of which saw a league and career-best 8.3 WAR and 44 FIP-. Mexicali fell back into the mid-lower tier for the rest of run, usually just below .500. Pasillas held up his end and was second again in 2033’s POTY voting with his career best 1.54 ERA, matching his best WAR at 8.3. That winter, he became a free agent at age 34.

For Mexicali, Pasillas had a 126-66 record, 51 saves, 2.21 ERA , 1795.2 innings, 2355 strikeouts, 269 walks, 165 ERA+, 57 FIP-,and 61.7 WAR. Stinky saw his #3 uniform later retired by the Maroons for his decade of service. He signed a five-year, $124 million deal with Jamaica. In his Jazz debut, Pasillas led the Caribbean League in wins at 22-3 and was second again in POTY voting. He never won the honor, but was a finalist five times.

Jamaica won their division at 102-60, but fell in the second round. In 2035, Pasillas saw his velocity drop into the mid 90s and he had middling results with a 4.17 ERA and 2.6 WAR in 211.1 innings. Jamaica won the division again at 99-63 and this time got the job done, defeating Honduras in the CLCS to win the Caribbean League pennant. The Jazz were defeated in the CABA Championship by Torreon.

Pasillas had been delightfully average in the playoff run with a 3.79 ERA over 19 innings with 12 Ks. He decided to retire with that and didn’t join Jamaica for the Baseball Grand Championship. In two seasons for the Jazz, Pasillas had a 34-16 record, 3.31 ERA, 434.2 innings, 419 strikeouts, 129 ERA+, 85 FIP-, and 9.1 WAR. His retirement papers officially were inked just after his 36^th birthday.

In total, Pasillas had a 160-82 record, 51 saves, 2.43 ERA, 2230.1 innings, 2774 strikeouts, 330 walks, 210/306 quality starts, 7 complete games, 1 shutout, 156 ERA+, 63 FIP-, and 70.8 WAR. Pasillas ranks 62^nd in pitching WAR, but misses the top 100 for the other counting stats on the CABA leaderboard. Among those with 1000+ innings, Pasillas is 31^st in ERA, 17^th in WHIP (0.91), 36^th in H/9 (6.83), 32^nd in K/9 (11.19), and his .572 opponents’ OPS is 26^th.

Pasillas also notably ranks 18^th in ERA+ among world Hall of Famers and retired locks, showing how efficient he was. Even with the low inning count and lower accumulations, voters felt his dominance was more than plenty for a slam dunk induction. Pasillas got 97.3%, one of three great aces as part of the four-man 2041 class for the Central American Baseball Association.

Jose “Shoulders” Toyos – Closer – Suriname Silverbacks – 66.3% First Ballot

Jose Toyos was a 6’0’’, 185 pound left-handed pitcher from Baragua, Cuba; a town of 31,000 people in the center of the island. Nicknamed “Shoulders,” Toyos had excellent stuff, very good control, and decent movement. He never had overwhelming speed with a 91-93 mph maximum, but his sinker/changeup combo was a challenge for hitters.

His stamina was good by reliever standards, but he did run into some major injuries over a 14 year career. Toyos had above average metrics for defense and holding runners. He wasn’t disruptive, but he was viewed as a bit of a selfish mercenary type.

Toyos got attention out of high school and was picked 28^th overall in the 2018 CABA Draft by Haiti. However, he declined signing with the Herons and went to college. When next eligible for the 2021 draft, Toyos again was the #28 pick, this time with Suriname. He was the closer for the Silverbacks right away, although he missed half of his rookie season to a partially torn labrum.

Suriname’s deepest playoff run came in 2022 as a 102-60 wild card, losing the CLCS to Guatemala. They would win division titles in 2025 and 2028, but couldn’t get beyond the second round. The Silverbacks were usually around or above .500 in the other seasons. Toyos’ limited playoff experience saw a 2.51 ERA in 14.1 innings, 3-1 record, 3 saves, 21 strikeouts, and 0.8 WAR.

In 2023 and 2025, Toyos won Reliever of the Year and led the Caribbean League in saves. His career high would be 44 in 2025. Toyos was third in 2027’s voting and second in 2029. It was the 2029 effort with career bests in ERA (0.69), innings (91), strikeouts (143), and WAR (5.8). Toyos’ 2030 was on a similarly strong pace, but he suffered radial nerve compression in late July that knocked him out nine months.

With the injury and his 32^nd birthday looming, Suriname didn’t re-sign Toyos and he entered free agency. For the Silverbacks, he had a 1.75 ERA, 264 saves, 304 shutdowns, 679 innings, 1015 strikeouts, 131 walks, 224 ERA+, 47 FIP-, and 31.4 WAR. Toyos’ #28 uniform would later be retired and he joined Hall of Fame classmate Angel Brea as the first inductees with Suriname as their primary squad.

MLB’s Ottawa Elks were impressed enough with Toyos to give him a one-year, $8,900,000 deal even with the injury. He saw limited use with a 3.77 ERA over 43 innings, 56 strikeouts, and 1.2 WAR for the Elks in 2031. Toyos went back to the Caribbean League on a three-year, $16,200,000 deal with Jamaica.

All the while, Toyos had continuously represented his native Cuba in the World Baseball Championship. He saw split use as a reliever and starter in the WBC, although his stats were unremarkable. From 2023-35, Toyos pitched 114.1 innings with a 6-9 record, 10 saves, 4.09 ERA, 199 Ks, 89 ERA+, 101 FIP-, and 2.0 WAR.

Toyos saw mostly middle relief in 2032 for Jamaica, but was back to the closer role the next two years. He led in saves with 41 in 2034, taking second in Reliever of the Year voting. The Jazz made the playoffs each year with the deepest run a CLCS lost to Honduras in 2032. In 8.2 playoff innings, Toyos had a 1.04 ERA, 16 Ks, and 0.5 WAR.

With Jamaica, he had a 2.37 ERA over 193.1 innings, 73 saves, 80 shutdowns, 271 Ks, 177 ERA+, 51 FIP-, and 7.6 WAR. Toyos was back to free agency for 2035 and signed a two-year, $13,400,000 deal with Honduras. He missed two months in 2035 to shoulder inflammation and struggled to a 5.45 ERA over 39.2 innings and 0.4 WAR. Toyos remained under contract in 2036, but the Horsemen declined to use him all season. He retired that winter at age 37.

Toyos finished in CABA with an 81-68 record, 345 saves, 393 shutdowns, 2.04 ERA, 727 games, 912 innings, 1327 strikeouts, 185 walks, 196 ERA+, 50 FIP-, and 39.3 WAR. He ranks 12^th in saves and 21^st in appearances. Toyos is also 4^th in WAR among the previous Hall of Fame closers for the Central American Baseball Association.

He wasn’t overwhelmingly dominant compared to some of the all-time relievers in world history, but Toyos stacked up well with previous closers in the CABA HOF. He received 66.3%, just breaching the 66% requirement to get a first ballot nod as part of an impressive four-man 2041 class.

FuzzyRussianHat · 04-04-2026, 07:01 AM

East Asia Baseball’s 2041 Hall of Fame class featured three starting pitchers inducted on their first ballot. Tsuneo Takao and Takehiro Nakajima were no-doubters getting 95.4% and 91.9%, respectively. Sung-Ho Lee joined them with a solid 76.7%. No one else was above 50% with the best returner, SP Shin-Nin Ikegami, getting 47.7% on his second try. The top position player was 1B Jun’ichiro Fusejima with only 39.2%. No players were dropped from the ballot after ten failed tries.

Tsuneo “Clang” Takao – Starting Pitcher – Kobe Blaze – 95.4% First Ballot

Tsueno “Clang” Takao was a 6’6’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Gifu, Japan; a city of 400,000 people near Nagoya. Nicknamed “Clang,” Takao had outstanding overpowering stuff that graded as a 10/10 for much of his career. He relied heavily on his stuff as his movement and control were both average at best. Takao’s velocity peaked in the 98-100 mph range with a cutter, changeup, forkball, and curveball arsenal.

Compared to most starters, Takao had poor stamina. He only had 11 complete games and only topped 200 innings in three seasons, very low numbers for an EAB ace. Takao was also plagued with injuries over a 15 year career. He was a solid defensive pitcher and was decent at holding runners. Takao was appreciated by teammates as an impressive captain known for his leadership, adaptability, and work ethic.

Takao’s talent was noticed immediately at Chukyo High School and he went sixth to Fukuoka in the 2017 EAB Draft. He declined their offer and attended the University of Tokyo for three years. Takao went third in the 2020 draft to Kobe and spent his entire career with the Blaze. He missed some time as a rookie to a strained hamstring, but still showed flashes and was second in Rookie of the Year voting. On September 2, 2021, Takao tossed a no-hitter with 15 strikeouts and two walks.

2022 was Takao’s debut in the World Baseball Championship, although he struggled in his two starts. He had mixed results in the WBC from 2022-33 with a 9-1 record, but 4.83 ERA over 78.1 innings, 153 strikeouts, 75 ERA+, 90 FIP-, and 1.3 WAR. Japan’s deepest runs with Takao included a third place in 2029, fourth in 2031, and second in 2032.

Although 2022 was Takao’s WBC debut, he missed the entire season with a stretched elbow ligament suffered in spring training. He was back for 2023 and thrived with his lone ERA title at 2.06, as well as a league-best 0.81 WHIP and 50 FIP-. Takao was third in Pitcher of the Year voting. This also started a ten-year playoff streak for Kobe and ended an 18-year drought.

The Blaze would fail to win the pennant though during that entire streak. They made it to the Japan League Championship Series thrice, losing in 2025 to Saitama, 2029 to Niigata, and 2031 to Sendai. 2029 was especially disappointing as they were the top seed at 109-53. Takao got poor support in his playoff career with a 2-9 record, but had a 2.98 ERA over 87.2 innings, 130 Ks, 112 ERA+, 87 FIP-, and 1.7 WAR.

Takao led in strikeouts for the first time in 2024 with 295. That May, he signed a five-year, $83,100,000 extension with Kobe. Despite finishing his career with only three shutouts, Takao tossed EAB’s 39^th perfect game on July 19, 2027 with 15 strikeouts against Niigata. He won his lone Pitcher of the Year that season with a 1.86 ERA, 222.2 innings, 324 Ks, and 8.3 WAR.

2028 had his career best for WAR (9.4), strikeouts (353), record (19-2), and qualifying ERA (1.66). However, he was second in POTY voting to his eventual Hall of Fame classmate Takehiro Nakajima. In March 2029, Takao signed a mammoth seven-year, $247,500,000 extension. He was used in an opener and relief role with only 119.2 innings that year, but had his best ERA (1.20).

Takao was back to a more standard starting role the next two years and led twice more in strikeouts, taking third in 2030’s POTY voting. In 2032, he lost two months in the summer to elbow inflammation and had a 3.18 ERA, his first season above three. Shoulder inflammation popped up in spring 2033 and eventually required surgery, ending his season.

In 2034, Takao missed most of the season between an elbow strain and radial nerve compression. He suffered bone chips in his elbow in spring training 2035 that kept him out until late July. Takao only pitched 3.2 innings that summer before missing the rest of the year to a torn labrum. Frustrated by his body breaking down, Takao retired that winter at age 35.

Takao finished with a 154-69 record, 38 saves and 82 shutdowns, 2.37 ERA, 2130.2 innings, 3127 strikeouts, 429 walks, 178/322 quality starts, 11 complete games, 3 shutouts, 141 ERA+, 59 FIP-, and 70.6 WAR. Takao ranks 79^th in pitching WAR, but misses the other accumulation top 100s with the low inning count.

For rate stats among those with 1000+ innings, Takao is 36^th in ERA, 7^th in H/9 (6.14), 6^th in K/9 (13.21), 11^th in WHIP (0.88), and 16^th in opponent’s OPS (.553). His triple slash (.192/.236/.317) ranks 8^th/12^th/38^th. Among all Hall of Fame starters and retired locks in world history, his 59 FIP- just cracks the top 50.

Takao was clearly very dominant when on his game, but the lack of innings and longevity kept him from being an inner-circle Hall of Famer. Still, that dominance and role in Kobe’s decade-long playoff streak made him an easy yes for the voters. At 95.4%, Takao co-headlined the three pitcher 2041 class for East Asia Baseball.

FuzzyRussianHat · Yesterday, 07:56 AM

Takehiro Nakajima – Starting Pitcher – Niigata Green Dragons – 91.9% First Ballot

Takehiro Nakajima was a 6’2’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Ichikawa, Japan; a city with around 493,000 people in the Chiba Prefecture. Nakajima boasted reliably solid stuff along with above average movement and control. He had a 97-99 mph fastball, forkball, cutter, and changeup in the arsenal. The forkball and cutter tended to be his most effective offering, but all four pitches were respectable.

Relative to most EAB aces, Nakajima had merely average stamina. His durability was mostly strong in his prime so you’d still get a full slate of innings each year. Nakajima was around average for holding runners and defense. By pitcher standards, he was a decent hitter with a career .166 average and won a Silver Slugger in 2024. Nakajima wasn’t the brightest guy, but he had the talent to stick around for 15 years in the pros.

After an impressive run for the University of Tokyo, Nakajima was picked seventh by Niigata in the 2020 EAB Draft. He was a part-timer as a rookie and then a full-timer for the next decade with the Green Dragons. Nakajima wasn’t an immediate success though with middling production in his first three seasons. He put it together in his fourth season, his first of eight straight seasons with 6+ WAR, 240+ strikeouts, and sub-three ERAs.

In 2025, Nakajima was third in Pitcher of the Year voting, leading the Japan League in FIP- (61) and quality starts (25). Niigata ended a 14-year playoff drought, but lost in the first round of the playoffs. That winter, the Green Dragons gave Nakajima a six-year, $157,800,000 extension. After missing the cut by one win in 2026, Niigata began a seven-year playoff streak in 2027.

The Green Dragons were a wild card at 95-67 in 2027, but went on an impressive playoff run, including a JLCS sweep of Hiroshima. Niigata then defeated Incheon 4-2 for their first East Asian Championship win since 2008. Nakajima had an outstanding postseason with a 1.66 ERA over 38 innings, 4-0 record, 48 strikeouts, 208 ERA+, 34 FIP-, and 1.9 WAR. It ranks as the sixth-best WAR by an EAB pitcher in playoff history.

This solidified Nakajima’s reputation as a big-time pitcher, even though he struggled in the Baseball Grand Championship with a 5.72 ERA in 28.1 innings and -0.1 WAR. Niigata’s magic ran out in the BGC, finishing last at 5-14. In 2028, Nakajima missed most of spring training to a torn thumb ligament, but was ready for the regular season. There, he won his first Pitcher of the Year, leading in wins (21-5) with a 1.72 ERA and 8.9 WAR.

Niigata finished 110-52, earning the top seed and tying a franchise record. Nakajima had another solid playoff run with a 2.45 ERA and 1.3 WAR over 22 innings. Despite his efforts, the Green Dragons were swept in the JLCS by Nagoya. Nakajima repeated as POTY in 2029 with his career bests for WAR (11.5), strikeouts (301), and innings (268.2). It ranks as the 22^nd-best single-season WAR for an EAB pitcher.

Nakajima was steady in the playoffs with a 2.56 ERA over 31.2 innings, 26 Ks, and 0.7 WAR. Niigata won the North Division at 97-65 and got hot again in the playoffs. They shocked 109-win Kobe by sweeping the Blaze in the JLCS, then defeated Busan 4-1 for their second EAB title in three years. Nakajima fared much better in the 2029 BGC with a 2.63 ERA over 41 innings, 43 Ks, and 1.2 WAR. Niigata ended up in the middle of the standings at 11-10.

The Green Dragons won 103, 107, and 100 games the next three years with division titles and were the #1 seed in 2031. However, their playoff luck ran out. Niigata lost in a 4-3 thriller to Nagoya in the 2030 JLCS, then fell in the divisional round in back-to-back years. They had a wild card round exit in 2033 to conclude their playoff streak. Nakajima finished his playoff career with an 11-3 record, 1.85 ERA, 136 innings, 158 Ks, 17 walks, 184 ERA+, 53 FIP-, and 5.4 WAR. At induction, he’s 7^th in pitching playoff WAR and 15^th in strikeouts.

Nakajima won his third Pitcher of the Year in 2031 with career/league bests for wins (22-7) and shutouts (8) as well has his best ERA at 1.70. However, a strained shoulder in early September caused him to miss the playoffs. Nakajima had been generally healthy to that point and Niigata gave him a five-year, $137 million extension in July 2032 at age 33. Injuries would become an issue shortly after signing, missing a month in the fall to a strained oblique.

In March 2033, Nakajima missed two months to an elbow strain. The rest of the year was without incident, but he had his worst production in a decade with a 3.00 ERA and 3.2 WAR. In his third start of 2034, Nakajima suffered a torn labrum that ended his season.

He returned in 2035, but was subpar with a 4.11 ERA and reduced to a part-time starting role. He did notably cross the 200 win milestone, one of 81 pitchers to do so in East Asia Baseball. Nakajima retired that winter at age 36 and immediately had his #7 uniform retired for his role in Niigata’s playoff streak and two titles.

Nakajima finished with a 201-117 record, 2.64 ERA, 3023.1 innings, 3235 strikeouts, 580 walks, 276/387 quality starts, 69 complete games, 28 shutouts, 128 ERA+, 73 FIP-, and 80.0 WAR. Nakajima ranks 78^th in wins, 88^th in strikeouts, 47^th in shutouts, and 50^th in pitching WAR.

While Nakajima didn’t have the longevity or innings to be an inner-circle Hall of Famer, his candidacy was plenty rock solid for the first ballot nod. 200+ wins, 3000+ Ks, three Pitcher of the Year awards, and two EAB titles is an impressive haul for any career. Nakajima received 91.9% to co-headline EAB’s three-man HOF class for 2041.

Sung-Ho Lee – Starting Pitcher – Busan Blue Jays – 76.7% First Ballot

Sung-Ho Lee was a 6’0’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from the capital of South Korea, Seoul. Lee had above average-to-good stuff and control with decent movement. He had a 97-99 mph fastball along with a curveball and circle change. The curveball was especially impressive and he had an extreme groundball tendency. Lee was a guy whose numbers would be greatly impacted by the quality of the defense around him.

His stamina was average but he had excellent durability and avoided major injuries for his entire run. Lee was very good at holding runners and had average glove work. He was a real scrappy sparkplug with an impressive work ethic and adaptability. Most Hall of Fame pitchers had more raw talent than Lee, but very few outworked him and he got the absolute maximum out of his abilities.

Lee attended Seoul’s Sungkynkwan University and was picked 16^th overall by Busan in the 2018 EAB Draft. Despite that, he was very much a late bloomer who was held on the reserve roster for almost four full years. Lee made one start in 2022 and made his full-time roster debut in 2023 at age 26. The Blue Jays also had a tough roster to crack, having started a playoff streak in 2020 that would last a league-record 17 seasons.

He spent the 2023 season mostly as a reliever and occasional starter. Lee did make three starts in the playoffs, albeit with weak results on a 4.43 ERA over 22.1 innings. Still, this helped Busan win their first Korea League title since 2009, although they in the East Asian Championship as Fukuoka repeated. Lee showed his potential in the Baseball Grand Championship with an excellent 1.14 ERA over 23.2 innings with 21 Ks. The Blue Jays finished tied for eighth at 10-9.

Despite that, Lee didn’t crack the roster at any point in 2024. Busan repeated as KL champ, falling to Sapporo in the EAB Championship with a 6-13 record in the BGC. Lee was back up in a split starter-relief role the next two years. He was a starter only but a part-timer in 2027, then finally saw more primary use after that with 200+ innings each year from 2028 onward. It was very unusual for an eventual inductee to only finally get his full-time main gig in his 30s.

Busan’s playoff streak continued, but they were stopped in the divisional round from 2025-27. 2026 was a major letdown especially, as they had gone 119-43 in the regular season. In 2028, the Blue Jays were 100-62 and got back to the KLCS, but fell there to Goyang. Busan got the top seed in 2029 at 105-57 and returned to the top of the Korea League, winning the KLCS over Suwon. The Blue Jays again couldn’t claim the EAB crown, this time losing to Niigata.

Lee’s playoff stats in the run were unremarkable with a 4.39 ERA over 26.2 innings. He was a bit better in the BGC and saw a lot of relief use, posting a 3.25 ERA in 27.2 innings with 37 Ks and 0.9 WAR. Busan finished 7-14 in the event and Lee was at a crossroads, becoming a free agent that winter at age 32. After a month on the market, the Blue Jays brought him back on a five-year, $75 million deal.

At this point, Lee had the strongest seasons of his career. He led in wins in 2031 at 21-3, posted his career-best 231 strikeouts, and had his first 6+ WAR season. Busan won 101 and 106 games in 2030-31, but lost in the divisional round both years. In 2032, the Blue Jays were one of three teams to finish at 103-59. They prevailed out of that group, eventually winning the KLCS 4-1 over Suwon. Then, Busan finally won the EAB title 4-1 over Chiba. Despite being one of Korea’s most successful franchises overall, they hadn’t won it all since 1971.

Lee’s playoff run was mixed again with a 3.54 ERA over 27.2 innings. He had similar stats in the BGC with a 3.58 ERA in 37.2 innings and 40 Ks. However, Lee joined a very small list on November 25 with a no-hitter in the BGC, doing it with 13 strikeouts and one walk facing Caracas. Busan finished 10-11, which would be Lee’s last BGC. He had solid numbers overall with a 2.83 ERA in 89 innings, 4-4 record, 98 strikeouts, 131 ERA+, 85 FIP-, and 1.8 WAR.

In 2033, Lee was third in Pitcher of the Year voting, his first time as a finalist at age 36, leading in quality starts with 26. Then in 2034, Lee won Pitcher of the Year as the leader in wins (22-5), ERA (1.98), and WHIP (0.88). Those were all career bests, as was his 7.3 WAR, 191 ERA+, and 69 FIP-. Busan wasn’t able to follow up the 2032 title, although their division title streak continued. They had a first round exit in 2033 and second round loss in 2034, the latter despite a league-best 112-50 record.

Coming off the POTY win, Lee was a unique free agent coming off his best career season at age 37. After a month on the market, he again opted to return to Busan on a three-year, $80 million deal. He had a respectable 2035 and the Blue Jays finished 111-51. This time, they didn’t choke early on and defeated Suwon in the KLCS; their fifth pennant of the playoff streak. Busan was defeated in a 4-3 classic by Hamamatsu in the East Asian Championship, a repeat for the Chickenhawks.

In his final playoff run, Lee had a 3.03 ERA over 32.2 innings with 26 Ks and 0.7 WAR. He opted to retire with that at age 38 and did not travel for the BGC. For his playoff career, Lee’s efforts were mixed with a 7-10 record, 4.16 ERA, 162.1 innings, 136 strikeouts, 26 walks, 91 ERA+, 90 FIP-, and 3.0 WAR. Busan opted to retire his #34 uniform that winter.

Lee finished with a 185-79 record, 2.77 ERA, 2469.2 innings, 2280 strikeouts, 386 walks, 204/307 quality starts, 58 complete games, 14 shutouts, 137 ERA+, 80 FIP-, and 55.1 WAR. Lee didn’t have the longevity or innings to make any of the top 100 lists, nor was he dominant enough to make those lists for rate stats either. There were only a few starting pitchers in East Asia Baseball’s Hall of Fame with less than 55 WAR, but most of them were very early era guys.

He had one of the stranger careers you’ll find and certainly no one had him on a HOF trajectory after an unremarkable 20s. It is very rare that a guy first becomes an awards contender and posts his best seasons from his mid 30s onward. The ERA+ to FIP- disparity shows that Lee did get the benefit of some very strong Busan defenses, although both metrics certainly aren’t out of line with other inductees.

Lee certainly was a beneficiary of being on a Busan squad that never missed the playoffs with him on the roster, winning five Korea League crowns and an EAB title. Getting the Pitcher of the Year win late in his career left a positive last image for many voters despite a borderline resume. Lee earned 76.7% for a first ballot nod to cap off a three-man 2041 HOF class for EAB.

FuzzyRussianHat · Today, 06:30 AM

Beisbol Sudamerica nearly had a blank Hall of Fame ballot in 2041 with the best debut getting only 35.1%. On his fourth try, catcher Cruz Pereira was the lone inductee, just crossing the 66% requirement at 68.7%. 2B Walter Perez barely missed with 65.3% on his second try and SP Noel Sandoval was close with 61.5% on his second ballot. One other guy was above 50% with LF Francisco Serrata at 50.2% on his ninth go. No players were removed from the ballot after ten failed tries.

Cruz Pereira – Catcher – Manaus Magpies – 68.7% First Ballot

Cruz Pereira was a 6’4’’, 200 pound left-handed hitting catcher from Capanema, Brazil; a city of around 69,000 in the northern region. Pereira was an excellent contact hitter against right-handed pitching with a low strikeout rate, although he was below average at drawing walks. He had an excellent 168 wRC+ and .942 OPS against RHP, compared to a 109 wRC+ and .735 facing lefties. Pereira had steady pop with 24 home runs, 29 doubles, and 4 triples per his 162 game average. Like most catchers, Pereira was a slow and sluggish baserunner.

While not a Gold Glove level catcher, Pereira was a reliably solid backstop, so you weren’t sacrificing defense to play his bat. He was as scrappy as they come, beloved by teammates and fans for his work ethic, loyalty, and adaptability. Pereira emerged as one of Brazil’s top baseball superstars of his era over a 17-year run. His durability was generally strong and he usually could gut it out with minor ailments.

After a strong college run, Pereira was picked 17^th in the 2019 BSA Draft by Manaus. The Magpies were one of the 2009 expansion teams and had only seen losing seasons thus far, apart from a division title in 2017. Pereira saw limited use as a rookie and struggled over 49 games. He earned the full-time job in 2021 and put it together, getting his first of 10 seasons worth 5+ WAR for Manaus. Pereira only missed the mark in 2029 because of injury, putting up reliable production.

Pereira won Silver Sluggers from 2025-28 and from 2030-31 for Manaus. He was even third in MVP voting in 2027, a rare achievement for a catcher. That year, Pereira led the Southern Cone League with 8.7 WAR. His career best 9.1 WAR would come in 2030 along with his bests for batting average (.374), slugging (.624), OPS (1.026), and wRC+ (194). Pereira also won a batting title in 2025 at .364. The .374 average in 2030 was a single-season record for a qualifying BSA catcher.

In May 2026, Pereira signed an eight-year, $130,700,000 extension with Manaus. In 2027, the Magpies earned their second-ever playoff berth and a division title at 99-63. Manaus knocked off 101-win Sao Paulo 3-1 in the divisional series, then shocked 109-win Santiago with a sweep in the LCS. The Magpies fell just short in a seven-game Copa Sudamerica classic against Barranquilla, another of the 2009 expansion teams.

Pereira’s playoff debut saw 22 hits, 6 runs, 2 doubles, 3 homers, 9 RBI, .996 OPS, 185 wRC+, and 0.8 WAR over 15 starts. He was more middling in the Baseball Grand Championship with a .723 OPS, 114 wRC+, and 0.2 WAR. Manaus went 6-13 in the event, but it was amazing they were even there considering the franchise’s still brief and unremarkable history to that point.

He wasn’t new to tournament play, as Pereira caught for his native Brazil from 2022-35 in the World Baseball Championship. In 130 games, he had 116 hits, 48 runs, 17 doubles, 23 homers, 52 RBI, .272/.321/.474 slash, and 3.0 WAR. Pereira was a solid starter in Brazil’s runner-up bid in 2025 to Spain. He struggled as a starter in their 2031 runner-up finish against the United States. Pereira was a backup in 2033, but was there as the Brazilians defeated England to claim the nation’s fifth world title.

Manaus had winning seasons in 2028-29 but missed the playoffs both years narrowly. Pereira hit for the cycle in June 2028 against Montevideo. In 2029, he missed most of the summer with a torn ligament in his thumb. With arguably Pereira’s best season in 2030, Manaus set a franchise record at 100-62. However, they had to settle for a wild card with Brasilia taking the North Division at 102-60.

The Magpies had the last laugh 3-2 over the Bearcats in the divisional series, then defeated Santiago 4-2 for their second Southern Cone pennant. Manaus couldn’t claim its first Copa Sudamerica with a 4-1 loss to Bogota. Pereira had another solid run with 19 hits, 6 runs, 6 doubles, 3 homers, 7 RBI, .887 OPS, 155 wRC+, and 0.6 WAR over 16 starts. He struggled though in the BGC with a .545 OPS, 53 wRC+, and -0.1 WAR. The Magpies still finished 11-10, one of four teams tied for seventh.

Manaus was a wild card again in 2031 at 97-65, two games behind Recife and one behind Brasilia in the division. The Magpies ousted the Bearcats in the divisional series, but were swept in the LCS by the Retrievers. To the surprise of many, Pereira opted out of his contract that winter, becoming a free agent at age 34. This also ended his time in South America, but he remained beloved in Manaus for his role in their first two pennants. Pereira’s #12 uniform was later retired and he became the second inductee in the Magpies monochrome, joining 2B Daniel Schafer (2033).

Pereira had worldwide suitors and tied his hand at Major League Baseball on a four-year, $120,900,000 deal with defending National Association champ Toronto. He immediately delivered with Silver Sluggers in 2032 and 2033, posting repeat 5+ WAR seasons. The Timberwolves were the #1 seed both seasons, but failed in the playoffs. They were upset in the second round in 2032, then lost the 2033 NACS to Washington 4-2. Pereira notably had a good run in 2033 with a 1.166 OPS, 232 wRC+, and 0.6 WAR.

Age started creeping in with Pereira’s production dropping to a .265 average, .757 OPS, 107 wRC+, and 2.8 WAR in 2034. He was an actively bad hitter in 2035 with .649 OPS and 77 wRC+ in 108 games, but his defense still gave him 1.3 WAR. Toronto missed the 2034 playoffs narrowly, then lost in the 2035 NACS to Louisville. Pereira struggled in the playoff run with -0.3 WAR and .387 OPS over 13 starts.

Overall, Pereira had a respectable four-year run in Toronto with 520 games, 521 hits, 219 runs, 80 doubles, 76 home runs, 244 RBI, .290/.333/.469 slash, 125 wRC+, and 15.3 WAR. His combined totals in top-tier play had 2079 games, 2400 hits, 1061 runs, 380 doubles, 322 home runs, 1134 RBI, and 91.2 WAR.

Pereira wanted to continue, but big league teams felt he was washed. He ended up in the European Second League in 2036 with Valencia in a part-time role, posting 1.4 WAR over 94 games and 42 starts. Pereira was unsigned for all of 2037 and finally retired that winter at age 40.

In Beisbol Sudamerica with Manaus, Pereira had 1559 games, 1879 hits, 842 runs, 300 doubles, 45 triples, 246 home runs, 890 RBI, 291 walks, .344/.377/.550 slash, 165 wRC+, and 75.9 WAR. Pereira is the career leader in batting average and OBP for qualified catchers in BSA. He also has the best batting average of any qualifying catcher within any single league.

Among all BSA batters with 3000+ appearances, he’s 34^th in average and 61^st in OBP. But he misses the top 100 for any counting stat. Low tallies are a common issue any catcher faces, plus Pereira had four seasons in MLB to take away from the BSA count. Hall of Fame voters broadly are notoriously stingy towards catchers for the lower totals. BSA took a century to induct its first catcher and that needed Cicero Lugo, considered by many to be the best-ever catcher in all of baseball history.

The general anti-catcher bias hurt Pereira, but his high batting average and six Silver Sluggers helped his case. Perhaps biggest was his role in Manaus’s first pennants in franchise history. Still, Pereira missed the 66% requirement in his first three ballots, albeit narrowly at 60.9%, 60.2%, and 63.1%. A weak 2041 ballot tilted things just enough to get Pereira across the line at 68.7% as the year’s only inductee.

03-23-2026, 01:39 PM	#2781
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,348	2040 BSA Southern Cone League Valparaiso cruised to the Southern Cone League’s top seed at 106-56, a new franchise best for the 2029 expansion squad. It was the fourth straight South Central Division title for the Voodoo and back-to-back 100+ win seasons. They allowed only 554 runs, the best in Beisbol Sudamerica in 2040. Valparaiso also had the best run differential at +185. Defending league champ Rio de Janeiro and Fortaleza both won their divisions by healthy margins while fighting for the #2 seed. The Foxes had the best record after the all-star break at 44-20, but couldn’t overcome a weaker start relative to the Redbirds. Rio won the Southeast at 97-65 and Fortaleza took the North at 96-66. Both won their respective divisions for the third straight year, while the Redbirds’ playoff streak extended to five seasons. Both wild cards came out of the South Central with Santiago and Salta at 91-71. Buenos Aires (88-74), Montevideo (86-76), and Concepcion (85-77) were the first teams out. The Saints ended a three-year playoff drought, while the Silver Hawks got their sixth berth in seven years. Salta notably closed the year on a five-game winning streak. The Chiefs led the league with 799 runs. Sao Paulo at 81-81 had their streak of winning records end at 19 seasons, although they’ve won 80+ games still in 22 consecutive seasons. Fortaleza LF Mauricio Fernandez won Southern Cone League MVP with 39 first place votes, while Sao Paulo’s Lonnie Defendi had the other three. Fernandez broke the BSA single-season record for runs scored with 150, passing Paco Amorim’s 147 from 2034. Across all world leagues, this is one of only 20 seasons where a batter scored 150+ runs. Fernandez was in his sixth season with the Foxes and second as a full-time starter. The 26-year old Venezuelan lefty also led in stolen bases (113), OBP (.449), slugging (.712), OPS (1.161), wRC+ (202), and WAR (10.8). Fernandez added 210 hits, 27 doubles, 12 triples, 48 home runs, 109 RBI, and a.369 average. In late May, Fortaleza locked Fernandez up long-term with an eight-year, $170,900,000 extension. Valparaiso’s Charles Cuellar was the unanimous Pitcher of the Year in his tenth season with the squad. The 32-year old Chilean righty led in wins (24-7), quality starts (29), shutouts (4), and WAR (9.1). Cuellar had a 2.38 ERA in 269 innings, 305 strikeouts, 166 ERA+, and 63 FIP-. Next year is the final one of his current deal with the Voodoo. Santiago and Salta had the same record, but the Saints’ 9-4 record head-to-head gave them home field for the first round. The opener went to Santiago 2-1 on a tenth inning walkoff homer by B.J. Pantoja. Salta rallied for 7-5 and 6-3 road wins to advance. In game three, the Silver Hawks went ahead on a four-run ninth inning. Salta kept the momentum going with a 3-2 upset to start the divisional series with top-ranked Valparaiso, getting the go-ahead in the ninth on Andy Valdivia’s solo homer. The Voodoo took a 4-3 win in game two, followed by a 3-1 road victory. The Silver Hawks battled back 5-2 in game four, but Valparaiso survived 3-2 back at home to take the series. The Voodoo earned a third straight appearance in the Southern Cone League Championship. Fortaleza caught Rio de Janeiro off guard on the other side with 3-1 and 4-2 road wins to open their series. Game one was 1-0 until the Foxes scored in the ninth to force extras, then they finally pulled ahead with two runs in the 15^th. The Redbirds won game three 6-1 on the road, but Fortaleza exploded 14-7 in game four to take the series at home. The Foxes earned a second LCS trip in three years, having lost to Valparaiso in 2038. Game one was a stunning 16-4 rout for Fortaleza on the road, but the Voodoo countered with their own lopsided 10-2 win. The Foxes grabbed game three at home 5-2, but Valparaiso matched 6-5 the next night in a 15 inning marathon. Fortaleza unloaded again 12-1 in game five for the 3-2 series lead heading back to Chile. In game six, Mateo Morales’ solo homer in the ninth pushed the Foxes to the 3-2 win to clinch the series. The 33-year old 3B was in his second year with Fortaleza and earned series MVP, going 10-28 with four homers and 12 RBI. The Foxes ended a 14-year pennant drought and became 14-time Southern Cone kings (1932, 40, 65, 67, 72, 78, 94, 2005, 13, 14, 21, 22, 25, 40). __________________ 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)

03-24-2026, 04:35 AM	#2782
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,348	2040 Copa Sudamerica The 110^th Copa Sudamerica was the first finals meeting between Ciudad Guayana and Fortaleza as both franchises wanted their fifth-ever title. The Giants were looking to be the first repeat Cup winner since Caracas in 2022-23. The Foxes hadn’t done it since 2013 and were a lackluster 4-9 all-time in the finals. They had the same record, although the Giants won the season series 4-2. CG had home field, although that was because the Bolivar League champ had the honor in even years. Ciudad Guayana began the series with 10-4 and 4-2 home wins. Fortaleza flipped the script in Brazil with 5-4 and 4-2 wins. In game four, the Foxes won on a two-run walkoff homer by Emanuel Madera. The Giants prevailed 6-1 in game five though for the first road win of the series, giving them the 3-2 series advantage heading back to Venezuela. CG took game six by a 5-1 margin to secure the repeat and their fifth title (1984, 2017, 2036, 2039, 2040). League and BLCS MVP Renato Barquero continued his incredible season as Copa Sudamerica MVP, as the 36-year old 1B went 9-24 with two homers and eight RBI. Fortaleza has been the runner-up ten times, tied for the most with Sao Paulo. Ciudad Guayana is also the first team to win three Cups in a five year span in nearly eight decades. The only teams to do it before was Caracas (1959-62), Buenos Aires (1941-44), and La Paz (1939-43). Giants manager E.X. Lalli was the eighth BSA manager to win three or more Cups, although each of the others did it with at least 13+ year careers. The 58-year old Pakistani took over the Ciudad Guayana job at the end of 2034 and has since posted a 598-423 record. Lalli won his third Manager of the Year in 2040 Other notes: Beisbol Sudamerica’s 54^th perfect game came July 9 from Belo Horizonte’s Carlos Alonso. He struck out eight over 100 pitches against Maracaibo. Unfortunately two starts later, the 25-year old righty suffered a torn rotator cuff. The Hogs’ Enrique Elenez had a four home run game against Salvador on July 28, the 13th such game in BSA. Rio de Janerio’s Nereus Rebellin tossed his second no-hitter on July 6 over Fortaleza. Buenos Aires’ Tiago Silva hit exactly .400, becoming the 12^th qualified BSA player and the 62^nd in any world league to hit .400 or better. Paco Amorim became the 5^th BSA slugger to 800 career home runs in his final season, although he struggled to -1.2 WAR and .659 OPS in his second year with La Paz. Amorim had a legendary run, winning five MVPs over two decades with Arequipa. He finished with 3859 hits, 2^nd in BSA history to Owen Arcia’s 3940 and 21^st on the world leaderboard. He finished with 3182 games, 2230 runs, 593 doubles, 815 homers, 2172 RBI, 1741 walks, .349/.436/.640 slash, 1.076 OPS, 175 wRC+, and 152.3 WAR. On the BSA leaderboard, Amorim retires as the career leader in runs and walks, as well as in OBP for those with 3000+ plate appearances. He also ranks 2^nd in OPS, 4^th in games, 2^nd in total bases (7073), 4^th in doubles, 5^th in homers, 3^rd in RBI, and 3^rd in WAR among position players. You could certainly make a case for Amorim when discussing BSA’s best-ever position player. On the world leaderboards, Amorim is also 50^th in games played, 11^th in runs, 54^th in homers, 38^th in RBI, 9^th in walks, and 34^th in WAR for position players. Among all players ever, Amorim is 48^th in WAR. Additionally among world Hall of Famers and retired locks, Amorim’s OPS is the best ever while his triple slash ranks 13^th/2^nd/30^th. Only CABA’s Loyd Wayne (.438) has him beat for OBP. Amorim’s 175 wRC+ while excellent does miss the world top 50, which does reflect BSA’s high-scoring environment. In other milestones, Antonio Coria became the 24^th to 3000 hits while Nicolas De Leon was the 97^th to 2500 hits. The 500 homer club grew to 79 members with Renato Barquero, Caio Mergulho, B.J. Pantoja, and Erik Ortega joining. Junior Cerna became the 48^th closer with 300 saves. 1B Rafael Sertiantoro won his 10^th Gold Glove and SS Ace Benavidez won his 7^th. 2B Joseph Ramirez won his 7^th Silver Slugger. __________________ 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)

03-24-2026, 03:29 PM	#2783
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,348	2040 EAB Japan League Hamamatsu returned to the top seed in the Japan League in 2040 with their eighth consecutive Central Division title at 112-50. The Chickenhawks have won 98+ games in each year of the streak, but they’ve missed out in the pennant the last three years since their historic 126-win Grand Champion campaign of 2036. They had Japan’s best run differential at +222 and were strong for the entire season. Sapporo (104-58) and Fukuoka (103-59) were next in line as North and West Division champs, respectively. It was the fifth straight division crown for the Swordsmen and their sixth straight playoff trip. For the defending East Asian Baseball champ Frogs, it was also their fifth straight division title. Fukuoka led Japan in runs scored (767) while Sapporo had the fewest allowed. Saitama and Yokohama had an intense fight for the Capital Division. The Yellow Jackets had a two game lead at the all-star break, but the Sting’s 41-17 record post-break was the JL’s best. Saitama repeated as the division winner at 101-61, but Yokohama at 99-63 did take the first wild card. Both teams had playoff streaks extended to four seasons. The second wild card went to 95-67 Kitakyushu, the one team that wasn’t extending a multi-year playoff streak as the Kodiaks ended a four-year drought. Kyoto, a wild card last year, was their only real foe at 92-70. The next closest was Tokyo at 84-78. For the fifth consecutive season, the Japan League’s MVP played for Hamamatsu. It was the second for CF Issei Sakamoto, who also won in 2038. Sakamoto had 31 first place votes, while teammate Mitsuru Ishida had five and Kitakyushu’s Shigeo Sato had four. Ishida, winners of three of the last four MVPs, notably led in home runs (57), RBI (133), and OPS (1.042). Sakamoto notably won a Gold Glove in center, with that helping him to the WARlord title at 11.0. The 29-year old also led in runs (120), hits (209), average (.363), and OBP (.403). Sakamoto had 30 doubles, 22 triples, 28 homers, 83 RBI, 78 stolen bases, a 1.040 OPS, and 195 wRC+. It was his third year as a Chickenhawk, having started with Yokohama and Ulsan. Sakamoto joined Hamamatsu in 2038 on an eight-year, $255,500,000 deal. Tokyo’s Toshio Takahashi won Pitcher of the Year with 38 first place votes, while Sapporo’s Takumi Yoshida had the other two. It was a banner year for the 35-year old lefty in his 14^th season for the Tides. Takahashi posted a 1.46 ERA, which was the 15^th-best ERA ever for a qualified starter in EAB. He also led in WHIP (0.75), quality starts (26), and shutouts (7). His .474 opponents’ OPS was the 29^th best in EAB history. Takahashi also had a 17-6 record, 5 saves, 259.1 innings, 271 strikeouts, 235 ERA+, 60 FIP-, and 8.8 WAR. He had been a very steady but generally unexceptional pitcher in his career, as he was only a POTY finalist once before with an ERA title in 2029. This effort probably locked him in for an eventual Hall of Fame spot. It also locked Takahashi in for another big pay day, opting out of his Tokyo deal after the season to test free agency with his stock at a peak. Both wild card round matchups were won by the division champ, who only needed to win twice to advance. Saitama got 4-0 and 4-3 wins over Yokohama, while Fukuoka had 4-3 and 4-1 wins against Kitakyushu In the divisional round, the Sting came out hot with 6-1 and 3-2 road wins against top seed Hamamatsu. The Chickenhawks dominated game three on the road 11-1, but Saitama completed the upset 6-2 in game four. It was the Sting’s first Japan League Championship Series trip since their 2037 title, while Hamamatsu remains pennant-less for the fourth year running. Sapporo opened its series with a 7-4 win, but Fukuoka survived in 13 innings to claim game two 5-4. Both scored a solo run in the ninth, then the next run was the Frogs’ Fumihiro Kimura with a solo homer in the 13^th. The Swordfish countered with an 8-4 road win in game three, but Fukuoka grabbed game four 7-1. In the finale, the Frogs were a road winner 4-2 to keep their repeat bid alive. They had home field for the JCLS against Saitama and had won the season series 4-2. Fukuoka won game one 8-4, but Saitama answered 3-2 the next night in 11 innings. That game was 2-2 from the fifth until the 11th, which had a two-out Eichiro Nakatani double followed by Yuto Mizuhara’s RBI go-ahead single. In game three at Saitama, Encai Xia smacked a walkoff home run to lead off the ninth in a 6-5 Sting victory. The momentum stayed with Saitama, who erased a 4-2 hole to win 6-4 in game four. They held on 3-2 in game five to clinch the series at home, earning their fourth Japan League title (1930, 2025, 2037, 2040). RF Eichiro Nakatani was series MVP, going 5-16 with three homers, six RBI, and five runs. He was in his eighth year with the Sting, having been drafted #3 overall in 2033. __________________ 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)

03-25-2026, 06:13 AM	#2784
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,348	2040 EAB Korea League It was an incredible season for Goyang, whose playoff streak grew to 14 seasons with their 13^th North Division title of the run. The Green Sox finished 125-37, a win mark met only six other times in all of world history. The most notable was Hamamatsu’s 126-36 in 2036, which culminated in both the East Asian Baseball title and the Baseball Grand Championship. The other five examples though had failed to win their league’s overall title, a fate Goyang hoped to avoid. In South Asia Baseball, Ho Chi Minh City was 126-36 with a first round loss in 1993, while Ahmedabad was 125-37 in 2001 and the runner-up. Christchurch was 126-36 in 2016, but lost the Oceania Championship. Madrid was 125-37 in the 1951 EBF season with a first round loss, and Kano was 125-37 in the 2000 season with a loss in the West African Championship. The Green Sox unsurprisingly led EAB in both runs (884) and fewest allowed (481). They obliterated a bad division with 67-95 Seoul as the only team to avoid 105+ losses. The 58 game difference between first and second place almost certainly was a world record. Of the 33 teams in world history with 120+ win seasons, Goyang’s +403 run differential ranked 6^th. The Green Sox also set the new EAB season attendance record at 3,221,704 tickets sold, besting their own 3,210,050 from two years prior. They were 75-28 at the all-star break and 50-9 after. The prior wins record in the Korea League was set back in 1926 with Hamhung going 122-40. Other divisions were top heavy as well with Gwangju getting the #2 seed at 110-52 in the Southwest Division and Yongin at 104-58 atop the Central Division. The Grays earned an eighth consecutive division title and the Gold Sox made it three straight. The only competitive division was the Southeast with Busan maintaining their lead despite a late charge from defending KL champ Ulsan. The Blue Jays finished 96-66 for repeat playoff trips and their first division title since the 2035 pennant. The Swallows’ playoff streak grew to six seasons as a wild card, although their 92-70 mark was far less impressive than the 116 from the prior year. Cheongju’s solid first half allowed them to hang onto the second wild card at 90-72 ahead of Daegu (87-75), Jeju (85-77), Suwon (84-78), and Incheon (83-79). The Islanders were notably right there, but collapsed with an eight-game losing streak to end the year and a 21-37 record after the break. It was the second playoff berth for the Checkers (2032), one of the 2030 expansion teams. The Snappers have a streak of 12 straight winning seasons, although this was their third playoff miss of that run. Yongin RF Won-Bin Lee was the unanimous Korea League MVP. He won previously in 2036 with Changwon, but they didn’t re-sign him after injuries in 2038 and 2039. Lee joined the Gold Sox for 2040 on a four-year, $104,300,000 deal and they were rewarded instantly. Nicknamed “Tuna,” the 28-year old South Korean led in runs (125), total bases (404), triple slash (.356/.426/.739), OPS (1.165), wRC+ (228), and WAR (11.3). Lee was third in home runs (48) and second in RBI (130) while adding 195 hits, 25 doubles, and 20 triples. Gwangju’s Sung-Jun Jang won a competitive Pitcher of the Year race with 22 first place votes and 224 points, edging out Goyang’s Hideki Yamauchi with 18 first place votes and 214 points. The runner-up Yamauchi notably led in complete games (16) and shutouts (7), earning Rookie of the Year honors. It was the Green Sox’s Daigo Ikemizu who led in wins (25-5) while Busan’s Mi-Reu Pai led in strikeouts (339). The winner Jang led in ERA (2.05), innings (276.2), and quality starts (29). The 27-year old lefty had a 21-7 record, 294 strikeouts, 184 ERA+, 66 FIP-, and 7.6 WAR. Jang started with Seoul, who traded him in 2038 to Suwon. He was a free agent for 2039, joining the Grays at $130 million over four years. Busan swept defending KL champ Ulsan with 1-0 and 5-4 wins in the wild card round. Game one was a combined two-hitter, while game two had a walkoff RBI single by Eui-Won Ro after Jin Ngai’s leadoff triple. On the other side, Chenogju came out firing for the upset, needing to win three as the wild card while Yongin only needed two wins. The Checkers took game one by a 5-3 margin, but the Gold Sox survived 4-3 in ten innings the next night. Cheongju then scored 13-8 and 7-2 wins to complete the upset. The Checkers lost 3-2 and 8-3 to start the divisional round against Gwangju. They snagged game three 7-3 at home, but the Grays countered 7-3 to earn repeat Korea League Championship Series trips. The other side of the bracket was shocking as not only was 125-win Goyang upset by Busan, but they were swept. The Blue Jays took the opener 2-1 on the road. In game two, the Green Sox had a two-run ninth inning on solo homers to force extras, but Busan used a two out single and a double in the tenth to win 4-3. The Blue Jays won the clincher at home 7-2, making them 5-0 to start the playoffs. For Goyang, it was one of the most disappointing and shocking ends to a season considering their historic dominance. It continued the general trend in world history of big regular seasons not guaranteeing playoff success. Of the 33 teams in world history with 120+ win seasons, only 10 won their league’s overall title. Not even getting a single playoff win though was especially upsetting for the Green Sox. Busan earned its first KLCS trip since winning the 2035 pennant. Gwangju had won the season series 5-1 and had 14 more wins, but clearly that wasn’t a guarantee. The Grays opened with 4-3 and 4-2 home wins with game one requiring a walkoff RBI single in the tenth inning. The Blue Jays next won 4-1 and 10-9 games at home, the latter in a 13 inning thriller. A one out error put a man on, who was knocked in by a RBI single. Gwangju got the first road win of the series 7-4 in game five, but couldn’t put it away with a 2-1 Busan road win in game six. In the finale, Busan had a three-run second inning and held on from there for a 4-2 win. The Blue Jays lead all KL teams with 17 pennants (1933, 34, 38, 39, 40, 42, 43, 44, 71, 80, 2009, 23, 24, 29, 32, 35, 40). Gwangju’s title drought grew to 47 seasons. RF Seo-Bin Chin was series MVP going 10-28 with six 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)

03-25-2026, 06:00 PM	#2785
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,348	2040 East Asian Championship The 120^th East Asian Championship was the fourth for Saitama, with wins in 2037 and 2025. Busan was 6-10 all-time in their prior trips with the last title in 2032. The Sting had home field advantage and the series had an exciting star. It was 1-1 after the second inning and stayed there until the 11^th. Saitama’s Toshiyasu Tamada had a two out single, stole second, then was knocked in by Giichiro Hashimoto for a 2-1 walkoff win. The Sting got another 2-1 walkoff win the next night, this time in regulation with Minoru Kawabe knocking in Kosuke Fukuhara on a RBI single. Busan took control as the series shifted to South Korea, taking the next three games with 4-2, 2-1, and 6-4 scores. The high drama resumed for game six back in Japan, needing extra innings. Both scored in the tenth, then Saitama won it in the 11^th on a Hashimoto RBI walkoff single for a 5-4 result. In game seven, Busan’s Jun-Seong Chung allowed only seven hits and one run with three strikeouts over a complete game. The Blue Jays won it 3-1 to become seven-time EAB champs (1933, 1938, 1942, 1944, 1971, 2032, 2040). 3B Ju-An Youm was series MVP in a pinch hitter role, going 4-6 with a solo homer. Other notes: It was a disappointing end of the managing career of Goyang’s Si-Wan Kang, since they failed in the playoffs despite going 125-37. He retired at age 66 though after winning his sixth Manager of the Year, one of three to achieve the feat. Kang was a -5.9 WAR player, but became a legendary manager taking over the Green Sox in 2025. He set the EAB managing record of 14 playoff trips, going 1626-967 for a .627 win percentage, four Korea League titles, and two EAB titles. Kang retires 4^th in wins and he has the best win percentage by far of any EAB coach with 2000+ games. EAB’s 52^nd perfect game came on June 10 by Gwangju’s Rishou Ishino with six strikeouts and 88 pitches against Ulsan. Swallows ace Si-Won Joon had six shutouts to get to 55, passing Zeshin Saito’s record 54 which had held more than a century. He’s one of 51 pitchers in world history with 55+ career shutouts. Joon is now 2^nd on EAB’s strikeout list at 5386 behind the unrelated Sang-Hun Joon, whose record of 5694 has held since 1976. The 37-year old Si-Won had 327 Ks in 2040, so he could conceivably catch Sang-Hun next season. 15 of his 17 seasons have had 300+ Ks, moving him up to 21^st on the world strikeout leaderboard. Joon is up to 9^th in wins in EAB at 275-168 and has a 2.81 ERA, 4319 innings, 128 ERA+, 77 FIP-, and 104.0 WAR. He is a free agent in the winter after four years with Ulsan and runs with Incheon and Saitama before that. In other pitching notables, Oniji Yamamoto became the 24^th to 4000 strikeouts and 19^th to 250 wins. Mitsumasa Suzuki and Jun-O Han were the 56^th and 57^th to reach 3500 Ks. Shoda Kano was the 81^st to 200 career wins. Russ Peng was the 128^th to hit 3000 strikeouts. Han Yi became only the 5^th to 3500 hits in EAB and the 7^th to 800 home runs. At age 39, he led the KL with 51 home runs and 144 RBI for Goyang. He also crossed the 3000 games marker, one of 14 in EAB to do so. Yi is a 16-time all-star with 3501 hits, 1811 runs, 552 doubles, 807 homers, 2144 RBI, .963 OPS, 163 wRC+, and 118.3 WAR. He’ll be in his fourth season with the Green Sox next year and could feasibly become EAB’s RBI leader, (135 away from Soo-Geum Yim) but the other big stats need 2-4 more solid years to get to the #1 spot. Yi is an ironman though and could do it if he avoids a sharp decline. Hyung-Gwang Sohn was the 42^nd to 600 home runs. Sohn and Hyeon-Bin Eun made it 59 guys with 1500 RBI. Dendi Hidayat and Geon-Ho Whang were the 113rd and 114^th to 2500 hits. LF Su-Yeon Han won his 8^th Silver Slugger split between LF/RF/DH. __________________ 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)

03-26-2026, 05:13 AM	#2786
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,348	2040 CABA Mexican League Defending Central American Baseball Association champion Leon and Torreon pulled away from the Mexican League field by the all-star break with the Lions at 64-33 and Tomahawks at 64-35. The next closest team was Ecatepec at 54-45. The Lions were a middling 33-32 after the break, while allowed the Tomahawks to pass them and claim the #1 seed at 100-62. Torreon won the North Division for the fourth consecutive season and grew its playoff streak to a decade. Leon at 97-65 won a fifth straight Central Division crown with their playoff streak at 16 seasons; two away from Monterrey’s 1988-2005 record. The Tomahawks led Mexico with 829 runs scored and had the best run differential in CABA at +196. Ecatepec’s 40-23 mark after the break was the best in CABA, giving them the South Division crown at 94-68 to end a seven-year playoff drought. North runner-up Chihuahua firmly had the first wild card at 92-70 for repeat berths. The Warriors’ 590 runs allowed were the best in CABA. It was a tight battle for the remaining two wild cards with nine teams separated by nine wins. An 8-2 finish for Tuxtla pushed them to 89-73 for repeat berths. A strong finish for Aguascalientes and a weak one for Toluca put them tied for the second spot at 86-76. Just missing the cut was Culiacan and San Luis Potosi both at 84-78, Juarez at 83-79, Mexico City at 82-80, and both Hermosillo and Puebla at 80-82. In the tiebreaker game, five pitchers combined for a shutout as the Cactus defeated the Tortugas 4-0. It was the second playoff berth for Aguascalientes (2033) since joining in the 2030 expansion. Torreon Oliver Lemus won Mexican League MVP with 31 first place votes, while Tuxtla 2B Esequiel Chavira had the remaining nine top votes. Chavira notably won the batting title at .355 and led with 220 hits. It was the second MVP for Lemus, who also won back in 2033. The 33-year old Mexican led in runs (125), home runs (49), total bases (423), slugging (.733), OPS (1.128), wRC+ (201), and WAR (9.9). Lemus added 194 hits, 34 doubles, 24 triples, 131 RBI, and a .336 average. He was in his 15^th season with the Tomahawks and under contract through 2043. Lemus crossed 2500 hits, 550 home runs, and 1500 RBI in 2040. He also sits at 123.7 WAR, 17^th among all CABA position players. Torreon also had the Pitcher of the Year Gilberto Terrero, who had all but one first place vote. This was the breakout year for the 24-year old Puerto Rican, who missed most of 2039 with a torn labrum. Terrero led in wins (22-3) and posted a 2.12 ERA over 241.2 innings, 298 strikeouts, 185 ERA+, 66 FIP-, and 7.5 WAR. Despite a lower career inning count, the Tomahawks gave him a seven-year, $166,100,000 extension in August. Terrero would suffer rotator cuff tendinitis in his second playoff start. Also of note, Leon’s Nicky Aparicio became the 13^th closer in CABA history to win Reliever of the Year four times. His first two were 2034-35 with Culiacan, followed by repeat wins for the Lions. Leon got him in a trade from the Cocks for 2039, but Apraicio is due free agency in the winter ahead of his age 31 season. For the first round, Ecatepec had their one game bonus and got the needed 4-2 win over Aguascalientes to advance. The Explosion won dramatically on Rogerio Peraza’s two-run walkoff homer. Chihuahua only had to win once to advance, but Tuxtla upset them with 4-2 and 3-2 road wins. In game two, the Terror scored twice in the top of the ninth, fending off a two-run bottom half by the Warriors. Torreon opened the second round with a 9-2 win over Tuxtla, but the Terror countered 8-2 the next night. Game three was 1-1 after the fifth inning and stayed there until the 12^th. Tuxtla had a solo homer in the top half to go ahead, but the Tomahawks had a two out rally. Hugo Castillo delivered a two RBI walkoff double for a 3-2 Torreon win. The Tomahawks held on 4-3 in game four to earn their fifth Mexican League Championship Series trip in six years. Ecatepec upset Leon 2-1 to start their series, getting both runs in the ninth via three walks and two singles. The Lions won game two by a 4-1 margin, but the Explosion grabbed game three 6-3. Ecatepec completed the upset taking game four by a 7-5 score, dethroning the reigning CABA kings. The Explosion earned their first MLCS trip since their 2031 pennant. Torreon won the MLCS opener 7-4, but Ecatepec snagged a 3-2 road win the next night. The Tomahawks countered with their own 3-2 road win, but the Explosion tied it back up on a 6-5 win in game four. They used a three-run eighth inning to pull ahead. Ecatepec held on 4-3 in game five to take a 3-2 series lead back onto the road. Torreon prevailed 3-1 in game six to set up a decisive finale. The clincher was a pitcher’s duel until the seventh inning, which saw the Tomahawks unload with four runs. Torreon won 5-1, earning their third pennant in six years. The Tomahawks became seven-time Mexican champs (1979, 87, 2013, 14, 35, 37, 40). Ecatepec RF Alfredo Escobedo was MLCS MVP in a losing effort, going 13-29 with four homers and seven 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)

03-26-2026, 07:59 PM	#2787
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,348	2040 CABA Caribbean League The Caribbean League was incredibly competitive as the top eight teams were separated by only seven wins. Five of these teams were in the West Division with Haiti holding the best record at the all-star break of 61-37. The Herons went .500 the rest of the way, which allowed Santo Domingo to move into first place and take the top seed at 97-65. This ended a five-year playoff drought for the Dolphins, who had the CL’s best run differential. Costa Rica in the Central Division was one back on SD for the top seed at 96-66, which ended a two-year drought for the Rays. Puerto Rico meanwhile won a non-competitive East Division at 92-70, ten games ahead of Trinidad. It was the fourth straight division crown for the Pelicans, who led the Central American Baseball Association in 2040 with 915 runs. Haiti and Havana were both four back in the West at 93-69, which grabbed them the first two wild cards. The Hurricanes had the best post-break record in the CL at 39-25, extending their playoff streak to five seasons. The Herons had their wild card streak extended to three seasons. For the final spot, Honduras (91-71) edged out Jamaica (90-72), and Bahamas (90-70). The Horseman have now posted 19 consecutive seasons with a winning record and are back in the playoff field after a rare miss in 2039. The Jazz missed for only the second time in nine years. Next in line was Nicaragua (85-77) as well as defending CL champ Guatemala (84-78) and Panama (84-78). The Buccaneers notably had 1730 hits as a team, third-best in CABA history. Santo Domingo 2B Noel Goulet was the unanimous Caribbean League MVP with one of the all-time great seasons in league history. The 24-year old Haitian led in runs (150), home runs (64), RBI (158), total bases (475), slugging (.762), OPS (1.170), wRC+ (215), and WAR (13.9). Goulet was one run short of Donald Gonzalez’s single-season record from 2005. It is one of only 20 seasons in world history of 150+ runs scored. Goulet’s 13.95 WAR was the third-best by a CABA position player and 35^th among all position players in all world leagues. His OPS was also good for the 25^th-best by a CABA qualifier. Goulet also added 230 hits, 35 doubles, 9 triples, and a .369 average; missing the Triple Crown by three points. He also hit for the cycle in April and was all-star game MVP in June. Goulet is set to be a free agent in the winter and could get a record-breaking deal considering his 2040 effort and young age. Havana’s Melido Cervantes repeated as Pitcher of the Year, getting 33 first place votes while Suriname’s Duaner Castanon had five and SD’s Alejandro Rosales had two. The 28-year old Dominican righty Cervantes led in ERA (2.78), FIP (2.79), and FIP- (64). He had a 16-7 record, 220 innings, 265 strikeouts, 155 ERA+, and 6.2 WAR. In June, Cervantes signed a three-year, $57,600,000 extension to stick with the Hurricanes. Puerto Rico had the one-game bonus and shutout Honduras 4-0 in the first round. Haiti had the bonus over Havana, but the Hurricanes upset them with 4-2 and 7-3 road wins. Despite losing the division to Santo Domingo, Havana had gone 10-3 against them in the regular season. The Dolphins seemed destined to lose initially down 7-1 in game one, but a six-run ninth inning tied it, capped off by Noel Goulet’s dramatic grand slam. Santo Domingo would earn the walkoff in the 12^th on a solo homer by Yunel Llano with a 8-7 final. The Dolphins won the next two by 5-3 and 9-8 for a hard-earned sweep, although game three also needed a late rally. Santo Domingo earned its first trip to the Caribbean League Championship Series since 2034, their most recent playoff berth. Their pennant drought was back to 2027. Puerto Rico opened their series with a 4-3 road upset of Costa Rica, but the Rays rebounded 5-4 in game two. CR had a three-run rally in game three for a walkoff sacrifice fly in an 8-7 win. Game four had another two-run rally, ending on Ulisses Alvarez’s walkoff RBI single for a 5-4 win. Costa Rica earned its first CLCS trip since winning the CABA title in 2036. Both teams combined for 23 hits in game one, but the Rays did the scoring for a 6-1 road win. Costa Rica took game two by a 7-3 margin, leading the series before playing at home. Game three went 13 innings with a RBI walkoff single by Sonny Montero for an 8-7 Rays victory. Santo Domingo wouldn’t go down without a fight, taking the next two on the road by 4-1 and 5-3 margins. Back in the DR, the Dolphins got two runs in the ninth, but couldn’t complete the rally with a 5-3 final for game six. Costa Rica claimed the series in six games for its ninth Caribbean crown (1932, 35, 36, 48, 77, 86, 87, 2036, 40). CF Jeronimo Polanco was CLCS MVP, going 10-22 with four homers, eight RBI, and eight runs. The two-time league MVP was in his eighth season with the Rays. __________________ 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)

03-27-2026, 07:04 AM	#2788
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,348	2040 CABA Championship The 130^th Central American Baseball Association Championship was a rematch from 1987, which had a Costa Rica win over Torreon. Both had recent rings with the Tomahawks winning it all in 2035 and the Rays the next year. Torreon was also the runner-up in 2037, entering at 2-4 in the finals to Costa Rica’s 5-3. The Tomahawks had home field advantage, but CR led 6-2 after the third inning and held on 6-4 in game one. The Rays won again on the road 5-3, then kept rolling in San Jose. Costa Rica rolled 9-2 in game three, then had a go-ahead run in the eighth to secure game four by a 3-2 margin. It was the third time in five years the CABA final was a sweep, which included the Rays’ 2036 win over Toluca. They were now six-time champs with rings additionally in 1935, 48, 86, and 87. LF Mohamed Al-Aqrobi was series MVP, going 9-18 with one homer and nine RBI. The Emirati had mostly been a backup since coming to CABA, but was a decent starter in 2040 at age 30. Other notes: 2040 was the final year for the legendary SP Israel Montague at age 43. After a torn rotator cuff kept him out most of 2039, the Panamanian made it back and was still decent with a 13-9 record, 2.91 ERA, 154.2 innings, 122 strikeouts, 147 ERA+, and 2.3 WAR. This allowed CABA’s career wins and strikeouts leader to reach two more big milestones; 350+ wins and 6000+ strikeouts. Montague finished with a 360-131 record, 82 saves, 2.34 ERA, 4442 innings, 6085 strikeouts, 171 ERA+, 58 FIP-, and 161.93 WAR. He’s just behind the legendary Ulices Montero as the pitching WARlord at 165.65 and Montero has him beat for overall pro wins and Ks when adding his MLB totals. Montague is also CABA’s career leader for winning percentage (.733) and has the fewest losses of the world’s 300+ game winners. He is one of only three pitchers in world history to win 11 Pitcher of the Year awards along with CABA contemporary Richard Wright and EPB legend Matvey Ivanov. On the world leaderboard, Montague retires 4^th in wins, 5^th in strikeouts, 6^th in pitching WAR, and 23^rd in WAR among all players ever;. Montague easily goes down on the shortlist for the best pitchers in baseball history. Leon’s Benedetto Rodriguez completed his 22^nd season at age 43, becoming the 6^th in CABA to 3500 hits and the 3^rd to 2000 runs scored. He currently ranks 4^th in games (3192), 2^nd in runs (2069), 5^th in hits (3592), 19^th in homers (668), 15^th in RBI (1806), and 9^th in WAR for position players (133.57). On the world leaderboard, Rodriguez ranks 45^th in games, 31^st in runs, and 50^th in hits. He was still good for 3.7 WAR and 142 wRC+ in 2040 and is signed through 2043 with the Lions with plans to return for 2041. Tuxtla’s Esequiel Chavira set the playoff record for slugging (1.200) and OPS (1.887). He had 21 plate appearances (20 required to qualify) with 13 hits, 5 runs, 3 doubles, 1 triple, and 2 homers. Costa Rica closer Jayce Kowlessar set the CABA record for appearances by a pitcher with 85. Both Cesario Gonzalez and Ernesto Escandel had four home run games, a feat that has occurred 28 times in CABA. CR’s Jeronimo Polanco again hit for the cycle, becoming the 6^th CABA player to do it thrice. Guadeloupe had an all-time terrible team at 41-121, the worst record in Caribbean League history and only one win better than Mexico’s Guadalajara (40-122 in 1912) for the all-time worst. The Glory set CABA all-time pitching worsts for team ERA (5.74), runs allowed (976), earned runs (906), H/9 (11.24), and WHIP (1.625). Guadeloupe’s 1775 hits allowed were 2^nd-worst. In a positive CL team record, Santo Domingo’s 2,800,595 season attendance was the 3^rd-best. In other hitting milestones, Leonardo Martinez (with Haiti) was the 33^rd to join the 600 home run club. Him, the other Leonardo Martinez (with Honduras), Oliver Lemus, and Cristopher Rodriguez made it 52 batters with 1500 RBI. Lemus, Ernesto Escandel, and Martinez (Haiti) made it 77 batters with 2500 hits. Wscandel also won his 7^th Silver Slugger in RF. Leonardo Santos was the 79^th to 500 home runs. Kian Baromeo and Castor Sanchez were the 92^nd and 93rd pitchers with 3000 strikeouts. __________________ 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)

03-27-2026, 05:21 PM	#2789
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,348	2040 MLB National Association The National Association had a noticeable shakeup from the prior year with four different division champs and only two returning playoff teams out of seven. The reigning World Series champ Cincinnati fell to 82-80, ending their three-year playoff streak. Last year’s NACS runner-up Grand Rapids meanwhile dropped to 76-86, ending their six-year playoff reign. The clear standout was Chicago, who ran away with the top seed at 107-55. The Cubs ended a three-year playoff drought, but it was their first Upper Midwest Division title since 2030. The last time Chicago had the top seed was 1980. The Cubs had MLB’s best record at the all-star break at 66-33, but Cleveland kept pace in the division and was only four back. The Cobras collapsed going 25-38 in the back end, finishing 20 back at 87-75 and one out from the last wild card. Chicago had the best run differential (+203) and most runs scored (862) in the NA. The other three divisions had competitive races. Brooklyn earned the #2 seed and won the East Division at 94-68, while Pittsburgh at 90-72 earned a wild card. The Dodgers ended a five-year playoff drought and 22-year division title drought. The Pirates snapped the second-longest active postseason drought in the NA at 33 years back to 2006. Wichita’s drought is the longest back to 2004. Raleigh (84-78) and last year’s division champ Philadelphia (82-80) both fell short in the wild card race. Washington notably dropped to 78-84, ending a 19-year run of winning records. St. Louis closed the year on a seven-game winning streak, which vaulted them to the Lower Midwest Division title at 93-69 and a third straight playoff trip. Columbus at 90-72 earned a wild card to end a seven-year skid, an impressive turnaround since the Chargers were 63-99 the prior year. Tulsa went 9-1 in their last ten to grab the final wild card at 88-74. It was their second berth in five years and also a strong turnaround, as they had won only 71 and 61 the prior two seasons. The Tornado allowed the NA’s fewest runs at 630. Most of the other wild card competitors were in the Lower Midwest with near misses for Louisville (85-77), Kansas City (83-79), and Cincinnati (82-80). The Lynx led the division at the break but fell apart down the stretch. Tulsa’s 40-23 mark was the best pro-break run in the NA apart from the Cubs. The weakest division champ was Ottawa at 90-72 in the Northeast, earning repeat playoff trips and their first division crown since 2036. Just behind them and just short in the wild card race was Halifax (86-76), Montreal (84-78), and Quebec City (82-80). The Elks were a playoff team for the 46^th time, second-most among NA teams behind Philadelphia’s 55. Leading the way for Chicago as National Association MVP was LF Kenneth Armstrong with 59/64 first place votes. It was the second year in the United States for the 26-year old Jamaican lefty, whose first five pro seasons came with Merida in Mexico. Armstrong signed with the Cubs to a hefty eight year, $312 million deal prior to the 2039 season. In 2040, Armstrong led the NA in home runs (55), RBI (162), and total bases (410). He added 202 hits, 123 runs, 35 doubles, a .332/.386/.679 slash, 179 wRC+, and 8.8 WAR. Kansas City’s Rodney Marengue won Pitcher of the Year with 43 first place votes, while Brooklyn’s Tommy Nunn had 20 and KC’s Jack Enamorado had one. Marengue also had four first place votes for MVP as a two-way player. In his second season as a full-time pitcher, the 26-year old Filipino lefty led in wins (18-10), ERA (2.74), innings (279), complete games (22), FIP- (59), and WAR (10.5). Marengue was second in strikeouts with 248 and had a 151 ERA+. Marengue was also a full-time left fielder with 134 games and 113 starts, posting 132 hits, 76 runs, 24 doubles, 21 home runs, 54 RBI, .300/.372/.516 slash, 142 wRC+, and 4.2 WAR. The combined 14.7 WAR was the most ever in a single-season for a player in MLB, even beating out Alair White’s insane year (13.69) over in the American Association. Marengue’s WAR was tied for 60^th best among all players ever in world history in a single-season. He was drafted out of Iowa in 2034 and spent his first four seasons as a part-time starting OF with limited innings. 2040 was certainly a breakout season that even his biggest fans didn’t expect. Division champs got home field and the one-game bonus in the first round, needing only two wins while their foes needed three to advance. Ottawa swept Pittsburgh on 3-2 and 2-1 wins, the latter in ten innings on a walkoff single. St. Louis meanwhile got the sweep on 7-3 and 6-3 victories against divisional rival Columbus. Tulsa meanwhile got 5-1 and 4-1 road wins over Brooklyn to start their series. The Dodgers held on winning 7-6 in game three, but the Tornado countered with their own 7-6 win to pull off the upset. In game four, Tulsa erased a 6-2 hole, getting the lead in the ninth on a two-run homer by Patrick Young. Chicago opened round two with a 5-2 home win over Tulsa, but the Tornado countered 9-2 the next night. The Cubs rolled 14-0 in game three, but Tulsa stayed feisty with a 6-4 score in game four. In the finale back at Wrigley Field, Chicago took the 5-1 win, earning their first National Association Championship Series trip since 2022. The Cubs were hoping to end a 55-year pennant drought back to 1984. St. Louis came out with 8-5 and 8-1 home wins against Ottawa. Back in the Canadian capital, the Elks took the next two by 7-4 and 4-3 margins. Game four saw the winning run score on a passed ball. The Cardinals bounced back to win game five 7-4 for their second NACS trip in three years. St. Louis had a pennant drought back to their 2014-15 repeat. The last time two Lower Midwest Division teams got to the NACS was Cincinnati’s 2020 win over Kansas City. Although the Cubs were 14 wins better, the Cardinals had won the season series 4-2. Chicago opened the NACS on a 7-3 win, but the Cardinals countered 4-1. St. Louis then took the series lead on a 7-6 home victory in a 13-inning marathon. The winning run scored on Edward Toata’s RBI single. Game four had drama with the Cardinals scoring three in the bottom of the ninth, but leaving two on base to force extras at 5-5. The Cubs got three runs off three hits and an error in the top of the tenth. St. Louis got one back and loaded the bases, but left them loaded as Chicago escaped an 8-6 road winner. The Cardinals claimed a 2-1 pitcher’s duel the next night though, giving them the 3-2 series lead heading back to the Windy City. Chicago won game six by a 6-4 margin, then held on 5-4 in game seven. In the finale, the Cubs scored the tying and go-ahead run in the seventh on two hits, one walk, and one error. The final six Cardinal batters were retired in order and Chicago’s 55-year pennant drought ended. The Cubs became four-time National Association champs (1964, 1980, 1984, 2040) and the sixth different champ in as many years. 2B Ryan Robinson was NACS MVP, going 15-29 with one homer, five RBI, and six runs. He was 3-4 in the finale with a run and RBI. The 25-year old Rhode Islander was a fourth-year starter for Chicago, picked in the 2035 MLB Draft. __________________ 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)

03-28-2026, 08:23 AM	#2790
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,348	2040 MLB American Association The two-time defending American Association champ and reigning Baseball Grand Champion Houston dominated the AA field at 107-55, leading MLB in runs scored (987) and differential (+255). The Hornets now outright hold the longest playoff streak in MLB history at 14 seasons. They won their 12^th consecutive South Central Division title and posted a fourth straight 100+ win season. Houston now has 66 playoff berths and 51 division titles, both the most of any MLB team by a healthy margin. The other three division champs were 10+ games from Houston, but close together fighting for the #2 seed. Atlanta got the #2 spot at 96-66 atop the Southeast Division for their fourth playoff trip in six years. Birmingham was a distant second at 86-76, but that was a huge bounce-back as the Boomers were an abysmal 54-108 the prior year. Tampa was third at 85-77, which snapped their eight-year playoff streak as they were six games short in the wild card hunt. Charlotte, a division champ last year, was a non-factor at 78-84. Denver ended an 11-year playoff drought and 17-year division title drought by winning the Northwest at 95-67. Seattle, last year’s top seed and AACS finalist, fell five short at 90-72 and Anchorage was 87-75. In the Southwest, a five-game winning streak and 40-23 run after the all-star break propelled San Diego to first at 94-68. The Seals got their second berth in four years and first division title since 2034. Phoenix and San Francisco were close behind San Diego to get two wild cards. The Firebirds at 93-69 allowed MLB’s fewest runs at 608, ending the longest playoff drought in franchise history at 16 seasons. The Gold Rush went 9-1 in their final ten games to end at 91-71, their fifth wild card in six seasons. In the South Central, Oklahoma City won 10 of their last 13 games, including taking two of three over Memphis. The Outlaws ended 91-71 for a wild card, one win ahead of the Mountain Cats. Seattle also fell one short at 90-72, although their run of winning seasons is now at 21 years. Also just missing the cut was 88-74 Las Vegas, who had posted four straight 100+ win seasons. This was only the second playoff miss in eight years for the vipers. In his second season with San Diego, 1B Alair White obliterated records to win American Association MVP unanimously. It was his fifth MVP, having won from 2032-35 with Vancouver. White joined Elijah Cashman, Morgan Short, and Andrei Tanev as the only MLB players with 5+ MVPs. MLB’s home run record entering the season as 84 by Jose Angel Esqueda in 2036, a number that had seemed impossible for the talent of the league. Before that, 70+ had only been breached once in MLB. White had three of the top ten MLB seasons with 67, 67, and 65. But his 2040 was insane with 90 home runs, one short of the world record set in 2009 by Majed Darwish of South Asia Baseball. White smashed the MLB records for slugging (.864), OPS (1.310) and total bases (527); as the previous bests were .786, 1.243, and 500, respectively. His 13.69 WAR was also a single-season record for MLB position players, passing Killian Fruechte’s 13.04 from 2014. It would’ve been the overall MLB record if not for Rodney Marengue’s 14.7 two-way season for Kansas City. White’s 184 RBI tied Esqueda’s MLB record from 2036, while his 153 runs scored was second-best to Esqueda’s 166. The 30-year old lefty from Mississippi also led in hits (231), average (.379), OBP (.446), and wRC+ (240). White earned only the ninth Triple Crown hitting season in MLB history and the first since Mike Rojas in 2020. On the world leaderboards for all leagues in baseball history, White’s season ranked as the 5^th-most total bases, 10^th-most runs scored, 9^th-most RBI, 6^th-best qualified slugging and 7^th-best OPS. The WAR was 49^th-best for a position player in any season. He also became the 59^th in MLB with 600 home runs and won his seventh Silver Slugger. Through ten seasons, White has 616 homers, 1469 RBI, 1961 hits, 1234 runs, a 1.086 OPS, 175 wRC+, and 81.9 WAR. White’s seven-year, $245,500,000 deal with the Seals runs through 2045, but he does have an opt-out clause after the 2043 season. Phoenix’s Leo Chapa won Pitcher of the Year with 41 first place votes, beating Atlanta’s Orlando Cepeda (10), Charlotte’s Mohammed Otu (12), and teammate Sutrisno Kartanto (1). Chapa was the leader in quality starts (24) and posted a 2.78 ERA, 15-12 record, 265 innings, 226 strikeouts, 163 ERA+, 65 FIP-, and 7.7 WAR. The 28-year old Cuban righty was in his seventh season with the Firebirds. San Diego swept Phoenix on 5-3 and 6-5 wins in the first round. Game two was a 15-inning marathon ending with a solo walkoff homer by Jeremy Rioux. Denver had the one-game bonus as a division champ, but San Francisco upset them with 5-3, 3-0, and 5-1 road wins. Atlanta edged Oklahoma City 6-5 to open their series, but OKC won 9-2 the next night. The Aces advanced on a 7-6, ten inning win in game three. San Diego outraced Atlanta 11-7 for a road win to open round two, but the Aces countered 10-6 despite Alair White hitting for the cycle in the defeat. The Seals then snagged 10-3 and 6-3 home wins to advance to their first American Association Championship Series since their 2032 World Series win. Top seed Houston held on 4-3 in game one against San Francisco, getting a walkoff solo homer from Jose Angel Esqueda. The Hornets rallied again in game two, as Esqueda had a game-tying double in the bottom of the ninth to send the game to extras at 5-5. In the 12^th, Esqueda led off the inning with a solo homer to win it 6-5. San Francisco earned a 2-1 home win in game three, but Houston clinched 9-2 in game four to keep the three-peat bid intact. It was their seventh AACS trip in a decade and 31^st overall, the most CS trips for any MLB team by a healthy margin. Despite both franchise’s storied histories, it was only the third AACS between the Hornets and San Diego. The Seals won 4-3 back in 1966 and 4-2 in 2008. Since 2008, roughly half the pennants have been split between them. The team that won would be the first MLB franchise with 16 pennants. Houston was the favorite having won 13 more games, home field advantage, and having swept San Diego in their season series. In game one, SD tied it at 5-5 in the top of the ninth, but a RBI single by Toshiki Naruse in the bottom half gave the Hornets the 6-5 walkoff win. In game two, Rex Seguin smacked a walkoff homer in a 7-6 Houston win. Most importantly in game two, MVP Alair White was injured running the bases; plantar fascitis that knocked him out the rest of the series. Even without their star, San Diego earned back-to-back 8-2 home wins to tie the series. However, Houston dominated game five 10-2 to take the 3-2 lead back to Texas. They held firm 6-3 in game six, earning the fifth-ever AACS three-peat. The Hornets did it previously in 1910-12, along with 1913-15 Memphis, 1970-72 New Orleans, and the Seals’ 2026-29 four-peat. Houston’s 16 pennants came in 1905, 06, 08, 10, 11, 12, 20, 22, 52, 2019, 24, 31, 35, 38, 39, and 40. Seguin was the series MVP, going 11-25 with two homers, four RBI, and five runs. The 31-year old Frenchman was in his tenth season with the Hornets and had been dealing with recurring injuries. He had only 1.6 WAR and 87 wRC+ in the regular season over 112 games, but stepped up when it counted. __________________ 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)

03-28-2026, 07:01 PM	#2791
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,348	2040 World Series The 140^th World Series was the 16^th for Houston, their third straight, and fifth in a decade. Despite winning the Baseball Grand Championship with a dominant 20-1 run last year, the Hornets have been the runner-up in the last two Fall Classics. They fell to Cincinnati in 2039 and Quebec City in 2038, but had recent wins over Louisville (2035) and Toronto (2031). It was the fourth trip for Chicago, who won in 1964 and 1984, while falling in 1980. Both teams were the top seed at 107-55 and both had been the top scoring squad in their association. Home field alternates with even-numbered years going to the National Association squad. Houston jumped out to a 9-2 lead after the fourth inning in game one and held off a rally bid to take game one on the road 9-7. The Cubs bounced back 3-2 in game two, then took the series lead off a 10-6 road win. Game four went extras at 8-8. In the 11^th, Binh Tang scored on Bryce Hall’s walkoff RBI double, tying the series with the 9-8 result for Houston. In the bottom of the ninth in game five, Marty Wolters led off with a 337 foot homer that just cleared the left field fence, giving the Hornets a 5-4 win and the 3-2 series lead. Back in Illinois, Chicago won 6-2 to send the World Series to game seven for the first time since 2036. In the finale, Toshiki Naruse smacked a three-run homer in the sixth to put Houston up 4-0. Chicago got two back in the eighth, but left the bases loaded. They went down 1-2-3 in the ninth for a 4-2 Hornets road win. 1B Jose Angel Esqueda was series MVP, going 7-23 with three homers and five RBI. In three seasons with the Hornets, the 33-year old Dominican has delivered three pennants, plus 164 homers, a 1.063 OPS and 24.1 WAR. Houston became 11-time MLB champs (1908, 10, 11, 12, 20, 22, 52, 2019, 31, 35, 40), second only to San Diego’s 12. The only other franchises in any world league to win their overall title 11+ times are CABA’s Mexico City and Honduras (11 each), EPB’s Minsk (15), WAB’s Kano (12), and SAB’s Ahmedabad (13). They will also have a chance to join San Diego as the only repeat Grand Champions as the favorite for the 2040 edition. Also of note, NL MVP Kenneth Armstrong with the Cubs scored 23 runs across the postseason, a new MLB record. The only player in any world league with more in a playoff run was Sol Kim’s 24 in the 1979 EAB season. Armstrong had 29 hits, 7 doubles, 7 homers, 18 RBI, 1.162 OPS, 215 wRC+, and 1.5 WAR. Other notes: Earning his first World Series ring was 13-time APB MVP Binh Tang, who signed a two-year deal with the Hornets. He spent his first two MLB seasons with Washington after his storied run as APB’s GOAT. It was his weakest season since his rookie year, but the 40-year old Vietnamese IF set a high standard as he was still good for 4.7 WAR, 28 homers, .871 OPS, and 135 wRC+. Through 23 pro seasons, Tang now has 3402 games played, 3977 hits, 2229 runs, 632 doubles, 892 home runs, 2243 RBI, .969 OPS, 188 wRC+, and 207.0 WAR. He passed world strikeout king Mohamed Ramos on the all-time WARboard for all players ever, now just behind legendary shortstops Harvey Coyle (234.9) and Jimmy Caliw (214). Tang also ranks 17^th in games, 12^th in runs, 10^th in hits, 36^th in homers, and 27^th in RBI. He plans to return with the Hornets in 2041. A former Cub and Hornet, RF Milton Ramirez played his final season with Seattle in 2040, struggling to -0.4 WAR over 105 games. He retired with 4078 hits, falling short of Stan Provost’s MLB record of 4078. Ramirez retires 6^th among all players in world history for hits. He ended with 2970 games, 2176 runs, 543 doubles, 263 triples, 311 homers, 1542 RBI, 1200 steals, 735 caught stealing, .361/.420/.539 slash, 164 wRC+, and 126.6 WAR. Ramirez is MLB’s all-time leader for steals, caught stealing, and singles (2961). He also ranks 27^th in games, 3^rd in runs, 11^th in total bases (6080), 19^th in doubles, 6^th in triples, and 12^th in WAR among position players. On the world leaderboard, Ramirez clocks in at 16^th in runs. He was the MLB leader for career batting average but the active Taylor Jarrawillah is ahead at .367, although he’s only played seven seasons and has room to drop. Ramirez also sits 3^rd in OBP among MLB qualifiers (3000+ plate appearances). Among world Hall of Famers and retired locks, Ramirez’s average ranks 4^th and OBP 5^th. Another guy just short of the 4000 hit club for his combined pro career is 3B Jamel Forsyth, who at age 43 with Detroit finally looked human with 121 games, .653 OPS, 76 wRC+, and 0.2 WAR. The Grenadan wants to play somewhere in 2041, but is a free agent. Combined from CABA/MLB, Forsyth has 3085 games, 3955 hits, 2048 runs, 642 doubles, 706 homers, 2354 RBI, and 151.7 WAR. On the world leaderboard he’s 33^rd in runs, 12^th in hits, 12^th in RBI, and 50^th in WAR among all players. For the first time in his 19 year run with Orlando, 1B Jackson Brafford failed to hit 40 home runs and for the second time missed 100 RBI. He was still close with 35 homers, 98 RBI, and 2.6 WAR at age 39. Brafford is up to 922 homers and 2309 RBI for his career, within striking distance of the MLB records of 929 homers and 2333 RBI by Isaac Cox. Brafford became the 29^th in world history with 900+ pro homers and now sits 24^th for homers and 18th for RBI. He has 3414 hits, 1984 runs, 575 doubles, .988 OPS, 152 wRC+, and 105.3 WAR. Brafford has one more year left on his current deal with the Orcas. Neil Hollinger is also giving chase, smacking 49 homers and 114 RBI in his age 38 season with Toronto. He moved into #3 in homers (883) and 6^th in RBI (2130) on the MLB chart. Hollinger has 3402 hits, 1998 runs, 1.009 OPS, and 113.0 WAR and is set for free agency in the winter. He’s up to #38 on the world home run list. In other dinger news, Will Desbiens became the 6^th in MLB to 800 homers and is one of 68 in world history. Steve Castro became the 21^st member of MLB’s 700 home run club. 59 have reached 600 with Alair White and Woodrow Reed getting there in 2040. Pablo Rivera became the 81^st to 3000 hits and the 138^th to 1500 runs scored. Calgary’s Bryce Henry hit for the cycle on both August 24 and August 31. He’s the second player in MLB to get the cycle twice in a week, joining Dylan Fabian in 2028. SS Titus Palmer and CF Andy Nagel both won their 7^th Gold Glove. C Montrell Curtis won his 7^th Silver Slugger. __________________ 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)

03-29-2026, 08:31 AM	#2792
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,348	2040 Baseball Grand Championship The 31^st Baseball Grand Championship was hosted in Manila, Philippines with the autobids going to MLB’s Houston and Chicago; CABA’s Costa Rica and Torreon; EAB’s Busan and Saitama; BSA’s Fortaleza and Ciudad Guayana; EBF’s Dublin and Zagreb; EPB’s Rostov, OBA’s Sydney, APB’s Pekanbaru, CLB’s Zhengzhou, WAB’s Libreville, SAB’s Mumbai, ABF’s Faisalabad, ALB’s Cairo, and AAB’s Kampala. The at-large spots went to AAB’s Dar es Salaam, EPB’s Irkutsk, and OBA’s Timor. Houston was the defending champion after a record-setting 20-1 run in the 2039 event. Only San Diego (2026-27) had pulled off the repeat previously. The 2038 champ Kampala was also back in the mix hoping for another strong run. At the first break day through five games, the Hornets and Saitama were both 4-1, while 13 different teams were 3-2. By the second break day, three teams had pulled away. Houston held the lead at 13-3 with both Dublin and Chicago at 12-4, followed by 10-6 marks for Torreon, Kampala, and Zagreb. The Hornets had beaten their World Series foe 8-4 in the first game and had a matchup still to come with the Dinos. Dublin meanwhile had edged the Cubs 3-2 in the first week. Chicago was on a nine-game winning streak and had gone 10-1 since the first break day. The Houston/Dublin showdown ended up a pitcher’s duel with the only run scoring in the first inning on a passed ball. The Hornets prevailed 1-0 and won their first three games after the break. The Cubs went 0-3 in the same stretch, while Dublin was 2-1. Houston lost their last two games, but the Dinos split and would’ve lost on the tiebreaker had they won out. Thus, the Hornets became the second-ever repeat Grand Champion at 16-5, holding off Dublin (15-6) and Chicago (14-7). On top of repeating, Houston became the first franchise to win the BGC thrice, having also won in 2035. They had the best run differential (+44), fewest allowed (56), and best ERA (2.50) of the field. The Hornets were second in runs scored with 100. All of their losses were by only one run except for a 5-1 defeat to Cairo. MLB teams have been Grand Champion 13 times, 10 of those by American Association teams. For their pitching staff, Borey Chhorn was 4-0 with a 1.32 ERA and 41 Ks in 34 innings; Marko Kusko was 3-0 in four starts with a 2.48 ERA, 32.2 innings, and 45 Ks; and closer Marten Hasan had a 0.90 ERA over 10 innings with eight saves. SS Paulo Costancia led the offense with 23 hits, 17 runs, 8 homers, 17 RBI, 1.152 OPS, 232 wRC+, and 2.1 WAR. Although he had a surprisingly weak showing (-0.3 WAR), Binh Tang’s 2040 saw a Grand Championship ring, World Series ring, and a World Baseball Championship ring with Vietnam. Dublin notably finished in the top three for the fifth time. The Dinos were the 2024 champ and had taken third in 2022, 23, and 35. Chicago was the top scoring team with 107 runs. There was a four-way tie for fourth place at 12-9 and based on tiebreakers, the finishing order was Torreon, Zagreb, Kampala, and Fortaleza. The Tomahawks were 3-0 against that group, including an 18-inning, 3-2 win against the Gulls. That was the first time a CABA team has been in the top four since Tijuana was third in 2030. Next in line were five teams at 11-10; Cairo, Dar es Salaam, Irkutsk, Libreville, and Mumbai. Finishing 10-11 was Ciudad Guayana, Pekanbaru, and Saitama. At 9-12 was Busan and Costa Rica, while Rostov was alone at 8-13. Sydney, Timor, and Zhengzhou each finished 7-14. Faisalabad was alone in last place at 6-15. *NOTE: The leaderboard for some reason doesn’t log all players properly, although their stats do show up in their individual pages and on the all-time leaderboard. Awarded Tournament MVP was Dar es Salaam LF Sebastian Malema. The 29-year old South African had 24 hits, 17 runs, 4 doubles, 10 home runs, 19 RBI, .308/.386/.744 slash, 226 wRC+, and 1.4 WAR. Pekanbaru leadoff man Palani Pathammavong notably had 32 hits, tying the event record set in 2035 by Rex Seguin. The 29-year old Lao 1B had a .427 average, the third-best by a qualifier in even history (65 plate appearances). Ciudad Guayana’s Rafael Menendez earned Best Pitcher with a 1.32 ERA over 34 innings, 4-0 record, 48 strikeouts, 280 ERA+, 35 FIP-, and 1.7 WAR. Kampala’s Yue Xu notably set a record with three shutouts in his five stars. He was 4-0 with a 1.02 ERA, 44 innings, 60 Ks, and 2.1 WAR. His Peacocks teammate Abdullahi Ali struck out 72, tied for the second-most which he hit the prior year. He also had a 22 strikeout complete game with two runs allowed against Timor. That tied the single game Ks record for the BGC, previously met in 2025 by Rotterdam’s Pasquale Barola against Nanjing. Ali also holds the BGC record with 83 in 2038. Other notes: Chicago’s Amani Gonalves tied the BGC single-game runs record with five against Zhenghzou. That same game, Kenneth Armstrong tied the RBI record with eight. In bad pitching records, Zhgenzhou’s Duguan Xiao allowed the most hits in a BGC with 47, and Faisalabad’s Zahman Momand was the tenth pitcher to record five losses in an event. __________________ 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)

03-30-2026, 07:28 AM	#2793
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,348	2041 MLB Hall of Fame (Part 1) Major League Baseball had a hefty five-man Hall of Fame class in 2041; the third time they’ve had a five-man class in the last eight years. They were all first ballot picks as well, although SP Riley Morales was the only no-doubter at 98.6%. SP Truman Bloodworth and 1B Tommy Sy earned solid marks of 79.7% and 77.6%, respectively. CL Vic McCallister (69.5%) and C Mike Woods (66.4%) both narrowly breached the 66% requirement. 1B Gilbert Windemere was a near miss at 64.4% on his fifth ballot. SP Storm de Ruyter was the only other above 50%, getting 50.5% on his eighth try. Surprisingly, no players were dropped from the ballot in 2041 after ten failed attempts. Riley Morales – Starting Pitching – Cincinnati Reds – 98.6% First Ballot Riley Morales was a 6’0’’, 205 pound right-handed pitcher from Shorewood, Minnesota; a town of around 8,000 on Lake Minnetonka. He was a renowned ironman who never missed a start to injury and was remarkably consistent over an 18-year career. Morales also had good-to-great stuff, movement, and control throughout his run. His fastball hit 99-101 mph regularly and was his best option, but Morales also had a nice forkball and changeup, along with an okay curveball. His durability also came with excellent stamina, tossing 230+ innings in all but his final season. Morales was solid at holding runners, but otherwise weak defensively. He was known as a clubhouse leader and became a fixture of postseason baseball. Morales pitched at West Virginia for college and excelled in three seasons with a 21-11 record, 1.86 ERA, 324.1 innings, 336 strikeouts, 180 ERA+, 56 FIP-, and 12.3 WAR. He was second in NCAA Pitcher of the Year voting as a sophomore and threw a no-hitter as a junior against Oklahoma State. After this effort, he was picked sixth overall by Cincinnati in the 2017 MLB Draft. To that point in history, the Reds really hadn’t had any long sustained runs of success. Recently, they had won pennants in 2008-09 with a World Series win in 2008. But that was only a three-year playoff streak and they fell off after that. From 2011-17, Cincinnati averaged an abysmal 66.8 wins per season. Morales would help reverse those fortunes with immediate consistency. He had 6.3 WAR as a rookie, leading in complete games with 15. In all nine of his seasons with the Reds, Morales was good for 5+ WAR. The Reds ended an eight-year playoff drought in 2018, losing in the first round was a wild card. After a near miss in 2019, Cincinnati started an eight-year playoff run in 2020, averaging 101.25 wins per season with seven division titles. Morales’ standout season was 2020 with a career best 2.27 ERA, winning Pitcher of the Year honors. Morales stepped up big in the playoff run, going 4-0 over 42 innings with a 1.50 ERA, 33 strikeouts, three complete games, and 1.4 WAR. He had a shutout in the National Association Championship Series as the Reds dethroned two-time defending champ Kansas City in five games. Cincinnati would fall 4-2 against Denver in the World Series. In the Baseball Grand Championship, the Reds were in a three-way tie for fifth at 11-8. Morales kept rolling with a 1.54 ERA over 35 innings with four complete games and 42 Ks. At the start of 2020, Morales also had a solid World Baseball Championship run, going 4-0 with a 1.41 ERA over 32 innings with 43 Ks and 1.1 WAR. The United States won the world title that year with Morales and would be runner-up in 2023 and 2024. While it was a relatively down period for American dominance in the WBC, Morales was ol’ reliable. From 2019-28, he had an 18-6 record, 2.71 ERA, 189.1 innings, 237 strikeouts, and 4.5 WAR. Cincinnati went 101-61 in 2021, but lost in the second round to Detroit. The Reds grabbed the top seed the next two years at 109-53 and 107-55, respectively. They beat Chicago in the 2022 NACS and Detroit in 2023, giving Cincy three pennants in four years. The Reds were swept in a World Series rematch with Denver in 2022, but earned the franchise’s third MLB ring in 2023 over San Diego 4-2. In both BGCs, Cincinnati went 9-10. Morales wasn’t overwhelmingly dominant in these later runs, but he was incredibly consistent and reliable as always. After the 2022 season, he signed a seven-year, $166 million extension. The Reds went 95-67 in 2024, losing to Washington in the NACS. They were the #1 seed in 2025 at 103-59, but lost to the Admirals in the second round. 2025 was Morales’s first year leading one of the major stats with the most wins at 21-5, taking third in Pitcher of the Year voting. The Reds went 102-60 in 2026, but ended up a wild card as they shared a division with 105-win Louisville. They knocked out the Lynx 3-1 in the second round, then defeated Montreal 4-2 for a fourth NACS win in seven years. Cincinnati met San Diego again in the World Series, this time a 4-2 Seals win. It was a shockingly poor playoff run though for Morales with a 5.60 ERA over 35.1 innings. He looked better in the BGC with a 2.91 ERA over 34 innings. The Reds were one of six teams at 12-7, officially sixth after tiebreakers. For his playoff career with Cincinnati, Morales had a 13-11 record, 3.00 ERA, 207 innings, 165 strikeouts, 122 ERA+, 96 FIP-, and 3.3 WAR. He surprised many by opting out of his contract after the 2026 season, becoming a free agent for his age 30 season. Morales’ role in the Reds’ dynasty run earned the retirement of his #10 uniform once he was done. In total, he had a 152-90 record, 3.02 ERA, 2220 innings, 2003 strikeouts, 473 walks, 102 complete games, 119 ERA+, 78 FIP-, and 54.3 WAR. While he was still popular with Reds fans, there was some annoyance that he left for the team they met twice in the World Series. Morales signed a six-year, $195,900,000 deal with San Diego, who went onto win the Baseball Grand Championship. This was the start of an historic dynasty for the Seals, who would four-peat as World Series champ from 2026-29. They defeated Montreal in the 2027 Fall Classic and Ottawa in both 2028 and 2029. Morales posted a career and American Association best 23-6 record in 2028, taking second in Pitcher of the Year voting. 2029 had his lone ERA title at 2.95, winning his second POTY. In the playoffs for San Diego, Morales had a 7-2 record, 3.01 ERA, 95.2 innings, 63 strikeouts, 145 ERA+, 100 FIP-, and 1.3 WAR. In the BGC, he had 3.15, 3.06, and 3.21 ERAs. The Seals won again in 2027 at 14-5, the first-ever repeat Grand Champion. They were sixth in 2028 at 12-7 and tied for seventh in 2029 at 12-9. After three seasons and three rings, Morales again opted out and returned to free agency for his age 33 season. With San Diego, Morales had a 62-24 record, 3.34 ERA, 798.2 innings, 607 strikeouts, 131 ERA+, 86 FIP-, and 16.6 WAR. Coming off his second Pitcher of the Year, Morales signed a five-year, $195 million deal with Houston. He would ultimately play out the duration of the contract. Morales wasn’t a POTY finalist as a Hornet, but he still posted his career best WAR seasons in 2032 (7.4) and 2033 (7.2). He also led in wins for the third time in 2030. Houston had been a regular contender in the 2020s and 2027 started a playoff streak that is still active as of Morales’ induction. However, the Hornets didn’t get out of the second round from 2027-30. 2030 was a huge letdown as they were the top seed at 111-51, getting upset in the second round 3-2 by Charlotte. In 2031, Houston won another division title at 99-63 and went on one of the most dominant playoff runs in MLB history. They were 14-1 in the postseason, the lone loss in round two against Las Vegas. The Hornets swept Charlotte in the AACS and Toronto in the World Series. Morales was 3-0 in 36 innings with a 3.25 ERA, 30 Ks, and 1.1 WAR in the run. In the BGC, he had a 3.31 ERA over 32.2 innings, 39 Ks, and 0.8 WAR. Houston finished tied for first at 14-7 with Hyderabad, but the Horned Frogs were Grand Champion having won their head-to-head meeting 6-4. This was the eighth and final Baseball Grand Championship for Morales. The only other players to appear in eight different BGCs were CABA LF Matias Esquilin (7 with Juarez, 1 with Chihuahua), and RF Loyd Wayne (5 with Juarez, 3 with San Diego). Against the world’s best, Morales tossed 275.2 innings with a 21-12 record, 2.87 EERA, 336 strikeouts, and 7.2 WAR. He’s the all-time BGC career leader for wins, starts (33), complete games (25), innings, hits allowed (177), and strikeouts (336) and ranks third in pitching WAR. Morales’ playoff stats were a mixed bag the rest of the way with Houston, finishing with a 4.48 ERA over 72.1 innings, 5-3 record, 44 Ks, 98 ERA+, 100 FIP-, and 1.1 WAR. The Hornets kept their division title streak going, but had a first round exit in 2032. They dominated the regular season in 2033 at 116-46, but were stunned by Albuquerque in the second round. Houston got back to the AACS at 89-73 in 2034, losing to Birmingham. Overall with Houston, Morales had an 89-52 record, 3.95 ERA, 1291 innings, 940 strikeouts, 111 ERA+, 83 FIP-, and 28.9 WAR. In his last year, he became the 12^th MLB ace to earn 300 career wins. At induction, only 47 pitchers in world history have 300+ pro wins. Morales’ control and durability were still rock solid, but his velocity was declining with age. He was now peaking in the 95-97 mph range after regularly hitting triple digits before that. Morales signed a two-year, $21,600,000 deal with Louisville. He struggled in 2035 with a 5.23 ERA over 172 innings and 0.4 WAR. Regardless, the Lynx claimed the National Association’s top seed at 105-57 and won the pennant; the ninth of Morales’s career. Louisville lost the World Series to Houston and Morales was only used for a lone relief appearance for the entire postseason run. Instead of lobbying for a BGC spot, Morales retired after the World Series at age 38. His playoff career had a 25-16 record, 3.28 ERA, 376 innings, 272 strikeouts, 75 walks, 13 complete games, 3 shutouts, 122 ERA+, 98 FIP-, 5.6 WAR, nine Association titles, and five World Series rings. Very few can claim five WS rings and Morales may be the only one to do it with three different teams. He also had a Grand Championship ring and a World Championship ring on top of that. Unsurprisingly, his longevity and consistency meant Morales retired as MLB’s career playoff leader in wins, losses, games (55), starts (51), innings, hits allowed (335), home runs allowed (55), strikeouts, and walks (75); and ranks 3^rd in WAR. Morales is also the world leader for postseason starts, innings. Only EBF’s Nejc Novak has him beat for wins with 26. For his regular season career, Morales had a 315-175 record, 3.43 ERA, 4481.2 innings, 3626 strikeouts, 883 walks, 349/582 quality starts, 235 complete games, 51 shutouts, 116 ERA+, 83 FIP-, and 100.2 WAR. On the MLB leaderboard, Morales ranks 7^th in wins, 29^th in starts, 36^th in complete games, 12^th in shutouts, 27^th in innings, 24^th in strikeouts, and 27^th in pitching WAR. He also ranks 27^th in the world for pitching wins. Morales’ exact spot in the all-time rankings can really vary based on how much value is placed on team success. His rate stats certainly aren’t out of place among Major League Baseball Hall of Famers, but they don’t put him in the top ten conversations. There were a few of the other ironman-type pitchers as well that played a few more years than Morales and got above 5000+ career innings. But Morales was consistently a winner and his teams won more than almost anyone in baseball history. When you add up regular season, playoffs, and tournament stats; Morales had a 379-209 record, 3.36 ERA, 5322.2 innings, 4471 strikeouts, and 117.5 WAR. Still, there were definitely more dominant guys and Morales won’t come up in GOAT conversations. That said, he was easily an inner-circle Hall of Famer and one of the game’s immortals. At 98.6%, Morales headlined a five-man 2041 class for MLB. __________________ 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)

03-31-2026, 08:14 AM	#2794
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,348	2041 MLB Hall of Fame (Part 2) Truman “Brick” Bloodworth – Starting Pitcher – Virginia Beach Vikings – 79.7% First Ballot Truman Bloodworth was a 6’7’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Brooklyn, New York. Nicknamed “Brick,” Bloodworth was known for excellent powerful stuff along with rock solid control and good movement. He had a 98-100 mph fastball, but his changeup was generally his most dangerous pitch. Bloodworth also had a forkball and slider in the arsenal. Bloodworth’s stamina was quite good early in his career, but injuries chipped away at that. He managed to gut out a 20-year career despite having some recurring back issues, especially in his 30s. Bloodworth was a good defensive pitcher and average at holding runners. He was one of the smarter aces in the game and knew how to pick his spots. In three seasons at Florida State, Bloodworth had a 13-7 record, 2.69 ERA, 211 innings, 203 strikeouts, 125 ERA+, 77 FIP-, and 5.3 WAR. He missed half of his freshman season to recurring back spasms. Although a few teams were worried about possible injury issues, being 6’7’’ with a 100 mph fastball will get you plenty of looks anyway. Bloodworth was picked eighth overall in the 2017 MLB Draft by Virginia Beach. The Vikings at this point were on a two decade playoff drought. Virginia Beach had surprised many by winning two World Series rings in the franchise’s first decade after the 1982 expansion, but they had been mostly lousy in the 21^st Century. Bloodworth was used as a reliever mostly as a rookie with decent results over 84 innings in 2018. He became a full-time starter in 2019 and was an ace by 2020. Bloodworth led the National Association for innings pitched in both 2020 and 2022 and started a four-year run of 6+ WAR seasons. In 2022, he led and posted career bests in strikeouts (300), quality starts (28), FIP- (55), and WAR (10.2); winning his lone Pitcher of the Year. 2022 also had his career-best 2.17 ERA and best record of 20-6. Bloodworth was second in 2023’s POTY voting leading in wins at 20-10 and posting 8.5 WAR. Virginia Beach finally snapped the playoff drought back to 1997 with an 88-74 record and East Division title in 2022, but they were denied in the second round. Bloodworth‘s limited playoff experience saw a 3.15 ERA over three starts and 20 innings with 25 Ks and 0.9 WAR, although a 0-2 record. The Vikings were a wild card with a first round exit the next year. VB spent the remainder of the 2020s outside of the playoffs, but did at least hover consistently around .500. Bloodworth did see some use in the World Baseball Championship for the United States, pitching in 2022, 24, and from 27-29. His WBC stats were surprisingly lousy with a 6.01 ERA over 82.1 innings, 4-4 record, 0.2 WAR, and 113 Ks. The 2020s were a relative down period for the typically dominant American team. Bloodworth’s best finish with the squad was a runner-up in 2024. After the 2022 POTY win, Bloodworth signed a five-year, $96,600,000 extension with Virginia Beach. Back spasms cost him most of the summer in 2024, but he otherwise avoided major injuries with the Vikings. He didn’t reach his award-winning peak again, but Bloodworth remained a reliably solid starter for the rest of the Virginia Beach run. For his efforts, his #31 uniform would later be retired; the first Viking to earn the honor. For Virginia Beach, Bloodworth had a 147-96 record, 2.97 ERA, 2254 innings, 2185 strikeouts, 523 walks, 85 complete games, 26 shutouts, 125 ERA+, 77 FIP-, and 56.4 WAR. He became a free agent after the 2027 season heading into his age 31 campaign. Bloodworth signed a four-year, $105,800,000 deal with Houston. The Hornets had won pennants in 2019 and 2024, while 2027 began a decade-plus playoff streak. Bloodworth wasn’t an award winner in Houston, but he mostly delivered the same steady production he had seen in the later years with the Vikings. Houston had initial playoff woes in the streak, including a one-and-done in 2030 despite leading the American Association at 111-51. 2031 would be the breakthrough, winning the World Series at 99-63 over Toronto. They tied for first at 14-7 in the Baseball Grand Championship, but finished second via tiebreaker to Hyderabad. For Bloodworth though, he was out from late-July on with a ruptured disc in his back. His contract was up after the World Series win and he was a free agent for a month. Eventually, Bloodworth signed a new four-year, $103 million deal to stay with Houston. He would miss most of 2032 though with a torn labrum, his first significant arm/shoulder injury. Bloodworth was back by the playoffs, but got lit up in his one start as the Hornets went one-and-done. The biggest critique of Bloodworth would be poor playoff results. With Houston, he posted a 5.43 ERA over 66.1 innings, 2-4 record, 34 Ks, 81 ERA+, 97 FIP-, and 1.1 WAR. His combined career had a 2-6 record, 4.90 ERA, 86.1 innings, 59 Ks, 86 ERA+, 85 FIP-, and 2.0 WAR. The FIP and WAR marks did suggest some bad luck, but the overall results wasn’t what you wanted or expected from an ace. Bloodworth was solid again in 2033, but missed the second half with a herniated disc. That would be an issue again in 2035 and he saw more middling production in his latter two seasons. Houston had another one-and-done in 2033 despite going 116-46. The Hornets at 89-73 then lost the 2034 AACS to Birmingham. In 2035, Houston returned to the top at 104-58. They beat Edmonton for the pennant, then won the World Series over Louisville. 2035 was Bloodworth’s best long playoff run with a 3.72 ERA over 19.1 innings. He would be excellent in the Baseball Grand Championship, winning his three starts with a 1.84 ERA in 29.1 innings, 24 Ks, and 0.7 WAR. Houston won the Grand Championship at 18-3 and the run helped cement a Hall of Fame resume for Bloodworth in the minds of many. While it was his second BGC trip and World Series ring for Houston, he had missed the previous run to injury. It was a strong way to end his eight-year tenure with Houston, finishing with an 88-69 record, 3.98 ERA, 1466.1 innings, 1171 strikeouts, 348 walks, 93 complete games, 2 shutouts, 111 ERA+, 83 FIP-, and 33.3 WAR. It also ended his MLB run, although Bloodworth wanted to still pitch at age 39. While his control was still strong in his last Hornets season, his velocity had dipped into the lower 90s and MLB teams felt he had limited upside. Bloodworth had to pack up for Kazakhstan on a two-year, $15,200,000 deal with Nur-Sultan of Eurasian Professional Baseball. He was still passable in 120.2 innings with a 3.65 ERA, 72 Ks, and 1.3 WAR. However, Bloodworth suffered another ruptured disc in August, this time a catastrophic one with a 12 month recovery time. He was let go by the Setters, but didn’t immediately retire. Bloodworth singed in May 2037 with Gdansk of European Tier Three in hopes of a comeback, but he ultimately didn’t see the field for the Gunners. Bloodworth retired that winter at age 40. In his MLB career, Bloodworth had a 235-165 record, 3.37 ERA, 3720.1 innings, 3356 strikeouts, 871 walks, 281/480 quality starts, 178 complete games, 28 shutouts, 119 ERA+, 80 FIP-, and 89.7 WAR. Adding the EPB season, he had a 243-172 record, 3.37 ERA, 3841 innings, 3428 Ks, 118 ERA+, 80 FIP-, and 90.9 WAR. On the MLB leaderboards, Bloodworth is 85^th in wins, 53^rd in strikeouts, and 64^th in pitching WAR. While certainly not an inner-circle Hall of Famer, Bloodworth’s bonafides were generally comparable or better than the average posted by previous Major League Baseball inductees. Bloodworth received 79.7% to earn a first ballot nod as part of a five-man class in 2041. Tommy Sy – First Base – Houston Hornets – 77.6% First Ballot Tommy Sy was a 6’5’’, 205 pound left-handed first baseman from Kitchener, Ontario; a city of 257,000 people located 62 miles west of Toronto. Sy was known as a very well-rounded batter facing right-handed pitching with strong contact ability, plus reliably solid power and vision. Facing RHP, he had a career .944 OPS and 160 wRC+. Sy was closer to average facing lefties with a .739 OPS and 106 wRC+. He was among the better batters in MLB at drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts. Sy didn’t have prolific power, but was good for 30 home runs per his 162 game average. His gap power was merely decent with 23 doubles and 3 triples per 162. Sy was also a very slow baserunner, although his instincts were decent. Sy was exclusively a first baseman and graded as a reliably solid and consistent defender. He ran into some smaller injuries later in his career, but generally held up quite well over a 22-year run. Sy had an impressive work ethic that enabled his longevity and consistency, making him popular broadly with MLB fans. Some fans and teammates did knock him for a lack of loyalty, but Sy was by no means a malcontent or troublemaker. He came to America to play college baseball at Mississippi State. In three seasons, Sy played 148 games with 154 hits, 99 runs, 29 doubles, 38 home runs, 101 RBI, .277/.348/.535 slash, 167 wRC+, and 7.6 WAR. He ended up closer to home when picked 31^st in the 2013 MLB Draft by Toronto. However, there wasn’t an immediate starting spot open for him. Sy spent all of 2014 and most of 2016 in minor league Hamilton. He thrived at that level though, winning an MVP in 2014 and taking third in 2016’s MVP voting. He saw 86 games and 22 starts in 2015 and had eight playoff at-bats as the Timberwolves made it to the National Association Championship Series. In 2017, Sy was a full-time starter with solid results, but was back to a part-time role in 2018. He finally locked down the full-time gig in 2019, a somewhat late bloomer at age 26, but he’d be a full-time starter for the rest of his career from there. While not an award winner, he was reliable for 5+ WAR and 30+ homers with Toronto. After the 2021 season, Sy signed a four-year, $64 million extension. The Timberwolves were largely in the middle-tier in late 2010s and early 2020s. Their lone playoff berth with Sy as a starter was a division title and first round exit in 2023. He decided to opt out of his deal after the 2023 season, becoming a free agent at age 30. For Toronto, Sy played 1163 games and started 963 with 1138 hits, 570 runs, 158 doubles, 208 home runs, 612 RBI, .300/.363/.515 slash, 164 wRC+, and 38.3 WAR. Sy had become popular with Canadian fans generally as a World Baseball Championship regular from 2018-35. He played 183 games with 150 hits, 105 runs, 29 doubles, 41 home runs, 94 RBI, .252/.356/.511 slash, and 6.6 WAR. Canada took third in 2021 on a solid effort by Sy, but his national stock soared in 2023. That year, Sy had 33 hits, 23 runs, 6 doubles, 10 homers, 25 RBI, .284/.354/.612 slash, 178 wRC+, and 1.7 WAR. The Canadians won their first World Championship since 2004, winning a dramatic seven game showdown against the United States with a 4-3, 10 inning game seven. Canadian fans continued to cheer on Sy from there, although he didn’t play for any of Canada’s pro squads after the Toronto run. For 2024, Sy signed a four-year, $135 million deal with Philadelphia. His 2024 was arguably his best season of his career with bests for home runs (43), average (.347), and WAR (7.4). The Phillies won the division at 99-63, but lost in the second round. He had a similar pace in 2025, but missed more than a month to a herniated disc. Philadelphia ended up finishing at 80-82 and to their surprise, Sy opted out after two years. He had 339 hits, 188 runs, 53 doubles, 65 homers, 181 RBI, .319/.390/.556 slash, 175 wRC+, and 12.8 WAR. Coming up on his age 33 season, Sy signed a five-year, $145 million deal with Houston. This would be his most famous tenure, joining three of his fellow Class of 2041 inductees as part of the Hornets roster during their 2030s run. Houston missed the playoffs in his debut season in 2026, but began their decade-plus playoff run the next year. Sy was steady and was a league leader for the only time in 2028 with a .412 OBP. That season also had his career high OPS of 1.001. Sy did decline his contract option after the 2029 season and spent a month as a free agent before inking a new three-year, $87,200,000 deal with the Hornets. Houston didn’t get beyond the second round from 2027-30 with the biggest letdown in their 111-win 2030 season. 2031 would be the breakthrough at 99-63, knocking off 104-win Charlotte in the American Association Championship Series with Sy as series MVP. Houston went onto win the World Series over Toronto, then finished tied for first in the Baseball Grand Championship at 14-7, losing the head-to-head tiebreaker to Hyderabad. Sy had an especially solid BGC with 21 hits, 9 runs, 3 doubles, 3 homers, 8 RBI, .313/.418/.522 slash, 178 wRC+, and 1.0 WAR. His overall playoff stats with Houston were respectable over 42 starts with 47 hits, 24 runs, 6 doubles, 2 triples, 9 homers, 34 RBI, .294/.380/.525 slash, 137 wRC+, and 1.7 WAR. Sy remained a reliable and steady starter into his early 40s for Houston, although he did miss time in 2032 to injuries. That winter, he signed a new two-year, $52,800,000 extension. The Hornets had their best record of the playoff streak in 2033 at 116-46, but got upset in the second round by Albuquerque. In 2034, the 89-win Hornets lost the AACS 4-3 to Birmingham. That marked the end of a nine-year tenure with Houston for Sy, who made a strong impression and got his #21 uniform soon retired. For the Hornets, he had 1346 games, 1522 hits, 874 runs, 200 doubles, 23 triples, 261 home runs, 833 RBI, .307/.388/.514 slash, 133 wRC+, and 41.2 WAR. Coming up on age 42, Sy signed a one-year, $17,400,000 deal with Nashville. With the Knights, Sy joined the 3000 career hit club and 550 homer club and was still a decent starter with a .283/.383/.453 slash, 121 wRC+, and 3.4 WAR. That marked the end of his MLB tenure, although he wasn’t done with pro baseball yet. In 2036, Sy went to Mexico on a one-year, $8 million deal with Guadalajara. He was still serviceable with a .271/.364/.466 slash, 117 wRC+, and 2.1 WAR. Sy wasn’t ready to call it quits, but no one signed him in 2037 and he eventually retired that winter at age 44. Adding the year with the Hellhounds, Sy played 3096 games with 3282 hits, 1785 runs, 446 doubles, 581 home runs, 1775 RBI, 1270 walks, .303/.378/.514 slash, 146 wRC+, and 97.9 WAR. In MLB, Sy finished with 2944 games, 3138 hits, 1702 runs, 431 doubles, 44 triples, 554 homers, 1688 RBI, 1197 walks, 1180 strikeouts, .305/.379/.516 slash, 148 wRC+, and 95.8 WAR. He ranks 31^st in games, 58^th in runs, 55^th in hits, 55^th in total bases (5319), 94^th in homers, 65^th in RBI, 64^th in walks, and 69^th in WAR among position players. There were a few stingy Hall of Fame voters that dismissed Sy as a compiler, as he lacked individual awards and black ink. However, first base is a loaded position for hitters when looking at things like Silver Sluggers. . Sy’s consistency and longevity were impressive, plus he was strong at some of the unsexy things like drawing walks, avoiding Ks, and defense. Getting 3000+ hits, 1500+ runs, 1500+ RBI, and 550+ homers was plenty for most voters even if Sy wasn’t ever an MVP contender. Plus he was generally well liked by his peers and an important part of Houston’s 2031 World Series win. He received 77.6% for a first ballot slot with a five-man 2041 class for Major League Baseball. __________________ 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) Last edited by FuzzyRussianHat; 03-31-2026 at 08:19 AM.

04-01-2026, 08:19 AM	#2795
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,348	2041 MLB Hall of Fame (Part 3) *Vic “The Wizard” McCallister – Closer – Memphis Mountain Cats – 69.5% First Ballot* Vic McCallister was a 6’8’’, 200 pound left-handed closer from Shreveport, Louisiana; the state’s third-most populated city with around 187,000 people. McCallister was known for stellar stuff along with rock solid movement and control. His 99-101 mph fastball was an all-timer with a curveball as the counterweight. McCallister’s stamina was decent by reliever standards and while he did have a few major injuries, he held up pretty well over an 18 year career. He graded as a strong defender and was solid at holding runners. McCallister was a known prankster in the clubhouse, although his weaker intelligence meant his jokes weren’t always timed well. His nickname “The Wizard” came partly from his ability to get out of tight spots on the mound, but also from his sleight of hand with many of his pranks. He attended Wichita State University and was a closer as a freshman. McCallister ran into a major injury as a sophomore, a damaged elbow ligament that knocked him out nine months. He was back and a starter as a junior, finishing his Shockers run with an 8-8 record, 10 saves, 2.43 ERA, 152 innings, 204 strikeouts, 140 ERA+, 53 FIP-, and 6.1 WAR. Injury worries and having only two pitches meant McCallister was looked at as a relief prospect. However, a tall lefty with a tremendous fastball always has a spot on a roster. McCallister went 18^th overall to Memphis in the 2017 MLB Draft. He was middle relief mostly as a rookie with promising results, earning the closer role after that. In his second season, McCallister was second in Reliever of the Year voting. McCallister made his mark in 2020, winning Best Pitcher in the World Baseball Championship as part of the United States’ title run. In 11 appearances, he gave up one run over 22.1 innings with seven saves, 50 strikeouts, and 1.3 WAR. McCallister split time between relief and starting in the WBC, but was excellent in either role. From 2020-33, he had an 8-3 record and 19 saves, 1.35 ERA, 133 innings, 266 Ks, and 6.7 WAR. Among WBC pitchers with 100+ innings, McCallister ranks 5^th in ERA, 18^th in K/9 (18.00), 14^th in H/9 (3.65), 19^th in WHIP (0.68), and his .426 opponent’s OPS is 9^th. Batters had a .123/.207/.217 slash against him, ranking 15^th/25^th/6^th. In 2030, McCallister was second in Best Pitcher voting. He won additional world titles with the 2031 and 2032 American squads. 2020 was McCallister’s first Reliever of the Year win. He took second in 2021 and 2022, then missed two months in 2023 to an oblique strain. 2022 saw an American Association-best 35 saves. McCallister took his second ROTY in 2024 and third in 2025. He was second in 2026, but did lead in saves (34) and games (70). McCallister couldn’t rack up huge save counts as Memphis was a mediocre squad in his run. The Mountain Cats averaged 73.8 wins per season during his tenure and only once had a winning record at 83-79 in 2026. McCallister was still appreciated for his efforts and Memphis later retired his #16 uniform. The run ended in July 2027 as he was traded to Washington for two prospects and a fifth round draft pick. For the Mountain Cats, McCallister had 224 saves and 275 shutdowns, 1.66 ERA, 594.2 innings, 781 strikeouts, 242 ERA+, 47 FIP-, and 29.2 WAR. The Admirals gave McCallister a two-year, $27,400,000 extension in the fall. His 2028 was his worst season to that point with a 3.39 ERA, but he rebounded in 2029 with his fourth Reliever of the Year award. Despite being a big game pitcher in the WBC, he was unremarkable in his 2029 playoff debut with a 3.86 ERA and -0.2 WAR in seven innings. Washington was a division champ, but had a second round exit. A free agent for the first time at age 32, McCallister joined Houston in March 2030. He initially inked a one-year, $12,100,000 deal, but signed a two-year, $16,800,000 extension by July. McCallister was second in 2030’s ROTY voting and third in 2031 with the Hornets, where he joined three of his eventual 2041 Hall of Fame classmates. Houston went 111-51 in 2030 but was shocked in the second round of the playoffs by Charlotte. McCallister struggled in three playoff appearances, taking two losses with four runs over four innings. He made up for it in 2031 with an all-time postseason run. Over eight appearances and 11.2 innings, McCallister didn’t give up a run, recording four wins, three saves, 20 strikeouts, and 1.1 WAR. The Hornets avenged the prior year’s loss to the Canaries in the AACS, then defeated Toronto in the World Series. McCallister was World Series MVP, an incredibly rare honor for a closer to win. He would be merely okay in the Baseball Grand Championship with a 3.86 ERA over 14 innings, but had 32 strikeouts and 1.0 WAR. Houston finished tied for the top spot at 14-7, but lost the head-to-head tiebreaker to Hyderabad. McCallister opted out in the winter, finishing the Hornet tenure with 57 saves, a 2.08 ERA, 117 innings, 186 strikeouts, 213 ERA+, 43 FIP-, and 6.4 WAR. He joined Halifax for 2032 on a two-year, $8,400,000 deal. There, he won his fifth Reliever of the Year award, a feat only achieved previously in MLB by Noah Pugliese a century earlier. McCallister also became the sixth in MLB with 400 career saves. His one year with Halifax was his statistical best with highs for saves (37), innings (83), strikeouts (132), ERA (0.76), ERA+ (517), FIP- (14), and WAR (6.4). It was the third-best WAR ever by a Reliever of the Year winner in MLB, behind only J.J. Fuller’s 7.2 in 2021 and his 6.6 in 2019. The Hound Dogs were 84-78, but missed the playoffs. McCallister opted out of the second year and went back to Washington for a second stint on a two-year, $19,400,000 deal. McCallister missed most of 2033 to a partially torn labrum, but was back by the playoffs. He got lit up in his two playoff outings, but the Admirals won the National Association title and fell to Albuquerque in the World Series. McCallister returned to form though in his three BGC appearances, tossing 10 scoreless innings with 18 strikeouts. Washington finished 18-3 to claim Grand Champion honors. Still, his control and stuff started to dip and the Admirals cut him in spring training 2034. Between stints in DC, McCallister had 82 saves and 88 shutdowns, 2.38 ERA, 200.1 innings, 261 strikeouts, 167 ERA+, 58 FIP-, and 7.3 WAR. McCallister was done as a closer at this point, but wasn’t out of the game yet. In 2034, he pitched 29.2 innings with a 3.03 ERA for Cincinnati. The Reds cut him in mid-August and he was picked up by Nashville, although McCallister never made an appearance for the Knights. McCallister joined Atlanta in 2035 with a 2.05 ERA over 22 innings, but was cut at the end of July. Miami immediately scooped him up and he posted a 4.15 ERA in 13 innings for the Mallards. McCallister retired in the winter at age 38. McCallister finished with 403 saves and 483 shutdowns, an 114-72 record, 1.85 ERA, 916 games, 1059.2 innings, 1417 strikeouts, 293 walks, 220 ERA+, 48 FIP-, and 50.6 WAR. Among MLB pitchers with 1000+ innings, McCallister’s ERA is second only to Stevie Ray Thornton’s 1.71. He ranks 5^th in saves and 13^th in games pitched. McCallister is also 5^th in H/9 (5.68), 7^th in K/9 (12.03), and 5^th in WHIP (0.91). McCallister’s triple slash of .183/.249/.287 ranks 5^th/6^th/4^th and his .537 OPS is 4^th. His rate stats also put him on the world leaderboards among the top relievers, ranking 48^th in ERA, 40^th in WAR, 11^th in ERA+, and just outside the top 50 for FIP-. Among Major League Baseball Hall of Fame closers, McCallister is 5^th in WAR, 4^th in strikeouts, and has the best ERA. Despite that, he wasn’t an overwhelming yes for voters. MLB voters aren’t generally particularly stingy for closers, but McCallister only received 69.5% upon his debut ballot. Perhaps many of his best years being on weaker, smaller market teams hurt his notoriety. Stull, it was enough for a first ballot induction with a five-man 2041 class. Mike Woods – Catcher – Albuquerque Isotopes – 66.4% First Ballot Mike Woods was a 6’4’’, 200 pound switch-hitting catcher from Phoenix, Arizona. Woods was known for his longevity and an outstanding eye for drawing walks. He was an above average contact hitter, although his strikeout rate was unremarkable. Woods’s 162 game average got you 25 doubles, 2 triples, and 16 home runs. He was notably more effective facing right-handed pitching (.821 OPS, 130 wRC+) compared to against lefties (.742 OPS, 111 wRC+). As with most catchers, Woods was comically slow on the basepaths, although his baserunning ability was decent. By catcher standards, Woods was a better hitter than most. He was also a better defender than most, grading just a notch below Gold Glove level. He retired as the MLB career leader in assists with 2027. Longevity certainly played a role with a 22 year career with generally solid durability. He was adaptable to the situation as well, helping Woods become one of the more popular catchers in MLB history. Woods left the desert for scenic Muncie, Indiana, winning Silver Sluggers as a freshman and sophomore at Ball State. In three seasons, he played 127 games with 98 hits, 64 runs, 18 doubles, 24 home runs, 55 RBI, 101 walks, .244/.400.469 slash, 163 wRC+, and 5.8 WAR. In the 2013 MLB Draft, Woods went 24^th to Albuquerque. He had a part-time role in 2014 as a rookie, but was mostly a full-time after that. He had steady production, although he missed the final part of 2017 to a hamstring strain. Still, that winter the Isotopes gave Woods an eight-year, $135,400,000 extension. He won his three Silver Sluggers in Albuquerque in 2019, 21, and 22. 2021 was his best season there by WAR at 6.5. His efforts were appreciated in an era of mid-ness for the Isotopes. They were a one-and-done wild card his rookie year, but didn’t make the playoffs after that. Albuquerque was rarely awful and averaged 83.3 wins per season with Woods, but it wasn’t enough in the always-strong Southwest Division. Woods did get experience on the big stage for the United States in the World Baseball Championship. He was rostered from 2016-31, although he was more commonly the #2 catcher in his later years. Over 141 games, Woods had 86 hits, 64 runs, 23 doubles, 18 home runs, 59 RBI, .200/.343/.378 slash, and 2.8 WAR. He was part of World Champion American teams in 2017, 2020, and 2031. For Albuquerque, Woods played 1073 games with 969 hits, 508 runs, 193 doubles, 111 home runs, 428 RBI, 553 walks, 652 Ks, .277/.379/.436 slash, 125 wRC+, and 38.2 WAR. His steady efforts made him very popular with Isotopes fans and his #1 uniform eventually was retired. Woods opted out of the remainder of his deal after the 2022 season, becoming a free agent at age 30. He signed a four-year, $128 million deal with Detroit. Woods would remain a regular all-star as a Tiger and was All-Star Game MVP in 2024. That winter, he opted out of his deal to sign a new four-year, $148 million extension with Detroit. Woods’ first three seasons were worth 6+ WAR and he led the National Association with 89 walks in 2024. He had his career best 100 walks in 2025 and had career bests for runs (96), OBP (.425), OP S(.909), wRC+ (158), and WAR (6.7). In his debut in 2023, Detroit got to the NACS and lost to defending champ Cincinnati 4-2. The Tigers repeated as division champs the next two years with a second round exit in 2024. In 2025, Detroit dethroned Washington 4-2 to win the pennant, then defeated Nashville 4-2 to win the franchise’s second-ever World Series title. The Tigers’ only prior title was back in 1902; 122 years prior; the longest drought in pro baseball history between overall titles. Woods’ playoff stats for Detroit weren’t exceptional but he played his role with 39 career starts, 33 hits, 15 runs, 8 doubles, 3 homers, 15 RBI, .241/.348/.365 slash, 103 wRC+, and 0.7 WAR. In the Baseball Grand Championship, he had a .585 OPS, 71 wRC+, and 0.1 WAR as the Tigers finished fourth at 12-7. Still, his role in ending such a long drought in the Motor City played a strong part in Woods’ later candidacy. Detroit would be a one-and-done in 2026, then fell below .500 for the rest of the 2020s. In six seasons for the Tigers, Woods played 824 games with 728 hits, 413 runs, 116 doubles, 83 homers, 355 RBI, 474 walks, 521 Ks, .277/.390/.428 slash, 136 wRC+, and 30.1 WAR. Although he played longer with Albuquerque and won his Silver Sluggers there, Woods’ most efficient run was with Detroit. In his last year, he did notably miss a month to hamstring strain. Woods was a free agent for 2029 at age 36 and joined Indianapolis on a three-year, $63,400,000 deal. He ended up signing a two-year, $36 million extension after the 2031 season. The Racers made three playoff trips in his five year tenure, but didn’t advance beyond the second round. Woods kept up his usual production most of the time with Indy, but injuries did start to catch up with age. He lost six weeks in 2031 to torn ankle ligaments. In 2033, Woods’ bat regressed notably to a lousy .600 OPS and 70 wRC+, although his defense was still good enough for positive WAR over 113 games. In five seasons for Indianapolis, he had 639 games, 521 hits, 278 runs, 78 doubles, 65 homers, 243 RBI, 360 walks, .266/.382/.412 slash, 124 wRC+, and 19.7 WAR. Now 41, Woods went to Halifax in 2034 on a one-year, $8,600,000 deal. He had torn ankle ligaments again that spring and posted 0.3 WAR in 91 games with a.593 OPS and 66 wRC+. Woods still wanted to play and signed a minor league deal with Seattle in late April 2035. He struggled in 24 games with -0.4 WAR for the Grizzlies and was released in late July. Woods officially retired that winter at age 43. Woods finished with 2651 games, 2289 hits, 1229 runs, 403 doubles, 34 triples, 264 home runs, 1052 RBI, 1435 walks, 1754 strikeouts, .271/.379/.421 slash, 125 wRC+, and 87.9 WAR. He is 23^rd among all MLB players in walks drawn and just misses the top 100 for WAR among position players. Woods is 6^th in WAR for catchers, 11^th in hits, 3^rd in runs, 24^th in homers, and 19^th in RBI. His Hall of Fame candidacy came up against the normal challenges any catcher faces with lower offensive totals that come with the position relative to other great position players. Major League Baseball’s voters weren’t as cartoonishly stingy as other world leagues, but there still had only been nine inductees at catcher in MLB to that point. Woods didn’t have a ton of awards and even by catcher standards, he was merely an above average hitter. Many voters place limited value on things like defense and walks; two of Woods’ standout qualities. He also had longevity, was well liked, and was a starter for Detroit’s first World Series win in more than a century. Woods only barely crossed the 66% threshold at 66.4%, but it was enough for the first ballot induction to cap off an impressive five-man 2041 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)

04-03-2026, 06:23 AM	#2797
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,348	2041 CABA Hall of Fame (Part 2) Stinky “Smiley” Pasillas – Starting Pitcher - Mexicali Maroons – 97.3% First Ballot Stinky Pasillas was a 6’0’’, 185 pound left-handed pitcher from Guadalajara, Mexico. His actual first name was Samuel, but he got Stinky as a child and it stuck. He also was nicknamed “Smiley” and tried to make that one stick more, but fans had more fun with Stinky. While a childhood insult, it became a compliment later onto referring to his stuff, similar to how someone might call great stuff filthy. Pasillas indeed had top notch stuff along with very good control and solid movement. His velocity peaked in the 98-100 mph range with a five-pitch arsenal of slider, curveball, changeup, splitter, and cutter. Each was a potent option to fool hitters. Pasillas’ main weakness was poor stamina, as he only posted seven complete games in his entire career. Even without major injury issues, he also finished below 200 innings many seasons, fewer than expected for your standard ace. Still, Pasillas was efficient enough to still be an impressive starter. He was excellent at holding runners and graded as a good defensive pitcher. Pasillas was also a highly intelligent pitcher with strong leadership skills, making him very popular over a 12-year career. The stamina worries though did weaken his draft prospects coming out of college, as some teams felt he would have to be a reliever. Pasillas went second in the second round in 2021, 35^th overall, to Mexicali. Pasillas had limited use initially for the Maroons, as he didn’t pitch in 2022 and only saw two innings in 2023. He tossed 45.2 innings in 2024, then finally grabbed a full-time rotation spot in 2025. Pasillas proved he could be an ace even with a lower inning count, posting 6+ WAR each year from 2027-34. After the 2027 season, Mexicali gave Pasillas a six-year, $90,900,000 extension. The Maroons ended a 17-year playoff drought in 2027, although they were a wild card with a first round exit. 2028 saw his lone ERA title at 1.59 and a league-best 0.73 WHIP, but he was second in Pitcher of the Year voting to Hall of Fame classmate Richard Wright. Mexicali won the division at 96-66 and got to the MLCS, but fell to Leon. Pasillas posted a 0.79 ERA over 11.1 innings with 14 Ks. He would also see use with solid numbers in the World Baseball Championship for Mexico. From 2027-35, Pasillas had 112.2 WBC innings with an 8-4 record, 2.88 ERA, 164 Ks, 126 ERA+, 53 FIP-, and 4.2 WAR. The deepest run for the Mexicans with Pasillas was a third place in 2028. Pasillas was third in 2029 and 2030’s POTY voting, the latter of which saw a league and career-best 8.3 WAR and 44 FIP-. Mexicali fell back into the mid-lower tier for the rest of run, usually just below .500. Pasillas held up his end and was second again in 2033’s POTY voting with his career best 1.54 ERA, matching his best WAR at 8.3. That winter, he became a free agent at age 34. For Mexicali, Pasillas had a 126-66 record, 51 saves, 2.21 ERA , 1795.2 innings, 2355 strikeouts, 269 walks, 165 ERA+, 57 FIP-,and 61.7 WAR. Stinky saw his #3 uniform later retired by the Maroons for his decade of service. He signed a five-year, $124 million deal with Jamaica. In his Jazz debut, Pasillas led the Caribbean League in wins at 22-3 and was second again in POTY voting. He never won the honor, but was a finalist five times. Jamaica won their division at 102-60, but fell in the second round. In 2035, Pasillas saw his velocity drop into the mid 90s and he had middling results with a 4.17 ERA and 2.6 WAR in 211.1 innings. Jamaica won the division again at 99-63 and this time got the job done, defeating Honduras in the CLCS to win the Caribbean League pennant. The Jazz were defeated in the CABA Championship by Torreon. Pasillas had been delightfully average in the playoff run with a 3.79 ERA over 19 innings with 12 Ks. He decided to retire with that and didn’t join Jamaica for the Baseball Grand Championship. In two seasons for the Jazz, Pasillas had a 34-16 record, 3.31 ERA, 434.2 innings, 419 strikeouts, 129 ERA+, 85 FIP-, and 9.1 WAR. His retirement papers officially were inked just after his 36^th birthday. In total, Pasillas had a 160-82 record, 51 saves, 2.43 ERA, 2230.1 innings, 2774 strikeouts, 330 walks, 210/306 quality starts, 7 complete games, 1 shutout, 156 ERA+, 63 FIP-, and 70.8 WAR. Pasillas ranks 62^nd in pitching WAR, but misses the top 100 for the other counting stats on the CABA leaderboard. Among those with 1000+ innings, Pasillas is 31^st in ERA, 17^th in WHIP (0.91), 36^th in H/9 (6.83), 32^nd in K/9 (11.19), and his .572 opponents’ OPS is 26^th. Pasillas also notably ranks 18^th in ERA+ among world Hall of Famers and retired locks, showing how efficient he was. Even with the low inning count and lower accumulations, voters felt his dominance was more than plenty for a slam dunk induction. Pasillas got 97.3%, one of three great aces as part of the four-man 2041 class for the Central American Baseball Association. Jose “Shoulders” Toyos – Closer – Suriname Silverbacks – 66.3% First Ballot Jose Toyos was a 6’0’’, 185 pound left-handed pitcher from Baragua, Cuba; a town of 31,000 people in the center of the island. Nicknamed “Shoulders,” Toyos had excellent stuff, very good control, and decent movement. He never had overwhelming speed with a 91-93 mph maximum, but his sinker/changeup combo was a challenge for hitters. His stamina was good by reliever standards, but he did run into some major injuries over a 14 year career. Toyos had above average metrics for defense and holding runners. He wasn’t disruptive, but he was viewed as a bit of a selfish mercenary type. Toyos got attention out of high school and was picked 28^th overall in the 2018 CABA Draft by Haiti. However, he declined signing with the Herons and went to college. When next eligible for the 2021 draft, Toyos again was the #28 pick, this time with Suriname. He was the closer for the Silverbacks right away, although he missed half of his rookie season to a partially torn labrum. Suriname’s deepest playoff run came in 2022 as a 102-60 wild card, losing the CLCS to Guatemala. They would win division titles in 2025 and 2028, but couldn’t get beyond the second round. The Silverbacks were usually around or above .500 in the other seasons. Toyos’ limited playoff experience saw a 2.51 ERA in 14.1 innings, 3-1 record, 3 saves, 21 strikeouts, and 0.8 WAR. In 2023 and 2025, Toyos won Reliever of the Year and led the Caribbean League in saves. His career high would be 44 in 2025. Toyos was third in 2027’s voting and second in 2029. It was the 2029 effort with career bests in ERA (0.69), innings (91), strikeouts (143), and WAR (5.8). Toyos’ 2030 was on a similarly strong pace, but he suffered radial nerve compression in late July that knocked him out nine months. With the injury and his 32^nd birthday looming, Suriname didn’t re-sign Toyos and he entered free agency. For the Silverbacks, he had a 1.75 ERA, 264 saves, 304 shutdowns, 679 innings, 1015 strikeouts, 131 walks, 224 ERA+, 47 FIP-, and 31.4 WAR. Toyos’ #28 uniform would later be retired and he joined Hall of Fame classmate Angel Brea as the first inductees with Suriname as their primary squad. MLB’s Ottawa Elks were impressed enough with Toyos to give him a one-year, $8,900,000 deal even with the injury. He saw limited use with a 3.77 ERA over 43 innings, 56 strikeouts, and 1.2 WAR for the Elks in 2031. Toyos went back to the Caribbean League on a three-year, $16,200,000 deal with Jamaica. All the while, Toyos had continuously represented his native Cuba in the World Baseball Championship. He saw split use as a reliever and starter in the WBC, although his stats were unremarkable. From 2023-35, Toyos pitched 114.1 innings with a 6-9 record, 10 saves, 4.09 ERA, 199 Ks, 89 ERA+, 101 FIP-, and 2.0 WAR. Toyos saw mostly middle relief in 2032 for Jamaica, but was back to the closer role the next two years. He led in saves with 41 in 2034, taking second in Reliever of the Year voting. The Jazz made the playoffs each year with the deepest run a CLCS lost to Honduras in 2032. In 8.2 playoff innings, Toyos had a 1.04 ERA, 16 Ks, and 0.5 WAR. With Jamaica, he had a 2.37 ERA over 193.1 innings, 73 saves, 80 shutdowns, 271 Ks, 177 ERA+, 51 FIP-, and 7.6 WAR. Toyos was back to free agency for 2035 and signed a two-year, $13,400,000 deal with Honduras. He missed two months in 2035 to shoulder inflammation and struggled to a 5.45 ERA over 39.2 innings and 0.4 WAR. Toyos remained under contract in 2036, but the Horsemen declined to use him all season. He retired that winter at age 37. Toyos finished in CABA with an 81-68 record, 345 saves, 393 shutdowns, 2.04 ERA, 727 games, 912 innings, 1327 strikeouts, 185 walks, 196 ERA+, 50 FIP-, and 39.3 WAR. He ranks 12^th in saves and 21^st in appearances. Toyos is also 4^th in WAR among the previous Hall of Fame closers for the Central American Baseball Association. He wasn’t overwhelmingly dominant compared to some of the all-time relievers in world history, but Toyos stacked up well with previous closers in the CABA HOF. He received 66.3%, just breaching the 66% requirement to get a first ballot nod as part of an impressive four-man 2041 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)

04-04-2026, 07:01 AM	#2798
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,348	2041 EAB Hall of Fame (Part 1) East Asia Baseball’s 2041 Hall of Fame class featured three starting pitchers inducted on their first ballot. Tsuneo Takao and Takehiro Nakajima were no-doubters getting 95.4% and 91.9%, respectively. Sung-Ho Lee joined them with a solid 76.7%. No one else was above 50% with the best returner, SP Shin-Nin Ikegami, getting 47.7% on his second try. The top position player was 1B Jun’ichiro Fusejima with only 39.2%. No players were dropped from the ballot after ten failed tries. Tsuneo “Clang” Takao – Starting Pitcher – Kobe Blaze – 95.4% First Ballot Tsueno “Clang” Takao was a 6’6’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Gifu, Japan; a city of 400,000 people near Nagoya. Nicknamed “Clang,” Takao had outstanding overpowering stuff that graded as a 10/10 for much of his career. He relied heavily on his stuff as his movement and control were both average at best. Takao’s velocity peaked in the 98-100 mph range with a cutter, changeup, forkball, and curveball arsenal. Compared to most starters, Takao had poor stamina. He only had 11 complete games and only topped 200 innings in three seasons, very low numbers for an EAB ace. Takao was also plagued with injuries over a 15 year career. He was a solid defensive pitcher and was decent at holding runners. Takao was appreciated by teammates as an impressive captain known for his leadership, adaptability, and work ethic. Takao’s talent was noticed immediately at Chukyo High School and he went sixth to Fukuoka in the 2017 EAB Draft. He declined their offer and attended the University of Tokyo for three years. Takao went third in the 2020 draft to Kobe and spent his entire career with the Blaze. He missed some time as a rookie to a strained hamstring, but still showed flashes and was second in Rookie of the Year voting. On September 2, 2021, Takao tossed a no-hitter with 15 strikeouts and two walks. 2022 was Takao’s debut in the World Baseball Championship, although he struggled in his two starts. He had mixed results in the WBC from 2022-33 with a 9-1 record, but 4.83 ERA over 78.1 innings, 153 strikeouts, 75 ERA+, 90 FIP-, and 1.3 WAR. Japan’s deepest runs with Takao included a third place in 2029, fourth in 2031, and second in 2032. Although 2022 was Takao’s WBC debut, he missed the entire season with a stretched elbow ligament suffered in spring training. He was back for 2023 and thrived with his lone ERA title at 2.06, as well as a league-best 0.81 WHIP and 50 FIP-. Takao was third in Pitcher of the Year voting. This also started a ten-year playoff streak for Kobe and ended an 18-year drought. The Blaze would fail to win the pennant though during that entire streak. They made it to the Japan League Championship Series thrice, losing in 2025 to Saitama, 2029 to Niigata, and 2031 to Sendai. 2029 was especially disappointing as they were the top seed at 109-53. Takao got poor support in his playoff career with a 2-9 record, but had a 2.98 ERA over 87.2 innings, 130 Ks, 112 ERA+, 87 FIP-, and 1.7 WAR. Takao led in strikeouts for the first time in 2024 with 295. That May, he signed a five-year, $83,100,000 extension with Kobe. Despite finishing his career with only three shutouts, Takao tossed EAB’s 39^th perfect game on July 19, 2027 with 15 strikeouts against Niigata. He won his lone Pitcher of the Year that season with a 1.86 ERA, 222.2 innings, 324 Ks, and 8.3 WAR. 2028 had his career best for WAR (9.4), strikeouts (353), record (19-2), and qualifying ERA (1.66). However, he was second in POTY voting to his eventual Hall of Fame classmate Takehiro Nakajima. In March 2029, Takao signed a mammoth seven-year, $247,500,000 extension. He was used in an opener and relief role with only 119.2 innings that year, but had his best ERA (1.20). Takao was back to a more standard starting role the next two years and led twice more in strikeouts, taking third in 2030’s POTY voting. In 2032, he lost two months in the summer to elbow inflammation and had a 3.18 ERA, his first season above three. Shoulder inflammation popped up in spring 2033 and eventually required surgery, ending his season. In 2034, Takao missed most of the season between an elbow strain and radial nerve compression. He suffered bone chips in his elbow in spring training 2035 that kept him out until late July. Takao only pitched 3.2 innings that summer before missing the rest of the year to a torn labrum. Frustrated by his body breaking down, Takao retired that winter at age 35. Takao finished with a 154-69 record, 38 saves and 82 shutdowns, 2.37 ERA, 2130.2 innings, 3127 strikeouts, 429 walks, 178/322 quality starts, 11 complete games, 3 shutouts, 141 ERA+, 59 FIP-, and 70.6 WAR. Takao ranks 79^th in pitching WAR, but misses the other accumulation top 100s with the low inning count. For rate stats among those with 1000+ innings, Takao is 36^th in ERA, 7^th in H/9 (6.14), 6^th in K/9 (13.21), 11^th in WHIP (0.88), and 16^th in opponent’s OPS (.553). His triple slash (.192/.236/.317) ranks 8^th/12^th/38^th. Among all Hall of Fame starters and retired locks in world history, his 59 FIP- just cracks the top 50. Takao was clearly very dominant when on his game, but the lack of innings and longevity kept him from being an inner-circle Hall of Famer. Still, that dominance and role in Kobe’s decade-long playoff streak made him an easy yes for the voters. At 95.4%, Takao co-headlined the three pitcher 2041 class for East Asia Baseball. __________________ 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)

Yesterday, 07:56 AM	#2799
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,348	2041 EAB Hall of Fame (Part 2) Takehiro Nakajima – Starting Pitcher – Niigata Green Dragons – 91.9% First Ballot Takehiro Nakajima was a 6’2’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Ichikawa, Japan; a city with around 493,000 people in the Chiba Prefecture. Nakajima boasted reliably solid stuff along with above average movement and control. He had a 97-99 mph fastball, forkball, cutter, and changeup in the arsenal. The forkball and cutter tended to be his most effective offering, but all four pitches were respectable. Relative to most EAB aces, Nakajima had merely average stamina. His durability was mostly strong in his prime so you’d still get a full slate of innings each year. Nakajima was around average for holding runners and defense. By pitcher standards, he was a decent hitter with a career .166 average and won a Silver Slugger in 2024. Nakajima wasn’t the brightest guy, but he had the talent to stick around for 15 years in the pros. After an impressive run for the University of Tokyo, Nakajima was picked seventh by Niigata in the 2020 EAB Draft. He was a part-timer as a rookie and then a full-timer for the next decade with the Green Dragons. Nakajima wasn’t an immediate success though with middling production in his first three seasons. He put it together in his fourth season, his first of eight straight seasons with 6+ WAR, 240+ strikeouts, and sub-three ERAs. In 2025, Nakajima was third in Pitcher of the Year voting, leading the Japan League in FIP- (61) and quality starts (25). Niigata ended a 14-year playoff drought, but lost in the first round of the playoffs. That winter, the Green Dragons gave Nakajima a six-year, $157,800,000 extension. After missing the cut by one win in 2026, Niigata began a seven-year playoff streak in 2027. The Green Dragons were a wild card at 95-67 in 2027, but went on an impressive playoff run, including a JLCS sweep of Hiroshima. Niigata then defeated Incheon 4-2 for their first East Asian Championship win since 2008. Nakajima had an outstanding postseason with a 1.66 ERA over 38 innings, 4-0 record, 48 strikeouts, 208 ERA+, 34 FIP-, and 1.9 WAR. It ranks as the sixth-best WAR by an EAB pitcher in playoff history. This solidified Nakajima’s reputation as a big-time pitcher, even though he struggled in the Baseball Grand Championship with a 5.72 ERA in 28.1 innings and -0.1 WAR. Niigata’s magic ran out in the BGC, finishing last at 5-14. In 2028, Nakajima missed most of spring training to a torn thumb ligament, but was ready for the regular season. There, he won his first Pitcher of the Year, leading in wins (21-5) with a 1.72 ERA and 8.9 WAR. Niigata finished 110-52, earning the top seed and tying a franchise record. Nakajima had another solid playoff run with a 2.45 ERA and 1.3 WAR over 22 innings. Despite his efforts, the Green Dragons were swept in the JLCS by Nagoya. Nakajima repeated as POTY in 2029 with his career bests for WAR (11.5), strikeouts (301), and innings (268.2). It ranks as the 22^nd-best single-season WAR for an EAB pitcher. Nakajima was steady in the playoffs with a 2.56 ERA over 31.2 innings, 26 Ks, and 0.7 WAR. Niigata won the North Division at 97-65 and got hot again in the playoffs. They shocked 109-win Kobe by sweeping the Blaze in the JLCS, then defeated Busan 4-1 for their second EAB title in three years. Nakajima fared much better in the 2029 BGC with a 2.63 ERA over 41 innings, 43 Ks, and 1.2 WAR. Niigata ended up in the middle of the standings at 11-10. The Green Dragons won 103, 107, and 100 games the next three years with division titles and were the #1 seed in 2031. However, their playoff luck ran out. Niigata lost in a 4-3 thriller to Nagoya in the 2030 JLCS, then fell in the divisional round in back-to-back years. They had a wild card round exit in 2033 to conclude their playoff streak. Nakajima finished his playoff career with an 11-3 record, 1.85 ERA, 136 innings, 158 Ks, 17 walks, 184 ERA+, 53 FIP-, and 5.4 WAR. At induction, he’s 7^th in pitching playoff WAR and 15^th in strikeouts. Nakajima won his third Pitcher of the Year in 2031 with career/league bests for wins (22-7) and shutouts (8) as well has his best ERA at 1.70. However, a strained shoulder in early September caused him to miss the playoffs. Nakajima had been generally healthy to that point and Niigata gave him a five-year, $137 million extension in July 2032 at age 33. Injuries would become an issue shortly after signing, missing a month in the fall to a strained oblique. In March 2033, Nakajima missed two months to an elbow strain. The rest of the year was without incident, but he had his worst production in a decade with a 3.00 ERA and 3.2 WAR. In his third start of 2034, Nakajima suffered a torn labrum that ended his season. He returned in 2035, but was subpar with a 4.11 ERA and reduced to a part-time starting role. He did notably cross the 200 win milestone, one of 81 pitchers to do so in East Asia Baseball. Nakajima retired that winter at age 36 and immediately had his #7 uniform retired for his role in Niigata’s playoff streak and two titles. Nakajima finished with a 201-117 record, 2.64 ERA, 3023.1 innings, 3235 strikeouts, 580 walks, 276/387 quality starts, 69 complete games, 28 shutouts, 128 ERA+, 73 FIP-, and 80.0 WAR. Nakajima ranks 78^th in wins, 88^th in strikeouts, 47^th in shutouts, and 50^th in pitching WAR. While Nakajima didn’t have the longevity or innings to be an inner-circle Hall of Famer, his candidacy was plenty rock solid for the first ballot nod. 200+ wins, 3000+ Ks, three Pitcher of the Year awards, and two EAB titles is an impressive haul for any career. Nakajima received 91.9% to co-headline EAB’s three-man HOF class for 2041. Sung-Ho Lee – Starting Pitcher – Busan Blue Jays – 76.7% First Ballot Sung-Ho Lee was a 6’0’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from the capital of South Korea, Seoul. Lee had above average-to-good stuff and control with decent movement. He had a 97-99 mph fastball along with a curveball and circle change. The curveball was especially impressive and he had an extreme groundball tendency. Lee was a guy whose numbers would be greatly impacted by the quality of the defense around him. His stamina was average but he had excellent durability and avoided major injuries for his entire run. Lee was very good at holding runners and had average glove work. He was a real scrappy sparkplug with an impressive work ethic and adaptability. Most Hall of Fame pitchers had more raw talent than Lee, but very few outworked him and he got the absolute maximum out of his abilities. Lee attended Seoul’s Sungkynkwan University and was picked 16^th overall by Busan in the 2018 EAB Draft. Despite that, he was very much a late bloomer who was held on the reserve roster for almost four full years. Lee made one start in 2022 and made his full-time roster debut in 2023 at age 26. The Blue Jays also had a tough roster to crack, having started a playoff streak in 2020 that would last a league-record 17 seasons. He spent the 2023 season mostly as a reliever and occasional starter. Lee did make three starts in the playoffs, albeit with weak results on a 4.43 ERA over 22.1 innings. Still, this helped Busan win their first Korea League title since 2009, although they in the East Asian Championship as Fukuoka repeated. Lee showed his potential in the Baseball Grand Championship with an excellent 1.14 ERA over 23.2 innings with 21 Ks. The Blue Jays finished tied for eighth at 10-9. Despite that, Lee didn’t crack the roster at any point in 2024. Busan repeated as KL champ, falling to Sapporo in the EAB Championship with a 6-13 record in the BGC. Lee was back up in a split starter-relief role the next two years. He was a starter only but a part-timer in 2027, then finally saw more primary use after that with 200+ innings each year from 2028 onward. It was very unusual for an eventual inductee to only finally get his full-time main gig in his 30s. Busan’s playoff streak continued, but they were stopped in the divisional round from 2025-27. 2026 was a major letdown especially, as they had gone 119-43 in the regular season. In 2028, the Blue Jays were 100-62 and got back to the KLCS, but fell there to Goyang. Busan got the top seed in 2029 at 105-57 and returned to the top of the Korea League, winning the KLCS over Suwon. The Blue Jays again couldn’t claim the EAB crown, this time losing to Niigata. Lee’s playoff stats in the run were unremarkable with a 4.39 ERA over 26.2 innings. He was a bit better in the BGC and saw a lot of relief use, posting a 3.25 ERA in 27.2 innings with 37 Ks and 0.9 WAR. Busan finished 7-14 in the event and Lee was at a crossroads, becoming a free agent that winter at age 32. After a month on the market, the Blue Jays brought him back on a five-year, $75 million deal. At this point, Lee had the strongest seasons of his career. He led in wins in 2031 at 21-3, posted his career-best 231 strikeouts, and had his first 6+ WAR season. Busan won 101 and 106 games in 2030-31, but lost in the divisional round both years. In 2032, the Blue Jays were one of three teams to finish at 103-59. They prevailed out of that group, eventually winning the KLCS 4-1 over Suwon. Then, Busan finally won the EAB title 4-1 over Chiba. Despite being one of Korea’s most successful franchises overall, they hadn’t won it all since 1971. Lee’s playoff run was mixed again with a 3.54 ERA over 27.2 innings. He had similar stats in the BGC with a 3.58 ERA in 37.2 innings and 40 Ks. However, Lee joined a very small list on November 25 with a no-hitter in the BGC, doing it with 13 strikeouts and one walk facing Caracas. Busan finished 10-11, which would be Lee’s last BGC. He had solid numbers overall with a 2.83 ERA in 89 innings, 4-4 record, 98 strikeouts, 131 ERA+, 85 FIP-, and 1.8 WAR. In 2033, Lee was third in Pitcher of the Year voting, his first time as a finalist at age 36, leading in quality starts with 26. Then in 2034, Lee won Pitcher of the Year as the leader in wins (22-5), ERA (1.98), and WHIP (0.88). Those were all career bests, as was his 7.3 WAR, 191 ERA+, and 69 FIP-. Busan wasn’t able to follow up the 2032 title, although their division title streak continued. They had a first round exit in 2033 and second round loss in 2034, the latter despite a league-best 112-50 record. Coming off the POTY win, Lee was a unique free agent coming off his best career season at age 37. After a month on the market, he again opted to return to Busan on a three-year, $80 million deal. He had a respectable 2035 and the Blue Jays finished 111-51. This time, they didn’t choke early on and defeated Suwon in the KLCS; their fifth pennant of the playoff streak. Busan was defeated in a 4-3 classic by Hamamatsu in the East Asian Championship, a repeat for the Chickenhawks. In his final playoff run, Lee had a 3.03 ERA over 32.2 innings with 26 Ks and 0.7 WAR. He opted to retire with that at age 38 and did not travel for the BGC. For his playoff career, Lee’s efforts were mixed with a 7-10 record, 4.16 ERA, 162.1 innings, 136 strikeouts, 26 walks, 91 ERA+, 90 FIP-, and 3.0 WAR. Busan opted to retire his #34 uniform that winter. Lee finished with a 185-79 record, 2.77 ERA, 2469.2 innings, 2280 strikeouts, 386 walks, 204/307 quality starts, 58 complete games, 14 shutouts, 137 ERA+, 80 FIP-, and 55.1 WAR. Lee didn’t have the longevity or innings to make any of the top 100 lists, nor was he dominant enough to make those lists for rate stats either. There were only a few starting pitchers in East Asia Baseball’s Hall of Fame with less than 55 WAR, but most of them were very early era guys. He had one of the stranger careers you’ll find and certainly no one had him on a HOF trajectory after an unremarkable 20s. It is very rare that a guy first becomes an awards contender and posts his best seasons from his mid 30s onward. The ERA+ to FIP- disparity shows that Lee did get the benefit of some very strong Busan defenses, although both metrics certainly aren’t out of line with other inductees. Lee certainly was a beneficiary of being on a Busan squad that never missed the playoffs with him on the roster, winning five Korea League crowns and an EAB title. Getting the Pitcher of the Year win late in his career left a positive last image for many voters despite a borderline resume. Lee earned 76.7% for a first ballot nod to cap off a three-man 2041 HOF class for EAB. __________________ 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)

Today, 06:30 AM	#2800
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,348	2041 BSA Hall of Fame Beisbol Sudamerica nearly had a blank Hall of Fame ballot in 2041 with the best debut getting only 35.1%. On his fourth try, catcher Cruz Pereira was the lone inductee, just crossing the 66% requirement at 68.7%. 2B Walter Perez barely missed with 65.3% on his second try and SP Noel Sandoval was close with 61.5% on his second ballot. One other guy was above 50% with LF Francisco Serrata at 50.2% on his ninth go. No players were removed from the ballot after ten failed tries. Cruz Pereira – Catcher – Manaus Magpies – 68.7% First Ballot Cruz Pereira was a 6’4’’, 200 pound left-handed hitting catcher from Capanema, Brazil; a city of around 69,000 in the northern region. Pereira was an excellent contact hitter against right-handed pitching with a low strikeout rate, although he was below average at drawing walks. He had an excellent 168 wRC+ and .942 OPS against RHP, compared to a 109 wRC+ and .735 facing lefties. Pereira had steady pop with 24 home runs, 29 doubles, and 4 triples per his 162 game average. Like most catchers, Pereira was a slow and sluggish baserunner. While not a Gold Glove level catcher, Pereira was a reliably solid backstop, so you weren’t sacrificing defense to play his bat. He was as scrappy as they come, beloved by teammates and fans for his work ethic, loyalty, and adaptability. Pereira emerged as one of Brazil’s top baseball superstars of his era over a 17-year run. His durability was generally strong and he usually could gut it out with minor ailments. After a strong college run, Pereira was picked 17^th in the 2019 BSA Draft by Manaus. The Magpies were one of the 2009 expansion teams and had only seen losing seasons thus far, apart from a division title in 2017. Pereira saw limited use as a rookie and struggled over 49 games. He earned the full-time job in 2021 and put it together, getting his first of 10 seasons worth 5+ WAR for Manaus. Pereira only missed the mark in 2029 because of injury, putting up reliable production. Pereira won Silver Sluggers from 2025-28 and from 2030-31 for Manaus. He was even third in MVP voting in 2027, a rare achievement for a catcher. That year, Pereira led the Southern Cone League with 8.7 WAR. His career best 9.1 WAR would come in 2030 along with his bests for batting average (.374), slugging (.624), OPS (1.026), and wRC+ (194). Pereira also won a batting title in 2025 at .364. The .374 average in 2030 was a single-season record for a qualifying BSA catcher. In May 2026, Pereira signed an eight-year, $130,700,000 extension with Manaus. In 2027, the Magpies earned their second-ever playoff berth and a division title at 99-63. Manaus knocked off 101-win Sao Paulo 3-1 in the divisional series, then shocked 109-win Santiago with a sweep in the LCS. The Magpies fell just short in a seven-game Copa Sudamerica classic against Barranquilla, another of the 2009 expansion teams. Pereira’s playoff debut saw 22 hits, 6 runs, 2 doubles, 3 homers, 9 RBI, .996 OPS, 185 wRC+, and 0.8 WAR over 15 starts. He was more middling in the Baseball Grand Championship with a .723 OPS, 114 wRC+, and 0.2 WAR. Manaus went 6-13 in the event, but it was amazing they were even there considering the franchise’s still brief and unremarkable history to that point. He wasn’t new to tournament play, as Pereira caught for his native Brazil from 2022-35 in the World Baseball Championship. In 130 games, he had 116 hits, 48 runs, 17 doubles, 23 homers, 52 RBI, .272/.321/.474 slash, and 3.0 WAR. Pereira was a solid starter in Brazil’s runner-up bid in 2025 to Spain. He struggled as a starter in their 2031 runner-up finish against the United States. Pereira was a backup in 2033, but was there as the Brazilians defeated England to claim the nation’s fifth world title. Manaus had winning seasons in 2028-29 but missed the playoffs both years narrowly. Pereira hit for the cycle in June 2028 against Montevideo. In 2029, he missed most of the summer with a torn ligament in his thumb. With arguably Pereira’s best season in 2030, Manaus set a franchise record at 100-62. However, they had to settle for a wild card with Brasilia taking the North Division at 102-60. The Magpies had the last laugh 3-2 over the Bearcats in the divisional series, then defeated Santiago 4-2 for their second Southern Cone pennant. Manaus couldn’t claim its first Copa Sudamerica with a 4-1 loss to Bogota. Pereira had another solid run with 19 hits, 6 runs, 6 doubles, 3 homers, 7 RBI, .887 OPS, 155 wRC+, and 0.6 WAR over 16 starts. He struggled though in the BGC with a .545 OPS, 53 wRC+, and -0.1 WAR. The Magpies still finished 11-10, one of four teams tied for seventh. Manaus was a wild card again in 2031 at 97-65, two games behind Recife and one behind Brasilia in the division. The Magpies ousted the Bearcats in the divisional series, but were swept in the LCS by the Retrievers. To the surprise of many, Pereira opted out of his contract that winter, becoming a free agent at age 34. This also ended his time in South America, but he remained beloved in Manaus for his role in their first two pennants. Pereira’s #12 uniform was later retired and he became the second inductee in the Magpies monochrome, joining 2B Daniel Schafer (2033). Pereira had worldwide suitors and tied his hand at Major League Baseball on a four-year, $120,900,000 deal with defending National Association champ Toronto. He immediately delivered with Silver Sluggers in 2032 and 2033, posting repeat 5+ WAR seasons. The Timberwolves were the #1 seed both seasons, but failed in the playoffs. They were upset in the second round in 2032, then lost the 2033 NACS to Washington 4-2. Pereira notably had a good run in 2033 with a 1.166 OPS, 232 wRC+, and 0.6 WAR. Age started creeping in with Pereira’s production dropping to a .265 average, .757 OPS, 107 wRC+, and 2.8 WAR in 2034. He was an actively bad hitter in 2035 with .649 OPS and 77 wRC+ in 108 games, but his defense still gave him 1.3 WAR. Toronto missed the 2034 playoffs narrowly, then lost in the 2035 NACS to Louisville. Pereira struggled in the playoff run with -0.3 WAR and .387 OPS over 13 starts. Overall, Pereira had a respectable four-year run in Toronto with 520 games, 521 hits, 219 runs, 80 doubles, 76 home runs, 244 RBI, .290/.333/.469 slash, 125 wRC+, and 15.3 WAR. His combined totals in top-tier play had 2079 games, 2400 hits, 1061 runs, 380 doubles, 322 home runs, 1134 RBI, and 91.2 WAR. Pereira wanted to continue, but big league teams felt he was washed. He ended up in the European Second League in 2036 with Valencia in a part-time role, posting 1.4 WAR over 94 games and 42 starts. Pereira was unsigned for all of 2037 and finally retired that winter at age 40. In Beisbol Sudamerica with Manaus, Pereira had 1559 games, 1879 hits, 842 runs, 300 doubles, 45 triples, 246 home runs, 890 RBI, 291 walks, .344/.377/.550 slash, 165 wRC+, and 75.9 WAR. Pereira is the career leader in batting average and OBP for qualified catchers in BSA. He also has the best batting average of any qualifying catcher within any single league. Among all BSA batters with 3000+ appearances, he’s 34^th in average and 61^st in OBP. But he misses the top 100 for any counting stat. Low tallies are a common issue any catcher faces, plus Pereira had four seasons in MLB to take away from the BSA count. Hall of Fame voters broadly are notoriously stingy towards catchers for the lower totals. BSA took a century to induct its first catcher and that needed Cicero Lugo, considered by many to be the best-ever catcher in all of baseball history. The general anti-catcher bias hurt Pereira, but his high batting average and six Silver Sluggers helped his case. Perhaps biggest was his role in Manaus’s first pennants in franchise history. Still, Pereira missed the 66% requirement in his first three ballots, albeit narrowly at 60.9%, 60.2%, and 63.1%. A weak 2041 ballot tilted things just enough to get Pereira across the line at 68.7% as the year’s only inductee. __________________ 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)