Baseball: The World's Game

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In the second season of West African Baseball, Bamako found itself atop the Western League at 107-55. The Bullfrogs were a wild card the prior year, but powered their way to success with 351 home runs; which still stands as of 2037 as the WAB team record by a nice margin. Last year’s WL champ Abidjan took the first wild card spot at 100-62. Accra took the other wild card at 97-66, edging Monrovia in a one-game playoff to advance. Dakar, who was third last year, dropped to seventh at 85-77.

Freetown’s V.J. Balogun was Western League MVP again, dominating with the league lead in runs (128), hits (209), RBI (124), total bases (417), triple slash (.365/.446/.728), OPS (1.174), wRC+ (210), and WAR (11.4). He fell three home runs shy of the Triple Crown was Bamako’s Tsholola Kabangu leading with 58 dingers. Pitcher of the Year was Abidjan’s Erick Mbodji. The 30-year old Sengalais righty was the leader in wins at 23-7 and ERA (2.04), adding 288 strikeouts in 269.2 innings, a 12.0 K/BB, 26 quality starts, and 10.4 WAR.

Abidjan defeated Accra 2-0 in the wild card round to set up a rematch in the second Western League Championship Series. Like last year, the series went all five games. Bamako was able to get revenge on the Athletes to send the capital of Mali to the finale.



It was a tight race at the top of the Eastern League. Lagos, the third place finisher the prior year, took the top spot at 101-61. Defending WAB Kano placed second at 98-64, while Lome and Benin City tied for third at 97-65. The tiebreaker game went to the Lasers to give them their first playoff berth, denying a repeat opportunity for the Blue Devils. Meanwhile, Ouagadougou set a new world record for atrociousness at 6-156.*

Benin City’s Alberto Bissau won the Eastern League MVP. The 27-year old 2B from Guinea-Bissau was the WARlord (11.2) and leader in runs (121), hits (229), total bases (361), average (.357), OBP (.389), OPS (.951), and wRC+ (189). Lagos righty Power Bonou would win the Pitcher of the Year. The 26-year old Beninois led in WAR (9.5) and wins (22-8), adding a 55 FIP-, 2.58 ERA, and 346 strikeouts in 254.2 innings.

Kano edged Lome in three games in the wild card round, The defending champ Condors then surprised Lagos by sweeping them 3-0 in the ELCS. Kano continued to roll by sweeping Bamako 4-0 in the West African Championship, giving the Condors the crown in WAB’s first two seasons. Finals MVP was LF Issa Mahamane. The 30-year old from Niger had 14 hits, 4 runs, and 6 RBI in 10 playoff games.





Other notes: With Ouagadougou’s historically bad season, they were no-hit six times. Two were perfect games with Ibadan’s Cheikh Sow striking out 16 on June 12 and Niamey’s Ide Makinwa striking out 14 on June 22. It was Sow’s second no-hitter. Contonou’s Christian Yamissi set a no-hitter record with 20 strikeouts against the Osprey on June 4. Five days later against Nouakchott, Accra’s Emmanuel Love had his own 20K no-no. This remains the WAB record for strikeouts in a no-hitter, unmatched as of 2037. Contonou’s Jonas Razafinjatovo had a 29-game hit sreak, which held as the WAB record until 1983.

*Editor’s note: An error in my setup would make Ouagadougou comically bad from 1976-78. I had placed a foreign player limit initially that would make each team have at least five players from the home country, but I accidentally forgot to generate players from Burkina Faso. Thus, the Osprey played with only a 20-player roster and were exhausted and abysmal. A similar issue happened to Conakry in 1978 with not enough available players from Guinea. I figured it out and fixed it after the 1978 season and the worst teams went back to merely a normal bad instead of cartoonishly bad.

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After missing the playoffs in 1975, 1974 Chinese League Baseball champ Xi’An bounced back to emphatically take first in the Northern League at 113-49. The Attack led in both runs scored (693) and fewest allowed (428). Shanghai would take the second place spot for back-to-back seasons with a 91-71 finish. The Seawolves finished one game better than Zhengzhou. Last year’s China Series winner Dalian dropped to sixth place at 78-84.

NL MVP went to Hangzhou centerfielder and pitcher Nick Wei. The 24-year old was the leader in slugging (.564), OPS (.921), and wRC+ (197), adding 9.5 WAR and 28 home runs. As a pitcher, Wei added 234.2 innings, a 2.65 ERA, and 4.2 WAR with 193 strikeouts and a 13-14 record. Xi’An’s Guichao Li won his third Pitcher of the Year, leading the league in ERA (1.55), strikeouts (341), K/BB (11.8), FIP- (29), and WAR (13.2), adding a 20-4 record in 255.2 innings.



In the Southern League, Kunming finished first at 107-55 for their first-ever playoff berth. Wuhan at 100-62 took second for a third straight playoff berth. Last year’s finalist Macau dropped to a seventh place 77-85. Their drop wasn’t the steepest though as Guangzhou, who won 90 the prior year and had made four straight playoff berths before that, fell off a cliff to a CLB worst 53-109.

Southern League MVP went to Chongquing 1B Haojun Pang. He led the league in the triple slash (.313/.402/.611), OPS (1.013), wRC+ (221), total bases (312), and RBI (99), adding 8.7 WAR and 39 home runs. Hong Kong’s Zhijan Dong was the Pitcher of the Year, falling two wins shy of a Triple Crown. The 25-year old had an 18-7 record with a 1.39 ERA over 253 innings with 323 strikeouts, a 0.70 WHIP, and 11.3 WAR. Dong capped off the season with CLB’s fifth Perfect Game, striking out 12 against Chongqing on June 25.

Both Northern League teams would defeat their Southern League counterparts in the semifinal. Xi’An handled Wuhan 4-1, while Shanghai upset Kunming with a surprising sweep to earn its first finals berth. In the seventh China Series, the Attack prevailed 4-2 over the Seawolves, giving Xi’An its second CLB title in three years. They also become the first team to win the overall title twice. Finals MVP was 3B Zhuping Ma. The 23-year old in 11 playoff games had 16 hits, 9 runs, 5 home runs, and 16 RBI.





Other notes: Chunqing Li stole 124 bases in 1976, a single-season record that still stands as of 2037. Li Jin became the first CLB hitter to 2000 career strikeouts. 1B Shenchao As and LF Ruilong Yuan each won their seventh Gold Glove, giving them one for each CLB season to date. RF Xinze Yan won his seventh Silver Slugger. Xiamen pitcher Yonglai Li threw three no-hitters in the 1976 season. The first was on April 14 against Hong Kong with the second on August 24 against Shenzhen. Then, in his next start on August 29, he did it again versus Changsha.

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Kaohsiung continued to roll in Taiwan with a fourth straight league title. The Steelheads cruised at 107-55, 21 games better than next-best Taoyuan. The Philippine League saw Cebu first at 100-62 for their second-ever title (1973). Manila was a distant second at 86-76. Last year’s Association champ Davao dropped to 78-84.

Kaohsiung RF Chun-Chia Lan won his third straight Taiwan-Philippine Association MVP. The 25-year old from Taipei was the leader in home runs (52), RBI (118), runs (104), and total bases (357), along with a career best 10.7 WAR. The Steelheads also had the Pitcher of the Year in 25-year old righty Guntur Kadir. He was the WARlord (9.4), wins leader (23-3), ERA leader (1.78), WHIP leader (0.70) with a 14.1 K/BB, 52 FIP-, and 310 strikeouts in 248.1 innings.



The Sundaland Association’s Java League had a tight battle for first between defending Austronesia Champion Semarang and Depok. The Demons took it by one game at 96-66 to deny the Sliders’ repeat bid. It is Depok’s second-ever league title, having won it back in the inaugural 1965 season. Palembang cruised to the Malacca League crown at 93-69 for their second title in three years. Last year’s league winner Batam dropped to third at 78-84.

Sundaland Association MVP went to Depok third-year LF Amri Ghani. The left-handed Singaporean was the leader in runs (89), RBI (91), total bases (327), OBP (.349), slugging (.582), OPS (.931), wRC+ (232), and WAR (9.5), adding 41 home runs. Meanwhile, Semarang’s Sahid Fakhruddin won his fourth consecutive Pitcher of the Year. The 26-year old Indonesian lefty was the leader in wins (21-12), innings (289.2), strikeouts (427), and WAR (9.2), adding a 1.86 ERA. He led the association in strikeouts for the fifth straight season and set a career record.

In the Taiwan-Philippine Association Championship, Kaohsiung defeated Cebu in six games, giving the Steelheads their third title in four years. The Sundaland Association final went to Palembang in five games over Depok, giving the Panthers their second title in three years.



The 12^th Austronesia Championship ended up being a sweep for Kaohsiung over Palembang. The Steelheads win their third title in four years and become the first APB team to win three overall titles. DB Po-Yu Shao was finals MVP for the second time in his career. The 30-year old hometown hero had 7 hits, 5 runs, 2 home runs, and 6 RBI in nine playoff games.



Other notes: Hartono Firmanda had a 28-game hit streak, tying the APB record set the prior year by Gita Hermawan. SS Hadi Yahya won his ninth Silver Slugger. APB would increase the minimum free agent service time required before the 1976 season from seven years to eight years, making them among the most restrictive of the global leagues.

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After taking second in the Australasia League last year, the 1974 OBA champ Adelaide found itself back at the top. The Aardvarks dominated the field at 109-53, leading in runs scored (686) and fewest allowed (455). Brisbane was a distant second at 88-74 while last year’s league winner Auckland was third at 83-79.

Leading Adelaide was Jimmy Caliw with his historic eighth Australasia League MVP. It was even by his high standards his best-ever season and one of the best ever by a position player in any league. His 16.1 WAR set the OBA single-season record that still stands as of 2037 (Caliw holds the top five OBA seasons). At this point in history, it was the first-ever 16+ WAR season by a pure position player and as of 2037, 16+ has happened only thrice from a non-pitcher/two-way player. Caliw was the league leader in runs (104), home runs (48), RBI (115), total bases (382), slugging (.661), OPS (1.032), and wRC+ (210), adding a .315 average and his ninth Gold Glove. The 30-year old Filipino posted a 21.7 zone rating and 1.079 EFF at shortstop. For Caliw, he has already accumulated 111.6 WAR in nine full seasons. He has won nine Silver Sluggers and nine Gold Gloves.

Brisbane’s Nathaniel Doloran won his fifth Pitcher of the Year with the 29-year old lefty leading for the seventh straight season in strikeouts, this time with 467. He also led in WAR (11.5), K/BB (11.7), quality starts (32), and FIP- (57), adding a 24-11 record and 2.13 ERA over 330 innings. Doloran has struck out 3188 hitters in seven seasons.



Defending Oceania Champion Tahiti won their third straight Pacific League title. The Tropics finished 97-65, fending off challenges from 94-68 Samoa and 89-73 Fiji. Tahiti set a number of Pacific League pitching records that still stand decades later, allowing only 392 runs, 988 hits, 6.03 H/9, 10.79 K/9, and 0.845 WHIP. Their 1768 strikeouts is second best in the PL to Samoa’s 1796 two years prior.

Leading Tahiti’s pitching staff was Pitcher of the Year Bernard Cooper, a 27-year old American who joined OBA after playing college baseball for the Texas Longhorns. Auckland traded him to Tahiti for the 1976 campaign and Cooper had a breakout year with the lead in wins (22-10), strikeouts (437), WHIP (0.74), quality starts (36), K/BB (7.8), FIP- (56), and WAR (10.9). The Tropics also had the MVP as 3B Ieremia Tenakanai won for the third time. The 32-year old Papuan was the leader in hits with 169, adding 6.7 WAR, a .280 average, 29 home runs, and 89 RBI. He won his ninth Silver Slugger as well.

The 17^th Oceania Championship was a rematch of the 1974 edition. Adelaide won the series 4-2 to win their second title in three years and deny Tahiti their repeat. The Aardvarks have won five OBA titles so far, more than any other franchise. Pitcher Rex Noble was the finals MVP with a complete game shutout in his first start and seven scoreless innings in his second. He struck out 12 and allowed six hits in 16 scoreless.





Other notes: Adelaide’s Charlie Buckland had a .370 batting average, setting the OBA single-season record. This held as the OBA record until 2016. Daniel Barnes drew 105 walks in 1976, setting a single-season record that still stands in 2037. Sione Hala became the first OBA hitter to 500 home runs and the first to 1000 runs scored. Hugo Georgakopoulou became the second pitcher to 3500 career strikeouts. CF Roger Kasiray won his eighth Gold Glove.

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Minsk again dominated the European League in the regular season with a 116-46 record atop the North Division. This gave the Miners nine straight playoff berths, 21 playoff appearances in EPB’s first 22 years, and a seventh straight division title. St. Petersburg at 101-61 earned a third straight playoff berth. Meanwhile, Kyiv won the South Division at 92-70 for their third division title in four years. For the second wild card spot, Warsaw and Prague tied for the spot at 89-73 with two-time defending Soviet Series champ Moscow one behind at 88-74. The Wildcats won the one-game playoff over the Pilots for their first playoff berth since 1967.

The European League MVP want to Budapest DH Ivan Valev. It was his second MVP, having also won in 1973 with Bucharest. He had been traded to the Bombers prior to the 1976 season and posted his second Triple Crown season with 58 home runs, 118 RBI, and a .318 average. His Triple Crown was the sixth by a EPB hitter, becoming the first to do it twice. Valev also led in hits (201), total bases (409), slugging (.646), OPS (1.001), wRC+ (198), and WAR (9.1). Kyiv’s Ihor Polvaliy won back-to-back Pitcher of the Year awards in his second season. The left-handed Belarusian was the WARlord (11.0) and leader in WHIP (0.80) and K/BB (10.9), adding a 1.91 ERA over 287 innings with 339 strikeouts and a FIP- of 53.

For the third straight year, Minsk was ousted in the first round despite their great regular season record. Warsaw upset the Miners 3-1, while St. Petersburg bested Kyiv in four. In the European League Championship Series, the Polar Bears bested the Wildcats in six games. It is St. Petersburg’s second league title, having won it in 1971. For Warsaw, they’re now 1-2 in the final, having won in 1960 and fallen in 1957.



Ulaanbaatar had the top record in the Asian League back-to-back seasons and earned a third straight playoff berth. The Boars won the North Division at 106-56, outracing defending league champ Irkutsk at 103-59, who earned the first wild card. Almaty at 103-59 earned a sixth straight playoff berth by winning the South Division. The Assassins had 1800 strikeouts as a team, setting a single-season AL record that still stands as of 2037. The second wild card went to Dushanbe at 90-72, back in the playoff field after missing the prior two seasons. The Dynamo finished three games ahead of Tbilisi and four over Tashkent. The Trains saw their four-year playoff streak ended.

Almaty CF Azamat Boboev picked up the Asian League MVP. The 34-year old veteran had a banner year by leading in WAR (9.4), wRC+ (189), total bases (330), and RBI (100), adding 37 home runs and a .304 average. Pitcher of the Year was Ulaanbaatar’s Kristiyan Filipov. The 26-year old Bulgarian led in strikeouts (412) and WAR (9.7), adding a 1.88 ERA over 278.1 innings with a 20-10 record.

The division champs prevailed in the first round with Ulaanbaatar besting Dushanbe 3-1 and Almaty outlasting Irkutsk 3-1. It was the sixth straight Asian League Championship Series appearance for the Assassins, while it was the first for the Boars. In a seven-game classic, Ulaanbaatar won their first-ever league title. For Almaty, they’ve dropped three straight after winning three straight prior.



In the 22^nd Soviet Series, the title would end up in Mongolia for the first time. Ulaanbaatar beat St. Petersburg 4-1, led by 1B Zdeno Macala. The 26-year old Slovak won finals MVP with 19 hits, 6 runs, 4 home runs, and 11 RBI in 16 playoff games.



Other notes: Roman Lazutin became the second EPB batter to 600 home runs. Alvi Tahiri crossed 6000 strikeouts for his career. He’d pitch another four seasons and finish with 6909, by far the EPB strikeout king even as of 2037. Tahiri also became the first 300 win pitcher in 1976 and would also be the all-time leader as of 2037, finishing with 349. Jas Starsky became the second to 400 career saves and he’d eventually retire after the 1979 season as the all-time leader with 473. St. Petersburg’s Carymyrat Kurbanow had an 18-strikeout, two walk no-hitter against Riga. This was one behind the record for most Ks in an EPB no-hitter.

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The top record in the EBF Northern Conference in 1976 went to Glasgow, who secured their first playoff berth since the 1966 European Championship season. The Highlanders had a franchise record 101-61 record atop the British Isles Division. Last year’s division winner London dropped to second at 88-74. After having their eight-year playoff streak snapped the prior year, Rotterdam bounced back to take the Northwest Division at 100-62. Paris was 96-66, easily earning the wild card while last year’s division winner Luxembourg fell to 83-79. The North Central Division went to Stockholm at 98-64. Defending Northern Conference champ Oslo fell off a cliff, going from 91 wins the prior year to only 67 in 1976.

NC MVP went to Glasgow’s Mason Gough. The 24-year old LF from Portsmouth, England was the WARlord (10.3) and leader in runs (112), home runs (55), RBI (128), total bases (388), slugging (.668), OPS (1.029), and wRC+ (214). Luxembourg’s Greg Saint-Pierre won back-to-back Pitcher of the Year honors. The 26-year old Frenchman led in strikeouts (351), K/BB (9.0), quality starts (27), FIP- (56), and WAR (9.3), adding a 1.85 ERA and 16-11 record over 257.2 innings.

In the first round, Rotterdam outlasted their divisional rival Paris in five games, while Glasgow downed Stockholm in four. In the Northern Conference Championship, the Highlanders topped the Ravens 4-2 for their third NC title, joining their 1965 and 1966 campaigns. It was the sixth finals appearance for Rotterdam since 1969 with the Ravens 2-4 in that stretch.



In the Southern Conference, the best overall record went to Southeast Division champ Belgrade at 98-64. The Bruisers earned a third straight playoff berth. The wild card race was in that division as well with Munich and defending European Champion Zagreb tying at 91-71, while Athens was 89-73. The one-game playoff pushed the Mavericks over the Gulls, ending a four-year playoff drought for Munich and ending Zagreb’s three-year streak. In the Southwest Division, Lisbon was first at 96-66 for their first division win since 1969. The South Central had Zurich on top for the fourth straight season with the Mountaineers at 92-70.

Belgrade’s Christophoros Zarkadis won his second Southern Conference MVP in three years. The 27-year old Greek shortstop had an impressive power season with 63 home runs, 130 RBI, and 133 runs, adding 12.2 WAR, a .329 average, and 1.104 OPS. This was the second-most home runs in an EBF season behind Orion McIntyre’s 68 in 1951. Believe it or not, Zarkadis wasn’t the WARlord with Zagreb’s Richard Rautenstrauch posting 13.6 WAR. He led in the Triple Slash with a 219 wRC+. Zurich’s Jean-Luc Roch won his third Pitcher of the Year in four years. The 26-year old led in strikeouts for the fifth straight season, tying his own best of 402. He also led in WAR (11.3), K/BB (13.4) and wins (20-7), adding a 2.21 ERA over 273.1 innings.

Belgrade swept divisional foe Munich in the first round and Zurich defeated Lisbon in four. The Southern Conference Championship went all seven games with the Mountaineers edging the Bruisers. It is Zurich’s third conference title, joining their 1958 and 1965 campaigns.



The 27^th European Championship was a rematch of the 1965 final which Zurich won in seven over Glasgow. The 1976 edition also ended up being a seven-game classic. In game seven, Glasgow won in front of the Scottish crowd with a 5-4 walkoff win over Zurich. The hero was Portuguese 2B Thucideo Peres, who signed in 1976 out of an independent league. The 25-year old had the walkoff RBI single and was finals MVP, picking up 13 hits, 2 runs, and 6 RBI in 8 playoff starts. Also notable was pitcher Alain Hardy, who set a postseason record with three shutouts. In 43 playoff innings, he had a 1.47 ERA with 39 strikeouts. It is the second overall ring for the Highlanders, who also won it all in 1966.



Other notes: Johannes Soderberg had a great season with batters posting a .217 slugging percentage against him on the season, a single-season EBF record. RF Edgardo Ibarra won his eighth and final Gold Glove.

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Valencia continued its control in the Bolivar League with a third straight 100+ win season and North Division title. The Velocity were 109-53, comfortably first despite having three other teams in the division with 90+ wins. In the South Division, La Paz snapped a three decade long playoff drought. The Pump Jacks finished first at 96-66, ten games better than Guayaquil. La Paz’s last postseason berth was their 1946 Copa Sudamerica win.

Valencia CF Pasquale Martin won his second MVP in three years and posted the tenth Triple Crown by a Beisbol Sudamerica hitter. Martin led in runs (131), home runs (51), RBI (125), walks (88), total bases (407), triple slash (.359/.448/.724), OPS (1.172), wRC+ (216), and WAR (12.0). This would be the last batting Triple Crown in BSA until 2009. Pitcher of the Year was Bogota’s Santiago Veliz. The 27-year old righty led in wins (23-10), innings (285), complete games (18), and shutouts (7), adding a 2.46 ERA, 317 strikeouts, and 8.7 WAR.



Defending Copa Sudamerica champion Buenos Aires won the Southern Cone’s South Division for back-to-back season. The Atlantics finished 101-61, ten ahead of second place Cordoba. In the Brazil Division, Sao Paulo had the league’s best record at 103-59, getting their first playoff berth since 1969. Salvador was second at 94-68, while last year’s division win Rio de Janeiro was third at 91-71.

Salvador slugger Valor Melo won his second MVP and had a record setting season. The 27-year old first baseman became both the Beisbol Sudamerica home run king and the world record holder by whacking 74 dingers. To this point, only EAB’s Carl Valdes had topped 70, hitting 71 in 1972 and 70 in 1974. Melo also had 151 RBI, tying the BSA record set the prior season by A.J. Nunez. Melo also led the league in total bases (469), slugging (.807), and OPS (1.241) with a .365 average. Melo remains BSA’s single season home run king as of 2037, although he’d top this season twice. His 13.2 WAR was actually second in the league to Cordoba’s Jasper Saucedo, whose 13.4 WAR was the second-best hitting season in BSA history. Saucedo set single-season BSA records with 141 runs scored and a .393 batting average. He would hold onto the runs record until 2034 and the average mark until 1988.

On the pitching side, Sao Paulo’s Domingas Ribeiro won his fifth Pitcher of the Year. The 34-year old was the WARlord (10.8) and leader in K/BB (12.9), and FIP- (51), adding 322 strikeouts over 270 innings with a 2.10 ERA and 18-10 record. Ribeiro also had BSA’s 32^nd Perfect Game, striking out 13 on June 24 against Fortaleza. Also of note, Buenos Aires’ Pedro Heredia won his third Reliever of the Year. The 26-year old had an incredible 7.4 WAR over 93 innings with 204 strikeouts, a 1.06 ERA, and 33 saves.

In the Bolivar League Championship Series, Valencia rolled La Paz in five games, giving the Velocity their third straight league title. The Southern Cone Championship went the distance with Sao Paulo defeating defending champ Buenos Aires 4-3. For the Padres, this was their ninth league title (1943, 44, 54, 57, 58, 59, 60, 69, 76).



In the 46^th Copa Sudamerica, Sao Paulo downed Valencia 4-2, making the Velocity the runner-up for the third straight season. Reserve catcher Raimundo Flores was the surprise hero as Copa Sudamerica MVP after playing only 18 games in the regular season. In five playoff games, he had 8 hits, 2 runs, 2 doubles and 2 RBI. It is the third overall ring for the Padres, who also won the 1958 and 1944 cups. They’re now 3-6 in Copa Sudamerica.



Other notes: Javier Herrera became the 11^th batter to 1500 runs scored. Emaxwell Navas won his 11^th and final Silver Slugger.

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The Japan League saw Tokyo and Kyoto on top again in 1976 with the Kamikaze winning the South Division for the fourth straight year and the Tides taking the North Division for the third time in four years. Defending league champ Tokyo had the best overall record at 105-57, outracing a 99-63 Yokohama. Kyoto was 100-62, finishing seven games better than Kobe.

Winning Japan League MVP was Tokyo’s Rui Guo. The 28-year old Chinese LF led the league in OBP (.418), slugging (.732), OPS (1.150), and wRC+ (225), adding 8.9 WAR, a .328 average, 54 home runs, and 112 RBI. Five hitters had 50+ home runs in the Japan League, led by Yokohama’s Makata Araki with 61. Pitcher of the Year was Kobe’s So-Woong Hong, winning for the second time in three years. He had the most wins at 23-10 and the most innings at 278.1, adding a 2.36 ERA, 236 strikeouts, and 8.0 WAR.



After stunning East Asia Baseball last year by winning the overall title despite an 81-81 record, Daegu improved to 95-67. This gave the Diamondbacks their fourth straight Korea League South Division title, finishing five ahead of Busan. In the North Division, Hamhung snapped a five year playoff drought by posting the best record in Korea at 103-59. This kept them ahead of defending division champ Goyang, second at 96-66 as well as 95-67 Incheon.

Winning league MVP was Incheon 3B Young-Kwang Na. It was the breakout year for the 26-year old switch hitter who led in WAR (9.8), total bases (394), slugging (.659), and OPS (1.059), adding 41 home runs and 118 RBI. Pitcher of the Year was Hamhung’s Jae-Min Lee, his second as he had won back in 1972. The 26-year old righty led in ERA (2.46), strikeouts (397), WHIP (0.97), quality starts (25), complete games (18), FIP- (55), and WAR (10.2), adding a 20-7 record in 267.1 innings. The 397 strikeouts was a new East Asia Baseball single-season record that wouldn’t be topped until 2015. This beat the prior record of 380 by Young-Gwon Shin in 1952.

The Japan League Championship Series rematch was another seven game classic just like the prior year. Kyoto finally got the better of Tokyo, giving the Kamikaze their second title in three years. The Korea League Championship Series was a seven-game thriller as well with Daegu completing the four-peat by defeating Hamhung. The Diamondbacks join Pyongyang (1969-69) as the only EAB teams to win four consecutive titles in their league. It is also Daegu’s eighth Korean crown.



In the 56hth East Asia Championship, it was a rematch of the 1974 final which saw Kyoto prevail over Daegu. The Kamikaze took it again, this time 4-1, to give them the franchise’s second ring. Finals MVP was 31-year old LF Sung-Hwa Oum, who in 12 playoff starts had 18 hits, 12 runs, 3 doubles, 5 home runs, and 6 RBI.



Other notes: Daegu’s I-Deun Mok had a 39-game hitting streak in 1976. This is EAB’s second longest streak to date, just behind Sang-Hyun Kang’s 42 games in 1921. Yu-Chan Jang and Min-Su Namkoong both crossed 3000 career hits, making it seven batters in EAB to have done so. Jang would play three more years and finish with 3429 hits, retiring third all-time. Namkoong also became the 15^th batter to reach 600 career home runs. Seoul’s pitching staff allowed only 210 walks, a single-season record that still stands as of 2037 in the Korea League. RF Hyeog-Jun Win won his 12^th Gold Glove.

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Guadalajara finished 98-64 for the best record in the Mexican League. The Hellhounds won the South Division for their first playoff berth since 1971 and first division title since 1957. Leon finished second at 92-70 and easily took the wild card for their third playoff berth in four years. Last year’s league champ Ecatepec struggled for a 73-89 record. In the North Division, Torreon topped the field at 97-65. For the Tomahawks, that is their second-ever playoff berth, joining the 1967 campaign. Juarez, who had won the division the prior three seasons, was third at 84-78.

Taking MVP was Merida 3B Kenedy Ortiz. The 26-year old Colombian was the WARlord (12.7) and leader in runs (120), walks (91), total bases (361), OBP (.440), slugging (.658), OPS (1.098), and wRC+ (232), adding a .348 average, 44 home runs, and 106 RBI. Guadalajara’s Mario Benitez won Pitcher of the Year for the fifth time with the 34-year old leading in ERA (2.06), wins (23-6), WHIP (0.80), and WAR (6.9), adding 289 strikeouts over 262.1 innings. It would be his final Pitcher of the Year as he’d pitch only two more games.

Torreon swept Leon in the wild card round, sending them to their second-ever Mexican League Championship Series. They wouldn’t get their first league title yet as Guadalajara won the series in a seven-game classic. The home team won all seven games in the series. For the Hellhounds, it is their fourth league title and first since the 1920s. They’re now 4-10 all time in the MLCS.



The Caribbean League’s best mark in 1976 belonged to Nicaragua at 97-65 atop the Continental Division. It is the first playoff appearance for the Navigators since 1952. Costa Rica at 95-67 was close behind and beat Honduras by three games for the wild card, ending a four-year playoff drought for the Rays. Guatemala, last year’s division winner, fell to 80-82. Santo Domingo won the Island Division at 92-70 for back-to-back playoff berths. Defending CABA Champion Havana was tied for second with Puerto Rico at 81-81.

Panama’s Hugo Vegas was the Caribbean League MVP. The 27-year old Costa Rican third baseman led in home runs for the fourth straight year and this time tied Timmy Ramirez’ single-season CABA record with 65 homers. Vegas also was the leader in runs (110), RBI (147), total bases (408), slugging (.716), OPS (1.097), wRC+ (193), and WAR (10.6). Costa Rica’s Miguel Sanchez won Pitcher of the Year with the lead in innings (277.1), wins (18-12), and quality starts (26), adding a 2.82 ERA, 227 strikeouts, and 6.4 WAR.

Santo Domingo swept Costa Rica in the wild card round and carried that momentum into the Caribbean League Championship Series. The Dolphins swept Nicaragua for their first title since the early 1960s three-peat. SD now has eight Caribbean League titles.



In the 66^th Central American Baseball Association Championship, Guadalajara defeated Santo Domingo 4-2. It is their third CABA title but their first in 55 years with the others all the way back in 1920-21. Hellhounds 1B Hector Vanegas won both finals MVP and MLCS MVP. The 33-year old Mexican in 13 playoff games had 18 hits, 10 runs, 4 home runs, and 14 RBI. Santo Domingo’s Eddy Morales set two CABA postseason records that still stand as of 2037 with 24 singles and 13 stolen bases.



Other notes: Santo Domingo’s Augustin Desir threw CABA’s 22^nd Perfect Game, striking out 17 against Trinidad on July 15. This set the CABA record for most strikeouts in a perfect game. Mario Benitez and Elvys Melo both got to 3500 strikeouts, making it 19 CABA pitchers to have reached the mark. Both also crossed 200 wins. Wesley Dubar and Moise Chapa both earned their 2500^th hit.

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The National Association was very competitive in 1976 with the best record being 94-68. This went to Cincinnati, who won the Midwest League to snap a 31-year playoff drought, which was the longest active drought in Major League Baseball. Louisville was one behind at 93-69 to earn their second straight wild card. Boston won the Eastern League at 91-71 to end a seven-year playoff drought, improving from a 70-win 1975 season.

Baltimore was second in the EL at 89-73, tying with Kansas City to get the second and third wild cards. It was the first Orioles playoff berth since 1970, while the Cougars earned a fourth straight wild card. Detroit narrowly took the final wild card at 86-76, finishing one game ahead of Buffalo and defending NA champ Ottawa, two better than Hartford, Cleveland, and Montreal; and three better than Pittsburgh and Washington. This was back-to-back playoff spots for the Tigers. Chicago, who made it to the NACS last year, noticeably dropped to eleventh in the ML at 74-88.

Cincinnati’s Brooks Kunes won the National Association MVP. The 27-year old 2B led in OBP (.416), OPS (.988), and wRC+ (194), adding 8.3 WAR and a .360 average. Hartford’s Ugo Musacci won Pitcher of the Year. It was the third time winning it in the National Association for the 32-year old Italian and his seventh overall, having won the award four times with Malta in EBF. Musacci was the WARlord (10.2) and leader in strikeouts (261), WHIP (0.90), FIP- (57), and K/BB (9.3). He added a 2.30 ERA over 274 innings.

In the first round of the playoffs, Kansas City beat Baltimore 2-1 and Detroit downed Louisville 2-0. The Cougars upset Boston 3-2 in round two, while Cincinnati cruised to a sweep over the Tigers. This sent the Reds to their first National Association Championship Series since 1942, while it was the first for KC since 1966. Kansas City kept rolling by taking the NACS over the Reds 4-1. It is the fourth NA title for the Cougars, who also won it in 1962, 1961, and 1937.



Houston had the top mark in MLB at 109-53, earning a third straight playoff berth and their first Southern League title since 1966. The Hornets scored 935 runs, the only team in MLB with 900+ this season. Meanwhile, Oakland won back-to-back Western League titles at 103-59. Second in the WL was Las Vegas, who finished 98-64 for the first wild card spot. For the Vipers, this was their first playoff berth in a decade.

The remaining wild cards went to Tampa (96-66), Calgary (95-67), and Dallas (94-68). It was the first berth for the Thunderbirds since 1968 and back-to-back for both the Cheetahs and Dalmatians. Defending World Series champion Albuquerque dropped to 83-79, taking sixth in the WL.

American Association MVP went to Ottawa two-way player Uriel Larking. The 29-year old righty was a legit Pitcher of the Year candidate with a 2.83 ERA over 260.1 innings, 22-7 record, 210 strikeouts, and 8.5 WAR. As a first baseman, he had 105 games with 4.1 WAR, a 1.021 OPS, .308 average, 21 home runs, and 66 RBI. He also earned a Gold Glove as a pitcher. PotY went to Dallas’ Landon Padilla. The 27-year old Puerto Rican was the ERA leader at 2.65 and had the most innings at 298.1, adding a 21-10 record, 250 strikeouts, 27 quality starts, and 7.3 WAR.

In the wild card round, Tampa swept Calgary and Las Vegas dumped Dallas. Houston outlasted the Thunderbirds 3-2 in round two, while the Vipers upset Oakland in four games. This sent the Hornets to their first American Association Championship Series in 1966 and the first since 1959 for Las Vegas. The Vipers would shock Houston by sweeping the Hornets in the AACS. This sent Las Vegas to the World Series for only the second time (1959).



The 76^th World Series was the third straight finale to go all seven games. The American Association extended its winning streak in the Fall Classic to nine years as Las Vegas defeated Kansas City 4-3. It is the second MLB ring for Sin City (1959). The Cougars are now 0-4 in the World Series. Despite the defeat, the World Series MVP was KC’s Myeong-Won Kan with the 32-year old North Korean in his second MLB season after a great run with EAB’s Hamhung. The 32-year old 1B in 20 playoff games had 27 hits, 15 runs, 6 home runs, and 21 RBI.



Other notes: Victor Petitt, R.J. Clinton, and Eloy Kolman each crossed 3000 career hits, making it 42 MLB hitters to have done so. Luke Peters became the 32^nd pitcher to 250 career wins. 3B B.J. Orwig won his tenth Gold Glove.

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One player earned induction into Major League Baseball’s Hall of Fame in 1977 with LF T.J. Nemeth securing the first ballot nod at 94.0%. Three others were above 60%, but short of the 66% threshold. 1B Ric Campbell had 63.5% in his second try, C Gray Caraway also had 63.5% with his seventh go, and LF C.J. West was at 62.4% in his fifth. Also above 50% were RF Gavin Gauthier (58.2%, 1^st), SP Jeremiah Rutledge (56.0%, 6^th), and Richard Theiman (55.3%, 4^th).



One player was cut after ten ballots with SP Danny Bartheleme. In 16 years almost exclusively with Boston, he had a 181-153 record, 3.24 ERA, 3110 strikeouts in 3171.1 innings, and 72.4 WAR. A good career, but he lacked the big award and any big statistical seasons. Thus, he peaked at 22.6% on his debut.



T.J. “Grave Digger” Nemeth – Right Fielder – Las Vegas Vipers – 94.0% First Ballot

T.J. Nemeth was a 6’2’’, 195 pound left-handed outfielder from Deming, New Mexico; a town of around 15,000 people near the border. Nemeth was a stellar contact hitter who was terrific at putting the ball in play and avoiding strikeouts. He wasn’t a prolific slugger, but had a solid pop in his bat averaging around 25-30 home runs and 25-30 doubles per year. Nemeth rarely drew walks despite his ability to avoid Ks. He had below average speed and spent the majority of his career in right field with occasional starts in left. Nemeth was viewed as an average to above average defender for most of his career. He was a hard worker and viewed as an ironman who was rarely out of the lineup from injuries until his final years.

Nemeth attended Wake Forest in college and was picked 49^th overall by Las Vegas in the 1951 Major League Baseball Draft. He was a part-time starter in his rookie year, then would start 144+ games each year for the next decade with the Vipers. His second season was arguably his best as he won the batting title with a .373 average, led with 223 hits, and had a career best 7.5 WAR. This earned his first Silver Slugger and a second place finish in MVP voting.

Nemeth won his second Silver Slugger in 1954 with a league-leading 138 RBI and a career best 120 runs. He struggled in 1955, but bounced back for solid seasons for the rest of his Las Vegas run, winning his third Silver Slugger in 1957. He’d take third in MVP voting in 1957, but never win the big award. The Vipers were a regular contender in the 1950s with nine playoff berths in the decade, although they fell victim repeatedly to early exits. Las Vegas finally broke through and won the 1959 World Series. In 47 playoff games with the Vipers, Nemeth had 65 hits, 32 runs, 9 home runs, and 27 RBI.

Nemeth’s stats with Las Vegas saw 2382 hits, 1159 runs, 342 doubles, 310 home runs, 1219 RBI, a .318/.353/.499 slash, and 56.6 WAR. The team began to rebuild in the 1960s and Nemeth became a free agent for the 1965 season at age 34. He’d remain a popular figure among Vipers fans and would see his #8 uniform later retired. Nemeth signed a four-year, $696,000 deal with Hartford and had a solid debut season with the Huskies. Hartford would trade him the next year at the deadline to Omaha.

Nemeth stayed with Omaha through 1968 and had one last great year in 1967, posting 35 home runs. He was a journeyman who still provided a solid bat over the next three seasons between San Antonio, Oakland, and Portland. In summer 1971, the ironman suffered a torn UCL, ending his season and ultimately his career with a retirement at age 40.

Nemeth’s final stats: 3376 hits, 1652 runs, 509 doubles, 463 home runs, 1759 RBI, a .313/.350/.500 slash, wRC+ of 131, and 83.7 WAR. He retired 11^th all-time in hits and had almost quietly build up some solid numbers on the leaderboard. Voters didn’t hesitate to make Nemeth a first ballot selection at 94.0%, the lone member of the 1977 class.

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Three first ballot selections were added to the Central American Baseball Association Hall of Fame from the 1977 voting. RF Argenis Cabrera (96.4%) and SP Diego Morales (96.1%) were the major stars of the group while SP Bastian Valdes (79.1%) joined them as a solid addition. Only one other player was above 50% with Yennier Rey at 58.8% on his third try.



Dropped after ten ballots was SP Wilner Christian, who won three Pitcher of the Year awards. He had 10 great seasons with Santo Domingo, then five forgettable ones with MLB’s St. Louis. With the Dolphins, he had a 134-94 record, 2.86 ERA, 2043 strikeouts in 2097.1 innings, and 48.0 WAR. Had he not left for MLB and suffered injuries in the late run, his accumulations probably would’ve been enough to get across the line. He peaked at 50.4% on his sixth ballot before ending at 33.3%.



Argenis Cabrera – Outfield/First Base – Puerto Rico Pelicans – 96.4% First Ballot

Argenis Cabrera was a 6’0’’ 200 pound left-handed hitter from Guantanamo, Cuba. Cabrera was an elite home run hitter that led the Caribbean League in homers six times in his career. In his prime, he was also a solid contact hitter that also added around 30 doubles per year along with his 40-45 dingers. Cabrera was okay at drawing walks but below average at avoiding strikeouts, leading in whiffs thrice. He was an incredibly slow baserunner who split his career defensively between right field, left field, and first base. At all spots, he was a poor defender. Still, his power and work ethic made him a fan favorite and his durability saw him as a regular in the lineup.

Cabrera emerged as a top Caribbean prospect and was picked 12^th overall in the 1953 CABA Draft by Puerto Rico. He spent all but his final season with the Pelicans. After sporadic pinch hitting as a rookie, he became a full-time starter afterward for PR, only missing time because of injuries. He’d suffer a broken kneecap to put him out much of 1957, but he’d play 130+ games in every other season. In his third season, Cabrera emerged as an elite power hitter with 50 home runs, 122 RBI, and an 1.071 OPS. This earned him the Caribbean League MVP and a Silver Slugger. The Pelicans went on a big run and claimed the CABA Championship in 1956 with Cabrera getting 11 hits and 9 runs in the playoffs.

Puerto Rico remained a winning team generally, but they’d only make the playoffs twice more in Cabrera’s run with first round exits in both 1963 and 1964. Still, Cabrera continued to roll with seven Silver Sluggers (1956, 59, 62, 63, 64, 66, and 67). He wouldn’t win MVP again, but did take second in 1959 and 1963. Cabrera led the Caribbean League in OPS four times, homers six times, RBI thrice, and wRC+ three times. His career best in homers was 52 in 1960 with a career high 134 RBI in 1959, and a.343 average in 1963. Cabrera also went home to Cuba and was a regular in the World Baseball Championship from 1955-71, posting 89 hits, 68 runs, 50 home runs, and 97 RBI in 107 games.

Cabrera continued to be solid until the late 1960s as he started to see his strikeouts go up and his hits go down. His last year with Puerto Rico came in 1970 at age 37 with only 0.3 WAR. Puerto Rico would let him go after the season, although he’d remain very popular and see his #35 uniform retired. Cabrera played one final season as a lousy backup with Monterrey, retiring after the 1971 season at age 39.

Cabrera’s final stats: 2507 hits, 1409 runs, 468 doubles, 673 home runs, 1691 RBI, a .283/.333/.575 slash, wRC+ of 148, and 73.4 WAR. At retirement, he was third in career CABA home runs and still sits 15^th best as of 2037. He also was third in RBI at retirement. Cabrera was one of the most impressive power hitters of his era and very much earned his first ballot induction at 96.4%.



Diego Morales – Starting Pitcher – Honduras Horsemen – 96.1% First Ballot

Diego Morales was a 5’11’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Puerto Plata, a city of more than 300,000 people in the northern Dominican Republic. At his peak, Morales had excellent control, good movement, and above average stuff despite only having 93-95 mph peak velocity. His arsenal was fastball, curveball, changeup, splitter, with an extreme groundball tendency and a knack for forcing weak contact. Morales was incredibly durable with 200+ innings in all but his first season.

Through his amateur and college career, many viewed Morales as the top prospect in the Caribbean. When the 1955 CABA Draft came up, Jamaica agreed with that assessment and made Morales the #1 overall draft pick. He saw 50 innings in his rookie season, then became a full-time starter for the rest of his career beyond that. With the Jazz though, he was merely decent. During an ultimately brief run in Jamaica, Morales had a 38-47 record, 3.54 ERA, 495 strikeouts in 762.2 innings, and 10.0 WAR. Decent numbers, but not what one would want from the top overall pick.

The Jazz decided to move on and traded him prior to the 1960 season and RF Quico Lora to Honduras for SP Anthony Blanco and 2B Odilio Ochoa. Honduras had taken the Caribbean League title in the prior two seasons and wanted another strong arm to bolster their efforts. Morales would emerge as an ace in six seasons with the Horsemen, leading the league in WAR thrice, FIP- twice, wins thrice, and ERA once. In 1961, he finished second in Pitcher of the Year voting. Morales won the award for the first time in 1962, then won it again in 1963 and 1964. 1963 was his most impressive season with a 22-6 record, 1.95 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, and 9.2 WAR; all career bests.

Honduras remained a contender with playoff berths again from 1960-64, wining the CABA Championship in 1963. They had early exits in the other years and despite Morales’ general success, his playoff numbers were iffy. In 12 starts, he had a 4-5 record, 5.56 ERA, and ERA+ of 68. This is part of the reason that Morales never saw his jersey retired by the team, despite winning three Pitcher of the Year awards. His regular season stats in six seasons with the Horsemen were impressive though with a 113-46 record, 2.43 ERA, 1504 strikeouts in 1514 innings, and 46.0 WAR. It’s also surprising he struggled in the playoffs since he was great for the Dominican Republic team in the World Baseball Championship. From 1958-71, he pitched 167 innings with a 2.10 ERA, 12-5 record, 187 strikeouts, and 5.3 WAR.

Honduras’ playoff streak ended in 1965 and they didn’t re-sign the now 33-year old Morales. He signed a five-year, $810,000 deal with Haiti and ultimately spent four seasons with the Herons. Morales had steady, solid numbers, but wasn’t dominant enough to get awards consideration. Haiti wouldn’t make the playoffs in his tenure, but he posted a 2.83 ERA with a 59-50 record over 1009 innings, 1011 strikeouts, and 29.1 WAR. The highlight of the run came on September 25, 1967 with a no-hitter against Havana that had 12 strikeouts and two walks.

The Herons traded Morales before the 1970 season to Trinidad for two prospects. The one season for the 37-year old Morales was very solid, including a 2.25 ERA and a third place finish in Pitcher of the Year voting. This earned him a notable three-year, $672,000 deal with Guadalajara for 1971. His numbers fell closer to league average in his one year with the Hellhounds and Morales decided to retire after the 1971 season at age 39.

Morales final stats: 238-161 record, 2.81 ERA, 3779 innings, 3351 strikeouts, 350/481 quality starts, FIP- of 77, and 95.2 WAR. He wasn’t the flashy or dominant strikeout guy, meaning some didn’t realize his resume was as strong as it was. At that point, his WAR was sixth highest among pitchers inducted into the CABA Hall of Fame. That and three Pitcher of the Year awards meant the voters had no hesitation giving Morales the first ballot nod at 96.1%.



Bastian Valdes – Starting Pitcher – Salvador Stallions – 79.1% First Ballot

Bastian Valdes was a 6’0’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Magdalena Milpas Altas, a town of around 11,000 people in southern Guatemala. Valdes wasn’t amazing at anything, but was considered well rounded and above average at most phases of pitching. He had 95-97 mph peak velocity with four equally potent pitches; a slider, changeup, sinker, and splitter. Valdes had an extreme groundball tendency and had excellent stamina, leading the Caribbean League five times in innings pitched. He was also very durable, pitching 250+ innings in his first 11 seasons. Valdes was very outspoken, which made him polarizing in the clubhouse.

Valdes emerged in Central America as a top prospect and was selected first overall in the 1957 CABA Draft by Panama. He was a full-time starter immediately and won a Gold Glove as a rookie, although his production wasn’t great early on. Valdes ate up innings, but was average at best in his four years with the struggling Parrot franchise. In four years, he had a 50-67 record, 3.92 ERA, 1058.2 innings, 839 strikeouts and 14.6 WAR. Panama decided to trade him before the 1962 season for prospects to Salvador.

With the Stallions, Valdes found his rhythm and became a big piece of the success for them in the mid 1960s. He threw a no-hitter against Nicaragua on April 7, 1963 with nine strikeouts and three walks. Valdes finished second in Pitcher of the Year in 1963, 1965, and 1968; although he never won the top award. Salvador made the playoffs each year from 1963-66 and won the CABA Championship in 1964 and 1965. In the playoffs, Valdes had a 7-5 record in 13 starts with a 3.21 ERA, 103.2 innings, and 86 strikeouts. Valdes led the league in strikeouts in 1965 with 323 and led five times in innings pitched. He had three 8+ WAR seasons with a league and career-best 9.0 WAR in 1968 over 304.1 innings.

He also pitched from 1958-71 in the World Baseball Championship for his native Guatemala. In 1964, he tossed a WBC no-hitter with 10 strikeouts against Scotland. Salvador fell into the mid-tier for the rest of the 1960s, although Valdes remained steady. In 1969, he had his first major injury with shoulder tendinitis putting him out almost three months. A strained oblique put him out six weeks in 1970. Then in 1971, he suffered a partially torn UCL in August. Valdes opted to retire at this point at age 36 and would see his #30 uniform retired by the Stallions. With Salvador, he had a 174-104 record, 3.06 ERA, 2552.2 innings, 2461 strikeouts, and 63.9 WAR.

Valdes’ overall stats saw a 224-171 record, 3.31 ERA, 3611.1 innings, 3300 strikeouts to 793 walks, 283/443 quality starts, 180 complete games, a FIP- of 83 and 78.5 WAR. Most of his value was in giving you innings, as his advanced stats (a 114 ERA+) mark him on the lower end of CABA’s Hall of Fame pitchers. Still, his resume was strong enough that the voters made him the third member of the 1977 class, receiving first ballot induction at 79.1%.

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The 1977 East Asia Baseball Hall of Fame class was a remarkable one with three first ballot picks above 95%. 2B Dong-Ju Hahn had the highest percentage at 99.1%, followed by LF Lei Meng at 98.2% and 1B Masaru Oya at 95.5%. The only other player above 50% was 2B Su-Yeon Park at 53.5% on his first ballot.



Two players were dropped from the ballot after ten failed ballots. Closer Yo****oshi Nishimoto was the 1956 Reliever of the Year and with five teams in 14 years had a 2.59 ERA, 332 saves, 1351 strikeouts, and 21.1 WAR. He led the league in saves four times, but didn’t have the longevity or dominance to stand out, peaking at 44.5% on his sixth try before ending at 14.7%. Also dropped was Shiro Kusakaba, a Pitcher of the Year winner in 1956. With 14 years between Kobe and Sapporo, he had a 147-91 record, 2.56 ERA, 2573 strikeouts in 2259.2 innings, and 55.4 WAR. With a few more years of production, he might have gotten the nod. Kusakabe peaked at 42.1% on his third ballot before ending at 10.8%.



Dong-Ju Hahn – Second Baseman – Ulsan Swallows – 99.1% First Ballot

Dong-Ju Hahn was a 6’0’’, 200 pound right-handed second baseman from Gimpo, a city of around 300,000 people bordering Incheon in northwestern South Korea. Hahn was renowned as a stellar contact hitter that was excellent at avoiding strikeouts. His gap power was legendary, leading the Korea League in doubles 11 times while also adding 15-25 triples per year and 10-15 home runs per year. Hahn very rarely drew walks, but still got on base plenty and had respectable speeds, although his aggressiveness on the basepaths meant he got caught stealing more than he got steals. Hahn played most at second base, along with occasional starts at third base or designated hitter. He was viewed as a poor defender, but his bat and excellent durability made him the top second baseman of his day.

Hahn attended Woosung High School and was a top prospect as a teenager, getting picked seventh overall in the 1950 East Asia Baseball Draft by Busan. He didn’t sign with the Blue Jays and went to Japan to play collegiately at Rikkio University. When Hahn was back eligible in the 1953 draft, he was picked by Ulsan ninth overall. He’d spend his entire pro career with the Swallows and started 128+ games in all but one of his 18 seasons there. Hahn took second in Rookie of the Year voting and won six Silver Sluggers (1955, 56, 57, 58, 59, 65).

Hahn led the Korea League in hits eight times, including five straight years from 1955-59. He was the batting champion four times, peaking with a .389 average in 1959, setting the then single-season record. In 1958, he tied the single-season record with 235 hits, then broke the record with 238 the next year. That held as the single-season hits record until 1994. Hahn set the single-season doubles record with 57 in 1959, which held until 2005. As of 2037, he had three of the top seven seasons in doubles. Despite these records, Hahn never finished top three in the MVP voting.

Hahn was popular and well known in South Korea, but Ulsan only made the playoffs twice in his run (1960, 1962) with early exits. He played on the South Korean World Baseball Championship teams from 1956-69, although usually as a backup with 18 hits in 13 starts. In 1964, a fractured rib ended up knocking him out half the season. He bounced back as the full-time starter for another seven years with pretty consistent production.

Hahn finally started to wind down a bit in his last two years, although prior there was a thought he might be able to catch the hit-king Byung-Oh Tan at 3871. Hahn became the second EAB batter to 3500 career hits and retired second to Tan at 3585. He opted to retire after the 1971 season at age 39 and would see his #60 uniform retired soon after. Hahn’s penchant for doubles was remarkable though as he’d finish with 778, well beyond the then second place mark of 575 by Tan. He remains the EAB all-time doubles leader by a firm margin and retired as the world leader. As of 2037, he has the fifth most doubles in any league.

The final stats for Hahn: 3585 hits, 1403 runs, 778 doubles, 303 triples, 210 home runs, 1573 RBI, a .342/.364/.535 slash, wRC+ of 146, and 93.8 WAR. At retirement, he had the best batting average of any qualifying EAB player as well. Hahn had an incredibly unique skillset that made him a no-doubt Hall of Famer at 99.1% on his first ballot.



Lei “Wolf” Meng – Left Field – Changwon Crabs – 98.2% First Ballot

Lei Meng was a 6’0’’, 200 pound right-handed hitting left fielder from Nanchang, a city of six million people in east central China. Meng was the premiere power hitter both in East Asia Baseball and in pro baseball overall in the 1950s and 1960s. Meng led the Korea League in home runs five teams and had 11 seasons with 50+ dingers. On top of this, he was a solid contact hitter and pretty quick baserunner that could also stretch out singles into doubles and triples. Despite his power, Meng didn’t draw many walks and struck out more than you’d like. He was a career left fielder and considered a solid defender. Meng also was an ironman who started 140+ games in all but his first and final seasons, allowing him to emerge as EAB’s home run king.

Meng left China shortly after World War II ended and his power was noticed, leading to a college career for the University of Tokyo. With the regional restrictions in the first three rounds of the EAB Draft (Koreans to Korean team, Japanese to Japanese teams), Meng wasn’t eligible to be picked until the fourth round. He was the first pick of the round, 92^nd overall, by Changwon in the 1952 Draft. Meng spent his entire pro career with the Crabs and became beloved and renowned both locally and around the baseball world.

After only 12 home runs as a rookie, he hit 37 in year two and hit 36+ for the next 17 seasons. Meng led the league with 60 home runs in 1956, then had a career-best 63 in 185. He led in homers five times, RBI four times, runs twice, total bases six times, slugging four times, wRC+ three times, and WAR thrice; winning 13 Silver Sluggers (1955-65, 67). 1956 was his first MVP with career bests in 10.9 WAR, 197 wRC+, and 1.100 OPS.

Meng took second in MVP voting in 1957, then won the award for the second time in 1958 with 10.6 WAR, 63 home runs, and 146 RBI. He took third in 1959 MVP voting, then second in 1960, 61, 62, and 63. In 1965 at age 34, Meng won his third MVP with 60 home runs, 146 RBI, and 9.6 WAR.

From 1956 to 1965, he had 8+ WAR, 48+ home runs, 100+ RBI, and a .300+ average in every season. During that prime, Changwon became a contender in the Korea League. They made the playoffs seven times from 1957-65, winning the league title in 1959, 1963, and 1964. In 1963, the Crabs won the EAB title for the second time in franchise history. In 61 playoff games, Meng had 59 hits, 32 runs, 10 home runs, and 27 RBI. He also went home to China for four editions of the World Baseball Championship from 1966-69.

Changwon stopped contending towards the end of the 1960s, but fans still had their eyes on Meng as he racked up the totals. In 1966, Meng became the fifth EAB hitter to 700 career home runs. Soon after, he’d become the EAB home run king and the first to reach 800. Meng pulled away from the field and retired with 897, well beyond Ju-An Pak and Young-Hwan Sha’s 760. Meng also became the first EAB hitter to 2000+ career RBI and the fourth to 3000 career hits, passing Byung-Oh Tan as the RBI king with 2089. His average dropped in his later years, but he still smacked a league-best 51 home runs at age 39. Meng would fall into a backup role the year after and retired after the 1971 campaign at age 40. Naturally, his #25 uniform was immediately retired by Changwon.

Meng’s final stats: 3151 hits, 1909 runs, 429 doubles, 897 home runs, 2089 RBI, 507 stolen bases, a .288/.332/.604 slash, wRC+ of 155, and 121.9 WAR. His 897 homers was second most of any pro player, behind only Prometheo Garcia’s 928 between CABA and MLB. He remained the EAB home run king until the 2010s and is still fourth as of 2037. Meng was the RBI king until 1983 and still is fourth as of 2037 as well. At retirement, Meng was also third in runs scored, fourth in hits, and sixth in batting WAR. He remains one of the renowned sluggers in EAB history, well deserving of the first ballot induction at 98.2%.



Masaru”Trashmaster” Oya – First Baseman – Tokyo Tides – 95.3% First Ballot

Masaru Oya was a 6’0’’, 200 pound right-handed hitting first baseman from Tokyo, Japan. He was an excellent home run hitter that averaged around 40-50 homers per year for most of his run. Oya was an above average to good contact hitter who was respectable at drawing walks and okay at avoiding strikeouts. He wasn’t a great baserunner and only got around 25-30 doubles per year despite. Oya was a career first baseman and considered a terrible defender. His was incredibly durable though, playing 145+ games per year in every season except for his first two.

Oya attended Meishu Gakuen Hitachi High School and was a star there, earning attention as a teenager. He was picked third overall by his hometown Tokyo Tides in the 1954 East Asia Baseball Draft. The Tides kept him on the reserve roster for his first few seasons, making his debut officially with 16 at-bats in 1956 at age 20. He was a part time starter in 1958, then became a full-time starter every year after. Oya’s first full-time season as a starter saw a career best 55 home runs, along with a league leading 119 RBI, 389 total bases, and 204 wRC+. He won his first of five Silver Sluggers and took second in MVP voting. Oya never won the top award, but would also finish third in 1962. His Silver Sluggers were 1959, 60, 62, 66, and 71.

Oya offered consistent power with eleven straight seasons with 40+ home runs and 100+ RBI. He led the league in home runs and RBI twice, OPS twice, slugging twice, wRC+ thrice, and runs once. He had 10 seasons of 6+ WAR. Oya was very popular with Tokyo, who never made the playoffs in his tenure. He also played for Japan in the World Baseball Championship from 1959-64 with 46 hits, 41 runs, 26 home runs, and 46 RBI.

In 1970 at age 34, Oya had his first real down season, only hitting 28 home runs and 64 RBI despite being healthy. This would end his Tokyo tenure, which saw 2095 hits, 1195 runs, 576 home runs, 1319 RBI, and 80.0 WAR. The Tides opted to trade Oya after the season for two prospects to Kitakyushu. He’d maintain a good relation with the franchise and his #15 uniform would be retired, keeping him as one of the lone positives from a weak era in Japan’s capital.

Oya spent only 1971 with the Kodiaks, but he saw a career resurgence with his final Silver Slugger, smacking 50 home runs and leading the Japan League with 106 runs, a 1.022 OPS, and 192 wRC+. Oya got to play in the postseason for the only time in his career as Kitakyushu won the Japan League, falling later in the EAB final to Busan. Oya became a free agent after this and had suitors in Major League Baseball, signing a three-year, $946,000 deal with Cincinnati. He hit 41 homers in his first year with the Reds, but he had negative value the next year. Oya opted to retire after the 1973 season at age 37.

For his EAB career, Oya had 2265 hits, 1301 runs, 339 doubles, 626 home runs, 1434 RBI, a .294/.361/.597 slash, wRC+ of 179, and 88.1 WAR. He was the 11^th EAB batter to 600 career home runs and almost quietly put up an impressive power resume. Oya’s numbers are dwarfed by his Hall of Fame classmate Lei Meng, but were still more than impressive enough for the voters to also put him in as a slam dunk first ballot selection at 95.5%.

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The Beisbol Sudamerica Hall of Fame added two players from the 1977 voting, both securing first ballot nods. SP Lucas Silva led the way with 93.7%, joined by 2B Jerrold Perez with 81.8%. Only one other was above 50% with closer Jaguare Maia at 59.3% for his third attempt. There weren’t any players who were cut after ten failed attempts in 1977.



Lucas Silva – Starting Pitcher – Fortaleza Foxes – 93.7% First Ballot

Lucas Silva was a 5’10’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Pedra, a small town of around 22,000 people in northeastern Brazil. Silva’s biggest strengths were very good control, stamina, and durability. His velocity peaked at 97-99 mph, but he was rated still as having merely above average stuff and average movement. Silva had a strong fastball, mixed with a forkball, changeup, and curveball, leading to a flyball tendency. He provided consist innings, leading the Southern Cone League in innings pitched five times and posting 260+ innings in all 14 years of his pro career.

Silva was picked fifth overall in the 1957 Beisbol Sudamerica Draft by Fortaleza. He’d spent his full pro career with the Foxes and was a full-time starter instantly. His 150 ERA+ was a career best in his debut, earning Silva the Rookie of the Year in 1958. He led the league with a career best 7.9 WAR in 1961, although he generally wasn’t a league leader beyond his innings. Silva never won the top award, but was second in Pitcher of the Year voting in 1961 and third three times (1966, 67, 70).

Fortaleza had a run of contention with four straight division titles from 1964-67. The Foxes were Southern Cone champs in 1965 and 1967; winning their second-ever Copa Sudamerica in 1967. In 83.1 playoff innings, Silva had a 4.10 ERA with 69 strikeouts. He also pitched for Brazil in the World Baseball Championship in the 1960s but struggled with a 7.28 ERA over 47 innings. Silva’s regular season stats weren’t dominant, but he had more consistent numbers in his regular season career. Silva was still respectable in his final season of 1971, but opted to retire at only 36-years old. The Foxes immediately retired his #18 uniform.

Silva’s final stats: 231-165 record, 2.67 ERA, 3873 innings, 3825 strikeouts, 618 walks, 345/473 quality starts, 148 complete games, a FIP- of 83, and 82.1 WAR. Despite retiring relatively early, his durability and stamina meant he had sneakily solid accumulations, even without any major dominant seasons. Some voters were surprised how solid his resume looked and when the voting came around, they didn’t hesitate to give Silva the first ballot nod at 93.7%.



Jerrold “Abnormal” Perez – Second Baseman – Santiago Saints – 81.8% First Ballot

Jerrold Perez was a 5’11’’, 195 pound right-handed second baseman from Calama, a city of around 150,000 people in northern Chile. Perez was an excellent contact hitter in his prime with a solid pop in his bat worth around 30 home runs and 25 doubles per year. Perez was okay at drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts. Despite being a career second baseman, Perez had below average speed and was viewed as a poor defender. He was far better a hitter than most at the position and provided great leadership, intelligence, and durability.

Perez was picked sixth overall out of high school in the 1953 Beisbol Sudamerica by Santiago. He stayed in Chile for his entire South American career. He had a few pinch hit appearances in his first three seasons, then became a starter in the 1957 season at age 23. Perez won his first of eight Silver Sluggers this year, also winning the award in 1959, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, and 65. In 1959, Perez finished second in MVP voting with a 9.5 WAR season.

In 1960, Perez won the MVP and posted the sixth hitting Triple Crown in BSA history, posting 37 home runs, 111 RBI, and a .352 average with career bests in wRC+ (234) and WAR (9.9). Perez would take second in 1964’s MVP voting and won his second batting title. With Santiago, Perez had 10 straight seasons worth 6+ WAR and led in hits twice and runs once. He also became a popular Chilean baseball figure by playing 126 games for Chile in the World Baseball Championship from 1957-76, posting 119 hits, 59 runs, 34 home runs, 71 RBI, and 4.5 WAR.

Santiago dominated their division with 17 playoff appearances in 19 seasons from 1957-73. Perez played in nine postseasons and posted 2.9 WAR in 66 playoff games with 72 hits, 38 runs, 16 home runs, and 43 RBI. The Saints won Copa Sudamerica three times in Perez’ tenure (1961, 1964, 1966) and he played a huge role. Perez was the 1961 Copa Sudamerica MVP and won the Southern Cone League Championship MVP in both 1964 and 1966. This cemented Perez as a legend with the Saints, whose #43 uniform would get retired.

In 1967, Perez was moved to a backup role primarily despite being healthy. Only 34 years old at this point, he opted to leave the team in free agency and ended his Beisbol Sudamerica career. Perez still had plenty of baseball left, going to Major League Baseball on a five-year, $1,120,000 deal with Jacksonville. He was no longer an award winner, but Perez was a respectable starter in five years with the Gators, posting 15.3 WAR with 711 hits, 346 runs, 147 home runs, and 427 RBI.

He had four more MLB seasons after with okay production when healthy, although injuries kept him out quite a bit. Charlotte signed him at age 39 for the 1973 season, then traded him mid 1974 to Seattle. Perez played two full seasons with the Grizzlies and retired after the 1976 campaign at age 43. In his MLB career, Perez had 1115 hits, 573 runs, 233 home runs, 696 RBI, a .269/.316/.478 slash, and 17.8 WAR.

For his entire pro career, Perez had 2963 hits, 1423 runs, 427 doubles, 557 home runs, 1673 RBI, a .294/.337/.510 slash and 96.2 WAR. Just in Beisbol Sudamerica with Santiago, Perez had 1848 hits, 850 runs, 285 doubles, 324 home runs, 977 RBI, a .311/.351/.531 slash, 183 wRC+, and 78.4 WAR. The BSA accumulations are lower than many Hall of Famers since his run was only a decade long, but he certainly was considered by most as the top hitting second baseman in his Saints tenure. His tallies were enough to get Perez the first ballot nod at 81.8%.

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For the first time since 1971, the European Baseball Federation’s Hall of Fame voting didn’t induct a single player. The top vote getter was SP Karlo Godina at 54.4% on his sixth ballot. The only other player above 50% was 1B Carlo Della Latta with 53.9% in his seventh attempt. No players were dropped after ten failed ballots in the 1977 voting.

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Starting pitcher Sergei Filatov was the lone inductee in the Eurasian Professional Baseball’s 1977 Hall of Fame Class. Filatov was nearly a unanimous first ballot selection at 99.4%. Two other first ballot players were above 60%, but short of the required 66%. Both were closers with Hryhoriy Boychuk at 60.9% and Zhaksyllyk Sarychev at 60.3%. Four others were above 50% with pitcher Skerdi Hoxha at 57.7% on his seventh ballot, SP Anatoliy Mykhaylenko at 54.6% on his first try, SP Broys Voynov at 54.0% in his first try, and LF Eldar Vdovichenko at 53.1% in his fourth go.



One player was dropped after ten failed ballots with closer Mircea Ioan. His EPB career was only eight years long with a beginning at age 28. With four teams, he had a 1.53 ERA, 219 saves, 845 strikeouts in 506.2 innings, 30.1 WAR, and one Reliever of the Year. With a few more years of accumulations combined with his dominance, Ioan probably would have gotten in. He peaked at 54.5% on his third ballot before plummeting to 15.1% at the end.



Sergei Filatov – Starting Pitcher – Dushanbe Dynamo – 99.4% First Ballot

Sergei Filatov was a 6’2’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Kazan, the capital of Russia’s Republic of Tatarstan. Filatov was a knuckleballer and had incredible movement along with decent control and stuff with 80-83 mph peak velocity from his changeup and curveball. Knuckleballs are incredibly rare and most EPB batters had no clue what to do against Filatov’s knuckler. He also had very good stamina and durability for the majority of his career. Filatov was also a very good defensive pitcher and a team captain with great leadership and work ethic. These factors and his fun knuckleball made him one of the most popular and endearing players in EPB’s first two decades.

When Eurasian Professional Baseball was formed, Filatov was already 26 years old. He had already built up a reputation in the semi-pro ranks with the knuckleball and was highly sought after for the new league. Filatov would be signed by Dushanbe and would spend his first decade in EPB with the Dynamo. He was an immediate success, posting8.9 WAR or better in all of his full seasons with Dushanbe. Filatov had seven seasons worth 10+ WAR with the Dynamo and was the WARlord in the Asian League in six different seasons.

Filatov’s first season earned him Pitcher of the Year and a second place in MVP voting. In 1957, he won both awards, leading the league with a 1.94 ERA and 0.87 WHIP. 1958 saw him place second in Pitcher of the Year and third in MVP voting. In 1959, he won his second Pitcher of the Year with 11.2 WAR. Filatov took second in 1960 and stunningly wouldn’t be a finalist again until 1966 despite leading in WAR three times in that stretch. In 1961, Filatov posted a 14.13 pitching WAR season, second only all-time in EPB history to Taleh Ismailov’s 14.17 in 1956.

Dushanbe was an early Asian League contender led by Filatov, making the playoffs from 1955-60. They were league champs in 1958 and 1960, winning the Soviet Series in 1960. In 125 playoff innings with the Dynamo, Filatov had a 3.24 ERA, 8-7 record, 115 strikeouts, and 3.0 WAR. He was also part of Russia’s national team in the World Baseball Championship from 1955-69, posting an 18-6 record over 246.2 innings, a 2.59 ERA, 277 strikeouts, and 8.2 WAR. In 1956, he pitched 57.2 innings with a 3.12 ERA in helping Russia to its first World Championship.

The Dynamo fell into mediocrity after the 1960 title, but Filatov remained there until summer 1965. He became the second EPB pitcher to 200 career wins. Hoping to rebuild, they traded him at the 1965 deadline for three prospects to Minsk. The Miners had made the playoffs in every EPB season to date and got to the European League final again with Filtaov.

In 1966, Filatov won his fourth Pitcher of the Year award and his second MVP, leading again in WAR while adding career bests in wins (26), ERA (1.85), and innings (301.1) at age 37. This season also had his lone no-hitter, striking out 11 with one walk against Sofia on May 28. The Miners won the Soviet Series with a stellar postseason from Filatov with a 1.44 ERA over 31.1 innings. Fresh off this campaign, Filatov entered free agency and signed a three-year, $446,000 deal with Moscow.

Filatov was third in Pitcher of the Year voting in his Mules debut with his ninth 10+ WAR season, posting 11.9. Moscow would win the European League crown, falling to Bishkek in the Soviet Series. Filatov was a big part of the playoff run again with a 1.53 ERA over 35.1 innings. This was his last amazing season, as the now 39-year old Filatov missed four months of 1968 with forearm inflammation.

Moscow opted to let him go and Filatov went back to Dushanbe for three more seasons. He had limited success and injury issues, but was able to retire with the Dynamo, who would quickly retire his #10 uniform. In total in Dushanbe, he had a 223-149 record, 2.54 ERA, 3709 strikeouts over 3434 innings, and 123.8 WAR. He retired after the 1971 season at age 43.

Filatov’s final career stats: 284-167 record, 2.43 ERA, 4210.2 innings, 4547 strikeouts to 762 walks, 350/479 quality starts, 330 complete games, a FIP- of 58, and 153.1 WAR. At retirement, he was EPB’s all-time WARlord and wins leader, as well as the first to reach 4000 strikeouts. He also retired as the postseason wins and WAR leader among pitchers. At retirement, only five other pitchers in any pro league had compiled 150+ pitching WAR. As of 2037, he’s still second all-time in EPB for pitching WAR, eighth in wins, and 15^th in strikeouts. Any conversation about EPB’s greatest pitcher has Filatov mentioned with his knuckleball receiving mythical status for later generations, especially as the pitch was so incredibly rare full stop in professional baseball. Very few pitchers in later years would even try to use the pitch and almost all were ineffective. Filatov earned the first ballot induction at 99.4% as a legend of the game.

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No movement occurred in Oceania Baseball Association Hall of Fame voting with closer Neemia Tala’apitaga getting the highest percentage at 28.3% on his fifth try. The first Hall of Famer would come in the next season for OBA.

Despite being a newer league, Austronesia Professional Baseball got close to adding their first Hall of Famer in 1977. On his debut, closer Abdul Rizki received 56.4%, short of the required 66% but within striking distance. Two other pitchers were above the 1/3 mark with closer Hartriono Siagian at 35.9% in his third attempt and SP Perumal Jayaweera at 34.4% on his debut.

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The 1977 World Baseball Championship was the 31^st edition of the event and the first in a decade hosted in Europe, this time in Barcelona, Spain. The WBC also saw its first format change since 1955 with an expansion as more countries were producing competitive teams. The first round had seen eight divisions of eight teams for 64 total teams. The expansion added two teams to each division, making it eight divisions with ten teams each for a total of 80 teams. Every team played each team in their division still, meaning nine games guaranteed now for every team. The postseason format remained mostly the same with the eight division winners advancing into two double-round robin pools. The semifinal was changed from best-of-seven to best of five, followed by the still best-of-seven championship.



In Division 1, Venezuela gave the six-time defending world champ United States a run as both finished at 7-2. The Americans had the tiebreaker though and advanced per usual, making it to the elite eight 28 times in 31 tournaments. In Division 2, China was the lone unbeaten at 9-0, giving them eight division titles. In Division 3, Kazakhstan won a division title for only the second time (1970). The Kazakhs finished 7-2, fending off three 6-3 teams (Argentina, Japan, Uzbekistan). Scotland took D4 at 7-2, edging South Korea, North Korea, and Spain each at 6-3. It was the third division title for the Scots, who also advanced in 1963 and 1960.

Mexico and Italy tied for the Division 5 title at 7-2 with Taiwan at 6-3. The tiebreaker advanced the Mexicans for their 14^th elite eight berth. In D6, Canada and Australia both dominated at 8-1. The Canadians won the tiebreaker to advance for the 22^nd time. In Division 7, the Philippines were first at 8-1, beating their neighbor Indonesia by one game. The Filipinos advanced for the fourth time in five years and grabbed their seventh division title overall. In Division 8, Russia prevailed at 8-1, beating last year’s runner-up Brazil at 7-2. It is the eighth division title for the Russians, their first since the 1970 runner-up season.

In Round Robin Group A, the Philippines were the top team at 5-1, advancing along with the United States at 4-2. China at 3-3 and Kazakhstan at 0-6 were eliminated. This sent the Filipinos to their fifth semifinal and the Americans to their 27^th. In Group B, Russia went unbeaten at 6-0, advancing with 3-3 Mexico. Canada went 2-4 and Scotland was 1-5. This gave the Russians their sixth semifinal appearance and the Mexicans their eighth (and first since 1967).

In the now best-of-five semifinal, the Philippines beat Mexico 3-1, sending them to their first-ever championship. In the battle of superpowers, the United States edged Russia 3-2. The Russians officially were third place for the third time, while the Mexicans had their first-ever fourth place finish. The Americans advanced to the championship for the 24^th time.



In the 31^st World Championship, the United States continued its dominance, defeating the Philippines 4-1. The Americans now have 21 world titles and seven straight.



Tournament MVP was Filipino SS Jimmy Caliw, the eight-time Australasia League MVP with Adelaide. Caliw in 24 games had 34 hits, 17 runs, 14 home runs, 16 RBI, 80 total bases, and 2.1 WAR. Best Pitcher went to Romanian Marius Patrascu, a closer with Novosibirsk. He had one start and two relief appearances, striking out 28 over 13 scoreless innings with only one hit and no walks allowed. His .025 opponent OBP remains a WBC record as of 2037.

Other notes: Singapore’s Poh Tan had a no-hitter against Belarus with nine strikeouts and two walks. It was the first WBC no-hitter since 1973. Below are the updated tournament statistics all-time. Their finals berth and 1970s success has now put the Philippines into the top ten.

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The third season of West Africa Baseball saw a very tight battle in the Western League. Abidjan, Bamako, and Freetown all tied for the top spot at 98-64, while Accra and Kumasi were 91-71. The top three all advanced to the playoffs and tiebreakers decided the seeding with Freetown given the league title and the wildcards to the Athletes and defending league champ Bullfrogs. Abidjan and Bamako have made the playoffs in all three WAB seasons so far, while the Foresters earned their first berth.

League MVP went to 33-year old Bamako RF Onamado Agenor, who led the league in home runs (62), RBI (137), runs (108), total bases (388), slugging (.641) OPS (.999), and wRC+ (183). 62 was the single-season home run record until 2003. Abidjan’s Kouadio Diao was the Pitcher of the Year and the Rookie of the Year in maybe the greatest debut season ever. The 23-year old Ivorian had the first Triple Crown season with a 23-5 record, 1.92 ERA, and 375 strikeouts over 257.2 innings with a 0.72 WHIP, 18.8 K/BB, 14 complete games, 8 shutouts, 32 FIP- and 13.7 WAR. The WAR and shutout mark remain WAB single-season records as of 2037.



In the Eastern League, two-time defending WAB champ Kano took first at 113-49. Port Harcourt earned their first-ever playoff berth by taking second at 105-57. Lagos extended their postseason streak to three years by finishing third at 102-60, edging Benin City by one game.

V.J. Balogun won his third straight MVP, having left Freetown in free agency the prior year and signed with Lagos. The 34-year old Nigerian slugger was the leader in home runs (61), RBI (143), runs (124), total bases (417), OBP (.421), slugging (.729), OPS (1.150), wRC+ (226), and WAR (11.2). Benin City’s Axel Kouacou won the Pitcher of the Year. The 28-year old left-handed Ivorian was the leader in wins (26-3), strikeouts (373), FIP- (44), and WAR (10.9), adding a 2.14 ERA over 243.2 innings.

In the wild card round in the WL, Bamako edged Abidjan 2-1. The Western League Championship Series went all five games with Freetown defeating the Bullfrogs for their first league title. Lagos upset Port Harcourt in three games in the EL wild card round. The Lizards then stunned the defending champion Kano, taking the Eastern League Championship Series 3-1.



The third West African Championship was a seven-game classic with Freetown edging Lagos, sending the cup to Sierra Leone. Finals MVP was 37-year Malian RF Sakura Sow. In 12 playoff games, he had 15 hits, 4 runs, 2 home runs, and 11 RBI.



Other notes: Lagos had 300 home runs as a team, which still stands as the EL record as of 2037. Kano had a 2.36 team ERA, allowing 1014 hits with a 0.947 WHIP. The ERA and hit marks remain the best single-season marks in WAB as of 2037. Mohamed Koroma and Tommy Bazie both had four home run games, the first WAB players to do so. Orok Green struck out 21 in a game against Ouagadougou, tying the single-game record.

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Defending Chinese League Baseball champ Xi’An won the Northern League again, although they weren’t quite the dominant force that won 113 games the prior year. The Attack still took the top spot at 95-67. The wild card went to Zhengzhou at 90-72 for their first-ever playoff berth. Hangzhou (88-74), Qingdao (88-74), Shenyang (87-75) and 1976 semifinalist Shanghai (84-78) were next in line.

Winning back-to-back Northern League MVPs was Hangzhou CF/P Nick Wei. The 25-year old lefty in 102 games at the plate had 5.4 WAR with a .301 average. On the mound, he had 5.2 WAR over 212.2 innings with a 2.58 ERA, 16-9 record, and 220 strikeouts. Shanghai’s Lixuan Xiao won his second Pitcher of the Year in three years. The 28-year old lefty led the league with a 0.76 WHIP, adding a 1.60 ERA in 213.2 innings with 225 strikeouts, a 14-7 record, and 7.6 WAR. Xiao missed six weeks with a tricep injury, but won over the voters with CLB’s sixth perfect game, striking out 13 on May 1 against Harbin.



In the Southern League, Kunming took first for back-to-back seasons, this time finishing 93-69. Changsha and Macau tied for the second place spot at 90-72 with the tiebreaker game going to the Cannons. For Changsha, this was their first-ever playoff berth. Foshan was just one back at 89-73. Wuhan, who won 100 games last year and had a three-year playoff streak, dropped to 11^th place at 68-94.

Kunming 2B Weiping Gao was the MVP in his third season with the Muscle. The 24-year old righty was the WARlord (10.7) and leader in home runs (39), RBI (93), and total bases (327). Shenzhen’s Zhiyuan Lai won his second Pitcher of the Year in three years with a historic season. Lai posted a 14.39 WAR season, a single-season pitching WAR record that remains the CLB single-season mark as of 2037. Lai led in strikeouts (365), K/BB (12.2), and FIP- (22), adding a 1.49 ERA over 260 innings with a 16-11 record.



Both semifinal series went to the Southern League team over the Northern League. Kunming downed Zhengzhou 4-2, while Changsha upset defending champ Xi’An 4-3. In the eighth China Series, the Muscle defeated the Cannons in six games for their first CLB title. League MVP Weiping Gao also won finals MVP, posting 11 hits, 4 runs, 4 home runs, and 10 RBI in 12 playoff games.



Other notes: While Lixuan Xiao had the sixth perfect game in May, Xi’An’s Shibo Fang had the seventh on July 2, striking out 12 against Harbin. Dolgoon Bolorsukh and Pu Lin became the first CLB hitters to 300 career home runs. Encai Xing became the first to 300 saves. Shenchao An won his eighth Gold Glove at 1B.