Baseball: The World's Game

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Ryan Cudiaboo – Starting Pitcher – Port Moresby Mud Hens – 67.9% Eight Ballot

Ryan Cudiaboo was a 6’0’’, 205 pound right-handed pitcher from Sydney, Australia. He was known for solid stuff with decent control and movement. Cudiaboo had a great 97-99 mph fastball and mixed in a slider and changeup. His stamina was weak compared to most of his OBA contemporaries, but his stuff and leadership made him an important piece.

Cudiaboo was picked fifth overall by Melbourne in the 1963 OBA Draft. He saw limited bullpen use in his first two seasons before earning a full-time starting role in 1966. He wasn’t dominant, but put up respectable numbers as Melbourne’s dynasty came to fruition from 1967-70. Cudiaboo was excellent in the 1967 championship with a 0.64 ERA over 14 innings, helping the Mets win the title. He struggled in his other postseason efforts though, finishing with a 4.96 playoff ERA over 49 innings. Cudiaboo also made limited appearances for Australia in the World Baseball Championship, throwing 12 relief innings.

In his final year with Melbourne in 1970, Cudiaboo was the Australasia League leader in ERA at 1.65. This gave him second in Pitcher of the Year voting, his only time as a finalist. 1970 was also a contract year for Cudiaboo and that season made his stock the highest it would ever be. In total with the Mets, Cudiaboo had a 77-57 record, 2.40 ERA, 1322 innings, 1317 strikeouts, and 24.9 WAR. At age 29, he opted for free agency and signed a six-year, $846,000 deal with Port Moresby.

The Mud Hens were a lower end team during his six seasons there, although he provided consistent reliable production. He was less impressive statistically there, but had more innings and was ultimately inducted in the Mud Hens hat. Cudiaboo posted an 84-102 record, 2.88 ERA, 1719.2 innings, 1846 strikeouts, and 29.3 WAR. The highlight of his time was a no-hitter on July 6, 1975 against Guam with 13 strikeouts and two walks.

Cudiaboo was 35 years old when his Port Moresby contract expired after the 1976 season. He decided to search worldwide for his next job and found his way to Mexico, signing to a two-year, $600,000 deal with Tijuana. Cudiaboo was subpar in his one season with the Toros and was traded that offseason to Havana. He saw only nine appearances while in Cuba and was a free agent again after the 1978 season. Cudiaboo’s worldwide travels sent him to EPB’s Riga Roosters. He was an okay occasional starter and long relief guy in his one season in Latvia. His final season was with Tirana in 1980, although he recorded only one out with the Trojans. Cudiaboo retired at age 39.

Cudiaboo’s final OBA stats saw a 161-159 record, 2.67 ERA, 3041.2 innings, 3163 strikeouts, 656 walks, 311/425 quality starts, 89 FIP-, and 54.2 WAR. Like his classmates Kent Thackray and Honore Waheo, Cudiaboo’s tallies weren’t incredible and suggested a Hall of Very Good spot to many voters. He hovered in the 30-40% range for his first five ballots before spiking up to 61.1% in 1987. He dropped back to 42.5% in 1988, but the voters were feeling generous in 1969 and got him across the line at 67.9% on his eighth attempt.



Honore “Einstein” Waheo – Starting Pitcher - Samoa Sun Sox – 67.0% Eight Ballot

Honore Waheo was a 5’11’’, 190 pound right-handed pitcher from Noumea, the capital of New Caledonia. Waheo was known for having strong movement on his pitches with above average stuff and control. His velocity peaked in the 96-98 mph range with a tough fastball, plus a curveball and slider. Waheo was good at holding runners and had average starter. He was also considered a very intelligent pitcher.

Waheo’s potential was spotted as a teenager and he was a top prospect coming out of high school. Samoa decided to pick him third overall in the 1965 OBA Draft and let him develop on the reserve roster for two seasons. Waheo became a part-time starter in 1968, taking third in Rookie of the Year voting. He was a full-time starter from thereafter, although injuries cost him chunks of his sophomore and junior seasons.

Waheo emerged as an ace for the Sun Sox with five seasons worth 6+ WAR between 1971-1976. He never won Pitcher of the Year, but took third in voting in 1972, 73, and 75. Waheo’s WAR peak was 9.7 in 1974, which also saw a career best 386 strikeouts. In 1972, Samoa won its first-ever Pacific League title. Waheo had two great starts in the final with a 0.59 ERA over 15.1 innings, although the Sun Sox still fell to Gold Coast in the final. Samoa made it back and won the title in a rematch in 1973, although a severe ankle sprain kept Waheo out for the playoff run and the second half of that season. In this stretch, he also pitched 29.2 innings in the World Baseball Championship with a 0.91 ERA and 39 strikeouts. He pitched for France, having citizenship as his native New Caledonia is a French territory.

Waheo’s OBA and Samoa run ended after the 1976 season as he entered free agency at age 31. He would make his way to Canada as MLB’s Vancouver Volcanoes were enamored with him, inking a seven-year, $3,402,000 deal. Vancouver would end up with buyer’s remorse, as Waheo was merely mid in 1977 and missed six weeks to bone chips in his elbow. The next year, an elbow sprain, followed by a torn labrum, knocked him out most of the season. The Volcanoes cut their losses after 1979’s spring training. He would make a few relief appearances that year with Toronto before being cut in late August. Waheo finished out the season in minor league Providence, retiring that winter at only age 33.

For his OBA/Samoa run, Waheo had a 134-93 record, 2.20 ERA, 2262 innings, 2356 strikeouts, 457 walks, 217/285 quality starts, 75 FIP-, and 56.7 WAR. His totals were very low compared to other Hall of Famers in OBA, but his rate stats were far more impressive than his classmates Thackray and Cudiaboo. As of 2037, his ERA is the second-best of any OBA Hall of Fame starter. Many voters felt he wasn’t around long enough to by deserving though and he fluctuated on the ballot for seven years with a peak of 62.5% in 1987 and low of 32.9% in 1986. After 33.0% in 1988, Waheo’s eighth try saw the bump up to 67.0%, allowing him to just cross the line and round out the four-player 1989 OBA Hall of Fame group.

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Austronesia Professional Baseball inducted three players into its Hall of Fame in 1989 with each of them receiving a first ballot nod. Leading the charge was LF Abracham Gumelar at 96.5%. 3B/1B Kim Shin Pan received 89.2% to earn his spot and SP Guntur Kadir got 76.6%. Two others were above 50% on their second tries with 1B Po-Yu Shao at 55.9% and CL Lee Tira at 53.8%. No players were dropped after ten failed ballots.



Abracham Gumelar – Left Field – Palembang Panthers – 96.5% First Ballot

Abracham Gumelar was a 6’0’’, 200 pound left-handed left fielder from the capital of Indonesia, Jakarta. Gumelar was a great contact hitter with excellent home run power that led the Sundaland Association in dingers six times. He also got you around 20-30 doubles per year with a couple triples despite having below average speed. Gumelar was above average at drawing walks, although his strikeout rates were middling. He was a career left fielder and subpar defensively. Gumelar was considered very durable with 155+ games played each season from 1970 to 1981.

Gumelar left Indonesia for Taiwan to play college baseball at Toko University. He returned to his home country in the 1966 APB Draft when he was picked second overall by Palembang. His entire APB run was with the Panthers and he became one of the most beloved players of his era. Gumelar was also a regular for Indonesia’s World Baseball Championship team with 137 games and 116 starts from 1969-85. In that stretch, he had 120 hits, 91 runs, 49 home runs, 101 RBI, a .279/.378/.651 slash, and 7.1 WAR.

Palembang didn’t feel Gumelar was immediately ready for the big time as he was used in a pinch hitter role in his first two seasons. He earned the starting role in 1969 and excelled, leading the Sundaland Association in the triple slash, home runs, and WAR. This got Gumelar his first of five MVPs and first of 11 Silver Sluggers. The additional Sluggers came from 1970-75, then from 1978-81. Gumelar led the SA in runs scored thrice, homers six times, RBI five times, batting average twice, OBP five times, slugging six times, OPS five times, wRC+ five times, and WAR four times.

1970 was a banner year for Gumelar with career highs in home runs (54), RBI (122), total bases (346), and WAR (10.5), giving him his second MVP. He’d take third in 1971’s MVP voting and second in 1972. 1974 would be his third MVP win and was Palembang’s first-ever division title win. The Panthers became a playoff regular at this point with four berths in five years from 1974-78. In 1975, Gumelar won his fourth MVP and became the first APB hitter to earn a Triple Crown (46 homers, 104 RBI, .297 average). He took third in MVP voting in 1977 and 1978, then won the award for the fifth and final time in 1979; the first to do so. He’d be a finalist once more with a second place in 1980.

Palembang won the Sundaland Association championship in 1974, 1976, and 1978. The Panthers weren’t able to claim the Austronesia Championship as they were defeated each time by Kaohsiung’s dynasty. Gumelar was a playoff beast in 1974 and 1976 in particular, earning Sundaland Association Championship MVP both years. In 38 playoff starts, he had 43 hits, 22 runs, 13 home runs, 30 RBI, a .300/.359/.633 slash, wRC+ of 252 and 3.4 WAR. This cemented Gumelar’s status as a Palembang legend and his #21 uniform unsurprisingly was retired once he was done.

Gumelar’s power and contact began to fade a bit into the 1980s and with that, the Panthers faded towards the bottom of the standings. 1982 would be the first time that injuries cost him significant time, missing around two months. He still posted 5.4 WAR that year in only 109 games. But his final year saw full season career lows of 30 home runs, a .229 average, and 4.6 WAR. In that last year, Gumelar was able to become the first APB slugger to reach 600 career home runs. He was the second to 1000 runs scored in 1981, the third to 1000 RBI in 1978, and the third to 2000 hits in 1981.

Gumelar became a free agent for the first time after the 1983 season at age 37. He was able to cash in and grab MLB money on a three-year, $3,780,000 deal with Cleveland. This gave Gumelar an annual $1,260,000 salary; far more than his peak Panthers pull of $381,000. He was decent in his first year with the Cobras, although a concussion cost him six weeks. Cleveland moved him to the bench in 1985 and cut him after 1986 spring training. He made 10 appearances that spring with Virginia Beach before being cut in early July. Gumelar opted to retire that winter at age 40.

Gumelar’s final APB/Palembang stats saw 2316 hits, 1173 runs, 365 doubles, 604 home runs, 1426 RBI, 822 walks, a .280/.345/.544 slash, 212 wRC+, and 123.1 WAR. Those are strong numbers in any league, but especially in the very low offense atmosphere of APB. Chun-Chia Lan passed him as the home run king later in the 1980s, but Gumelar remained second until the 2020s and is still fourth all-time as of 2037. At induction, Gumelar was the APB leader in RBI and hitting WAR. He would hold onto both titles until the 2020, but still sits fourth in RBI and second in WAR as of 2037. Gumelar was undoubtedly one of APB’s finest all-time hitters and an obvious first ballot choice at 96.5%.



Kim Shin Pan – Third/First Base – Surabaya Sunbirds – 89.2% First Ballot

Kim Shin Pan was a 6’3’’, 200 pound right-handed corner infielder from Singapore and is the first Singaporean Hall of Famer. Pan was a solid contact and power hitter with a respectable eye and decent strikeout avoidance. He was a slower baseunner, but still had good enough gap power to get you a decent amount of doubles and the occasional triple. Pan made around 3/4s of his starts at third base and the rest at first base and was considered a delightfully average gloveman at both spots. Pan ended up being a very popular player, but his outspoken nature made him polarizing.

Pan left Singapore to play college baseball at CITIC College in Tainan. He excelled and quickly became one of the most prized prospects ahead of the 1966 APB Draft. Surabaya had the first selection and used it on Pan, who would spend his entire 17 year pro career as a Sunbird. He started a good chunk of his rookie season in 1967, then emerged as a bona fide star in his second season. Pan also was a regular for Singapore in the World Baseball Championship from 1969-84 with 117 games played, 105 hits, 71 runs, 34 home runs, 70 RBI, a .259/.353/.551 slash, and 4.9 WAR.

In his sophomore season, Pan led the Sundaland Association in hits and doubles. He’d lead in hits once more, home runs once, RBI twice, and OBP once. Pan would rack up the WARlord title four times and posted 13 seasons worth 6+ WAR and four worth double-digits. He won ten Silver Sluggers from 1969-80 and managed a Gold Glove in 1980 as well. In 1970, he also became only the second APB batter to record six hits in a single game. Pan picked up three MVPs in his career; 1972, 1973, and 1977. He was third in 1975 and 1980.

Pan cemented himself as a Surabaya legend when the Sunbirds earned their first-ever playoff berth in 1971. At 87-75, they were an underdog, but they upset Batam in the Sundaland Association Championship and topped Taoyuan to earn their first Austronesia Championship. Pan was the MVP of both series with 15 hits, 9 runs, 5 home runs, and 10 RBI in only nine games. They won division titles in the next two seasons, but fell in the SAC both times to the Blue Raiders.

Surabaya returned to the postseason in 1977 and won the Association title, although they fell in the championship to Kaohsiung. The Sunbirds fell off in 1978, largely due to Pan missing most of the season with a torn PCL. He came back in 1979 and didn’t have the same power, but he still pushed Surabaya back to the Promised Land. The Sunbirds won the 1979 APB title with Pan picked up Association Finals MVP. In 44 career playoff starts, Pan had 55 hits, 30 runs, 15 home runs, 33 RBI, a .331/.382/.663 slash, 256 wRC+, and 3.8 WAR. He was the APB playoff leader in home runs and RBI until the 2010s and still sits third all-time for both as of 2037.

1980 and 1981 were both nice seasons for Pan, although Surabaya dropped to the middle of the standings. Various injuries cost him more than half of 1982, then he struggled with only five home runs and a .227 average in 1983. Surabaya let him go and Pan played one more WBC in 1984 for Singapore. He hoped to sign somewhere that season, but had to retire that winter after going unsigned at age 39. Surabaya would retire his #9 uniform that winter.

Pan’s final stats: 2305 hits, 1115 runs, 358 doubles, 463 home runs, 1267 RBI, a .270/.329/.485 slash, 178 wRC+, and 120.7 WAR. His offensive stats aren’t quite as eye-popping as his Hall of Fame classmate Gumelar, but Pan still finished only three points behind him in batting WAR. He’s still fifth all-time as of 2037 and has the second most WAR at third base. Pan is still beloved by most Surabaya fans for his playoff heroics and was an easy first ballot selection at 89.2%.



Guntur Kadir – Starting Pitcher – Kaohsiung Steelheads – 76.6% First Ballot

Guntur Kadir was a 6’0’’, 180 pound right-handed pitcher from Cicuruk, a sub-district of the city of Sukabumi (population 356,000) in West Java, Indonesia. Kadir was a hard-thrower with 98-100 peak velocity with very good stuff and control. He had a fastball, slider, and circle change and his movement was considered below average. However, Kadir was a master at changing speeds and his circle change was considered incredible. He was a hard working sparkplug type, making him a valuable player in the clubhouse.

Kadir was spotted as a teenage amateur in 1967 at age 16 by a scout from Kaohsiung. Little did he realize that he’d become a huge part of a dynasty run. Kadir made his debut with the Steelheads as a reliever in 1972, then was a full-time starter after. He also would return home to pitch for Indonesia in the World Baseball Championship with a 10-2 record and 3.75 ERA from 1974-83 with 105.2 innings, 156 strikeouts, and 2.4 WAR.

Kaohsiung’s dynasty began in 1973 and saw four Austronesia Championships (1973, 74, 76, 77). As of 2037, the Steelheads are the only franchise in APB history to have won four APB titles in a five year stretch. 1974 saw Kadir take second in Pitcher of the Year voting with his first of five 9+ WAR seasons. He was a critical playoff piece, posting a 2.19 ERA over 107 innings with a 10-4 record, 134 strikeouts, and 3.5 WAR. From 1976-79, Kadir was dominant and led the Taiwan-Philippine Association in WAR, WHIP, and K/BB each season. He also led win ERA in 1976, strikeouts in 1979, and wins twice. Despite that, Kadir only won Pitcher of the Year once (1976). He was second in 1977 and 1978.

Kaohsiung faded towards the middle of the standings after their 1977 title season, although Kadir remained elite. He’d suffer a huge setback May 1980 with a partially torn UCL putting him out eight months. Kadir was never quite the same after that. He returned in 1981, but a herniated disc knocked him out the first two months of the season. Now in rebuilding mode, the Steelheads traded Kadir at the deadline for five prospects to Zamboanga. Kadir would later see his #24 uniform retired and he was remembered fondly for his role in the great Kaohsiung dynasty.

Kadir was subpar that summer and fall with the Zebras, although they did get to the playoffs. He became a free agency after the season at age 31 and had to weigh his future. MLB’s Tampa Thunderbirds hoped that Kadir could return to form and took a chance on him with a three-year, $2,710,000 deal. He would be a solidly above average pitcher in 1982 and 1983 in Tampa, but would end up with another torn UCL late in the 1983 season that knocked him out 11 months,

Kadir attempted a comeback in 1984 with the Thunderbirds, but was atrocious over six starts. In total with Tampa, he had a 4.05 ERA over 524.2 innings and 7.1 WAR. Calgary signed Kadir as a back-end starter in 1985. He then went to Philadelphia in 1986 and Brooklyn in 1987 with lackluster results. Columbus signed Kadir for 1988, but another torn UCL in spring training forced his retirement at age 37. For his MLB run, Kadir had a 51-48 record, 4.27 ERA, 907.1 innings, 723 strikeouts, and 8.0 WAR.

For his APB career though, Kadir had a 141-81 record, 2.23 ERA, 2056.2 innings, 2633 strikeouts to 276 walks, 196/253 quality starts, 59 complete games, 61 FIP-, and 66.5 WAR. Many voters felt Kadir didn’t have the accumulations or longevity to belong, but he was very impressive during his 20s and was a critical part of Kaohsiung’s dynasty. Some voters were sympathetic and felt he only missed out on the accumulations because of getting derailed by injury. Enough felt his peak and playoff accomplishments were enough and Kadir got the first ballot induction at 76.6% to round out the 1989 APB Hall of Fame crew.

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Chinese League Baseball welcomed closer Yi Li into its Hall of Fame as the lone inductee in 1989. Li only narrowly crossed the 66% requirement, but got in nonetheless with 72.1% on his fifth ballot. SP Li Jin was close but just short at 62.1% on his third attempt. The only other player above 50% was CL Yuzeng Liang at 53.3% in his third try. The top debut was SP Guichao Li at 44.8%. No players were dropped after ten ballots.



Yi “Hoover” Li – Closer – Chengdu Clowns – 72.1% Fifth Ballot

Yi Li was a 5’11’’, 200 pound right-handed relief pitcher from Yangjiang, a city of around 2,600,000 near the South China Sea. Li had excellent stuff and terrific movement along with very good control. He had only two pitches with a 97-99 mph fastball and a quick slider, but his one-two punch was more than enough to thrive. Li was also considered a hard worker.

Li ended up having a peculiar career as a mercenary, although it wasn’t because he was disloyal or greedy. When CLB was formed for the 1970 season, Li was already 32 years old and established in China’s semi-pro circuits. His established service meant teams didn’t have long control over his tenure and franchises weren’t inclined to give relievers lengthy deals. Thus, Li ended up playing for nine teams in 10 years with his longest tenure being two years with Chengdu. He did also pitch in five editions of the World Baseball Championship for China, winning Best Pitcher in 1974 with 11 scoreless innings. He ended up with a 1.52 ERA over 53.1 innings, 77 strikeouts, and 2.1 WAR.

Li’s CLB career began with Foshan in 1970 and it was arguably his best season with a career-high 0.66 ERA and 6.4 WAR. He took third in Reliever of the Year voting in 1970, 1972, 1974, and 1979. Li was second in 1976 and won the award for the only time in 1973. Regardless of where he was, Li was considered elite. He went to Nanjing in 1971, then to Guangzhou in 1972 and Jinan in 1973. From August 1972 to June 1973, Li posted 46 consecutive scoreless innings.

Li’s lone Reliever of the Year was won with Jinan, who signed him to a two-year contract extension on October 5. Three days later, they traded him to Chengdu. After two seasons with the Clowns, he signed for 1976 with Chongqing. Between August 1975 and August 1976, Li had a streak of 51 successful save opportunities. 1976 was his only season leading the league in saves with a career best 47.

Li signed with Hong Kong in 1977 and struggled with injuries and poor production when healthy. He was now 40 years old when signing for a second time with Nanjing in 1978 and wasn’t used in the closer role. The Nuggets traded him in the summer to Changsha, where he finished out the year. Li went to Xiamen in 1979 and was back in the closer’s role with solid results, becoming the third reliever to reach 300 saves in CLB history. He wanted to still pitch in 1980, but retired that winter after going unsigned.

Li’s final stats: 333 saves and 390 shutdowns, a 1.35 ERA, 775 innings, 1015 strikeouts, 117 walks, 28 FIP-, and 43.1 WAR. His rate stats were impressive, but he still paled in comparison to recent inductee Encai Xing. Li was hurt too by bouncing around so many places, but still hovered in the upper 50%-lower 60% range in his first four ballots. His supporters pointed out that his entire run was beginning from age 32 and if he had his 20s to add to the tallies, Li likely would’ve posted remarkable accumulations. Enough voters came around on his fifth ballot to get him in at 72.1% as the lone 1989 Hall of Famer for CLB.

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The second member of the West Africa Baseball Hall of Fame wouldn’t be inducted in 1989. The top performer was SP Adul dos Santos at 49.9% in his debut. LF Mario Duc was the only other player above the 1/3 mark with 39.9% in his debut.

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The 1989 World Baseball Championship was the 43^rd edition and returned to South America for the first time since 1974, this time hosted in Quito, Ecuador. In Division 1, Venezuela took first at 8-1, two games better than Romania. It was the fourth division title for the Venezuelans, who hadn’t gotten that far since all the way back in 1959. The defending champion Americans went unbeaten in Division 2 for their usual division crown. For the 37^th time, the US moved to the elite eight. In D3, Argentina advanced with an 8-1 mark edging 7-2 Greece. It is the 10^th time advancing for the Argentinians and their first since 1976. China was only 5-4 and missed for the fifth straight season, their longest drought since the 1960s.

Japan claimed Division 4 at 8-1, two games ahead of France, Jamaica, and Vietnam. It is the 15^th time the Japanese have advanced, ending a two-year drought. In Division 5, South Korea and Germany tied for the top spot at 7-2, while both Russia and Guatemala were 6-3. The tiebreaker went to the Koreans to move them forward for the 15^th time and first since 1986. In a tight D6, the Netherlands prevailed at 7-2 while Belarus and Mexico were both 6-3. For the Dutch, it is their fifth time advancing and third of the 1980s.

Division 7 had Brazil and India even at 7-2, while Kazakhstan was 6-3. The tiebreaker went to the Brazilians to send them forward for the 23^rd time. And in Division 8, Canada crushed the field at 9-0. The Canadians have advanced 26 times, second only to the Americans. Last year’s runner up Italy was a non-factor in D8 at 5-4. Ultimately, the only repeat division winners from the prior year were Brazil and the United States.

In Round Robin Group A, Japan snagged the top spot at 4-2, getting to the final four for the sixth time and first time since 1984. The Netherlands and United States both were 3-3 and Argentina was 2-2. The tiebreaker went to the Dutch to give them their first semifinal berth, while the Americans had a rare elimination. In Group B, Canada claimed first at 5-1 for their 20^th semifinal and first since their 1986 world title. Brazil advanced at 4-2, while South Korea was 3-3 and Venezuela was 0-6. The Brazilians earned a third consecutive semifinal appearance and their 12^th overall.

Brazil took their semifinal series 3-1 over Japan, getting to the championship for the sixth time and the second time in three years. Canada would sweep the Netherlands 3-0 for their 12^th championship appearance and first since 1986. Japan officially took third for their best finish since 1984, while the Dutch had their top-ever run.



The 43^rd World Championship had two nations familiar with the final, although it was their first-time facing off for the crown. The series was a classic, going all seven games for the first time since 1980. Brazil bested Canada to claim their second time in three years, becoming only the third nation to win two titles in three years. (Mexico repeated in 1949-50, and the US has done it many times). Brazil is now 2-4 in the championship and the Canadians are 3-9.



Leading Brazil’s efforts was Tournament MVP Nicolas Carnicas. A 30-year old 3B with Rio de Janeiro, he had 23 hits, 20 runs, 13 home runs, 4 RBI, and 1.8 WAR over 26 starts. Best Pitcher was Canada’s Moses Hayes, a 23-year old reliever with Seattle who had only thrown 28.2 MLB innings to that point. In the WBC tournament, the Montreal native tossed 10.1 scoreless innings with 20 strikeouts, two hits allowed, and three walks.

Other notes: American Brendan Gordon had a 24 strikeout game against Bangladesh, which tied the second most Ks in a WBC game. The record remained Nick Hedrick’s incredible 25 Ks in 1957. The lone no-hitter in 1989 was Canada’s Kyle Lowe fanning 13 with 2 walks against the Netherlands in the semifinals.

1989 also was the final WBC appearance for two legends of the event; American Connor Neumeyer and Filipino Jimmy Caliw. They were the top two all-time in hitting WAR with 20.86 for Neumeyer and 19.40 for Caliw. They would remain the top two until topped by American Morgan Short’s run from 2003-2022. They remain the top two in home runs (Caliw with 121, Neumeyer at 111). As of 2037, Neumeyer is the RBI leader (265) and total bases leader (723).

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After missing the playoffs by one game last year, Peshawar ended up atop the Pakistan League standings at 105-57. It was their first time taking first place with their team OBP of .330 holding as the PL record until 2029. The battle for the wild card was super tight with Gujranwala narrowly taking it at 92-70, beating Hyderabad and Faisalabad both by one game. It was the first winning season for the Grasshoppers. Last year’s league champ Rawalpindi fell off to a sixth place 71-91.

Pakistan League MVP went to second-year Faisalabad slugger Hakim Baig. The 24-year old right fielder led in hits (208), average (.333), and WAR (9.8), adding 36 home runs, 120 RBI, and a .949 OPS. Baig managed to beat teammate Hazan Sheikh for the award despite Sheikh leading with 50 home runs and 122 RBI. Leading the Gujranwala turnaround was Dhofar Ghaffar, who won Pitcher of the Year and Rookie of the Year with a historic debut. The eighth overall pick posted a 1.22 ERA, which is still the ABF single-season record as of 2037. Ghaffar also was the leader in wins (21-5), WAR (11.5), WHIP (0.68), K/BB (12.7), and FIP- (36). He added 304 strikeouts in 228 innings. Also of note, Multan’s Touraj Haghighat won his fourth Reliever of the Year.



The top record in the West Asia Association was Tehran at 94-68, earning their first-ever Persian League title. The Tarpons were five games ahead of both Mashhad and Shiraz, while three-time defending winner Isfahan dropped to 82-80. Defending ABF champ Istanbul won the Turkish League for the fourth time in five years. They ended up tying at 89-73 with Izmir, but the Ironmen won the tiebreaker over the Ice Caps. Adana at 87-75 was right in the mix as well.

Istanbul 2B Metin Demir was the WAA MVP. The 25-year old was the WARlord (8.7) and leader in average (.327), OBP (.416), OPS (.924), and walks (90). Pitcher of the Year was Tehran veteran Zeyad Noori. The 33-year old Afghan set a still-standing ABF record with 28 complete games. He also led in wins (23-12), innings (291), K/BB (16.0), and WAR (10.7); adding a 2.35 ERA and 353 strikeouts.

Both of the league finals went all seven games. The Pakistan League championship saw Peshawar outlast Gujranwala in the first appearances for both teams. Meanwhile in the West Asia Association Championship, Istanbul edged Tehran 4-3 to give the Ironmen back-to-back titles. Istanbul would claim repeat Asian Baseball Federation championships and their third in ABF’s five year history to date, beating Peshawar 4-2. League MVP Metin Demir was finals MVP, posting 18 hits, 4 runs, 6 doubles, and 8 RBI in 13 playoff starts.





Other notes: Gujranwala’s Ali Javaid had a notable April, throwing two no-hitters over a ten day stretch. He struck out five with two walks on April 12 against Multan, then posted an eight K, two walk no-no on April 22 against Faisalabad. 2B Qavi Naserwanji and C Serik Sadiqov were the two players to earn Gold Gloves in all five of ABF’s initial seasons.

For the first five seasons of the Asian Baseball Federation, the West Asia Association had a cumulative 3.17 ERA and the Pakistan League was at 3.27. The batting averages were .222 and .228, respectively. These were both low offensive environments, but not the lowest. ABF would remain on the lower end moving forward, but wouldn’t be as low as the deadball style of CLB and APB.

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The big shock in the Indian League was Kanpur’s collapse with the Poison going from the South Asian Baseball champs at 104-58 to an abysmal 66-96 in 1989. Ahmedabad would surge to the top record in the IL at 119-53, tying 1983 Pune for the winning season in SAB history. The Animals won the West Division for the fifth consecutive year and their eighth playoff berth in SAB’s first ten seasons. Surat at 97-65 earned the wild card for back-to-back seasons. With Kanpur’s collapse, Kolkata won the Central Division at 101-61 for their second division title in four years. The South Division saw Visakhpatnam on top at 91-71 for their third division title in six years. Last year’s division winner Hyderabad plummeted from 90 wins to 70 wins.

Ahmedabad slugger Andee Siddharth won his first Indian League MVP with another powerful season. He had 66 home runs, one short of his 1987 single season mark, and 153 RBI; one shy of Dhavalapaksa Dattatreya’s record for the prior year. Siddharth also led in runs (131) and total bases (416) while adding an 1.045 OPS and 9.9 WAR. Pitcher of the Year was Surat’s Janapati Sara with the lead in wins (24-2), ERA (1.57), WHIP (0.82), and FIP- (50). He added 273 strikeouts in 195.1 innings with 7.2 WAR. Sara’s foes had a .231 slugging against him, which is a single-season SAB record as of 2037. Also of note, Kolkata’s Harini Shreenath won his third Reliever of the Year and set a still-standing SAB record with 52 saves.

In the first round of the playoffs, Ahmedabad survived in five games in a challenge from divisional rival Surat. This sent the Animals to the Indian League Championship Series for the fourth straight year. Meanwhile, Kolkata earned their first-ever trip as they ousted Visakhpatnam in four. The ILCS saw Ahmedabad clobber the Cosmos 4-1 to win their third pennant in four years.





Ho Chi Minh City saw the best record in the Southeast Asia League at 97-65, winning the South Division and grabbing a sixth playoff berth in seven years. Both wild cards came out of the South Division with defending SEAL champ Phnom Penh at 89-73 and Johor Bahru at 88-74. The Blue Wings got their first playoff berth since 1981. The North Division had a tie at the top with Hanoi and Chittagong both at 86-76. The tiebreaker game went to the Hounds for their third consecutive division title.

Chittagong 3B Thang Huynh won his second Southeast Asia League MVP and became the first SAB batter to earn a Triple Crown. The 27-year old Vietnamese switch hitter had 57 home runs, 148 RBI, and a .347 average. Huynh also led in runs (131), hits (207), total bases (429), OBP (.411), slugging (.719), OPS (1.130), wRC+ (212), and WAR (12.0). For the third time in four years, Vientiane’s Zainal bin Aziz won SEAL Pitcher of the Year. He tossed the second Triple Crown season for a SAB pitcher with a 22-6 record, 2.02 ERA, and 367 strikeouts. He also led in WHIP (0.92), quality starts (28), FIP- (50), and WAR (10.2). He tossed 249 innings.

Ho Chi Minh City swept Johor Bahru in the first round, while Phnon Penh edged Hanoi 3-2. The Hedgehogs earned their third consecutive Southeast Asia League Championship Series and set up a rematch with the Pandas. Ho Chi Minh City got revenge and bested Phnom Penh 4-1, taking their second pennant in three years.





The 10th South Asia Baseball Championship was a rematch of the 1987 final. Ahmedabad prevailed again over Ho Chi Minh City, taking the series 4-1 for their third title in four years. IL MVP Andee Siddharth was the finals MVP just as he was in the 1987 encounter. In 14 playoff starts, Siddharth had 17 hits, 12 runs, 7 home runs, and 13 RBI.





Other notes: 2B V.J. Williams won his seventh Silver Slugger. Ynilo Naranjo had a record eight shutouts in 1989. For the first decade of South Asia Baseball, the Indian League had a cumulative ERA of 3.43 and the Southeast Asia League was at 3.68. The batting averages were .234 for the IL and .240 for SEAL. Both of these marks were a bit below average on the grand historical scale, but fairly middle of the road compared to the other leagues in the 1980s.

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Conakry claimed first in the Western League standings at 100-62 in 1989, earning their third playoff berth in four years. The Coyotes set a single season WAB record with 525 stolen bases, still the top mark by a large margin as of 2037. There was a big gap to second place with numerous teams in the mix for the two wild card spots. Cape Verde and Kumasi both earned repeat wild card berths with the Vulcans at 86-76 and the Monkeys at 85-77. Kumasi extended their record postseason streak to 12 seasons. Last year’s WL champ Dakar and Freetown were both three away from third at 82-80 and Abidjan was 81-81.

Conakry’s Moussa Naba won his second MVP, leading the league in hits (196), WAR (9.4) and stolen bases (107) while adding 26 home runs and a .328/.373/.564 slash. The 107 steals by the 27-year old Burkinabe tied the WAB single season record. Naba’s efforts edged out Abidjan’s Vincent Langat for the award despite his 62 home run season, tying the single-season record. No one in WAB topped 62 home runs until the 21^st Century. Bamkao’s Addise Assefa won his fourth Pitcher of the Year. The 32-year old lefty had a 20-6 record, 2.42 ERA, and 310 strikeouts over 248.2 innings with 6.5 WAR. It would be Assefa’s last award winning season with a torn rotator cuff costing him most of 1990, although he’d still hang around pro baseball through 1996.

In the wild card round, Kumasi got the road upset 2-0 over Cape Verde. This sent the Monkeys to the Western League Championship Series for the seventh time in their playoff streak, while it was the second in three years for Conakry. The Coyotes edged Kumasi 3-2 in the WLCS to earn their first-ever pennant.



After finishing fourth last year, Lome had the best overall record in West African Baseball at 109-53 atop the Eastern League. The Lasers earned their second playoff berth in three years and their third in franchise history. Defending WAB champ Lagos was great again at 104-58, taking second and getting their 12^th playoff appearance over WAB’s first 15 seasons. Port Harcourt ended a four-year playoff drought, taking third at 89-73. The Hillcats were only one ahead of Cotonou and two better than Benin City for the final wild card. Last year’s wild cards both fell off as Niamey went from 96 wins to 78 wins, while Kano collapsed from 98 wins to 64 wins.

Leading Lome was 25-year old LF Ferdinand Chihana, the Eastern League MVP. He posted WAB’s second-ever Triple Crown by a hitter with 57 home runs, 152 RBI, and .348 average. Chihana’s 152 RBI was two short of the single season record. The Malawian switch hitter also led in runs (127), hits (211), total bases (440), slugging (.725), OPS (1.102), wRC+ (205), and WAR (10.6). Cotonou’s Bello Stephen won his third Pitcher of the Year award in only his fourth season. The 26-year old Nigerian led in strikeouts (360), quality starts (24), complete games (17), FIP- (55), and WAR (9.6). He added an 18-8 record and 2.35 ERA over 256.2 innings. Stephen posted 32 WAR in his first four seasons, but only would get 9.3 for the rest of his career due to injuries and regression.

In the wild card round, Port Harcourt shocked Lagos with a 2-1 upset, earning their fifth-ever Eastern League Championship Series and first since 1982. Meanwhile, Lome was making its first-ever appearance and were the heavy favorite. But the Hillcats continued their momentum and upset the Lasers as well, taking the ELCS 3-1. It was the third pennant for Port Harcourt (1980, 1982).



In the 15^th West African Championship, Port Harcourt got one more impressive upset, taking the series 4-2 over Conakry. It is the second title for the Hillcats, who also won it all in 1980. Rookie catcher Mamadou Traore won finals MVP, posting a great postseason after only playing 25 regular season games. The 23-year old Guinean posted 14 hits, 5 runs, 3 home runs, and 12 RBI in 13 playoff starts. Port Harcourt became the first team in WAB history to finish third in the standings and go onto win the overall championship.



Other notes: Kouadio Diao became the second pitcher to 200 wins and Addise Assefa was the second to 3500 career strikeouts. Vincent Langat became the fourth to 400 home runs.

On the historical scale, West African Baseball in the 1980s had an average offensive environment. The cumulative ERA was around 3.64 and the batting average was around .243; both towards the middle of the professional leagues. Unlike many other leagues, WAB would only tweak its rules to see more offense with above average numbers coming in the 1990s and 2000s, followed by all-time highs after that for any league.

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The Chinese Northern League had a shakeup as Dalian finished first at 104-58 in their first playoff berth since their 1975 championship season. Second place was Nanjing at 95-67, snapping their own five-year playoff drought. Defending Chinese League Baseball champ Tianjin tied for third with Hangzhou, ending the Jackrabbits’ record six-year postseason streak. Jinan, second last year, was fifth in 1989 at 90-72. Meanwhile, Beijing was 77-85 for their first losing record since 1983.

Northern League MVP went to Dalian right fielder Yicheng Teng. The 27-year old lefty led in wRC+ (233), slugging (.595), and OPS (.963), adding 8.9 WAR, a .319 average, and 31 home runs. Shanghai’s Zengxiang Zhang won Pitcher of the Year and was one win short of a Triple Crown with a 1.44 ERA, 304 strikeouts, and 19-8 record. Zhang tossed 231.1 innings with 9.7 WAR and led the NL in 0.72 WHIP and 20.3 K/BB. Also of note was Tianjin’s Junwei Zhu winning his fifth Reliever of the Year.



The Southern League had the same two playoff teams from the prior year, although they swapped positions. Macau finished first at 100-62, taking first for only the second time in franchise history. Shenzhen was second at 98-64, getting their third playoff appearance in franchise history. Changsha was a distant third at 90-72, eight games away from the Spartans.

Shenzhen SS Chenchao Pan was the SL MVP, leading in WAR with 8.5. The sixth-year player added a .272/.326/.474 slash for a 168 wRC+ with 64 stolen bases and 24 home runs. Pitcher of the Year was Macau’s Lang Lu with the 26-year old leading in ERA (1.23), WIHP (0.77), FIP- (54), and WAR (8.2). Lu added 281 strikeouts and an 18-6 record over 240.2 innings.



Both first place teams won the semifinal round in six games with Dalian downing Shenzhen and Macau bested Nanjing. This was the second pennant for both the Gold Dragons and Magicians, setting up a rematch of the 1975 championship. Just like the prior meeting, Dalian prevailed by taking the 20^th China Series 4-2 over Macau. 22-year old 2B Liang Shang Guan won finals MVP with 21 hits, 10 runs, 5 triples, 5 RBI, and 9 stolen bases over 12 playoff starts.



Other notes: The 19^th Perfect Game came from Changsha’s Jiahao Hong against Xiamen with 11 strikeouts on March 26. Zhiyin Meng became the second CLB batter to have a four home run game, doing it against Xi’an on June 25. Zhen Luo became the fourth batter to have a six hit game. Guodong Lin became the third to 4000 career strikeouts, finishing at 4104. He still sits second all-time in CLB as of 2037, behind only Zhiyuan Lai’s 4367. SS Lu Hou won his eighth Gold Glove. RF Shichao Zhang and RF Mingqi Dai both won their seventh Silver Sluggers.

Chinese League Baseball in the 1980s saw an extremely low offensive environment which was only matched by APB’s Sundaland Association. CLB saw a batting average for the 1980s around .216 and an ERA around 2.58. Chinese baseball would remain extremely low through the new millennium.

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Defending Austronesia Champion Taipei won the Taiwan League for back-to-back seasons and set a franchise-record at 106-56. The Philippine League saw a huge turnaround season from Davao, going from 69 wins to 93-69. This gave the Devil Rays the title for their first playoff berth since 1978. Last year’s winner Cebu and Quezon both were second at 87-75.

Leading Taipei’s effort was Eli Cheng, winning Taiwan-Philippine Association MVP for the second time. Like his 1986 MVP run, Cheng again posted a Triple Crown season with 51 home runs, 108 RBI, and a .301 average. The 27-year old Taiwanese lefty also led in runs (102), walks (83), total bases (352), OBP (.389), slugging (.615), OPS (1.004), wRC+ (199), and WAR (10.0). Cheng was the first APB batter to smack 50+ home runs since 1978. Pitcher of the Year was Cebu’s Ricky Jungao, who was one win short of his own Triple Crown with an 18-7 record, 1.53 ERA, and 398 strikeouts. He was the WARlord (11.3) over 271.1 innings.





Jakarta had the top mark in the Sundaland Association at 102-60, giving the Jaguars the Java League crown for the sixth time in the 1980s. They ended up 11 games ahead of defending SA champ Semarang and Surabaya both at 91-71. Medan won the Malacca League for the third consecutive season and for the seventh time in the decade. The Marlins were 92-70, topping Pekanbaru by nine games.

Jakarta had both the Sundaland Association MVP and Pitcher of the Year in 1989. The former was SS Nyai Gunawan, who led in WAR at 9.5. The 29-year old had a 190 wRC+ with 20 home runs and 75 stolen bases. The latter was Hadi Ningsih, winning his second Pitcher of the Year. The 32-year old ace led in ERA (1.24), and WHIP (0.69) while posting a 19-7 record over 239.1 innings with 304 strikeouts and 7.9 WAR.

The Taiwan-Philippine Association Championship saw Taipei cruise to a 4-1 win over Davao, making the Tigercats repeat champs. The Sundaland Association Championship saw Medan upset Jakarta 4-1, giving the Marlins their second title in three years and their fifth in the 1980s.





In the 25h Austronesia Championship, Taipei was the favorite and hoping for a repeat. Medan denied that and took the series in six, giving the Marlins their second title in three years and their third overall. 3B A.J. Tan was the finals MVP, having led the SA in 1989 in hits and average. Nicknamed “Taz,” the 25-year old Singaporean had 10 hits, 3 runs, 3 doubles, and 4 stolen bases in 11 playoff starts. Although his Tigercats came up short, pitcher Ahmad Maidin had a very notable postseason as well, tossing 23 scoreless innings in three starts with 22 strikeouts.





Other notes: 1989 had APB’s 15th and 16th Perfect Games. On April 10, Kaohisung’s Foo Su struck out 15 against Cebu. He was bested on May 22 by Bandung’s Vhon Lasam with an incredible 19 strikeout perfecto against Depok. This set the APB record for most Ks in any no-hitter and was a world record for most strikeouts in a perfect game. Amazingly enough, only one day later over in Eurasian Professional Baseball, Vilnius’ Dana Bancu had a 19 strikeout perfect game against Minsk. Lasam also notably became the first APB pitcher to 4500 career strikeouts and while he and Poh Tan became the third and fourth to 200 wins. 3B Huang Haung won his eighth Silver Slugger.

For the 1980s, the “deadball” style of Austronesia Professional Baseball had extremely low offensive production, especially without the DH in the Sundaland Association. The SA’s ERA for the 1980s was 2.43, the lowest of any league in history to date; while the Taiwan-Philippine Association was at 2.82. The SA’s batting average was .213 and the TPA’s was .224 for the decade. APB would remain the lowest offensive environment in pro baseball along with Chinese League Baseball for decades to come.

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Gold Coast dominated the Australasia League in 1989, giving them their first title since their 1971-73 AL three-peat. The Kangaroos were 106-56, finishing 20 games ahead of second place Auckland. Defending league champ Christchurch fell from 101 wins to .500, tying for third at 81-81 with Brisbane.

Leading the effort for Gold Coast was Neville Ryan, winning Australasia League MVP for the fourth time in his career. The 33-year old Australian left fielder led in runs (108), RBI (139), total bases (386), slugging (.674) and WAR (9.9). He added 49 home runs, a .300 average, and 190 wRC+. Kangaroos teammate Akif Erdem was Pitcher of the Year in his Oceania Baseball Association debut. The 32-year old Turkish lefty had earned MVP with the ABF’s Istanbul in 1986, but sat out in 1988 as no team matched his salary wants. He came to Australia and delivered the 10^th Triple Crown season for an OBA pitcher with a 27-6 record, 2.26 ERA, and 320 strikeouts. Erdem also was the leader in quality starts (32), WAR (8.4), and innings (326.2). Also of note, Brent Sami won his fourth Reliever the Year award, having signed with Brisbane in the offseason after previously pitching for New Caledonia.



Defending Oceania champion Honolulu continued its Pacific League dominance, taking the top spot at 96-66. For the Honu, this gives them seven PL pennants across the 1980s. New Caledonia (92-70) and Tahiti (91-71) were the closest competitors. Samoa and Fiji tied for fourth at 84-78.

Honolulu slugger Vavao Brighouse won his third Pacific League MVP with another high powered season. The 26-year old Samoan first baseman was the leader in home runs (64), RBI (128), total bases (379), slugging (.693), OPS (1.027), and wRC+ (228); adding 8.4 WAR and a .296 average. Samoa’s Logan Mathews had OBA’s 11^th Triple Crown for a pitcher with a 21-11 record, 1.69 ERA, and 363 strikeouts. The 28-year old Australian also had the most innings (325.1), and WAR (11.1) while also leading in WHIP (0.81), quality starts (34), shutouts (6), and FIP- (60). Mathews seemed on his way to a Hall of Fame career, but a torn flexor tendon to start 1990 effectively ended his career and forced him to the unemployment line by 1992.

The 30^th Oceania Championship would be remembered as an all-time great series and was the first to go all seven games since 1979. It came down to a pitcher’s duel game seven that went to Honolulu 1-0 over Gold Coast, giving the Honu repeat titles and their sixth in eight years. 22-year old CF Jonathan Buai came onto the scene to lead in WAR in his first full season and capped it with the finals MVP. The Solomon Islander had 10 hits, 3 runs, 2 triples, 2 RBI, and 6 stolen bases in the series.





Other notes: 1989 was the final season for Tarzan Rao, who capped off his outstanding career with two milestones. He became the second OBA pitcher to 300 wins and passed Nigel Chalmers by one game to finish with the most wins at 314. He also became the first to reach 5500 strikeouts and retired the strikeout king at 5650. Additionally, Rao’s 154.9 career WAR gave him the most of any OBA player. As of 2037, Rao remains second in wins, second in pitching WAR and third in strikeouts. CF Starlin Leka won his eighth Gold Glove.

The Oceania Baseball Association in the 1980s remained on the historical scale as a low to very low offensive environment. There was a noticeable gap between the leagues with the Australasia League seeing higher tallies with a .237 batting average and 3.26 ERA, while the Pacific League was at .227 and 2.98. This was still not as low as CLB or APB, but still on the lower end. OBA would see a similar environment in the 19990s before bumping up to more world average statistics in the new millennium.

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Bucharest had an impressive bounce back in 1989 after seeing their playoff streak end the prior year with a 75-87 season. They ended up dead even with Kyiv at 101-61 for both the top mark in the European League’s South Division and the best record in the EL. In a one-game playoff, the Broncos bested the Kings to take the #1 seed. It was Bucharest’s seventh playoff berth of the 1980s and the ninth for Kyiv. In the North Division, Warsaw earned back-to-back division titles, getting first at 99-63. The defending Soviet Series champ Minsk was two back at 97-65 to get the second wild card and extend their playoff streak to nine years. St. Petersburg was in the mix at 93-69, but ultimately four back of the playoffs. Moscow, a conference finalist the prior season, plummeted from 93 wins to only 69.

European League MVP went to Warsaw LF Mahammad Tagiyev. Nicknamed “Mole,” the 26-year old Ukrainian lefty led the league in runs (87), slugging (.543), OBP (.887), wRC+ (182), and WAR (7.9). He added a .297 average, 28 home runs, and strong defense. Pitcher of the Year was Bucharest’s Artem Nurov, who had won the award in the Pakistan League with Multan in 1985. After leaving ABF and going unsigned in 1988, the 33-year old Azeri lefty joined the Broncos for 1989 and led the league in wins at 21-6. He added a 1.82 ERA over 262 innings with 264 strikeouts and 7.3 WAR.

Minsk upset Bucharest 3-0 in the first round while Warsaw dropped Kyiv 3-1. This set up a rematch between the division rivals of the 1985 European League Championship Series. The Wildcats were 1-4 historically in the ELCS, while the defending champ Miners were 9-10. Despite being on the road, Minsk took the series 4-1 for the EL title repeat and their fourth pennant of the 1980s. By getting their 10^th title, the Miners matched Kyiv for the most pennants of any EPB team.



Defending Asian League champion Novosibirsk improved upon their record from the prior year to take the North Division at 107-55. The Nitros did it despite both wild cards firmly coming from their division with Omsk at 96-66 and Yekaterinburg at 94-68. Both the Otters and Yaks had missed the playoffs in 1988 after having gotten in the field from 1985-87. Last year’s wild cards fell off with Krasnoyarsk going from 97 to 81 wins and Ufa getting the big oof from 95 to 63 wins. In the South Division, Biskhek was first at 103-59 for a third consecutive division title and their eighth playoff berth of the 1980s. Their closest competitor was Almaty at 88-74, a distant 15 games from the division title and six games from the second wild card.

Novosibirsk two-way star Igor Bury won Asian League MVP for the third time and narrowly missed winning a fifth Pitcher of the Year. On the mound,, the 29-year old led in strikeouts for the fifth straight season (403) and posted a 1.94 ERA and 17-8 record over 282.2 innings with 10.5 WAR. On top of that, he added 4.1 WAR playing 89 games in left field with a 173 wRC+, 104 hits, 48 runs, 22 home runs, and a .296/.320/.553 slash. Edging him out for Pitcher of the Year was Bishkek’s Fredi Tamasi. The 31-year old Hungarian righty led in ERA (1.75), innings (307), WHIP (0.78), K/BB (14.3), quality starts (31), and shutouts (6). Tamasi added a 21-11 record, 357 strikeouts, and 10.5 WAR, along with a no-hitter in July against Omsk that had 14 strikeouts and one walk.

Yekaterinburg upset Novosibirsk 3-2 in the first round, while Bishkek outlasted Omsk in five. This gave the Yaks their second Asian League Championship Series appearance in four years and seventh all-time, while the Black Sox were making their seventh ALCS of the 1980s. Yekaterinburg got revenge for their 1986 ALCS defeat in a seven-game classic over Bishkek. This was the fourth pennant for the Yaks, who were the inaugural winner in 1955 along with the 1968 and 1970 AL champ.



The 35^th Soviet Series was a rematch of the very first one in 1955, which had seen Yekaterinburg beat Minsk in six games. The Yaks would prevail again, denying the Miners repeat bid in a seven game thriller. Finals MVP was veteran CF Adam Pichardo, 34-year old Mexican player in his fourth year in Russia that made only 54 starts in 1989. In 19 playoff games, he had 19 hits, 8 runs, 2 home runs, 5 RBI, and 11 stolen bases. The Yaks also had a stellar postseason from closer Nodar “Biceps” Zarqua. The 29-year old Georgian had six saves and a 0.00 ERA over 18.1 playoff innings with 31 strikeouts, four this, one unearned run, and seven walks allowed. He holds EPB playoff records for H/9 (1.96), opponent average (.074), and opponent slugging (also .074). Yekaterinburg is now a three-time champ (1955, 1970, 1989) and snapped a six-year title drought for Asian League teams.



Other notes: On May 23, Vilnius’s Dana Bancu tossed EPB’s 26^th perfect game with 19 strikeouts against Minsk. This tied the EPB record for most strikeouts in any no-hitter and tied the world record for most Ks in a perfect game, which had amazingly been set only one day earlier in Indonesia by Bandung’s Vhon Lasam. EPB would see its 27^th perfect game only two weeks later when Kyiv’s Artem Makarevich fanned 15 against St. Petersburg on June 5. Darian Tasos became the sixth batter to 1500 career RBI and the 16^th to 2500 hits. He’d play two more seasons and end with 1660 RBI, third on the leaderboard at retirement and only 42 shy of Konrad Mazur’s 1702 top mark.

For the 1980s, Eurasian Professional Baseball was considered a low offense environment, although still higher than the very low numbers of APB or CLB. EPB saw a league ERA of around 2.95 and batting average around .288. The environment would look much the same over the next 20 years with a slight bump after.

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Amsterdam, winners of five of the last six EBF Northern Conference titles, posted its best record of the 1980s at 105-57. This won the Anacondas the Northwest Division easily and gave them the top record in the entire EBF, along with an eight consecutive playoff berth. In the British Isles Division, Dublin ended a six-year playoff drought with a 96-66 record, finishing 11 better than London. Birmingham, who had won five of the last six division titles, fell to a middling 77 wins. Berlin won the North Central Division for the fourth consecutive season with a 93-69 mark. Hamburg was five back at 88-74, which was ultimately enough for the Hammers to get the wild card and end a nine-year playoff drought. Brussels was only one game behind with London two away. Rotterdam’s four-year postseason streak ended with the Ravens falling to 76-86.

Although Birmingham dropped off in 1989, RF Sean Houston picked up Northern Conference MVP for the fifth time, an EBF record. The 30-year old Scot was the leader in home runs (51), total bases (409), and slugging (.651), while adding 7.3 WAR, 214 hits, 135 RBI, and a .341 average. He also earned his eighth Silver Slugger. Brussels ace Khaled Jabri won back-to-back Pitcher of the Year and was one win shy of a Triple Crown with a 18-5 record, 2.40 ERA, and 325 strikeouts. Jabri was the WARlord (9.9) over 262.2 innings and also led in WHIP (0.94), quality starts (24), and FIP- (56).

Amsterdam downed Hamburg 3-1 in the first round of the playoffs and Dublin dropped Berlin 3-1. This gave the Anacondas their fourth straight Northern Conference Championship appearance and sixth in seven years, while the Dinos hadn’t gotten that far since the late 1960s. Amsterdam made quick work of Dublin with a sweep for their sixth pennant in seven years. As of 2037, the Anacondas are the only team in EBF history to win four consecutive conference titles. The 1989 win was also their eighth, giving them the most of any franchise.



The top seed for the Southern Conference was 104-58 Marseille atop the Southwest Division standings, earning their ninth playoff berth of the 1980s. Defending European Champion Munich went 97-75 to win the Southeast Division for the seventh consecutive season. Meanwhile, Zurich’s historic South Central Division title streak improved to 17 seasons with a 90-72 record. Rome was only three back with Milan six behind. Both ultimately fell short in the wild card race as well with 89-73 Lisbon taking the spot. It ended a four-year playoff drought and stretch of losing seasons by the Clippers.

Leading Lisbon’s turnaround was third-year centerfielder Willy Fierro, who won Southern Conference MVP. The 24-year old Spanish lefty had 11.6 WAR with a .352/.422/.643 slash, 37 home runs, 117 RBI, 206 hits, and 129 runs. Amazingly, he wasn’t a leader in any stat, although Fierro was top three in most of the big ones. Munich’s Marlon Hoffman won his third Pitcher of the Year award. The 31-year old German righty led in ERA (2.49) and complete games (16), while adding a 17-11 record over 249 innings with 260 strikeouts and 8.1 WAR.

Lisbon stunned their divisional foe Marseille 3-1 in the first round, while Munich outlasted Zurich in five games. This gave the Mavericks the chance to repeat as Southern Conference Championship winners, while it was the Clippers’ first appearance since 1984. Lisbon had only once before claimed the pennant, having won it all back in 1956. A new generation in Portugal got to see a title season as the Clippers defeated Munich 4-2.



In the 40^th European Championship, Amsterdam reclaimed the throne after having taken runner-up in the prior three seasons. The Anacondas beat Lisbon 4-1 to become the first five time European champs (1951, 54, 83, 84, 89). In his final season, 14-year Amsterdam veteran Leif Skjelvik won finals MVP. The 35-year old Norwegian shortstop had been relegated to the bench with only 25 regular season starts, but he stepped up in 12 playoff starts with 17 hits, 9 runs, 6 doubles, and 4 RBI. Skjelvik decided to retire on that high note two days after the final.



Other notes: After zero no-hitters from 1986-88, Marseille’s Giacomo Orazi ended the drought with a 12 K, 1 walk no-no in April against Malta. Christophoros Zarkadis become the second batter in EBF to 3000 career hits, retiring after the season with 3094. He also retired with the home run lead at 795, the top RBI mark at 1903, and was the WARlord at 164.0. Zarkadis lost those top spots in the 1990s, but is still third all-time in WAR and fifth in homers as of 2037. One of the guys in his orbit, Jacob Ronnberg, reached 500 homers, 1500 RBI, and 2500 hits all in 1989. This also got Ronnberg his 11^th Silver Slugger in right field. Jacky Muro became the sixth pitcher to 4000 strikeouts and the 17^th to 200 wins. Two-way player Edgar Miranda won his eighth Silver Slugger as a pitcher.

The rule changes made after the 1984 season were successful at increasing the European Baseball Federation’s offensive numbers. The .254 batting average and 3.72 ERA for the 1980s were highs for the EBF. This was considered to be average on the grand historical stage, although it was near the highest scoring among any of the leagues in the 1980s. EBF would see a slight bump in the next few decades with generally above average statistics.

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Ciudad Guayana set a franchise record at 108-54 for the top mark in the Bolivar League and winning them the Venezuela Division for the third straight year. Valencia was a distant second in the division at 93-69, but that got them the wild card for their first playoff berth since their 1978 Copa Sudamerica crown. Lima was a repeat Peru-Bolivia Division champ at 94-68. La Paz was 91-71, three short of the division crown and two away from the wild card. Medellin took the Colombia-Ecuador division at 92-70 for their first playoff berth in three years. Defending Copa Sudamerica champ Cali was 88-74, ending their four-year playoff streak. Bogota, the wild card last year, also missed out by falling to 85-77.

La Paz designated hitter Lincoln Ruvalcaba won his third Bolivar League MVP in four seasons. The 28-year old switch hitting Bolivian was the leader in runs (130), RBI (140), total bases (427), slugging (.693), OPS (1.066), wRC+ (184), and WAR (8.5). Ruvalcaba added a .331 average and 56 home runs; both second in the league. Medellin’s Vennacio Rodriguez picked up Pitcher of the Year. The 29-year old Colombian righty had a 22-9 record and 2.54 ERA over 269.1 innings with 297 strikeouts and 8.5 WAR.

Both Divisional Series matchups went 3-1 with Ciudad Guayana downing wild card Valencia and Medellin scoring the road upset over Lima. This gave both the Mutiny and Giants their second Bolivar League Championship Series appearance in four years. Ciudad Guayana would cruise to the pennant 4-1, giving the 1974 expansion squad its second pennant (1984).



Recife matched its best record in its 16 year history, winning the North Division at 101-61 and posting the top record in Liga Cono Sur. The Retrievers ended a four year playoff drought and got their third berth of the 1980s. They had tough competition from Fortaleza (96-66), Belo Horizonte (90-72), and Brasilia (88-74). The Foxes ended up with their second playoff berth in three years. Sao Paulo’s playoff streak was extended to four seasons as they won the Southeast Division at 98-64. Rosario, the league runner-up last year, was 93-69, missing the division title by five games and the wild card by three. Two-time defending league champ Concepcion fell off from 102 wins to only 84, but their 84-78 record allowed them to win a weak South Central Division. The Chiefs got their fourth straight playoff berth and fifth in six years. Santiago was three back at .500 and Cordoba was five behind for the division.

Veteran first baseman Emanuel Ajanel won the MVP for Rosario, having joined the Robins as a free agent that offseason. The 35-year old Argentine lefty had a banner year, leading in runs (108), home runs (54), RBI (129), total bases (392), slugging (.653), OPS (1.024), and wRC+ (202) with 9.1 WAR. While Ajanel had been a solid slugger previously, he had never led the league in anything prior to 1989.

Ajanel managed to take the MVP over Fortaleza’s Caco Gallegos despite a record setting season. He set a single-season record with 257 hits in 1989, topping his own BSA record of 240 from the prior year. Gallegos’ mark was a world record, besting Franco Gilbert’s 254 the prior year in the EBF. This stood as the Beisbol Sudamerica hits record until 2018 and is still third best in BSA as of 2037. Gallegos also had a .394 average, 46 doubles, 26 triples, and 9.4 WAR. He also posted a 35 game hit streak early in the season, the second-longest streak in BSA history to that point behind Remberto Borja’s 43 in 1955.

Sao Paulo’s Andres Ramirez won back-to-back Pitcher of the Year honors. The fifth-year Bolivian righty was the leader in wins (22-9), ERA (2.12), FIP- (66), and WAR (8.6). He added 314 strikeouts over 279.2 innings and was second in strikeouts in the league. It was a big gap though to strikeout leader Pepito Cortina of Rosario with 431. He became only the fourth BSA player to fan 430+ in a season, although it was the 15^th best season (Mohamed Ramos did it ten times and Lazaro Rodriguez did it thrice).

Despite their weak regular season record, defending league champ Concepcion got a road sweep of Sao Paulo in the divisional round. Recife downed division foe Fortaleza 3-1, setting up a rematch of the 1984 Southern Cone Championship. The 1989 final was an all-time classic that went seven games. The finale needed 15 innings for the Chiefs to earn a 2-1 road win over the Retrievers. Concepcion becomes the third Southern Cone team to three-peat as champs, joining Buenos Aires (1945-47) and Sao Paulo (four-peat from 1957-60).



It was the second time that Copa Sudamerica had two teams from the 1974 expansion facing off for the title, as Ciudad Guayana beat Recife in the 1984 edition. The Giants had the big advantage by record over Concepcion, but the Chiefs carried their playoff hot streak through to a 4-1 series win in the 59^th Copa Sudamerica. Concepcion is now two time cup winners, having also won two years earlier.



Other notes: Pasquale Martin became the eighth BSA batter to 600 career home runs. He also crossed 1500 RBI, the 14^th to do so. Carlos Rodriguez became the sixth to 400 career saves. Catcher Sancho Sanchez won his eighth and final Silver Slugger.

Rule changes made it so the 1980s were the highest scoring yet in Beisbol Sudamerica. The Bolivar League had a cumulative batting average around .258 and ERA of 3.66, while the Southern Cone was at 3.43 and .252. Both were considered around average for the overall history of baseball and compared to other leagues in the era. The 1990s would look similar in South America, followed by a jump to above average marks beyond that.

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The Capital Division was the Japan League’s strongest again in 1989. After taking second the prior year despite winning 98 games, 1987 EAB champ Chiba took the top spot at 96-66 for the best record in Japan. Kawasaki missed out at 91-71, as did defending JL champ Yokohama at 89-73. Osaka and Sapporo continued their holds on their respective divisions as both picked up a fifth consecutive division title. The Orange Sox were 95-67, nine games better than Nagoya in the Central Division. The Swordfish were 91-71 and the only winning team in the North Division. Hiroshima’s three-year West Division title streak was snapped the prior season by Kumamoto, but the Hammerheads returned to the perch in 1989. Hiroshima took it at 88-74, while the Monsters were 80-82.

The Japan League MVP and Pitcher of the Year both came out of Osaka. CF Yuma Akasaka was MVP as the 29-year old l posted 202 hits, 23 home runs, a .346/.388/.527 slash and 9.7 WAR. Akasaka also had a 36-game hitting streak, the fifth longest in EAB history. 28-year old lefty Rikiya Fujiwara was the pitching WARlord at 8.8 and led with 31 strikeouts. He added a 2.48 ERA and 19-9 record over 265.1 innings.

Both first round playoff series went all five games as Chiba outlasted Hiroshima and Osaka edged Sapporo. This gave the Comets their second Japan League Championship Series berth in three years, while it was the second in five years for the Orange Sox. Osaka would dominate the JLCS, defeating Chiba 4-1. It is the seventh pennant for the Orange Sox (1923, 25, 43, 46, 58, 85, 89).



Daegu had its first playoff berth in nine years with a 95-67 record to post the Korea League’s top record and win the South Division. Hamhung won the North Division at 93-69 for a third division title in four years. Seoul was second at 88-74, which earned the Seahawks the first wild card and their first playoff berth since 1981. The battle for the second wild card was a mess with three teams tying at 86-76; Incheon, Goyang, and defending EAB champ Jeonju. East Asia Baseball doesn’t use tiebreaker games and the tiebreaking formula gave the spot to the Inferno, giving them back-to-back playoff berths. Bucheon (85-77), Busan (84-78), Changwon (83-79), and Seongnam (81-81) were all right in the mix too. After winning 100+ games six times in the 1980s, Daejeon finished 79-83 for their first losing season since 1976.

Seongnam veteran first baseman Byung-Il Jun won his fourth Korea League MVP. He was the first player in EAB to reach 150 RBI in 20 years, while also leading the league in runs (116), hits (220), total bases (408), slugging (.641), OPS (1.042), wRC+ (176) and WAR (8.6). Jun was second in the league in both home runs (47) and batting average (.351). Second-year Incheon lefty Ha-Ram Lee was Pitcher of the Year, leading in wins (20-10), strikeouts (310), and WHIP (0.96). Lee added a 2.68 ERA over 255.1 innings with 6.5 WAR.

Daegu downed Incheon 3-1 in the first round of the playoffs and Seoul upset divisional foe Hamhung 3-2. This was the Seahawks’ first Korea League Championship Series berth since their 1979 title and the first for the Diamondbacks since their 1978 pennant. Daegu dominated Seoul 4-1 to earn the 11^th KL crown in franchise history, second to Pyongyang’s 13 pennants.



In a nice 69^th East Asian Championship, Osaka defeated Daegu 4-2 to give the Orange Sox five overall titles (1923, 25, 43, 85, 89). League MVPP Yuma Akasaka was also finals MVP, posting 27 hits, 6 runs, 3 doubles, and 11 RBI in 16 playoff starts.



Other notes: Nagoya’s My-Sung Jo struck out 17 with one walk in a no-hitter on July 3 against Saitama, tying the EAB record for most Ks in a no-hitter. Katsuo Nakayama became the 12^th pitcher to 4000 strikeouts. Sosuke Hoshizawa became the ninth EAB slugger to 700 career home runs. He’d play two more forgettable seasons to finish at 718, tied for seventh all-time. Yeo-Min Kwan won his ninth Gold Glove in left field and Tae-Won Ahn won his ninth in right. Seong-Jun Yeon won his eighth Silver Slugger at shortstop.

East Asia Baseball’s statistics stayed similar in the 1980s as they looked in the prior few decades. The Japan League had a 3.45 ERA and .250 average, a slight drop from the 1970s. The Korea League had a .261 average and 3.85 ERA; a slight bump upward. The KL was the second highest ERA of any world league in the 1980s behind only MLB’s American Association, although their numbers were merely above average in the greater historical context. The JL was slightly below average historically and right in the middle compared to other leagues in the 1980s. While other leagues will fluctuate more, EAB would stay largely consistent over the coming years.

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The battle for the best record in the Mexican League was also the battle for the North Division title. Hermosillo finished at 105-57, taking the spot by one game over 104-58 Monterrey. It was the sixth playoff berth for the decade for the Hyenas, who had missed the field in the prior two seasons. The Matadors were easily the wild card for back-to-back seasons. Defending ML champ Juarez was 82-80, placing them fifth in the division. In the South Division, 86-76 gave Guadalajara the crown for their first playoff berth since 1978. Puebla was second at 81-81 and defending division champ Ecatepec was 77-85.

Although 73-win Merida was a non-factor in the standings, their 3B Stephen Soriano picked up Mexican League MVP honors. The 28-year old Mexican righty led in home runs (55), walks (84), slugging (.610), OPS (.984), wRC+ (217), and WAR (9.8). Pitcher of the Year was Monterrey’s Juan Meza. The 27-year old lefty led in wins (24-5), WHIP (0.74), shutouts (6), and WAR (8.5). He also tossed a perfect game on July 9 with 12 strikeouts against Puebla. Meza added a 2.07 ERA and 357 strikeouts over 264.2 innings. The Matadors also had a notable season from Rookie of the Year Francklin Bonhomme, who became the fourth in ML history to win the award and post 7.5+ WAR. He had 44 home runs, 121 RBI, and 7.8 WAR in his debut.

By being the wild card, 104-win Monterrey had to travel to 86-win Guadalajara for the wild card round and begin with a one-game disadvantage. The Hellhounds used those perks to sweep the Matadors and earn their first Mexican League Championship Series appearance since 1978. They were no match for Hermosillo, who claimed the MLCS in five games. It was the fourth pennant of the 1980s for the Hyenas and the seventh in franchise history.



The Caribbean League had a shake up with three different playoff teams than the prior year. After missing the field the prior two seasons, Nicaragua took the Continental Division and had the CL’s best overall record at 97-65. It was their first division title since 1976. Costa Rica, the CABA champ in 1986 and 1987, bounced back from their 1988 miss and took the wild card at 90-72. Salvador and Honduras, playoff teams last year, dropped to 81 and 73 wins, respectively. Santo Domingo had won the Island Division from 1981-86, but had missed the postseason field in 1987 and 1988. The Dolphins were back on top in 1989 at 95-67. Haiti was a distant second at 84-78, while defending CABA champ Trinidad fell to .500.

Leading the Navigators effort was second-year center fielder Manuel Rodriguez, the Caribbean League’s MVP. The 23-year old Guatemalan lefty had the most homers (51) and added 107 RBI with 101 runs, a .939 OPS, and 8.9 WAR. Costa Rica’s Alexis Lagunes won Pitcher of the Year as the 29-year old Colombian lefty had the best ERA (1.98), WHIP (0.86), strikeouts (343), K/BB (10.1), quality starts (27), FIP- (57), and WAR (9.8). He had a 17-12 record over 268.2 innings. The highlight of his season was the 34^th CABA perfect game, thrown on May 6 with 14 strikeouts against Havana.

Santo Domingo swept Costa Rica in the wild card round to send the Dolphins to the Caribbean League Championship Series for the sixth time in the decade. For Nicaragua, it was their first appearance since 1977 and they had gone 0-7 all-time in their previous berths. At that point, Nicaragua and Bahamas were the only Caribbean League teams that hadn’t won a single league title. The Buccaneers at least had the excuse of being an expansion team, while the Navigators had failed in their first 78 seasons. Nicaragua finally secured its first pennant as they swept Santo Domingo.



In the 79^th Central American Baseball Association Championship, Hermosillo rolled Nicaragua 4-1, making the Hyenas three-time CABA champs (1947, 1983, 1989). LF Tony Galvan was the finals MVP, posting 11 hits, 3 runs, 3 doubles, 2 home runs, and 6 RBI in 10 playoff starts. It would be the last finals appearance until 2008 for the Hyenas, but their supporters fondly look back on the 1980s as the franchise’s best decade.



Other notes: Torreon’s Matias Flores set a CABA record for strikeouts in a regulation game, fanning 22 against Juarez on May 12. Nick Bermea had also reached 22 Ks in a 1918 game, but needed 14.2 innings to do it. Remarkably, CABA had four perfect games thrown in 1989, something that had never happened in any league. CL Pitcher of the Year Alexis Lagunes of Costa Rica did it first with 14 strikeouts against Havana on May 6. On June 16, it was Trinidad’s Julian Engel with nine Ks versus Guatemala. ML Pitcher of the Year Juan Meza was third with 12 Ks against Puebla on July 9. The fourth was Leon’s Yusuf Manto with 10 strikeouts against Guadalajara.

In milestones, Junior Vergara became the third pitcher to 4500 career strikeouts, finishing his final year with 4532. Vergara also ended with 123.7 WAR, second all-time only to Ulices Montero’s 165.6. Luis Feliz Brea became the 10^th to 4000 Ks and the seventh to 250 wins. It was also his final season and he ended at 107.6 WAR, retiring fourth among all CABA pitchers.

CABA’s 1980s offensive numbers dipped slightly from the prior decades, but were still viewed as average relative to other leagues. The Mexican League had a 3.24 ERA and .246 batting average, considered below average offense numbers on the greater historical scale. The Caribbean League was more generally average with a .253 BA and 3.60 ERA. Following the 1989 season, CABA opted to make some rules changes to boost offense and saw the CL numbers into the above average range and ML numbers the average range moving forward.

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For the first time since 1969, the New York Yankees earned a playoff spot. NY won the East Division at 100-62 and posted the top record in the entire National Association. Virginia Beach, the defending World Series champion, fell to third in the division at 85-77, two behind Baltimore. Brooklyn, the division champ last year, fell to 83-79. Hartford won the Northwest Division at 96-66, bouncing back after missing the field last year.

Chicago was also 96-66, earning the Upper Midwest Division for their third playoff berth in six years. Last year’s division winner Detroit dropped to 84 wins. In the Lower Midwest Division, Cincinnati took first at 92-70 to end a nine year playoff drought. The first wild card went to Ottawa, who won 107-55 games last year. The Elks finished 91-71 for their eighth playoff berth of the decade and were the only team from the 1988 NA playoff field to make it back in 1989. Kansas City at 90-72 took the second wild card, topping Winnipeg by one and both Milwaukee and Baltimore by three. It was the second playoff berth in three years for the Cougars. The 89-73 mark for the Wolves was a franchise-best so far in Winnipeg’s eight seasons.

Toronto was only three games above .500, but they had the National Association MVP in Elliott McKay. It was a rare MVP a catcher as the 27-year old from Asbestos, Quebec was the leader in OPS (.958) and wRC+ (193), adding 9.0 WAR, 38 home runs, and a .319/.381/.577. Pitcher of the Year was New York’s Benjamin Justinussen, a 26-year old righty from the Faroe Islands. He was the leader in ERA (1.76), WHIP (0.80), shutouts (9), and FIP- (55). Justinussen’s WHIP mark set a single-season MLB record that held until 2000 and his ERA mark was the fifth lowest to that point in MLB history. He only had 24 starts with 184 innings, a 16-5 record, 223 strikeouts, and 7.1 WAR. A strained hamstring cost Jusinussen seven weeks of the season. His standout effort came on July 2 with a 16 strikeout, one walk no-hitter against Wichita.

In the first round of the playoffs, Cincinnati ousted Ottawa 2-1 and Hartford topped Kansas City 2-1. Both second round series ended up in sweeps as New York took care of the Reds, while the Huskies upset Chicago on the road. For the Yankees, it was their first National Association Championship Series appearance since their 1968 pennant, while Hartford was making their third appearance in six years. However the Huskies hadn’t taken the top honors since 1950. Hartford prevailed 4-1 in the NACS to win the franchise’s fifth pennant (1916, 20, 48, 50, 89).



Phoenix had the best record in the American Association at 101-61, giving them their third consecutive Southwest Division title and seventh playoff berth of the decade. Atlanta, who had the top record last year, was the second winningest AA team at 97-65, earning a third straight Southeast Division. Their divisions had the wild cards with Tampa (95-67) and Los Angeles (94-68) getting the spots. The Thunderbirds snapped a two-year playoff drought and the Angeles ended a seven game skid.

Defending American Association champ Edmonton and Denver both finished 93-69, tying them for the Northwest Division title and putting both teams one short of the second wild card. In a one-game playoff, the Dragons eliminated the Eels and earned back-to-back playoff berths. Calgary entered the season with the longest active playoff streak in MLB at six seasons, but saw it ended after finishing 86-76. The South Central Division title went to Austin for back-to-back seasons. The Amigos set a new franchise-best at 95-67, eight games ahead of second place Memphis.

American Association MVP went to fourth-year Los Angeles LF James Franco. The 23-year old lefty from Inglewood, California was the leader in runs (117), hits (235), total bases (373), average (.373), OBP (.429), OPS (1.021), and wRC+ (175). He added 23 home runs, 112 RBI, and 8.3 WAR. Pitcher of the Year went to Aiya Kodama, the seventh of his career but first in MLB. He signed a five-year, $7,800,000 deal with Denver for 1989 after a decade of dominance in Japan with Hiroshima. Kodama set a still-standing MLB record with 318 innings pitched and was the leader in wins (24-9), WHIP (0.93), and quality starts (29). He added a 2.29 ERA, 277 strikeouts, 10.5 WAR, and a no-hitter in September against Miami.

Austin ousted Los Angeles 2-0 and Denver dropped Tampa 2-0 in the first round of the playoffs. Both the Dragons and Amigos carried momentum into round two upsets with Denver over Phoenix 3-1 and Austin over Atlanta 3-0. It was back-to-back American Association Championship Series appearances as an underdog for the expansion Amigos, while it was the first since 1983 for the Dragons. Denver dominated the AACS and swept Austin, giving the Dragons their fourth pennant (1925, 38, 62, 89).



Entering the 89^th World Series, Denver had been 3-0 in their prior appearances while Hartford was 2-2. The series went all seven games and came down to the wire. The Dragons scored a run in the top of the ninth inning to ultimately win game seven 4-3, becoming four time MLB champions. Denver’s roster was notable in being very international, as they had signed award winners from other leagues like Kodama (Japan), SS Bernd Sprenger (Germany), and RF Haojian Yu (China).



Other notes: Dallas’ Segun William had a 34-hame hit streak. Connor Neumeyer became the 45^th MLB batter to join the 3000 hit club. Later in the season, Cade Parker became the 46^th and Lindsey Garcia the 47^th. Joziah Perry became the 18^th to reach 600 career home runs and also crossed 1500 RBI. Perry ended with 660 homers after retiring following the 1991 season, retiring tied for sixth on the MLB leaderboard. Christopher Sollinger won his record 15^th Gold Glove at third base. This matches fellow third baseman Dusty Knight as the most GGs for any player in MLB history at any position.

Major League Baseball had slight very slight drops in offense from the 1970s to the 1980s, although they were still very much in line with what MLB generally saw. The National Association had a 3.59 ERA and .250 batting average, considered statistically average on a historical perspective. The American Association had a .258 average and 4.00 ERA. This was the highest ERA of any league in the 1980s, but would be viewed as merely above average compared to the big offense numbers seen in other leagues in the 21^st Century. MLB would largely stay in the same range offensively with slight decreases, followed by a big bump from rule changes in the 2020s.

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First Baseman Sawyer Williams was the lone inductee for Major League Baseball’s 1990 Hall of Fame classic, getting the first ballot nod at 77.0%. Two other guys nearly got in on their debut, but fell just short of the 66% requirement. LF Tim Morgan received 64.7% and closer Dominic Thurman got 63.3%. Two other returners were above 60% on their eighth tries with 2B Bobby Davis at 61.8% and C Gavin Geogham at 60.8%. Three others were above 50% with C Russ Spratt at 58.7% on his fifth try, CL Angel Kiernan at 53.0% in his fourth, and C Earl Tucker at 50.2% on his eighth ballot.



One player fell off the ballot after ten failed tried in pitcher Dale Conrod. He pitched 17 seasons primarily with Kansas City with a 198-171 record, 3.45 ERA, 3422.1 innings, 3309 strikeouts, 802 walks, a 86 FIP-, and 70.0 WAR. Conrod did lead in strikeouts three times, but he was never an award winner and his 105 ERA+ suggests more sustained above averageness. The voters agreed, he never got higher than his debut at 17.2%, although he managed to never fall below 5% to stay on the ballot.



Sawyer “Trooper” Williams – First Base – Tampa Thunderbirds – 77.0% First Ballot

Sawyer Williams was a 6’3’’, 200 pound left-handed first baseman from Arlington, Virginia; a city within metropolitan Washington, D.C. The city is known for hosting The Pentagon and Williams’ nickname “Trooper,” comes from his family’s military background. He was a very solid contact hitter that was excellent at avoiding strikeouts and good at drawing walks. Williams wasn’t a prolific slugger, but still got you around 25 home runs and around 35 doubles/triples per season on average. He also had deceptively decent speed for a guy of his frame. Williams was a career first baseman and viewed as a firmly below average defender. He also made about 1/6 of his starts as a designated hitter with a small few in right field. Williams was one of the most durable of his era, starting 105+ games every year for 21 years. That and his tireless work ethic helped make him a fan favorite.

Williams went to college at Mississippi State won a Silver Slugger as a sophomore. In 146 college games, he had a .323/.396/.551 slash, 183 hits, 90 runs, 29 home runs, 93 RBI, and 8.2 WAR. This made him one of the best hitting prospects in the 1963 MLB Draft and Tampa picked him eighth overall. He was immediately in the lineup regularly with 118 starts, 138 games, and 4.3 WAR to push him to 1964 Rookie of the Year honors. He was a regular for the struggling Tampa franchise for seven seasons, which was surprisingly his longest tenure of his 21 year career.

In 1968, the Thunderbirds snapped a nearly decade long playoff drought, falling in the American Association Championship Series. This was Williams’ best year, earning his only MVP and his first Silver Slugger. He led the AA in total bases (352) and posted a career high 6.3 WAR. This was his only time in his career as a league leader in any notable stat, as he was more about sustained solid quality. He’d win Silver Slugger again in 1969 with career bests in home runs (34), RBI (139), and batting average (.348). Williams wouldn’t win the award again for the rest of his career, nor was he ever a MVP finalist again.

For his Tampa tenure, Williams had 1323 hits, 676 runs, 172 home runs, 709 RBI, a .325/.389/.525 slash, and 31.7 WAR. It was a nice tenure and he’s popular with Thunderbirds fans, but it wasn’t notable enough to get his jersey retired. At age 28, Williams was eligible for free agency and decided to leave Florida. He found a buyer in Seattle, signing an eight-year, $2,640,000 deal. Williams only played five seasons with the Grizzlies, but provided the steady production that was expected of him.

Seattle made the playoffs in 1973, 1974, and 1975; but got no deeper than the AACS in the latter two years. Williams had strong playoff numbers with 35 hits, 15 runs, 4 home runs, 11 RBI, and 1.0 WAR. Sadly, 1975 would be the last time he’d get to play in the postseason. In total with the Grizzlies, Williams had 946 hits, 513 runs, 116 home runs, 492 RBI, a .315/.371/.511 slash and 22.5 WAR.

Williams opted out of his remaining seasons on his Seattle contract and at age 33, went up the road to Vancouver on a five-year, $2,750,000 deal. He ended up with four seasons as a Volcano and was still steady, albeit slightly worse from age. Williams had 12.8 WAR, 681 hits, 357 runs, and 83 home runs in Vancouver. The signing didn’t get the Volcanoes over the hump and he failed to meet the vesting criteria in his contact, making him a free agent after the 1979 season at age 37. Williams signed with Memphis for 1980 and had his best season since his 20s with 5.2 WAR.

Next, Williams spent 1981 and 1982 with Charlotte. He was still a decent starter with the Canaries, but didn’t have the power you’d often expect from the position. He carried on and played two more seasons with Oakland, although Williams had fallen to below average by then. Notably with the Owls, he became the 11^th batter to reach 3500 career hits. He retired after the 1984 season at age 41.

Williams final stats: 3655 hits, 1928 runs, 615 doubles, 100 triples, 458 home runs, 1887 RBI, 1215 walks, a .306/.368/.489 slash, 131 wRC+, and 75.6 WAR. His longevity allowed him to quietly climb leaderboards and at induction, he was fifth in games played (3122), fourth in hits, fifth in runs scored, second in doubles, and 11^th in RBI. As of 2037, he’s still fifth all-time in hits, tenth in runs scored, and third in doubles. There were detractors though who dismissed Williams as a compiler, pointing to his lack of black ink and his low WAR and wRC+ totals. Still, there is value in longevity and sustaining respectable play and that value earned Williams a first ballot selection at 77.0% as the lone member of MLB’s 1990 Hall of Fame class.

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Third baseman Odisseus Toribio was the only inductee in 1990 for the Central American Baseball Association Hall of Fame. Toribio earned a first ballot nod with 92.2%. Only two other players were above 50%, both at 52.9%. CF Wilmer Mora was on his third ballot and closer Leo Otero was in his ninth.



One player was dropped after ten ballots in closer Rodrigo Montero. He had a 15-year career split between CABA and MLB, winning Reliever of the Year twice with 295 saves, a 2.39 ERA, 847.2 innings, 992 strikeouts, and 24.1 WAR. Those tallies would be very borderline even in total, and that was his full career including four seasons in MLB. Still, Montero managed to get 44.1% on his debut before ending at 7.6%.



Odisseus “Thrash” Toribio – Third Base – Torreon Tomahawks – 92.2% First Ballot

Odisseus Toribio was a 5’11’’, 200 pound right-handed third baseman from Santiago; the second largest city in the Dominican Republic. Toribio was a terrific leadoff hitter with excellent contact skills and speed. He was outstanding at avoiding strikeouts and putting the ball in play, but he very rarely drew walks. Toribio wasn’t just a singles slap hitter, as he averaged around 25-30 doubles and another 25-30 triples per season. This gave him a solid slugging rate despite generally hitting single-digit home runs per season. Toribio was quick and a very smart baserunner who was successful on 70% of his steal attempts. He was a career third baseman who also made about ¼ of his starts as a designated hitter. Defensively, he was viewed as below average, but not abysmal.

Toribio attended a prospect camp in Santiago as a 16-year old in 1965 and was noticed by a scout from Torreon. The expansion Tomahawks were only a few years into existing at this point, but they thought Toribio had potential to be a great player down the road. They signed him and put him into their developmental academy, where he stayed until debuting with some pinch hit appearances in 1969 at age 20. Toribio was a part time starter the next season, then took over the full-time job in 1971. That year was his first of four straight Silver Sluggers.

With the Tomahawks, Toribio led the Mexican League four times in hits, three times in triples, three times in stolen bases, four times in batting average, once in OBP, and once in WAR. He very nearly took home an MVP in this stretch, taking second in 1973 and third in 1974. Both of those seasons saw 9+ WAR. After the 1974 season, he signed a five-year extension with Torreon for $1,694,000 and seemed to be the future of the young franchise. He was also a regular for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Championship, playing 102 games from 1970-84. In the WBC, Toribio had 92 hits, 49 runs, a .251/.296/.387 slash, 41 stolen bases, and 1.3 WAR.

Toribio missed nearly two months with back spasms in 1975, but bounced back with a strong 1976. This got Torreon to its second-ever playoff appearance, falling in the Mexican League Championship Series to Guadalajara. He surprised the Tomahawks though by opting out of the remaining three years of his deal, becoming a free agent at age 28. With Torreon, Toribio had 1339 hits, 589 runs, 185 doubles, 173 triples, a .352/.373/.537 slash, and 48.1 WAR. Despite the short tenure, he was one of the franchise’s first stars and Toribio’s #39 uniform would later get retired. He was also the first player to be inducted wearing the cap of an expansion franchise.

Toribio was feeling homesick and returned to his hometown of Santiago. He also cashed in as the Sailfish inked him to an eight-year, $3,026,000 deal. His debut season there saw him moved to DH and he led the Caribbean League in hits and triples. More back problems cost him much of 1978, but he was so good even in only 95 games that he won his fifth and final Silver Slugger. The back spasms were a recurring issue for the rest of his career and he’d miss a few weeks in each of the next four seasons. Toribio still led the league in triples twice, but his overall production and power declined a bit.

Still, Toribio was a solid starter and a hometown favorite in Santiago. He cemented his status as a favorite in 1979 as the Sailfish posted their first playoff berth in a decade. They went on a run and won the CABA Championship with Toribio earning CLCS MVP. In 10 playoff starts, he had 16 hits, 9 runs, 2 doubles, 3 triples, 2 home runs, 7 RBI, and 5 stolen bases.

The Sailfish dropped to 88 wins the next year, then were at the very bottom of the standings throughout the early 1980s. Toribio had his last full-time season in 1983, then found himself on the bench in 1984. He wasn’t re-signed when his contract was up with Santiago and no one picked him up in 1985. Toribio retired that winter at age 37. With the Sailfish, he had 1177 hits, 512 runs, 163 doubles, 155 triples, a .327/.344/.504 slash, and 27.8 WAR.

For his full career, Toribio posted 2516 hits, 1101 runs, 348 doubles, 328 triples, 112 home runs, 894 RBI, a 5.5% strikeout rate, 920 stolen bases, a .340/.359/.521 slash, 151 wRC+, and 75.9 WAR. At induction, the only CABA Hall of Famers with a better batting average was the legendary Prometheo Garcia and Kiko Velazquez. He didn’t have the longevity to rack up big accumulations and it wasn’t often easy for leadoff guys with low home run and RBI numbers to get noticed. To his advantage, Toribio was sixth all-time in triples and 15^th in stolen bases at induction. His popularity with both his hometown franchise and a new franchise helped and Toribio got in on the first ballot fairly easily with 92.2% of the vote as the lone 1990 CABA inductee.

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Three players earned a spot in the East Asia Baseball Hall of Fame with the 1990 ballot. RF Takuya Yamada was the undisputed star of the group with a 98.1% first ballot selection. SP Sohichiro Nakano also earned a first ballot nod, although he sat at 74.6%. The third member was RP Kyeong Pyo, who narrowly crossed the 66% requirement with 69.7% in his fifth attempt. SP Ho-In Koh barely missed out on being a first ballot selection himself at 64.0%. One other was above 50% with SP Kunizo Tsuda at 58.0% in his second ballot. No players were dropped after ten tries.



Takuya “Tornado” Yamada – Right Field – Seoul Seahawks – 98.1% First Ballot

Takuya Yamada was a 6’2’’, 175 pound right-handed right fielder from Kitakami, a city of around 90,000 people in Japan’s Iwate Prefecture. Nicknamed “Tornado,” Yamada was a solid contact hitter with very reliable power. He averaged around 30-40 home runs per year along with around 40 doubles/triples per season. He was above average at drawing walks, although a bit below average at avoiding strikeouts. Yamada had nice speed, but he was a surprisingly poor baserunner despite being considered generally intelligent. Yamada exclusively was a right fielder and was viewed as consistently good defensively, although he never won a Gold Glove largely due to being a contemporary of 13-time Gold Glove winner Hyeog-Jun Wi.

Yamada shined at Yamagata Chuo High School, which got many teams in Japan wanting to convince him to skip college and go pro. One of those was Sapporo, who selected Yamada third overall in the 1966 EAB Draft. He signed on the dotted line and made his debut with 6 plate appearances in 1968. The next year, he became a part-time starter, then a full-timer afterward. From 1970-1983, he started 145+ games in all but one season, earning an ironman stature.

Yamada would league the league with 38 doubles in his first full season and was a very good starter in his first few seasons. He’d start to get notice as an elite player in 1973 and in 1974, he finished second in MVP voting with the batting title (.355) along with career highs in WAR (10.1), and runs (124). Sapporo made the playoffs in 1972 and 1974 after struggling throughout the 1960s, but Yamada couldn’t get them to the pennant. He was very solid again in 1975 and 1976, but the team regressed towards the middle of the standings. With the Swordfish, Yamada finished with 1194 hits, 604 runs, 225 doubles, 196 home runs, 608 RBI, a .299/.354/.538 slash, and 44.1 WAR.

Sapporo seemed committed to Yamada and signed him to an eight-year, $3,478,000 contract extension just before the start of the 1976 season. Four months later, they got an offer they couldn’t refuse from Seoul, who was trying to make a push to snap their nearly three decade playoff drought. Yamada was traded for 1B Danjuro Yoshida, pitcher Dong-Hyeon Yu, and 3B Kansuke Ota. Those three, Ota especially, ended up as important contributors in helping the Swordfish become a regular playoff team throughout the 1980s.

Seoul inherited a big contract, but they felt Yamada was worth the investment. They were right as he won five Silver Sluggers from 1977-82. His power picked up and he led the Korea League three times in total bases, twice in slugging, and twice in RBI. Yamada was third in MVP voting in 1977, then won the award for the only time in 1978. He was second in MVP voting in 1980 and third in 1981. In 1980, he posted a career best 50 home runs and led the KL in runs, RBI, total bases, and WAR.

Most importantly, Yamada’s success helped Seoul snap a playoff drought dating back to 1951. They made the playoffs three times from 1978-81 with two North Division titles. In 1979, the Seahawks won the East Asian Championship and Yamada was integral, winning finals MVP. In that run, he made 15 playoff starts with 19 hits, 16 runs, 9 home runs, and 20 RBI. His role in bringing Seoul a ring made him popular for many years after with Seahawk fans and was a big reason why his #44 uniform was retired by the team. In total with Seoul, Yamada had 1477 hits, 800 runs, 253 doubles, 297 home runs, 892 RBI, a .319/.376/.609 slash, and 55.1 WAR.

The Seahawks would be decent, but miss the playoffs in Yamada’s final seasons there. His last year there in 1984 was plagued by an oblique strain that knocked him out nearly three months. Yamada’s contract ended after this season and at age 37, he was a free agent for the first time in his career. It was hard to pass up the allure of MLB money and he signed a three-year, $3,820,000 deal with Phoenix. This would nearly triple his yearly earnings from his top salary with Seoul.

Yamada really didn’t live up to the price tag with the career .300+ hitter only batting .235. He was a starter and earned a World Series ring in 1985 with the Firebirds, although Yamada posted negative WAR in his 16 playoff starts. Phoenix kept him a starter for part of 1986, but he’d miss the second half to injury and finish the year in minor league Tucson. The Firebirds cut him and Yamada ended up in an odd spot to finish his career, going to Russia with Irkutsk. He made a couple starts in 1987 with the Ice Cats and was a full-time bench piece the next year with forgettable results. Yamada technically signed late in 1989 with minor league Raleigh, but never played a game there and retired at age 41.

For his EAB career, Yamada had 2671 hits, 1404 runs, 478 doubles, 167 triples, 493 home runs, 1500 RBI, a .310/.366/.576 slash, 162 wRC+, and 99.2 WAR. He wasn’t at the very top of the leaderboards, but he quietly had reached 15^th all-time at induction in batting WAR. Yamada was popular and his role in Seoul’s 1979 championship season was a clincher. The voters felt “Tornado” was an easy choice, putting him in on the first ballot at 98.1%.



Sohichiro Nakano – Starting Pitcher – Kobe Blaze – 74.6% First Ballot

Sohichiro Nakano was a 6’2’’, 205 pound right-handed pitcher from Ni****ama, a district within the Tokyo Metropolis. Nakano was a well-rounded pitcher with solid stuff, control, and movement. His velocity peaked in the 98-100 mph with a five pitch arsenal of led by a splitter and a cutter, plus a forkball, curveball, and changeup. Nakano mixed them well, making him hard to solve. He was considered a very good defensive pitcher and won Gold Gloves in both 1975 and 1976. Nakano’s stamina wasn’t amazing, but perfectly acceptable. It would be injuries that would prevent him from reaching his fullest potential.

Nakano was arguably the top college prospect entering the 1971 EAB Draft after his run at Toyo University in Kawagoe. Chiba would pick him second overall in the draft and immediately throw him into the rotation full time. Nakano struggled in his rookie season, but found his groove as an average starter in the next three years. He only ultimately played four years for the Comets with a 45-53 record, 3.84 ERA, 941.2 innings, 910 strikeouts, and 20.0 WAR. Chiba was still a crappy team at that point and Nakano hadn’t turned into the lights out ace they had expected from the #2 overall pick.

After the 1975 season, Nakano was traded to divisional foe Tokyo for SP Pijon Ono and SS Ji-Hun Kangjon. It all clicked for him with the Tides, as Nakano led the Japan League in back-to-back seasons. He took second in Pitcher of the Year voting in 1976, then won the award in 1977 with an outstanding 1.42 ERA and 26-4 record with a league-best 9.9 WAR. At that point, that was the sixth lowest ERA in a season in EAB history and tied for the second most wins. It also earned him a third place in MVP voting. The highlight of the season was a 12 strikeout no-hitter against his former team Chiba.

Nakano’s productive also started to improve in the World Baseball Championship for Team Japan. From 1974-84, he had a 3.59 ERA over 133 innings with a 10-5 record, 154 strikeouts, and 2.1 WAR. Tokyo made the playoffs both years he was there and Nakano had a solid 2.66 ERA over 23.2 innings. However, the Tides couldn’t claim the league title. In his Tokyo stint, Nakano had a 1.75 ERA, 44-11 record, 468.1 innings, 541 strikeouts, and 16.5 WAR. That excellent run allowed Nakano to enter free agency at age 28 with teams expecting an elite ace.

Kobe signed Nakano to a seven-year, $2,884,000 deal. It would ultimately be his longest run and the hat he wore into the Hall of Fame. It had a rough start with severe shoulder inflammation costing him more than half of his debut 1979 season. Nakano bounced back with solid 1979 and 1980 efforts, earning third in Pitcher of the Year in 1979 and second in 1980. He never reached the dominance of his peak run, but he was a solid arm that helped Kobe win four division titles to start the 1980s. Nakano stunk in the playoffs with the Blaze though with a 5.68 ERA over 38 innings.

A triceps injury cost him a chunk of 1981, which was a very middling year statistically. He bounced back with a solid 1982, but suffered a torn labrum at the start of the 1983 season. Nakano returned in 1984 and was iffy in 58.2 innings before tearing the labrum yet again, this time forcing his retirement at only age 34. With Kobe, he had a 72-51 record, 2.87 ERA, 1130.2 innings, 1121 strikeouts, and 23.9 WAR.

For his full career, Nakano had a 161-115 record, 3.03 ERA, 2540.2 innings, 2572 strikeouts to 409 walks, 219/336 quality starts, a 78 FIP-, and 60.5 WAR. He was popular and really rode the wave from that 1977 season into being viewed as more impressive than the stats indicate. His accumulations are on the lower end of Hall of Fame pitchers, although there were voters who gave him a break based on what could have been if not for the injuries. Some baseball scholars argue that Nakano is among the weakest first ballot guys in EAB’s Hall of Fame, but regardless, he earned that distinction at 74.6%.



Kyeong Pyo – Closer – Busan Blue Jays – 69.7% Fifth Ballot

Kyeong Pyo was a 6’0’’, 195 pound right-handed relief pitcher from Sonsan, a large village of around 20,000 people in central South Korea. Pyo was a hard thrower with 98-100 mph peak velocity with a one-two punch of a terrific cuter and decent sinker. He had good stuff despite his movement and control being considered above average at best. Pyo was a good defensive pitcher with great durability and stamina for a reliever. Pyo would get criticized though for a perceived lack of work ethic and thick-headedness.

Busan signed Pyo as a teenage amateur in 1959 at age 16. He made his debut in 1965 at age 22 and moved into the closer role for the next six seasons with the Blue Jays. These were his most impactful seasons, finishing second in Reliever of the Year voting twice (1968, 1971) and third in 1967. After a more than 20 year playoff drought, Busan won the EAB Championship in 1971. Pyo played a big role in that postseason with four saves and a 1.00 ERA over nine innings. In total with the Blue Jays, he had 214 saves and 241 shutdowns, a 1.99 ERA, 534.2 innings, 601 strikeouts, and 15.3 WAR.

Coming off this high, Pyo decided to leave Busan and sign a three-year, $668,000 deal with Seoul. This started a journeyman phase for Pyo, who was disappointed by generally not being used as a closer. He had the role in 1973 with the Seahawks, but saw somewhat limited use otherwise decent but far from outstanding results. Pyo was traded at the deadline in 1974 to Daegu, who ended up winning the Korea League title that year.. He pitched 19 innings without allowing an earned run for the Diamondbacks, but got rocked in two postseason appearances.

Pyo was a free agent again at age 32 and signed a three-year deal with Goyang worth $800,000. He was used as middle relief and a setup man with the Green Sox, posting a 2.40 ERA, 12 saves, 39 shutdowns, and 3.1 WAR in that run. Pyo then signed with Suwon in 1978 and got one last shot at the closer job, becoming the 17^th EAB reliever to 300 career saves. He went back to Seoul in 1979 and was part of their EAB Championship roster, although he wasn’t used in the playoffs. Pyo was cut after the 1980 season and found work in Russia for 1981 with Ufa. The Fiends cut him in September and he signed with Kazan later that month, although he wasn’t used. After going unsigned in 1982, Pyo retired at age 39.

For his EAB run, Pyo had a 2.21 ERA over 1005.2 innings, 308 saves and 386 shutdowns, 1114 strikeouts, 216 walks, and 25.1 WAR. By raw stats, he’s one of the least impressive members of the EAB Hall of Fame, but the voters had been closer friendly with two other guys getting inducted even with lower WAR totals. 300 saves wasn’t a guarantee, but it got you a look with EAB’s deciders. Pyo debuted at 58.% and got to 64.2% in his third ballot, but a drop to 42.0% on the fourth try made many think he’d be destined to the Hall of Good. On the fifth attempt, Pyo got the bump to 69.7% to secure a spot in the EAB Hall of Fame as the third member of the 1990 class.