Baseball: The World's Game

[FuzzyRussianHat]

The 1990 Beisbol Sudamerica class was an impressive one with three players getting first ballot inductions with the lowest at 89.0%. OF Celso Galo had the highest mark at 98.4%, followed by SP Santiago Veliz at 93.7% and SP Bernardo Pinheiro at 89.0%. Another pitcher, Manuel Gonzalez, got 57.1% on his tenth and final chance. The only other player above 50% was 1B Cy Cavazos at 51.2% in his seventh attempt.



For Gonzalez, he had a 15 year career with Santiago and won four titles with the Saints. He spent a stretch of his early career as a reliever, finishing with a 150-92 record, 114 saves, 2.36 ERA, 2101 innings, 2487 strikeouts, 332 walks, a FIP- of 66 and 61.1 WAR. The rate stats are solid, but he didn’t have the innings to rack up the accumulations and suffered some major injuries in his 30s. Gonzalez debuted at 47.5% and hovered roughly around that range, although his case got more traction later on. In his ninth try, he was tantalizingly close at 64.7%, but that’s as close as he got, forever banished to the Hall of Very Good.

Also dropped after ten tries was Julen Angel, a third baseman with 18 years between Cordoba, Lima, and Recife. He won six Silver Sluggers and an MVP and posted 2371 hits, 1071 runs, 488 doubles, 383 home runs, 1108 RBI, a .269/.320/.468 slash, 143 wRC+, and 100.4 WAR. Defense helped him accumulate WAR and he’s one of only 36 batters as of 2037 to make triple digits in BSA, but he didn’t have the sexy accumulations to get noticed. Angel peaked at 38.0% on his second ballot and ended at a low of 13.4%.



Celso “Yogi” Galo – Outfield/First Base – Rosario Robins – 98.4% First Ballot

Celso Galo was a 6’2’’, 205 pound left-handed hitter from Uruacu, a small town of 40,000 people in the central Brazilian state of Goias. Nicknamed “Yogi,” Galo was one of the all-time great contact hitters in Beisbol Sudamerica history. He was decent at drawing walks and pretty good at avoiding strikeouts in his prime. While not a prolific home run hitter, Galo did lead the league once and posted four seasons with 40+ dingers. He averaged around 30-35 doubles/triples per season as well and had respectable speed.

Despite decent speed, Galo’s range wasn’t great and he had a noodle arm. He played center field for the first chunk of his career and was considered a terrible defender. He was moved to right field for the second chunk and wasn’t good there either, but he caused less damage. Galo finally ended up at first base some in his later years, ultimately playing about 1/5 of his starts there with an even split for the rest between CF/RF. His bat was too good to leave out of the lineup and the Southern Cone League didn’t have a designated hitter. Galo still provided stellar value as an ironman who played 140+ games every year from 1965-1977. When he was done, he was a very popular baseball figure within Brazil.

Despite his popularity in his home country, Galo’s signature and first professional run was in Argentina. He was spotted as a teenager by Rosario, who signed him at age 16 in 1959. Galo’s official debut was 1963 with 46 games and five starts, but he wasn’t ready at that point. After spending 1964 in the developmental system, Galo became a full-time starter in 1965 and made his case by leading the league with 47 doubles.

Galo would find himself on the leaderboards multiple times in his decade with the Robins. He won four batting titles, led in slugging thrice, OPS thrice, total bases thrice, and wRC+ thrice. Galo also led in hits twice and once in runs, home runs, RBI, and WAR. He had seven seasons worth 7+ WAR and three times reached double-digits even with his negative defensive value. Galo won eight Silver Sluggers, seven with Rosario (1966-71, 73). He also was a regular for Brazil in the World Baseball Championship, playing 182 games with 162 starts from 1966-81. He posted 170 hits, 106 runs, 54 home runs, 115 RBI, and 7.8 WAR.

Galo won MVP honors in 1969 and 1971, while taking third in 1970, third in 1972, and second in 1973. In 1968, he had the strange distinction of finishing outside the top three in MVP voting despite posting the eighth Triple Crown by a BSA hitter, although his 39 home run, 97 RBI, .327 mark was far from his most impressive year. 1969 was a banner year with career and league bests in hits (225), total bases (389), OPS (1.078), wRC+ (248), and WAR (12.0). This year also had a career best 45 home runs and a league best in the triple slash. You could not deny that Galo was one of the finest hitters in the game at this point.

However, he never played a single playoff game with Rosario. The Robins had a few winning seasons in the late 1960s, but they were no match for Santiago within the South Division. By the 1970s, Rosario had fallen to the very bottom of the standings. At this point, Galo was in his early 30s and was weighing his future. In total with Rosario, he had 2039 hits, 922 runs, 339 doubles, 356 home runs, 923 RBI, 313 stolen bases, a .333/.381/.585 slash, 201 wRC+, and 85.2 WAR. The franchise would later retire his #44 uniform and he would remain a Robins icon years later.

However, in the summer of 1975, it was clear his time in Rosario was coming to an end. Galo had signed an eight-year, $1,408,000 contract extension after the 1968 season. After winning only 56 games in 1974, the Robins explored trade options and ended up moving Galo and a pitcher to Rio de Janeiro for five prospects. The Redbirds were making a push at a playoff spot and succeeded, although they were denied in the LCS by Buenos Aires. Galo decided to sign a five-year extension and hitch his wagon to Rio.

They wouldn’t make the playoff again in his tenure despite posting winning records. Galo lost half of 1978 a torn ACL, but came back with his best season with Rio in 1979, posting career bests in batting average (.385) and OBP (.426). This earned him his lone Silver Slugger with the Redbirds and a second place finish in MVP voting. Injuries cost him part of 1980, but he was still solid at age 37. In total with Rio, Galo had 960 hits, 467 runs, 148 home runs, 497 RBI, a .357/.409/.589 slash, 187 wRC+, and 36.6 WAR.

The allure of MLB money came calling and Galo signed a three-year, $2,620,00 deal with St. Louis. He ended up being a merely average starter in his one full season with the Cardinals. He played only 7 games at the start of the 1982 campaign before being released, although he did get sent a World Series ring as the Cardinals won it all that winter. He was back in Brazil almost all of 1982 though, signing with Recife in early April. With the Retrievers, he became the fourth BSA batter to 3000 career hits. Galo had a decent 1982 season, but spent his final two seasons with Recife as a bench player. He retired after the 1984 season at age 41.

Galo’s final BSA numbers: 3182 hits, 1467 runs, 516 doubles, 526 home runs, 1506 RBI, 759 walks, 403 stolen bases, a .337/.387/.576 slash, 193 wRC+, and 126.1 WAR. At induction, he was seventh among BSA batters in WAR, third in hits, and tenth in runs. Galo also had the best batting average of any BSA Hall of Famer at induction, although he’d fall out of the top 10 in later years as offensive numbers increased across the board. Galo was easily one of the finest pure hitters of his era and an easy first ballot choice at 98.4%.



Santiago “Trigger” Veliz – Starting Pitcher – Bogota Bats – 93.7% First Ballot

Santiago Veliz was a 6’4’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from San Gil, a town of around 50,000 people in northeastern Colombia. Nicknamed “Trigger,” Veliz had strong stuff with good movement and decent control. He had 97-99 mph peak velocity with a filthy slider that he mixed with a sinker and splitter. Veliz had great stamina in his prime, leading in complete games twice and innings pitched once. He would receive criticism though with some detractors saying he was lazy and dumb. Although that may have kept him from his ceiling, Veliz put together a fine career regardless.

Veliz was a top Colombian baseball prospect ahead of the 1968 BSA Draft, but he was still considered a bit raw at that point. Bogota took a chance on him with the 14^th overall pick and he’d spend his entire run with the Bats. They didn’t debut him though until 1971, where he was used in a relief role. Veliz was a full-time starter the next year with middling results.

1973 is when he emerged as an ace, leading in wins and complete games that year. Bogota won the Bolivar League title for the first time since 1951, falling in Copa Sudamerica to Cordoba. Veliz was a beast in the playoff run with a 0.37 ERA over 24.1 innings, earning LCS MVP honors. 1973 also marked his first of 11 editions with Colombia in the World Baseball Championship. In his WBC career, Veliz had a 3.18 ERA, 13-8 record, 195 innings, 251 strikeouts, and 5.5 WAR.

1974 was shaping up to be a career year, but various injuries cost him more than half the season. The next year, he seemed to regress a bit, but Veliz bounced back with his lone Pitcher of the Year in 1976. He led in wins (23-10), and innings (285), while posting a career best 317 strikeouts plus 8.7 WAR. He had a good 1997, then a great 1978 that saw him take second in Pitcher of the Year voting with a career best 8.8 WAR. Veliz again seemed primed for a career year with his start to 1979, but a strained forearm knocked him out for eight weeks.

Bogota hadn’t made the playoffs since their 1973 BL title, but they had gotten close with 90+ win seasons in 1978 and 1979. The Bats extended Veliz on a six-year, $2,584,000 deal in hopes he’d help take them to the next level. They won 104 games in 1981 and Veliz was second in Pitcher of the Year voting, but he struggled in two playoff starts with a 5.68 ERA and Bogota was upset by Quito in the BLCS.

1982 was another year for Veliz with time lost to various injuries. The Bats were just outside the playoff picture again this year and in 1983. He had a near full season in 1983, but suffered a catastrophe that September with a torn flexor tendon. Veliz attempted a comeback and pitched 45 innings in 1984, but it was clear his days as an ace were finished. He was able to hit the 200 win milestone at least. Veliz retired that winter at age 35 and Bogota immediately retired his #15 uniform.

Veliz’s final stats: 201-115 record, 64 saves, 2.73 ERA, 2758.2. innings, 2876 strikeouts, 581 walks, 212/327 quality starts, 166 complete games, 77 FIP-, and 66.3 WAR. He seemed on the cusp a few times of really becoming something special, but injuries seemed to pop up at the worst times. Still, he managed fairly solid totals despite not making it to 3000+ innings like most BSA Hall of Famers. Playing with one franchise and getting a league title with them helped win over the few doubters and Veliz secured a first ballot induction at 93.7%.



Bernardo Pinheiro – Starting Pitcher – La Paz Pump Jacks – 89.0% First Ballot

Bernardo Pinheiro was a 6’0’’, 175 pound left-handed pitcher from Sao Jose dos Campos, a city of around 730,000 people within Brazil’s Sao Paulo state. Pinheiro was a master at changing speeds, giving him strong stuff despite only having 92-94 mph peak velocity and slightly below average movement and control. His eephus-like changeup was a 10/10 with even the best batters flailing miserably against it. Pinheiro also had a fastball, slider, curveball, and forkball. He had excellent stamina and durability, pitching 240+ innings in all 14 of his full seasons.

Pinheiro was a top Brazilian pitching prospect and was picked 12^th overall by Brasilia in the 1967 BSA Draft. Most forget that the Bearcats picked him since every inning of his career came with La Paz. After sitting in the developmental roster for the first year and a half, Brasilia traded him in the summer of 1970 to the Pump Jacks for pitcher Ignacio Valle. Pinheiro made nine starts that fall and showed flashes of potential, earning a full time rotation spot the next season.

Pinheiro didn’t lead the league very often, but he was steady. He had the most quality starts in 1972 and 1973 and in the latter year, led in strikeouts for the only time in his career. Pinheiro still posted nine seasons with 300+ strikeouts, although he’d have some issues with allowing home runs and walks. Pinheiro never won the top award, taking third in Pitcher of the Year in 1973 and 1974 with a second place in 1982. In 1974, he had an impressive 21 strikeout game against Lima, making him the fourth pitcher in BSA history to fan 21+ in a game.

After their 1940s dynasty, La Paz had fallen into irrelevancy and posted a 29-year playoff drought. They finally saw success with four straight playoff berths from 1976-79, winning the Bolivar League title in 1979. Pinheiro was a big part of that run with a 1.88 ERA in 24 innings that season. For his playoff career, he had a 2.47 ERA over 62 innings with 64 strikeouts; oddly enough posting a much better playoff ERA than his regular season career ERA. Pinheiro’s playoff success was a large reason La Paz later retired his #33 uniform.

He carried on into his 30s, posting one of his best seasons in 1982 at age 34. He regressed a bit in the next two years, a consequence of growing old. Pinheiro became the 21^st pitcher to reach 4000 career strikeouts. He wanted to be the tenth to 250 wins, but his subpar 1984 led Pinheiro to opt for retirement instead after that season at age 37.

Pinheiro’s final stats: 241-173 record, 3.11 ERA, 3843.1 innings, 4255 strikeouts, 868 walks, 321/475 quality starts, 182 complete games, 91 FIP-, and 68.0 WAR. The advanced stats aren’t as high on him even with his high strikeout total and innings. Not many guys who made the BSA Hall of Fame had an ERA above three. But Pinheiro’s changeup was legendary, plus he had big playoff moments and got bonus points for staying with one team for his run. On his debut ballot, Pinheiro got 89.0% and rounded out the solid three-man 1990 Hall of Fame class.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

The European Baseball Federation had a fine 1990 Hall of Fame class consisting of three guys receiving above 90% in their ballot debuts. Pitcher Alejandro Canas was close to unanimous with 99.0%. Fellow pitcher Elfar Freyr Finsen got 95.1% and right fielder Monte Montanez earned 90.9%. 1B Alex Zonneveld very nearly made it a four-player class on his third ballot, but was just short of the 66% requirement at 62.5%. The only other player above 50% was SP Ugo Musacci at 50.5% in his fifth try.



The lone player dropped after ten ballots was RF Edin Janezic, who played 14 years with Vienna. He had 1934 hits, 1192 runs, 326 doubles, 140 triples,, 426 home runs, 1169 RBI, a .279/.340/..550 slash and 74.2 WAR. He was also a solid playoff performer during Vienna’s sustained success, but Janezic didn’t have the big totals or awards to get across the line. He debuted at 37.0% and got as high as 54.5% on his eighth ballot, ending at 48.5%.



Alejandro Canas – Starting Pitcher – Barcelona Bengals – 99.0% First Ballot

Alejandro Canas was a 6’1’’, 195 pound right-handed pitcher from Zamora, a city of around 61,000 in northwestern Spain. In his prime, Canas’ stuff was rated 11/10 along with solid control and decent movement. He had 98-100 mph velocity on his cutter and was a master at fooling you with his curveball and forkball. While he didn’t throw a ton of complete games, Canas was quite durable and tossed 200+ innings for 13 straight seasons to start his career. He was a great defensive pitcher and won a Gold Glove in 1975. Some said Canas lacked hustle, but that didn’t stop him from dominating and becoming a beloved Spanish baseball figure.

Canas left Spain for the college game in England at the University of Oxford, posting a 1.27 ERA and 16-1 record in only two college seasons. It was clear that he was a can’t miss star and Barcelona selected Canas with the #1 overall pick in the 1967 EBF Draft. He was immediately a starter for the Bengals and by his second year was also a starter for Spain in the World Baseball Championship. He made 33 WBC appearances from 1969-82 with a 3.65 ERA, 177.1 innings, 287 strikeouts, and 4.3 WAR.

Canas had some control issues as a rookie, but sorted it out in year two and became unhittable. He led each season from 1969-74, plus 1976; in both ERA and WHIP. In this stretch, he had a sub-two ERA five times and sub 0.80 WHIP six times. 1974 had his lone career no-hitter in a blistering 18 strikeout game against London Canas had 9+ WAR seven times in that stretch and had 350+ strikeouts six times, leading the Southern Conference in 1971. Despite that, he only won Pitcher of the Year twice, taking it in 1972 and 1974. He took second in 1969, 1970, 1971, 1975, and 1976; while taking third in 1973.

This was the curse of sharing the Southern Conference with some all-timers. In his early years, Canas was behind Malta’s Ugo Musacci, who won four straight from 1967-70. After Musacci left for MLB, Canas then was foiled by Zurich’s Jean-Luc Roch. Roch won the award eight times and is often considered the EBF’s greatest pitcher. Roch also had the benefit of the Mountaineers winning numerous conference titles in his run, while Canas’ Bengal teams were often stuck in above average tier. During his ERA title streak, Barcelona only made the playoffs once with a one-and-done in 1973.

Canas didn’t lead in ERA again after 1976, but he arguably got better as his strikeout numbers and innings increased. 1977-80 each saw 400+ K seasons, including conference bests in 1978 and 1979. His 454 Ks in 1978 was a new EBF record and only one pitcher ever did better in Lindsey Brampton, who passed that mark five times in the 1990s. Canas also incredibly had 13+ WAR in three consecutive seasons with his 13.7 WAR standing as the second-best ever in EBF history. As of 2037, EBF pitchers have hit 13+ WAR only nine times; and Canas did it twice.

Would you believe that he didn’t win Pitcher of the Year any of those seasons? He was third in 1977, second in 1978, second in 1979, and third in 1980. 1979 would give Canas something Roch never got despite numerous conference titles. Barcelona won the Southwest Division that year at 98-64 and went onto to win the European Championship. In the playoffs, Canas had a 2.48 ERA over 29 innings with 39 strikeouts.

Fans often debated who would end up at the top of the leaderboards between Canas and Roch going into their 30s. Canas was the first to reach 5000 strikeouts in 1981, something Roch did two years later. But in that 1981 season, Canas suffered a ruptured finger tendon that cost him three months. He had one year left on a seven-year extension he had signed before the 1976 season, but Barcelona surprised many by buying out the final year. At 35 years old, Canas was a free agent for the first time.

Some teams were worried that his injury and age meant that Canas had peaked. MLB’s Montreal was willing to spend big though, signing Canas to a three-year, $2,850,000 deal. He gave the Maples innings in 1982 and 4.5 WAR, but his strikeouts were down and he had a dead-average 100 ERA+. Montreal moved him out of the rotation in early 1983 and Canas eventually was diagnosed with bone chips in his elbow, ending his MLB run. Now 37-years old, Barcelona signed him on a two-year deal hoping for a farewell tour for a franchise legend. Canas only mustered 15 relief innings in 1984 and retired that winter at age 38. The team would immediately retire his #46 uniform and he’d forever be beloved in Barcelona.

For his EBF and Barcelona career, Canas had a 236-116 record, 2.08 ERA, 3248.1 innings, 5071 strikeouts, 637 walks, 345/432 quality starts, a FIP- of 47, ERA+ of 166, and 137.0 WAR. As of 2037, only two qualifying starters have a better career ERA. At induction and as of 2037, Canas was third in pitching WAR behind only Roch (151.4) and Armando Rojas (141.7). He retired second in strikeouts and remains third as of 2037. He’s also the all-time EBF leader in H/9 (5.57), WHIP (0.82), opponent average (.177), opponent OBP (.223), opponent slugging (.288), and opponent OPS (.512). Canas still often is overshadowed by Roch in the debates of EBF’s GOAT pitcher as Roch had more awards, more playoff success, and higher accumulations. But the rate stats make the case that Alejandro Canas deserves consideration when arguing about EBF’s all-time best pitcher.



Elfar Freyr Finsen – Starting Pitcher – Glasgow Highlanders – 95.1% First Ballot

Elfar Freye Finsen was a 6’2’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland. Finsen would be the first Icelandic Hall of Famer and the first major baseball star from the island. He had great movement and very good control, allowing Finsen to thrive despite having merely above average stuff. His velocity peaked at 94-96 mph with a three-pitch arsenal of fastball, curveball, and changeup. Finsen had excellent stamina and durability with 250+ innings each year from 1974-86. He was considered a great defensive pitcher, winning three Gold Gloves in the 1980s. Finsen was intelligent and well liked at each of his stops, while becoming popular back home as Iceland’s face of baseball.

Being in Iceland, there wasn’t a huge amateur circuit and despite his talent, Finsen wasn’t at the top of draft lists in 1972. That year, Glasgow selected him with the first pick of the fifth round, 130^th overall. The Highlanders used him as a reliever with okay results as a rookie, then moved him into the rotation in year two. By his third season, Finsen emerged as a legitimate ace, taking second in Pitcher of the Year voting.

Finsen’s rise coincided with Glasgow’s rise, as they won six straight British Isles Division titles from 1976-81. Finsen led in wins four straight seasons while leading twice in complete games. He had six seasons worth 7+ WAR in Scotland, peaking at 10.3 WAR in 1979. It was 1977 that was Finsen’s lone Pitcher of the Year win in EBF, although he was second in 1975, 1976, and 1979 with a third in 1978 and a third in 1979’s MVP voting. In 1976, Glasgow claimed the European Championship. In the playoffs with the Highlanders, Finsen posted a 2.87 ERA over 106.2 innings with 94 strikeouts and 3.4 WAR.

After winning it all in 1976, Glasgow couldn’t get over the hump in their next five playoff appearances, falling twice in the conference final. Finsen signed a three-year extension after the 1978, but that left him a free agent after the 1981 campaign. Finsen surprised many by not staying, although he was still a very popular figure in Scotland for years to come and his #6 uniform would be retired later.

Perhaps most surprising is where he left for. The 1980s marked the first time that EBF players were allowed to leave for Eurasian Professional Baseball and vice versa. Largely for political reasons, it would rare to see anyone in their prime switch between the two. Plus, those who left Europe usually did for the allure of MLB. But Finsen defected for EPB and moved to Belarus, signing a six-year, $4,080,000 deal with Minsk.

The Miners had won the European League the prior season and had historically been a dominant franchise. With Finsen, they won six straight North Division titles, making three conference finals berths and winning the Soviet Series in 1985. Finsen’s most impressive seasons by WAR came with Minsk, posting three straight 10+ WAR seasons to start his run. He was the 1982 and 1984 European League Pitcher of the Year and was third in 1984 MVP voting. Finsen also won three Gold Gloves (1982, 1984, 1986).

Finsen was an even better playoff pitcher in Belarus than he was in Scotland, posting a 1.78 ERA over 96.1 innings with a 6-1 record, 101 strikeouts, and 3.6 WAR. By rate stats, he was better with Minsk than Glasgow, although his totals were lower. Finsen posted a 113-52 record, 1.99 ERA, 1623 innings, 1568 strikeouts, 211 walks, 157/189 quality starts, 60 FIP-, and 54.4 WAR. (You could argue he had an outside shot at an EPB Hall of Fame induction, although OOTP removes you from the ballot of other leagues once you’re inducted somewhere)

Finsen’s Minsk contract expired after the 1987 season and he was a free agent again at age 38. His resume earned him the MLB payday with Charlotte at $1,640,000 per year, more than double his peak $680,000 with Minks and his peak of $670,000 with Glasgow. Finsen wasn’t outstanding in 1988, but he gave the Canaries respectable innings. His strikeouts plummeted though and he was terrible the next season with a 6.43 ERA. Finsen would retire after the 1989 season at age 39.

Finsen’s final stats for his entire pro career: 297-151 record, 2.49 ERA, 4252.1 innings, 3810 strikeouts, 709 walks, 380/507 quality starts, 257 complete games, 71 FIP-, and 117.7 WAR. That line is a lock for the Hall of Fame combined, but his EBF tenure was to be judged just on his Glasgow time. There, he had a 168-70 record, 2.49 ERA, 2265.1 innings, 2116 strikeouts, 407 walks, 203/267 quality starts, 118 complete games, 75 FIP-, and 58.4 WAR. It is incredibly impressive considering that was only over eight years as a starter. Finsen might have been right among the top of the leaderboard had he stayed in EBF, but his run in Glasgow alone was enough for the voters. Finsen got in on the first ballot at 95.1% as Iceland’s first Hall of Famer.



Monte Montanez – Right Field – Madrid Conquistadors – 90.9% First Ballot

Monte Montanez was a 6’2’’, 195 pound right-handed right fielder from Valencia, Spain’s third largest city located on the eastern coast. Montanez made his name as a great home run hitter, averaging 45 homers per year in his run. He also had good gap power with solid speed and baserunning instincts, making him a rare player to have more triples in his career than doubles. Montanez was only an okay contact hitter and he struck out a lot, although he did draw walks at a respectable clip. He was a career right fielder and was a bit below average defensively, although not terrible by any stretch. He was a hard worker and fairly durable, making him a very popular figure in Spanish baseball.

His entire pro career was within his home country, although he did leave for the University of Oxford in England for College. Madrid picked Montanez second overall in the 1967 EBF Draft, The Conquistadors used him sparingly in his first two seasons, primarily as a pinch hitter. Montanez became a full time starter in his third year and earned an all-star selection, although he missed much of the second half to a strained MCL.

His first full season was 1971, where he won his first of five Silver Sluggers and took third in MVP voting. Montanez posted four consecutive seasons worth 8+ WAR with 40+ home runs and won additional Sluggers with Madrid in 1972, 73, and 74. He was third in MVP voting again in 1972 and second in 1974, ultimately never winning the top accolade. Montanez led the Southern Conference and had career highs in 1974 with 54 home runs, 120 runs scored, and 391 total bases. He also was the RBI leader in 1972 with a career best 128.

Madrid would make the playoffs thrice in this tenure with division titles in 1971, 72, and 74. He had 6 home runs, 11 runs, 12 hits, and 11 RBI in the 1974 playoff run, but the Conquistadors were denied in the conference final. Montanez also began playing for Spain in the World Baseball Championship in 1970, becoming one of Spain’s favorite sons. From 1970-84, he had 133 games with 120 hits, 97 runs, 56 home runs, 110 RBI, and 7.6 WAR. Coming off a career best season, Montanez left Madrid at age 29 with the hopes of a big payday. He got it from Seville, who signed him on a seven-year, $2,814,000 contract.

Montanez had a great debut season with the Stingrays with 49 home runs and 7.8 WAR despite missing six weeks to injury. He regressed a bit in 1976, then won his fifth Silver Slugger in 1977. Montanez won Conference Championship MVP in 1977 as Seville got to the finale, falling in the European Championship to Rotterdam. In five seasons with the Stingrays, Montanez had 653 hits, 486 runs, 231 home runs, 516 RBI, a .251/.327/.611 slash and 31.9 WAR.

Two years after their conference title, Seville had plummeted to only 64 wins. Montanez opted out of the final two years of his contract, but decided to stay in Spain. He signed a four-year, $2,420,000 deal with Barcelona at age 34. The Bengals had won the European Championship in 1979, but they wouldn’t make the playoffs in his tenure. He missed half of 1980 to a torn groin muscle, but was healthy the next two years with diminished, but still decent production. With Barcelona, he had 318 hits, 226 runs, 90 home runs, 222 RBI, and 12.4 WAR.

A free agent again for 1983 at age 37, Montanez decided to return where he started with Madrid. He had a solid return season with 47 home runs, his highest since 1979. The Conquistadors earned the wild card, but were ousted. His production fell off in 1984 and a strained MCL knocked him out for the second half. Still, Montanez crossed 600 home runs, the third EBF batter to do so. He retired after the season at age 39 and Madrid honored him by retiring his #9 uniform. Over his two stints with the Conquistadors, Montanez had 984 hits, 654 runs, 284 home runs, 733 RBI, a .270/.336/.615 slash, and 45.7 WAR.

For his entire career, Montanez had 1955 hits, 1366 runs, 254 doubles, 259 triples, 605 home runs, 1471 RBI, 463 stolen bases, a .259/.330/.601 slash, 166 wRC+, and 90.0 WAR. He was one of a small group of EBF Hall of Famers to not reach 2000 hits and his batting average is the worst of any EBF Hall of Famer as of 2037. However, he made his hits count as 57% of his career hits were for extra bases. His power tallies would be overshadowed on the leaderboards, but Montanez was undoubtedly a top-tier slugger and a favorite of the Spanish baseball fan, earning him a first ballot induction at 90.9% to round out EBF’s 1990 class.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

Two pitchers earned spots in the Eurasian Professional Baseball Hall of Fame in the 1990 voting. Closer Sergiu Onisie grabbed a first ballot spot with 86.5%. Joining him was starter Serhiy Belov, who finally crossed the 66% requirement with 71.2% on his sixth ballot. SP Maksim Ekstrem was close on his second try, but short at 60.1%. Also above 50% was 1B Bartlomiej Tarka with a debut of 58.9%.



Dropped after ten ballots was closer Joachim Kohut, who had a 16 year career with ten different teams. He had a 1.45 ERA, 359 saves and 448 shutdowns, 1089.2 innings, 1719 strikeouts, 57.4 WAR, and two Reliever of the Year awards. His stat line was far more impressive than a lot of other relievers who got into other HOFs and his WAR was even around eight points better than Onisie, who got the nod. Kohut came very close with 60.5% in his debut, but fell down the ballot to only 14.7% by the end.

Also dropped was two-way player Elmar Petrov, who won the Asian League MVP in 1970. He had a 16-year career with seven teams, but was never a league leader statistically with his split duties. As a pitcher, Petrov had a 170-129 record, 2.83 ERA, 2791.1 innings, 2585 strikeouts, and 32.7 WAR. As a first baseman, he had 1252 hits, 608 runs, 277 home runs, 734 RBI, a .270/.317/.505 slash and 45.1 WAR. His combined numbers deserve a look, but being above average at both didn’t sway the voters, even despite winning three rings with three teams. Petrov debuted at 37.2% and had fallen to 4.6% at the end.



Sergiu Onisie – Closer – Tbilisi Trains – 86.5% First Ballot

Sergiu Onisie was a 6’4’’, 190 pound right-handed relief pitcher from Cornetu, a commune of around 7,000 people in southern Romania. Onisie had excellent stuff with great movement, although his control was subpar and he could be wild. His velocity peaked at 96-98 mph with a terrific slider and cutter, along with an occasional changeup. Onisie was a clubhouse captain that was greatly respected by his compatriots for his leadership, worth ethic, and intelligence.

Known relievers don’t often get picked high in the draft, but Onisie was an exception. Tbilisi selected him 18^th overall in the 1965 EPB Draft, although he wouldn’t debut until 1968 with limited appearances. He took over the closer role in 1969 and held it for the next seven seasons in Georgia. Onisie missed the second part of 1973 to a fractured elbow, but he had 30+ saves in each of the other seasons as the closer for the Trains.

1975 was his lone Reliever of the Year with a 0.88 ERA, 35 saves, 18-2 record, and 170 strikeouts over 91.2 innings with 6.6 WAR. He took third in voting in 1970, 71, and 72. Tbilisi had its first-ever sustained success with four straight playoff berths from 1972-76, although they only once got as far as the LCS. Onisie had a 2.84 ERA over 19 playoff innings with 31 strikeouts. In total with Tbilisi, he had a 1.34 ERA over 618.2 innings with 235 saves and 285 shutdowns, 971 strikeouts, and 33.7 WAR. Onisie also played for his native Romania in the World Baseball Championship from 1970-84. He was primarily a starter in the WBC with 150 innings, a 2.94 ERA, 229 strikeouts, a 10-7 record, and 4.9 WAR.

Despite his 1975 effort, Onisie was moved out of the closer role in 1976 and only pitched 40.1 innings that year. This led him to leave Tbilisi at the end of the season and enter free agency at age 31. He joined Moscow in 1977, taking second in Reliever of the Year voting with a league-best 34 saves. Onisie joined Almaty in 1978, but missed a chunk of the season to a strained shoulder. Next was two seasons with Ulaanbaatar, which included a third in Reliever of the Year voting in 1980.

The Boars traded him to Asagabat for the 1981 season, which was his last full-time season as a closer. Onisie’s ERA was above two for the first time since the start of his career and he wasn’t re-signed after one year with the Alphas. Moscow brought him back in 1982, but he was traded at the deadline to Bucharest. He finished the season with the Broncos as a closer with solid results. Onisie then signed with Kyiv for his final two seasons and earned a Soviet Series ring in 1983 as a setup man. He’d only see 4.1 innings the next year and retired that winter at age 38. Upon retirement, Tbilisi would opt to retire his #26 uniform.

Onisie’s final stats: 399 saves and 476 shutdowns, 1075 innings, 1614 strikeouts to 340 walks, a 45 FIP-, and 49.6 WAR. He was third all-time in saves at induction and still sits fourth as of 2037. This seemed to be the magic numbers for the EPB voters, plus Onisie was known as a clubhouse leader and standup guy. He got the first ballot nod at 86.5%.



Serhiy Belov – Starting Pitcher – Krasnoyarsk Cossacks – 71.2% Sixth Ballot

Serhiy Belov was a 5’11’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Biysk, a city of 210,000 in south central Russia not far from Kazakhstan’s eastern border. Belov had great control on his pitches with good stuff, although his movement was often subpar. His velocity on his fastball peaked at 96-98 mph and he mixed in a changeup, splitter, and cutter. Belov had excellent stamina, leaving the league in both innings pitched and complete games thrice in his career. Through the first decade of his career, Belov was a bit of an ironman with 11 straight seasons of 250+ innings pitched.

Belov was a top Russian pitching prospect out of the amateur ranks and was selected 11^th overall in the 1963 EPB Draft by Krasnoyarsk. He was a full-time starter immediately for the Cossacks and essentially never missed a start in his eight seasons there. Belov took third in Rookie of the Year voting in 1964, but regressed in his second season. He found consistency in year three and would post 6+ WAR and 300+ strikeouts in each of his remaining Krasnoyarsk seasons.

Belov would never be a Pitcher of the Year finalist and generally only led the league in innings pitched. Krasnoyarsk saw improvement over his tenure, but they never made the playoffs and merely were above average. Belov was steady and reliable though and the Cossacks would retire his #23 uniform at the end of his career. With Krasnoyarsk, Belov had a 130-125 record, 3.19 ERA, 2304.1 innings, 2544 strikeouts, 396 walks, 174/277 quality starts, 150 complete games, and 51.3 WAR.

At age 30, Belov entered free agency for the first time and ended up signing a five-year, $1,002,000 deal with Kazan. He would lead in WHIP in his debut season, his only time leading the stat in his career. Belov had three consecutive 5+ WAR seasons to start his Kazan run, although he’d never see the playoffs with them either. Injuries cost him large chunks of his final two seasons with the Crusaders, including a bone spur in his elbow in 1976. With Kazan, Belov had a 58-58 record, 2.80 ERA, 1072.1 innings, 1210 strikeouts, 159 walks, 84 FIP-, and 21.7 WAR.

Belov became a free agent again at age 35 and signed with Prague, giving them one average season. He went to Yekaterinburg in 1978, but a ruptured finger tendon cost him most of the season. Belov signed with Tbilisi in 1979, but suffered a torn labrum in his one start with the Trains. He opted to retire that winter at age 38.

Belov’s final stats: 206-200 record, 3.07 ERA, 3713 innings, 4011 strikeouts, 618 walks, 292/448 quality starts, 234 complete games, a 84 FIP-, and 76.7 WAR. He was the 11^th pitcher to 4000 strikeouts and the 24^th to reach 200 wins. But his ERA+ (102) suggested sustained averageness and he’d be the first EPB Hall of Famer with an ERA above 3.00. As of 2037, he has the worst ERA of any EPB Hall of Famer. His accumulations still were enough for many voters, as Belov was never below 50% in his six ballots. He debuted at 61.3% and got to 63.1% on his fourth try, although he fell to a low of 53.1% on the fifth ballot. With a fairly quiet 1990 group, Belov won enough over to sneak in with a sixth ballot induction at 71.2%.

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No players received an induction into the Oceania Baseball Association Hall of Fame in 1990 and none were above 50%. The highest debut was CF Kyle Jett at 39.0%.



The top vote-getter overall was RF Danny Carrott at 44.5%. This was his tenth and final chance. Carrott peaked at 57.0% on his fourth ballot and was a two-time MVP with six Silver Sluggers and two Gold Gloves in a 13-year career with Melbourne. Injuries and a sharp decline put Carrott out of the game by age 34 and kept him from the accumulations needed to get in. He led the league in home runs five times and had 1351 hits, 760 runs, 372 home runs, 853 RBI, a .247/.305/.512 slash, and 58.1 WAR. Carrott won two titles with the Mets as well and would’ve likely been a lock with a few more full seasons of stats, but alas.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

Pitcher Wisnu Dharmayuman was the lone inductee in 1990 to the Austronesia Professional Baseball Hall of Fame, getting a 96.0% first ballot nod. 1B Francis Pung barely missed the 66% threshold with 65.7% in his debut. SP Kai Diaz also had a strong showing, but missed out with 61.4% on his fifth attempt. Also above 50% were SP Ary Mustofa at 55.9% on his second attempt and 1B Po-Yu Shao at 51.0% for his third attempt.



Dropped after ten failed ballots was SP Ryan Aguinaldo, who was hurt by having his APB career begin at age 31. Still, in a decade he posted 61.7 WAR, a 150-136 record, 2.46 ERA, 2758.2 innings, and 2290 strikeouts. If he had all of his 20s, Aguinaldo probably has plenty of accumulations. But his tallies were too low and he didn’t have any big awards. He got as high as 54.5% on his seventh try, but ended at a low of 33.4%.

Another pitcher was dropped in Muljadi Suwandi, who also had lower accumulations from a debut at age 28. In a decade with four teams, he won Pitcher of the Year in 1968 and had a 138-93 record, 2.11 ERA, 2154 innings, 2637 strikeouts, and 68.4 WAR. Suwandi bounced in the 30-40% range his whole time on the ballot with a peak of 49.0% in 1987 and a finish of 33.1%.



Wisnu Dharmayuman – Starting Pitcher – Manila Manatees – 96.0% First Ballot

Wisnu Dharmayuman was a 6’2’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Lahat, a city of around 110,000 within Indonesia’s South Sumatra province. Dharmayuman had electric stuff with 99-101 mph peak velocity on his fastball mixed with a great slider, good sinker, and occasional changeup. He had good control in his prime, although his movement was generally considered below average. Dharmayuman had very good stamina when healthy, leading the Taiwan-Philippine Association twice in both complete games and innings pitched.

Dharmayuman was discovered as a teenage amateur by a scout from Manila, who signed him in the spring of 1965. He played his entire pro career with the Manatees, making his debut with a few appearances in 1969 at age 20. Dharmayuman emerged as a very solid starter in his second and third seasons. In 1970, Manila made it to the Austronesia Championship, falling in the final to Jakarta. Dharmayuman had a solid showing with a 2.31 ERA in 23.1 playoff innings, establishing himself as an ace.

1971 saw a no-hitter against Zamboanaga on May 16 with 13 strikeouts. He would suffer major injury setbacks though with a stretch elbow ligament after his second start of the 1972 season, putting him out ten months. Dharmayuman came back with an excellent 9.0 in his 1973 return, which led to Manila giving him a seven-year, $1,254,000 contract extension. They had another scare though as Dharmayuman suffered a torn flexor tendon in his elbow in the early summer of 1974.

Dharmayuman bounced back from that with the best season of his career, leading in ERA for the only time (1.57) and WAR (10.9). In 1975, hetied the single-game record in APB with a 21 strikeout game. This earned him second in Pitcher of the Year voting. It also started a streak of four seasons as the strikeout leader, peaking with 408 in 1978. In 1977, he threw his second no-hitter, fanning 12 against Davao. Dharmayuman was second again in Pitcher of the Year in 1976 and third in 1978. He also pitched from 1972-83 with Indonesia in the World Baseball Championship, posting a 4.01 ERA over 146 innings with 231 strikeouts and 2.6 WAR.

In 1980, Dharmayuman finally won Pitcher of the Year despite it being his worst WAR in a full season It was his second time though with a sub-two ERA and had a TPA-best 0.80 WHIP. This was Dharmayuman ‘s final great season thanks to a torn flexor tendon in June 1981. Despite his efforts, Manila missed the playoffs 12 straight years from 1971-82. They would finally get back in 1983, falling to Taoyuan in the Association Championship. Various injuries in these final years kept him from reaching 100 innings in any of last three seasons. He opted to retire after the 1984 campaign at age 36. The Manatees retired his #31 uniform that winter.

Dharmayuman’s final stats: 175-134 record, 2.29 ERA, 2995.1 innings, 4094 strikeouts, 264/351 quality starts, 185 complete games, 65 FIP-, and 89.8 WAR. He was the first APB pitcher to 4000 career strikeouts, although he’d get passed on the leaderboards by 23 other pitchers over the years in APB. Dharmayuman wasn’t appreciated perhaps as much as he should’ve been in his time being on middling Manila teams and injuries cost him the big accumulations. Still, he was firmly recognized still as one of the finest pitchers of his era, earning 96.0% as a first ballot Hall of Famer and the lone member of the 1990 APB class.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

The 1990 Hall of Fame class for Chinese League Baseball was the largest class to date in its short history. Three pitchers received first ballot selections, led by starter Zhijian Dong at 99.0%. Relievers Yongjie Xie and Mingxin Liang joined him with 94.4% and 80.5%, respectively. RF Xinze Yan came close to the 66% threshold with 61.0% in his debut. SP Lixuan Xiao was also above 50% with a 55.7% debut. No players were dropped after ten ballots.



Zhijan Dong – Starting Pitcher – Hong Kong Champions – 99.0% First Ballot

Zhijan Dong was a 6’0’’ 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Chengdu. Located in the center of the country, it is the fourth most populous city in China with nearly 21 million people. Dong had very good stuff with excellent control and above average movement. His fastball topped out in the 98-100 mph range and he mixed it with a splitter and curveball. Dong had terrific stamina, leading the league in complete games seven times in his career. He was a solid defensive pitcher with good intelligence and durability. Dong was also a respectable hitter who won five Silver Sluggers. He wasn’t a true two-way guy as he wasn’t used ever in the field, but Dong would get a number of pinch hit chances each year.

Dong was picked seventh overall in the 1970 CLB Draft by Hong Kong, which was the first rookie draft ever for Chinese League Baseball. He debuted with the Champions with a few starts and relief appearances in 1971. Dong was moved to the rotation full-time in year two and stayed in that role for the remainder of his career. It wasn’t until his fourth season that he became viewed as an ace, posting his first of ten seasons worth 7+ WAR. 1973 also was Dong’s first Silver Slugger, with the additional ones coming in 1976, 1977, 1978, and 1984.

In 1976, his sixth season, Dong won Pitcher of the Year for the first time. He posted a career and league best 1.39 ERA while also leading in strikeouts and WAR for the first time. The highlight of the season came on June 25 against Chongqing, striking out 12 in CLB’s fifth-ever perfect game. Dong was third in 1977 in Pitcher of the Year voting and threw his second no-hitter with 14 strikeouts and three walks versus Shenzhen. He then won POTY for the second time in 1978 with a second place in MVP voting as well. Dong went 27-3, setting a CLB single-season record for wins that still holds as the record in 2037. This season saw Hong Kong’s first-ever playoff run, making it to the China Series where they fell to Kunming. Dong had a 3.24 ERA over 25 playoff innings in the run.

That was ultimately Dong’s final season in Hong Kong, as he entered free agency at age 28. For his run with the Champions, Dong had a 128-78 record, 2.12 ERA, 1995.1 innings, 2089 strikeouts, and 48.3 WAR. He would remain extremely popular with HK fans and see his #2 uniform retired at the end of his career. Dong would sign a seven-year, $2,744,000 deal with Hangzhou for the 1979 season. That season also marked the start of his World Baseball Championship career, making 21 appearances from 1979-87 for China. He posted a 10-1 record, 2.78 ERA, 126.1 innings, 184 strikeouts, and 4.0 WAR.

Hangzhou had earned a playoff spot for the first time in 1978 and they hoped Dong would get them over the hump. He did just that, winning his third Pitcher of the Year in 1979 with a second place in MVP voting. Dong posted a career best in WAR (12.1) and led in strikeouts yet again with an 18.1 K/BB. In the playoffs, he had a 1.71 ERA and 3-0 record in four starts and 31.2 innings, helping the Hens to their first championship. They would make one more playoff appearance in 1981, although they lost in the semifinal.

Dong would be third in Pitcher of the Year voting in 1980, second in 1983, and third in 1984. He led in strikeouts three times with the Hens, giving him the lead six times in his career. He also led in K/BB four times, FIP- thrice, and WHIP thrice in his CLB run. In total with Hangzhou, Dong had a 112-53 record, 1.95 ERA, 1559 innings, 1965 strikeouts, and 51.4 WAR. By rate stats, he was better with the Hens than the Champions, but he had more innings with HK and ultimately wore their cap into the Hall of Fame. Fans of both franchises loved him though.

Dong was the first to a number of milestones in Chinese League Baseball. In 1982, he became the first 200 game winner and in 1984, he was the first to 4000 strikeouts. Dong did this by his age 33 season, but 1984 would be the end of his CLB run. He opted out of the final season of his Hangzhou deal and sought out MLB money. Cleveland signed him to a five-year, $6,400,000 deal, which saw his peak annual salary triple from $392,000 to $1,280,000.

Dong had a solid debut season for the Cobras, although back troubles cost him a month of the season. He led the National Association in innings pitched in 1986, but his production was more middling. Dong spent two more seasons with Cleveland and struggled with below average stats. Ultimately with the Cobras, he had a 38-50 record, 3.87 ERA, 806 innings, 532 strikeouts, and 11.5 WAR. With one year left on his deal, Cleveland cut Dong after spring training 1989. He went unsigned that year and retired in the winter at age 38.

For his CLB career, Dong had a 240-131 record, 2.04 ERA, 3554.1 innings, 4054 strikeouts to 609 walks, 322/410 quality starts, 207 complete games, 69 FIP-, and 99.6 WAR. As of 2037, he’s second all-time in wins, third in strikeouts, third in WAR, first in complete games, and third in innings pitched. Had Dong stayed for a few more years in China, he might be at the very top of the leaderboards. He also added 12.8 WAR at the plate in his career with a .276/.310/.421 slash and 130 wRC+. Dong was one of the first great aces in Chinese baseball and deserves mention in the CLB GOAT pitcher conversation. His Hall of Fame induction was obvious, getting in with 99.0%.



Yongjie “Claw” Xie – Closer – Changsha Cannons – 94.4% First Ballot

Yongjie Xie was a 5’11’’, 200 pound right-handed relief pitcher from Nanchang, a city of more than six million people in east China. Nicknamed “Claw,” Xie had an incredible one-two punch of a 98-100 mph fastball and a vicious curveball, giving him stuff rated 11/10. He had terrific movement on his two pitches and solid control. Xie was also very durable and considered an ironman. He was an outspoken player that you either loved or hated.

In the 1970 CLB Draft, Xie was picked with the first pick of the second round, 25^th overall, by Changsha. He debuted with some long relief and occasional starts in his first two years with the Cannons. Xie was moved to the closer role in his third season and would hold that role for the rest of his career in China. Xiv was second in Reliever of the Year voting in both 1974 and 1975, then won the award in both 1976 and 1977; posting 7+ WAR and sub-one ERAs in both seasons. 1977 also marked the start of his longest saves streak with 47 successful opportunities between August 1977 and April 1979.

1977 was Changsha’s first playoff appearance, making it to the China Series where they lost to Kunming. Xie had a 1.98 ERA over 13.2 playoff innings and eight appearances with 27 strikeouts. By then, he was also a regular for China in the World Baseball Championship. Xie was used both as a starter and reliever in the WBC from 1973-87 with 32 starts and 66 games. He had 249.1 innings, a 2.82 ERA, 21-10 record, 14 saves, 515 strikeouts, and 8.9 WAR. He was a finalist for WBC Best Pitcher in both 1981 and 1986 and earned a world title for China in the 1979 WBC.

The Cannons regressed in the 1978 season and ultimately fell below .500. They were sellers at the trade deadline and opted to move Xie. With Changsha, Xie had 218 saves and 303 shutdowns, a 1.51 ERA, 721.1 innings, 1230 strikeouts, and 39.5 WAR. The Cannons would ultimately retire his #31 uniform at the end of his career. Xie would become a journeyman mercenary from this point on, finishing out the 1978 season with Qingdao.

He entered free agency at age 28 and signed with Shenzhen for the 1979 season. This was perhaps his finest season with a career best 48 saves over 103 innings and 83 appearances, striking out 202 with 7.9 WAR. Xie not only won Reliever of the Year for the third time, but earned Pitcher of the Year honors as well. The Spartans earned their first-ever playoff appearance, but lost to Hangzhou in the semifinal. Xie left for Chengdu for 1980 and led in saves for the first time, getting his fourth Reliever of the Year with a second place POTY finish. The Clowns also earned their first-ever playoff berth, falling in the semifinal.

Xie went back to Qingdao in 1981 and won his fifth Reliever of the Year award, posting his fifth 7+ WAR season. He became a free agent again and was unsigned in 1982 as no team was willing or able to match his asking price. Xie returned to action in 1983 on a $328,000 deal with Beijing with an incredible 0.13 ERA in 70.1 innings. The Bears struggled though and traded Xie at the deadline to Harbin. He finished the season with career bests in ERA (0.44) and strikeouts (208). Xie won Reliever of the Year for the sixth time and was third in Pitcher of the Year voting.

Now 33-years old, Xie went to Chongqing for the 1984 season. He won a seventh Reliever of the Year and became the CLB all-time saves leader at 437. The Cavaliers made the playoffs, but fell in the semifinal. This would be Xie’s last playoff appearance and his final season in China. It wasn’t the end of his career though as he moved to EPB and Tajikistan, signing a two-year deal with Dushanbe.

Xie won Reliever of the Year in both seasons with the Dynamo, giving him nine awards between CLB and EPB. In 1986, he had a career-best 8.0 WAR with 48 saves and a 0.48 ERA. That earned Xie more attention outside of the East and he signed a two-year, $1,440,000 deal with MLB’s New Orleans. He had one respectable season with the Mudcats, but was traded that offseason to Austin. The Amigos cut Xie after spring training, but he signed with San Francisco weeks later. He spent 1988 in middle relief, then signed for 1989 with Washington. Xie made only five poor appearances before being cut by the Admirals. He finished out the season in minor league Dayton, then retired after the 1989 season at age 39.

For his entire pro career, Xie had a 1.34 ERA, 547 saves and 709 shutdowns, a 1.34 ERA, 1556.1 innings, 2727 strikeouts to 342 walks, a 20 FIP- and 214 ERA+, and 97.1 WAR. For just his CLB career, Xie had 437 saves and 582 shutdowns, a 1.20 ERA, 1227 innings, 2280 strikeouts, 272 walks, a 221 ERA+ and FIP- of 15, and 78.3 WAR. As of 2037, he’s still the CLB all-time saves leader, the leader in WAR for relievers, and leader in games. Xie is also the all-time CLB leader in H/9 (3.84), K/9 (16.72), WHIP (0.65), opponent average (.126), OBP (.185), slugging (.204), and OPS (.389). His accolades make him a top candidate for CLB’s all-time best reliever and his 97.1 WAR for his full pro career make him one of the most accomplished closers in baseball history. Xie earned a first ballot induction into the CLB Hal of Fame at 94.4%.



Mingxin Liang – Closer – Macau Magicians – 80.5% First Ballot

Mingxin Liang was a 6’2’’, 200 pound left-handed relief pitcher from Wuhu, a city of around 3,600,000 people in the eastern China province Anhui. Liang offered very good control with solid stuff and movement. His fastball only reached 92-94 mph, but he was excellent at fooling you with a great curveball. Liang had great stamina and reliability, leading the league in games pitched five times. He was quiet, humble, and hard working.

Liang was a second round pick in the 1971 CLB Draft, going 31^st overall to Macau. He debuted in 1972 with solid results split between long relief and starting. Liang took over the closer role in his second season with the Magicians and led the Southern League in saves, winning Reliever of the Year. He had a solid 1974, although he struggled a bit and lost the closer role in 1975. He would toss 5.1 scoreless innings in the postseason that year though, helping Macau make a China Series appearance.

Liang regained the role for the next two seasons to close out his Macao run. It was his longest tenure and the hat he wore almost by default at induction despite only pitching with the Magicians for five seasons. He posted 114 saves and 156 shutdowns, a 1.78 ERA, 450.2 innings, 543 strikeouts, and 19.3 WAR. Liang’s tenure ended just before the start of the season with a trade for three prospects that sent him to Kunming.

The Muscle had won 107 games the prior year, but lost in the semifinal. Liang would be the closer for a dynasty run as Kunming won the 1977 and 1978 China Series, while taking runner-up in 1979. Liang was second in Reliever of the Year voting in both 1977 and 1979. Over 30.1 total postseason innings, he recorded a 1.78 ERA with 10 saves and 34 strikeouts. In total with Kunming, Liang had 121 saves and 141 shutdowns, a 1.41 ERA, 267.1 innings, 348 strikeouts, and 12.4 WAR.

His last season with the Muscle saw a career and league-best 50 saves. That season was amidst a streak from August 1978 to April 1980 where he had 54 consecutive successful save opportunities. The streak ended with a new team in 1980 as the now 31-year old Liang signed with Foshan. He picked up his third ring, as the Flyers had an impressive turnaround season to take the 1980 title. Liang was third in Reliever of the Year voting and was a beast in the playoffs, throwing 11.1 scoreless innings with 20 strikeouts, six saves, and only three hits allowed.

Liang was a free agent again and spent the next two years with Chongqing, although he didn’t bring them the playoff success. In 1982, Liang won his second Reliever of the Year. He was traded that winter though to Harbin, where he spent his final two CLB seasons. Liang would finish third in Reliever of the Year voting in 1983. A free agent again in 1985 at age 36, Liang signed a two-year, $1,340,000 CABA deal with Guatemala. The Ghosts only used him once though before releasing him after the season. Liang signed for 1986 with Puerto Rico with limited use. He was briefly employed by both Nicaragua and Santo Domingo in 1987, but didn’t see the field. Liang retired that winter at age 39.

For his CLB career, Laing had 395 saves and 495 shutdowns, 1.71 ERA, 1128.2 innings, 1417 strikeouts to 204 walks, a 47 FIP- and 155 ERA+, and 47.7 WAR. Liang wasn’t as dominant as his HOF classmate Xie, but he retired third all-time in CLB saves and still holds that spot on the leaderboard. His playoff success was notable with three rings and 17 postseason saves, which was the CLB record at retirement and is still second as of 2037. Liang picked up the first ballot nod at 80.5% to round out the CLB 1990 Hall of Fame Class.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

West Africa Baseball inducted its second Hall of Fame member in 1980 as pitcher Jackson Manirakiza joined outfielder VJ Balogun. Manirakiza was a first-ballot pick at 80.1%. One other debutant, SS Joseph Amabne, was above 50% with 54.6%. CL Johnson Madu (48.6%) and CF Stephen Tshukudu (44.6%) also had respectable debuts. No players were dropped after ten ballots with the longest tenured being on his fourth try.



Jackson “Rainmaker” Manirakiza – Starting Pitcher – 80.1% First Ballot

Jackson Manirakiza was a 5’9’’, 195 pound left-handed pitcher from Muyinga, a city of around 100,000 in northeastern Burundi. Manirakiza wasn’t outstanding at anything, but was well rounded with respectable control, stuff, and movement. His velocity peaked in the 96-98 mph range with a five pitch arsenal of fastball, curveball, forkball, changeup, and splitter. Manirakiza was considered very durable, although his stamina was average. He was a solid defensive pitcher and was known as a very hard working and adaptable player.

When West Africa Baseball was officially formed for the 1975 season, Manirakiza was 25-years old and already somewhat established on the semipro ranks. The “Rainmaker” went to Nigeria and signed a five-year, $882,000 deal with Lagos to begin his WAB career. Manirakiza had a solid debut season, followed by a great second year with the Eastern League’s best ERA at 2.00. This earned a second in Pitcher of the Year voting. The season also saw a no-hitter with 19 strikeouts and one walk against Ouagadougou.

Lagos was a regular contender in the first decade of WAB and Manirakiza had an important role. His playoff stats were merely okay with a 3.77 ERA over 76.1 innings for a 3-6 record with 86 strikeouts and 1.1 WAR. The Lizards got to the championship in 1977, 78, and 79 and came away with the cup in both 78 and 79. In total with Lagos, Manirakiza had an 83-41 record, 2.72 ERA, 1082 innings, 1313 strikeouts, and 31.6 WAR. He would also wear the Lagos cap at induction, although his WAB career would be split almost evenly.

Manirakiza was a free agent after the 1979 title season at age 30 and signed a six-year, $1,544,000 deal with EL rival Kano. He led in WHIP in his first two seasons with the Condors and also led in both strikeouts and WAR in 1981. Manirakiza won his lone Pitcher of the Year in 1981 and would take third in 1983 voting.

Kano made the playoffs thrice in Manirakiza’s five-year tenure, getting to the championship but falling in 1984 to Nouakchott. In six playoff starts with the Condors, he had a 4.21 ERA over 36.1 innings. For his entire Kano run, Manirakiza posted a 2.70 ERA, 84-35 record, 1078.1 innings, 1171 strikeouts, and 24.8 WAR. His WAB run ended after the 1984 season as the Condors bought out the final year of his contract.

Now 35 years old, Manirakiza drew some international attention and signed a two-year, $1,560,000 deal in Mexico with Juarez. Despite being healthy, the Jesters only used him in relief over 8.2 innings, although they were scoreless. Juarez let him go and he played 1986 with Leon with only eight innings He did bank $700,000 though, which was more than double his best salary of $264,000 with Kano in the still fledgling WAB. Manirakiza would retire after the 1986 season at age 37.

Manirakiza’s final WAB stats saw a 167-76 record, 2.71 ERA, 2160.1 innings, 2484 strikeouts, 412 walks, 201/318 quality starts, 74 FIP- and 56.4 WAR. His stats wouldn’t be eye popping compared to some other Halls of Fame, but WAB would see fewer innings from its great starters due to play style. Manirakiza’s rate stats certainly would fit in on the later leaderboards and he was a solid pitcher for two successful early franchises, including a dynasty run for Lagos. The voters felt this resume made Manirakiza worthy of being WAB’s first Hall of Fame pitcher, getting in with 80.1% on his debut.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

In 1945, a political organization known as the League of Arab States was formed to try to increase relations and strengthen the counties in which Arabs formed a majority or plurality. As time passed, the Arab League was made up of most of the North African and Western Asian nations. It is certainly far from a perfect organization and many of the countries involved have had wars and conflicts with one another, but this bunching provided some existing framework for those who wanted to create a large baseball organization within this region.

As the 1980s came to a close, the Arab League area was one of the last major population centers that didn’t have a major baseball league within the Global Baseball Alliance. Efforts had been made by leaders throughout the region to grow the game and there were assorted semi-pro leagues and teams, but nothing coordinated. There were hopes though that even with the myriad of conflicts of the region that a multi-national league could be formed in a similar vein to Beisbol Sudamerica or the European Baseball Federation.

Eventually, enough leaders were able to make this a reality with what would be known as Arab League Baseball. In its original incarnation, ALB would have 24 teams split into two 12-team geographical conferences, each made up of three divisions of four teams each.

The Western Conference would have the Mediterranean Division made up of Algiers (Algeria), Casablanca (Morocco), Tripoli (Libya), and Tunis (Tunisia). The Nile Division had three Egyptian teams with Alexandria, Cairo, and Giza; along with Khartoum (Sudan). The Levant Division featured Amman (Jordan), Beirut (Lebanon), Damascus (Syria), and Jerusalem (Israel/Palestine). The Eastern Conference had the Gulf Division with Abu Dhabi and Dubai (United Arab Emirates), plus Kuwait and Doha (Qatar). The Saudi Division had Saudi Arabian teams in Jeddah, Mecca, Medina, and Riyadh. The Iraq Division saw teams from Baghdad, Basra, Mosul, and Sulaymaniya.



The original playoff formatting for ALB saw only the three division winners advance with the top seed getting a bye. The lower two seeds meet in a best-of-three first round hosted by the #2 seed with the winner advancing to a best-of-five conference championship hosted by the top seed. The two conference champs play in a best-of-seven for the Arab League Championship. ALB used the universal designated hitter as well as inter-conference play. Originally, ALB required nine years of minimum service time before free agency; the most restrictive of any of the GBA leagues. The first round of the rookie draft would have regional restrictions for teams, although the other two rounds would be open. ALB only had a three-round draft, smaller than the five rounds of most other leagues. Teams would primarily focus their efforts on scouting discoveries and signing young players prior to them becoming draft eligible. Statistically, ALB would have scoring considered fairly average, although it would evolve into one of the highest scoring environments in the world. The inaugural season for ALB would be 1990.

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The 1990 World Baseball Championship was the 44^th edition of the event and returned to the United States for the first time since 1978 as San Antonio served as the primary city. Despite being at home, the Americans suffered a rare exit in Division 1. Singapore took first at 7-2, finishing one ahead of the Americans and two better than four other nations. This was the first-ever division title for the Singaporeans and only the seventh time that the US didn’t get at least to the elite eight. In Division 2, Switzerland won at 7-2, besting both Argentina and Belarus by one game. It is the fourth division title for the Swiss, although all of their previous titles were back in the 1950s. China was a lackluster 4-5 in D2, extending their postseason drought to six seasons.

In Division 3, Pakistan and Japan tied for first at 7-2 with both France and Ukraine one back at 6-3. The tiebreaker went to the Pakistanis for their first-ever division title. D4 was very tight with Norway, Germany, and Poland each at 6-3, while the Philippines and Thailand were 5-4. The tiebreaker gave Norway its first-ever division title. Mexico was 4-5 in the group, making the perennial power miss out for the fifth consecutive season. In Division 5, Spain secured first at 8-1, although 7-2 Peru and 6-3 Australia gave them a run. The Spanish have won six division titles with their second division win in four years.

Division 6 went to 7-2 Russia, topping both England and India by a game. It is the 11^th division title for the Russians, although they hadn’t advanced in a decade. The Netherlands, fourth last year, were a non-factor at 4-5. D7 had the lone unbeaten team as Indonesia cruised to its ninth division title and its fourth over the last six years. Division 8 had last year’s finalists in the same grouping. Defending World Champion Brazil advanced for the fourth consecutive season with an 8-1 mark, while defending runner-up Canada was at 6-3 along with the Dominican Republic and Serbia. The Brazilians got their 24^th elite eight berth.

1990’s elite eight was notable as it was the first time that zero North American teams were in the group. There were three from Asia, three from Europe, one from both (Russia), and one from South America. Round Robin Group A had both Russia and Pakistan advance at 4-2, while Norway and Indonesia were 2-4. Brazil rolled Group B at 6-0, advancing along with 3-3 Singapore. Spain (2-4) and Switzerland (1-5) were both eliminated.

Both semifinal series were classics that went all five games, but both first-time semifinalists were ultimately ousted. Russia edged Singapore and Brazil outlasted Pakistan. The Pakistanis were officially third and the Singaporeans fourth due to Pakistan’s extra win in the group stage.



The 44^th World Championship was Russia’s fourth finals appearance and first since 1970. Meanwhile, it was the seventh for the defending champion Brazil, with four appearances in the last seven years. The Brazilians won the series 4-2 to officially establish a dynasty, getting their third title in four years. The Americans were the only other country that had won three in four previously and only the US and Mexico had gone back-to-back.



Leading Brazil’s efforts was Tournament MVP Diego Fernandes. A 30-year old four-time Silver Slugger winner in his second season with Fortaleza, Fernandes had 36 hits, 27 runs, 9 doubles, 6 home runs, 11 RBI, and 22 stolen bases over 26 starts for 2.2 WAR. Best Pitcher was given to Portugal’s Harry Almeida. A 37-year old veteran and five-time Reliever of the Year winner, Almeida tossed 11 scoreless innings with 21 strikeouts and one hit allowed.

Other notes: With the first-time appearances from Pakistan, Singapore, and Norway; 61 different nations have now made it to the elite eight at least once. Brazil is the fourth country to win three world titles, joining the US (26), Mexico (4), and Canada (3). Russia’s runner-up finish put them to seventh in the all-time event standings (listed below), passing Japan by two points.

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1990 marked the first official season for Arab League Baseball. The best record in ALB in the inaugural season was Casablanca at 99-63, who won the Western Conference’s Mediterranean Division by 15 games. The Nile Division required a tiebreaker game for the title as Cairo and Alexandria both finished at 94-68. The Pharaohs picked up the win despite the 2.74 team ERA from the Astronauts, which is still the conference record as of 2037. The Levant Division had Jerusalem first at 92-70, eight better than Beirut.

The first Western Conference MVP was Casablanca LF Ahmed Hassan Egeh. A 28-year old Somali lefty, he smacked 67 home runs and led in runs (109), RBI (117), total bases (374), slugging (.704), OPS (1.056), wRC+ (202), and WAR (8.7). Egeh’s 67 dingers would be the ALB single-season record until 2004. Pitcher of the Year was Jerusalem’s Adlene Sami, who also won Reliever of the Year. A 26-year old Algerian righty, Sami managed to post 7.5 WAR over 92.2 innings with 81 strikeouts, a 0.58 ERA, and 38 saves.

In the first round of the playoffs, Cairo bested Jerusalem 2-1. The Western Conference Championship went all five games and needed an extra inning in game five. The Pharaohs upset Casablanca 3-2 in the finale to take the series 3-2.



The top two records in the Eastern Conference were both in the Iraq Division, but only one could advance. Sulaymaniya took the title at 98-64, while Baghdad was second at 93-69. In the Saudi Division, Medina prevailed at 87-75, finishing four ahead of Mecca and five better than Jeddah. The Gulf Division had no teams with a winning record, but Abu Dhabi’s 80-82 earned a division title and playoff berth. Kuwait was three back and Dubai was four behind.

Eastern Conference MVP and Pitcher of the Year went to the same player; Medina’s Qadir Al-Khalid. A 29-year old Libyan righty, Al-Khalid led in wins (25-7), quality starts (28), FIP- (55), and WAR (10.6). He added a 2.20 ERA and 292 strikeouts over 278 innings.



The Mastodons made quick work of Abu Dhabi 2-0 in the first round. Medina wasn’t able to carry that momentum for an Eastern Conference Championship upset as top seed Sulaymaniya won the series 3-1. The Sultans went onto win the first Arab League Championship 4-2 over Cairo, bringing the first cup to Iraq. LF Radhi Hamad was both Finals MVP and conference finals MVP for Sulaymaniya. A 28-year old left-handed Iraqi, Hamad posted 14 hits, 10 runs, 3 home runs, 10 RBI, and 8 stolen bases in 10 playoff starts.



Other notes: Casablanca’s Temur Modebadze had ALB’s first four-home run game against Damascus. Three no-hitters were thrown in the inaugural season with the first by Tunis’s Gaye N’Diaye with 10 strikeouts and two walks against Jerusalem on April 7. On June 30, Abu Dhabi’s Mohammad Khatib had six Ks and two walks in a no-no versus Baghdad. On September 1, Jerusalem’s Talaat Abdel Fattah fanned 12 with two walks over Cairo.

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The Pakistan League had the same two teams advance to the playoffs as the prior year, although the positions were switched. Gujranwala, second place last year, took first by a large margin at 103-59. Defending league champ Peshawar took second at 92-70. The Predators were five games ahead of Faisalabad and seven ahead of Hyderabad.

The Grasshoppers had both the MVP and Pitcher of the Year for the Pakistan League. MVP was catcher Razak Mohiyoudeen. Nicknamed “Jet,” the 25-year old fourth-year righty posted a league-best 13.0 WAR, .376 average, .457 OBP, and 231 wRC+ with 32 home runs, 111 RBI, and a Gold Glove. Mohiyoudeen set an ABF record for batting WAR and set a still-standing world record for most WAR in a season by a catcher. Dhofar Ghaffar won back-to-back Pitcher of the Year awards as the second-year ace led in wins (20-9), strikeouts (320), and K/BB (13.3). Ghaffar added a 2.07 ERA over 251.2 innings and 10.3 WAR. Ghaffar also made history with ABF’s third perfect game, striking out 13 against Lahore on July 14. He beat out teammate Faysal Jabalandi for the top award, despite Jabalandi setting a number of rate stat records in his 171.2 innings. He set still-standing ABF single season records for H/9 (3.51), WHIP (0.62), opponent average (.116), OBP (.181), slugging (.202), and OPS (.383).



The West Asia Association had two teams advance to the playoffs for the first time in their six year histories. Izmir won the Turkish League at 99-63 with Adana the closest competitor seven back. Two-time defending ABF champ Istanbul plummeted hard off a cliff, going from 90 wins to only 66. The Ironmen wouldn’t be back in the postseason again until 2004. In the Persian League, Mashhad prevailed at 98-64. Isfahan was five back and defending winner Tehran was third at eight games back.

Tabriz was four games below .500, but they had the WAA MVP and Rookie of the Year in LF Vahid Hadadi. In a remarkable debut season, the Tiger Sharks’ second overall pick became the Asian Baseball Federation’s new home run king with 67, becoming the first to hit 60+. Hadadi also led in runs (120, RBI (135), total bases (430), slugging (.813), OPS (1.223), wRC+ (263), and WAR (12.4).

Other notes: Faisalabad 1B Hazan Sheikh set a single-season record with 151 RBI, becoming the first to cross 150. The record would be topped three times more in the 1990s. Tehran’s Ghaem Shirazi was the Pitcher of the Year as the fourth-year righty led in ERA (1.87), WHIP (0.80), K/BB (11.7), FIP- (48), and WAR (9.7). He added an 18-7 record and 303 strikeouts over 236.1 innings.

The Pakistan League Championship Series was a rematch and once again went all seven games. Although they were the road underdog this time, Peshawar upset Gujranwala to claim back-to-back titles. The West Asia Association Championship saw Mashhad defeated Izmir 4-2



In the sixth Asian Baseball Federation Championship, Mashhad topped Peshawar 4-2, bringing the title to Iran for the first time and making the Predators runner-up again. CF Sahar Ahmadi was the playoff hero, winning finals MVP and Association Finals MVP. In 12 starts, the 23-year old Afghani had 15 hits, 10 runs, 3 doubles, 2 triples, 4 home runs, 13 RBI, and 6 stolen bases.



Other notes: Gujranwala CF Mahmood Omar had an 1.670 OPS in seven playoff games, a record that still stands as of 2037. 2B Qavi Naserwanji won his sixth Gold Glove, the only player to win each of ABF’s first six seasons.

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Defending South Asian Champion Ahmedabad was yet again the class of the Indian League. The Animals earned their ninth playoff berth in a decade and third straight West Division title with an 111-51 record. Surat was a distant second at 95-67, but that was more than enough to give the Silver Sox a third consecutive wild card. After a shockingly bad 66-win 1989, the 1988 SAB champ Kanpur bounced back impressively at 105-57 atop the Central Division. Last year’s league runner-up Kolkata was second at 87-75, eight games back on the wild card. 87-75 was enough for Visakhapatnam to win back-to-back titles in a weak South Division.

2B VJ Williams became the Indian League’s first five-time MVP. After winning the previous four with Delhi, Williams sat out 1988 before getting his desired big money with Ahmedabad. In his second season with the Animals, the 30-year old lefty led in hits (193), RBI (146), total bases (398), average (.337), slugging (.695), OPS (1.097), wRC+ (246) and WAR (12.5). His 51 home runs left him three shy of a Triple Crown. Surat’s Janapati Sara won back-to-back Pitcher of the Year, leading with 367 strikeouts, 29 quality starts, a 54 FIP-, and 9.2 WAR. Sara added a 16-8 record over 243.1 innings with a 2.44 ERA.

Visakhapatnam stunned Kanpur in the first round of the playoffs with a road sweep, earning their second-ever Indian League Championship Series berth (1984). Wild card Surat took their divisional foe Ahmedabad to the limit, but the Animals escaped to win the series in five. Ahmedabad wouldn’t have any problems with the Volts, sweeping them in the ILCS to give the Animals four pennants in five years.



Defending Southeast Asia League champion Ho Chi Minh City again had the top record in SEAL. The Hedgehogs won the South Division 109-53, dominating even with both wild cards coming from the South. Phnom Penh (93-69) and Johor Bahru (89-73) took the wild cards with only Vientiane (85-77) also in the mix. The Pandas earned a third consecutive wild card, while it was back-to-back for the Blue Wings. Yangon snapped a five-year playoff drought as the only team above .500 in the North Division at 88-74. Hanoi, who had won the division title the prior three years, dropped to a lackluster 70-92.

SEAL MVP was LF Ajmer Kulkarni, who signed with Ho Chi Minh City only the year prior. He was the WARlord (8.7) and leader in slugging (.633), OPS (1.013), and wRC+ (176). Kulkarni added 49 home runs and 118 RBI. This was the final season for the 30-year old, who had a polarizing personality. Wanting more money than teams could offer and legal issues meant he remained a free agent for the next six years before eventually retiring. He had 62.1 WAR, six Silver Sluggers, and three Gold Gloves, but wasn’t Hall of Fame eligible due to not making ten years of major service.

Vientiane’s Zainal bin Aziz won his fourth Pitcher of the Year and secured back-to-back Triple Crown seasons with a 21-5 record, 1.48 ERA, and 360 strikeouts. The 30-year old Malaysian lefty also led in WHIP (0.80), K/BB (8.0), quality starts (30), FIP- (41), and WAR (11.7), doing it over 243.2 innings. Also of note, Ho Chi Minh City’s La Wai Noe became a three-time Reliever of the Year winner, posting 32 saves and a 1.74 ERA over 77.2 innings.

The Hedgehogs rolled to a first round sweep of Johor Bahru, while Yangon won a five-game thriller over Phnom Penh. Ho Chi Minh City claimed the Southeast Asia League Championship Series 4-1 over the Green Dragons, winning a third SEAL title in four years.



The 11^th South Asia Baseball Championship looked familiar with Ahmedabad facing Ho Chi Minh City for the third time in four years. Just like the prior meetings, the Animals were victorious, taking it this time 4-2. LF K.C. Choudhury was finals MVP as the 1988 IL MVP had 17 hits, 13 runs, 4 home runs, 6 RBI, 12 walks, and 14 stolen bases over 15 starts. Ahmedabad’s dynasty now has four SAB titles in five years and their dominance would continue throughout the rest of the 20^th Century.



Other notes: For the second time in SAB history, there were zero no-hitters for the full season. Johar Rai became the first SAB batter to 400 home runs and to 1000 career RBI. VJ Williams joined him with 1000+ RBI one week later. Williams won his eighth Silver Slugger at 2B and Rai got his seventh at RF.

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Defending Western League champ Conakry was atop the standings for the third time in four years, finishing first at 100-62. Kumasi was second at 94-68, extending their West African Baseball record postseason streak to 13 seasons. Third place and the second wild card went to 92-70 Dakar, who bounced back from 82 wins the prior year. There was a nine game gap from third to fourth with both Abidjan and Freetown at 83-79.

Western League MVP was Conakry CF Ikechukwu Araromi. The 25-year old Nigerian led in runs (114), average (.323), slugging (.597), OPS (.951), wRC+ (169), and WAR (8.0). Araromi added 34 home runs, 1 18 RBI, and 72 stolen bases. The Coyotes had 503 steals in 1990, the second-best ever in WAB history behind their own 525 the prior season. Dakar’s Ousseynou Darboe won Pitcher of the Year. Nicknamed “Tarzan,” the fourth-year Gambian lefty led in ERA (2.51), and strikeouts (350). He was one win short of a Triple Crown with a 19-11 record over 240 innings and 6.4 WAR.

Dakar upset Kumasi 2-0 on the road in the first round of the playoffs, sending the 1988 Western League champs back to the WLCS. The Dukes gave Conakry a spirited effort, but the defending champ Coyotes took the series 3-2.



Lome took first in the Eastern League standings for back-to-back seasons with the Lasers on top at 103-59. Ibadan had an impressive turnaround from 63 wins the prior season to 94-68 in 1990. This gave the Iguanas their first-ever playoff berth in WAB’s 16 year history. Defending WAB champ Port Harcourt narrowly took third at 90-72 to get back into the postseason. Cotonou was fourth at 87-75 and Lagos, winners of 104 the prior season, was 86-76.

Leading Ibadan’s turnaround was Rudy Bambara, who was the #2 overall pick in 1988. He won Eastern League MVP with his two-way heroics, posting 7.0 WAR on the mound with a 17-8 record over 253.2 innings with a 2.84 ERA and 272 strikeouts. As a third baseman in only 96 games at the plate, the 24-year old Burkinabe had 5.7 WAR with a .331/.394/.675 slash, 34 home runs, and 93 RBI. Pitcher of the Year was Lome lefty Dedric Godwin. The 28-year old Cameroonian was the leader in ERA (2.16), wins (21-3), WHIP (0.80), quality starts (30), FIP- (65), and WAR (8.5). He was also second in the EL with 375 strikeouts over 266.1 innings.

Port Harcourt looked to recreate their magical run from the prior season where they took the #3 seed all the way to the title. The Hillcats accomplished step one by edging Ibadan 2-1 in the wild card. Then in an Eastern League Championship Series rematch, Port Harcourt accomplished step two, upsetting the Lasers 3-1. It was the fourth pennant for the Hillcats, who also won in 1980 and 1982.



Port Harcourt wouldn’t complete step three in their West African Championship rematch with Conakry. In the 16^th finale, the Coyotes got both revenge and their first title, taking the series in a seven-game classic. Finals MVP was 1B Shane Bowermaster, a 31-year old American that had joined Conakry in 1989 after a failed MLB bid. In 11 playoff games, he had 12 hits, 5 runs, 2 home runs, and 4 RBI.



Other notes: Port Harcourt’s Raoul Edah set a still-standing playoff record with 14 stolen bases. For the first time in WAB history, a season had zero no-hitters. Vincent Langat became the first batter to 500 career home runs and the first to 1000 runs scored. Langat would retire after the 1992 season with 584 HRs, which would be the top mark until the early 2000s. Siradji Yacouba became the third to 1000 RBI. Catcher Guy Kamga won his seventh Gold Glove.

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Defending Chinese League Baseball champion Dalian was first in the Northern League again in 1990, dominating the competition at 106-56. It was a 15-game gap to the second playoff spot, which went to Hangzhou. The Hens finished 91-71 to end an eight-year playoff drought. Shanghai was third at 87-75, followed by 84-78 Qingdao.

Although Tianjin was just below .500, RF Mingqi Dai won Northern League MVP for a CLB-record fourth time. The 32-year old lefty nicknamed “Bumblebee” led in runs (91), doubles (31), home runs (41), total bases (342), slugging (.626), OPS (.979), and wRC+ (234). Dai added 10.6 WAR and a .293 average. Shanghai’s Zuhang Cai won Pitcher of the Year in his seventh season. The 28-year old righty led in wins (22-10) with nine shutouts, posting 7.9 WAR over 242.2 innings with 286 strikeouts and 1.08 ERA. The ERA was the sixth lowest season in CLB history to that point, but was second in the NL to his teammate Zengxiang Zhang. Zhang was at 1.074 to Cai’s 1.076.



Macau and Shenzhen were again #1 and #2 in the Southern League. The Magicians set a new SL record at 115-47, the second most wins in a CLB season to date behind only 1971 Tianjin’s 123-39. The Spartans were 104-58, 11 games better than third place Changsha. Both Macau and Shenzhen earned their third consecutive playoff appearances.

Magicians 1B/P Wei Qin won his second Southern League MVP in three seasons, bouncing back after back spasms knocked him out much of 1989. At the plate, the 28-year old righty had 5.2 WAR, 28 home runs, 59 RBI, and a .251/.326/.492 slash. On the mound, he led in wins at 25-7 and posted a 1.95 ERA over 253.2 innings with 265 strikeouts and 6.9 WAR. His Macau teammate Lang Lu won back-to-back Pitcher of the Year awards, leading in ERA (1.51), quality starts (30), and WAR (6.9). The 27-year old Lu added a 20-8 record and 306 strikeouts over 263 innings.



Despite their SL-record effort, Macau was upset in the semifinal 4-2 by NL #2 Hangzhou. Dalian rolled to a semifinal sweep of Shenzhen, sending two Northern League teams to the 21^st China Series. The Gold Dragons would be denied the repeat in a stunning seven-game upset by the Hens. It Is Hangzhou’s second title, joining their 1979 campaign. LF Zengxiang Zhang was finals MVP, posting 14 hits, 8 runs, 3 home runs, and 6 RBI over 13 playoff starts.



Other notes: Three perfect games were thrown in CLB in 1990, making it 22 perfectos so far. The first was a dominant 18-strikeout effort by Yiping Chen of Shenzhen against Macau. This tied CLB’s record for most Ks in any no-hitter and was one short of the world record set the prior year for most in a perfect game. The second perfect game was one week later on April 3 as Zhengzhou’s Zueyu Lei fanned 11 against Hangzhou. On May 20, Guangzhou’s Zhilin Zhang struck out 11 against Kunming. Pengju Zue became the fifth pitcher to 3500 career strikeouts. LF Yuhong Huang won his seventh Gold Glove. Mingqi Dai won his eighth Silver Slugger at RF.

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The best record in the Taiwan-Philippine Association was Cebu at 106-56, earning their second Philippine League title in three years. Manila was a distant second at89-73 with defending PL champ Davao dropping to 84-78. Two-time defending TPA champ Taipei took the Taiwan League for the third straight season. The Tigercats dropped from 106 wins to 91-71, but that was still plenty to win the TL with the other four teams finishing below .500.

The Taiwan-Philippine Association MVP and Pitcher of the Year both went to Cebu’s Alex Clavijo. It was his first MVP and third POTY. The 26-year old lefty had APB’s seventh Triple Crown season by a pitcher with a 24-6 record, 0.96 ERA, and 415 strikeouts. His 14.88 WAR was the most-ever by an APB pitcher not named Kun-Sheng Lin (who topped that five times). Clavjio’s ERA was the fourth lowest in APB history to that point as well. He pitched 272.2 innings and also led in WHIP (0.58), K/BB (14.8), complete games (20), shutouts (11), and FIP- (25). Among those nine shutouts was APB’s 18^th perfect game, a 13 strikeout performance on September 9 against Kaohsiung.



Semarang by far had the top record in the Sundaland Association at 106-56, winning the Java League for the second time in three years. Depok was 91-71 and Jakarta was 90-72; solid but far from the JL title. In a weak Malacca League, Batam was the only team above .500, taking it at 86-76. It was a turnaround for the Blue Raiders, who had won only 56 games the prior year. It also ended a four-year playoff drought for Batam. Defending Austronesia Champion Medan fell to third at 79-83.

Sundaland Association MVP went to Batam LF Nerius Senaen. The second-year lefty had the seventh APB Triple Crown season by a hitter with a .313 average, 38 home runs, and 93 RBI. Senaen also was the leader in runs (96), total bases (353), OBP (.379), slugging (.618), OPS (.997), wRC+ (253), and WAR (12.4). Semarang’s Mulya Dayanti won Pitcher of the Year. The 28-year old lefty led in ERA (1.07), strikeouts (384), WHIP (0.59), FIP- (45), and WAR (10.2). He had a 17-8 record and 11 saves over 260 innings with a 15.4 K/BB.

The top seed prevailed in both Association Championships. In the TPA final, Cebu knocked out defending champ Taipei 4-2, giving the Crows their second-ever pennant (1980). Semarang rolled Batam 4-1 in the SA final for their fourth pennant (1975, 80, 88, 90).



The 26^th Austronesia Championship was hotly anticipated with both teams entering at 106-56 in the regular season. Semarang would defeat Cebu 4-2 to get their second APB title (1975). RF Yu-Hsuan Hu was a big part of the Sliders’ success, winning Sundaland Association Championship MVP. In 11 playoff games, he had 9 hits, 5 runs, 2 home runs, and 7 RBI.



Other notes: Bandung’s Vhon Lasam had the 17^th APB perfect game with 15 strikeouts against Palembang on April 12. It was his sixth no-hitter (an APB record) and his second perfect game, having also done it in 1989. Poh Tan became the fourth pitcher to 4000 career strikeouts.

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Gold Coast successfully defended their Australasia League title in 1990, taking the title at 102-60. Brisbane was the closest competitor at 95-67. Melbourne was a distant third at 85-77. Auckland notably fell off hard, going from second place in 1989 to last place at 58-104.

Mets LF Riley Singleton won Australasia League MVP. It was the second MVP for the 30-year old Australian lefty, who also won it back in 1985. In 1990, he led the AL in RBI (109), average (.323), slugging (.603), wRC+ (178), and WAR (7.8). Brisbane’s Jax Royer won his second Pitcher of the Year in three years. The 28-year old hometown star led in WAR (7.5) and quality starts (32), adding a 22-11 record over 311 innings with a 2.26 ERA and 297 strikeouts. This would be Royer’s last year in Australia, as he’d leave for MLB and New York the following season.



Honolulu’s Pacific League dynasty continued with their third straight pennant and their eighth title in ten years. The Honu finished 101-61, finishing ten games ahead of second place Samoa and 17 better than New Caledonia.

Fiji finished .500, but fifth-year RF Will Lee picked up Pacific League MVP. The right-handed Australian led in hits (202), doubles (35), total bases (366), triple slash (.342/.396/.619), OPS (1.016), wRC+ (240), and WAR (11.7). Lee added 37 home runs and 102 RBI. Honolulu veteran righty Randol Smith won his second Pitcher of the Year. The 33-year old Solomon Islander led the PL in wins (24-10), innings (344.1), and quality starts (38). He added 7.7 WAR with 322 strikeouts and a 1.94 ERA.



The 31^st Oceania Championship was a rematch from the prior year between Honolulu and Gold Coast. Yet again, the Honu prevailed, cruising to the three-peat by winning the series 4-1. CF Jonathan Buai was the finals MVP with the 23-year old Solomon Islander going 8-20 with 3 runs, 1 triple, and 2 RBI in the series. It was OBA’s second-ever three-peat, joining the Honu’s 1982-84 run.



It was Honolulu’s seventh OBA title in nine years, a mark no team had hit in any pro league to this point. As of 2037, a run of seven overall titles in a nine year stretch has only happened thrice between all of the GBA leagues. The Honu would still be successful in the 1990s, but this would mark the peak of the dynasty, concluding one of the most impressive decades any pro baseball team has ever posted.

Other notes: Durant Lindly became the fifth pitcher to 4500 strikeouts. LF Ping Janer won his seventh Gold Glove.

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Two-time defending European League champ Minsk extended their postseason steak to ten consecutive seasons in 1990. The Miners won the North Division at 108-54, getting their eighth division title of that streak as they were the wild card in the prior two seasons. Minsk set a new EL record with a team ERA of 1.94 and 322 earned runs allowed, which are still EPB single-season records as of 2037.

Bucharest won the South Division at 105-57, getting their seventh division title in ten years. Kharkiv was second at 99-63, getting the first wild card and ending a three-year playoff drought. The second wild card went to 92-70 Warsaw, giving the Wildcats their third consecutive playoff berth. St. Petersburg was two games back on the second wild card, while Kyiv was five back. The Kings missed the playoffs for only the second time in the last 13 seasons.

European League Pitcher of the Year and MVP both went to Bucharest veteran Haxhi Maho. It was the third POTY and second MVP for the 32-year old Albanian lefty, who set an EPB record for wins in a season with a 29-3 record. This remains the EPB all-time mark and Maho was only the third pitcher in any world league at that point to win 29+. Maho added a 1.46 ERA over 283.2 innings with 308 strikeouts and 9.8 WAR.

In the first round of the playoffs, Bucharest outlasted Kharkiv 3-2 and Minsk topped Warsaw 3-1. This gave the Miners their seventh European League Championship Series berth of the last decade, while it was only the second for the Broncos in the same stretch despite being a playoff regular. Minsk would sweep Bucharest to become the first-ever EL team to three-peat and the second EPB team to three-peat in their league (1971-73 Almaty). The Miners won their 11^th EL pennant, passing Kyiv for the most of any team.



After winning the Soviet Series as the second wild card in 1989, Yekaterinburg had the Asian League’s best record in 1990 at 103-59. This gave the Yaks their fifth playoff berth in six years, although it was their only North Division title of the run. Both wild cards came out of the North with Chelyabinsk at 97-65 and Irkutsk at 94-68. The Cadets snapped an 11-year playoff drought, while the Ice Cats ended a nine-year drought. Last year’s division champ Novosibirsk fell to 83-79 and last year’s wild card Omsk dropped to 75-87. Bishkek won the South Division at 95-67 for their eighth playoff berth in nine years and their fourth consecutive division title. Almaty finished 93-69, two back on the division title and one back on Irkutsk for the second wild card.

Asian League MVP went to Chelyabinsk DH Nikolay Denisov. The 25-year old Russian switch hitting leadoff man led in runs (103), hits (231), doubles (40), triples (29), stolen bases (99), average (.351), and WAR (9.1). Two-way Novosibirsk star Igor Bury won his fifth Pitcher of the Year. The 30-year old righty led in strikeouts (407) for the sixth straight season and also led in quality starts (30), FIP- (48), and WAR (11.7). Bury added a 2.07 ERA and 21-13 record over 282 innings. He also had 90 games as a batter, although he struggled with only 0.3 WAR.

Yekaterinburg swept Irkutsk in the first round while Bishkek outlasted Chelyabinsk 3-2. For the third time in five years, this pitted the Yaks against the Black Sox in the Asian League Championship Series. For Bishkek, this was their eighth ALCS appearance in ten years. The Black Sox added their fifth pennant in that stretch as they earned the road series win 4-1 over the defending champ Yekaterinburg. It is the Black Sox’s eighth AL pennant, the most of any Asian League team.



The 36^th Soviet Series would be the final to have that name, as the fall of the Soviet Union made that name antiquated. Despite Minsk and Bishkek having the most titles in their respective leagues, this was only their second time meeting in the final, with the Black Sox winning in 1964. This time, the Miners were victorious, taking the series 4-2. 1B Igor Portnyagin was the finals MVP in his penultimate season. The 34-year old had 15 hits, 6 runs, 4 home runs, and 11 RBI in 14 playoff starts. It is the second title in three years for Minsk and their seventh overall (1956, 62, 66, 69, 85, 88, 90). This ties the Miners with Kyiv for the most overall titles. Bishkek now is 2-6 in their finals appearances.



Other notes: Two other single-season pitching records were set in 1990 that still stand as of 2037. El-Siraj Lahoud had a BB/9 of 0.22, while Jaylan Harrell had an opponent’s OPS of .413. Azer Sattarli became the sixth pitcher to 4500 career strikeouts. LF Ere Aittakumpu won his seventh Gold Glove.

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The EBF Northern Conference saw some shakeups in 1990, most notably with Amsterdam’s dynasty ending. The Anacondas defending European Champs and the conference champ in six of the last seven seasons. They were still a respectable 87-75 in 1990, but this ended their playoff steak at eight seasons. Rotterdam won the Northwest Division at 109-53, bouncing back from only 76 wins the prior season. It is the fifth playoff berth in six years for the Ravens. Brussels was second in the division at 96-66, firmly earning the wild card to snap an eight-year playoff drought.

The only returning playoff team in the Northern Conference was Hamburg, who was the wild card last year. The Hammers finished 97-65 to win the North Central Division, their first division crown since 1979. Berlin, who had won five of the last six division crowns, finished at 89-73, eight off the division title and seven off the wild card. In the British Isles Division, Glasgow took first at 90-72. This put the Highlanders back in the playoffs after back-to-back losing seasons. Belfast was second at 83-79 with Birmingham at 81-81. Dublin, the conference runner-up last year, fell off a cliff and finished 64-98.

Birmingham slugger Sean Houston won his sixth Northern Conference MVP, becoming the first six-time winner in EBF history. The 31-year old Scottish right fielder led in home runs (53), total bases (426), slugging (.741), OPS (1.126), wRC+ (213), and WAR (9.4). Houston added 112 RBI, 108 runs, and a .348 average. Brussels ace Khaled Jabri won his third consecutive Pitcher of the Year. Nicknamed “Tiger,” the 27-year old Dutch lefty was the WARlord (9.4) and leader in complete games (14), and FIP- (57). Jabri added a 3.17 ERA and 19-11 record over 258.2 innings with 353 strikeouts.

Despite having the best record, Rotterdam suffered a first round exit for the fifth straight postseason appearance. The Ravens fell 3-1 to Glasgow, sending the Highlanders to their first Northern Conference Championship since 1981. Hamburg held off Brussels 3-1, giving the Hammers their first berth since winning the pennant in 1979. Hamburg handled Glasgow 4-1 in the NCC to become three-time conference champs, having also won in 1964.



In the Southern Conference, Munich and Zurich continued their division title streaks. The Mavericks had the top overall record at 108-54, taking the Southeast Division for the eighth consecutive season. Meanwhile in the South Central Division, the 97-65 Mountaineers extended their record streak to 18 seasons. This is the longest unbroken playoff streak in professional baseball history to this point with the next highest being Kumasi’s 13-years in West Africa Baseball.

The South Central was a strong division with 90-72 Milan getting their second wild card in three years. Division foe Rome was two behind at 88-74 with both Vienna and defending conference champ Lisbon three back at 87-75. The Southwest Division saw a shakeup with Madrid first at 94-68, snapping a two-year playoff drought. The Clippers were seven back, ending their hopes at a repeat. Marseille’s five-year playoff streak ended as well with the Musketeers at 84-78.

Taking Southern Conference MVP was Madrid LF Rodrigo Vilanova. The 25-year old Portuguese lefty led in total bases (426) and wRC+ (191). He added 10.5 WAR, a .353 average, 45 home runs, and 128 RBI. Munich’s Marlon Hoffman won his fourth Pitcher of the Year in five years. The 32-year old German righty had a conference and career best 24-5 record. Hoffmann posted a 2.48 ERA over 275.2 innings with 288 strikeouts and 8.2 WAR.

Munich mauled Milan with a first round sweep, sending the Mavericks to a third consecutive Southern Conference Championship. Madrid outlasted Zurich 3-2 to give the Conquistadors their third finals berth in five years. It is the seventh time in the Mountaineers’ historic 18-year playoff streak that they were ousted in the first round. The SCC was a seven-game classic with Madrid coming out on top over Munich. It is the fifth pennant for the Conquistadors, who won in 1987 and had a three-peat from 1953-55.



The 41^st European Championship needed all seven games for the first time since 1983. Madrid edged Hamburg for their second EBF title in four years and their third overall (1955). The Hammers are now 0-3 all-time in the championship. Leading the Conquistadors’ efforts was 1B Fredrik Malm, who was conference finals MVP. The 34-year old Norwegian had 15 hits, 8 runs, 3 doubles, 4 home runs, and 11 RBI in 19 playoff starts.




Other notes: At 47-115, Luxembourg posted the worst record in Northern Conference history. There had been a few worse in the Southern Conference with EBF’s all-time worst being Malta’s 42-120 from 1982. Udo Gottschall of Munich scored 140 runs, tied for the third-best season in EBF history. Sean Houston holds the record with 144 in 1984. Birmingham’s Lindsey Brampton struck out 21 against Luxembourg on July 3, tying Ugo Musacci’s single game Ks record from 1970. This was the second season for Brampton, who would go onto have 13 games in his illustrious career with 20+ strikeouts.

Jack Kennedy became the third batter to 700 career home runs. He finished the season with 724, passing Gabriel Staudt’s 701 for second while still being behind the top mark of 795 by Christophoros Zarkadis. Kennedy also became the 11^th batter to 2500 career hits. Jacob Ronnberg became the fourth to 1500 runs scored and Charles-Olivier Mallen became the eighth to 1500 RBI. Wojtek Napierkowski became the sixth to 600 homers. 1B Oiver Michaelsen won his eighth Gold Glove. Ronnberg won his 12^th Silver Slugger in RF in the Southern Conference, which tied Staudt for the most Silver Sluggers at any position in EBF. Sean Houston won his ninth consecutive Silver Slugger in RF for the Northern Conference.

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The top two records in the Bolivar League were both in the Peru-Bolivia Division. La Paz at 99-63 took the top mark for their second division title in four years. Lima improved by four games to 97-65, but they were still short of a third straight division title by two games. This mark gave the Lobos the wild card firmly. In the Venezuela Division, Maracaibo ended a 36 season playoff drought, which was the longest drought in the BL. The Mariners finished 94-68, topping defending league champ Ciudad Guayana by four games. At 90-72, the Giants were also seven games shy of the wild card. In the Colombia-Ecuador Division, Quito finished first at 89-73 to end their own six-year playoff drought. Bogota was two back and defending division champ Medellin was nine away.

La Paz DH Lincoln Ruvalaba won his fourth Bolivar League MVP in five seasons. The 29-year old Bolivian switch hitter didn’t lead in any stats, but posted 45 home runs, 105 RBI, a .310/.367/.605 slash, 167 wRC+, and 6.3 WAR. Maracaibo’s Gonzalo Argueta won Pitcher of the Year as the 26-year old Venezuelan was one win short of a Triple Crown with a 20-0 record, 2.19 ERA, and 331 strikeouts over 270.2 innings, Argueta was the league leader in WHIP (0.89), quality starts (27), complete games (17), FIP- (63), and WAR (9.0).

By rule, the top division winner faces the wild card, which pitted the top two records against each other in round one. Lima got the road upset 3-2 over La Paz, giving the Lobos their first Bolivar League Championship Series berth since 1984. The other series was less dramatic as Maracaibo swept Quito, giving the Mariners their first BLCS berth since winning the title in 1953. The series was a seven game classic with game seven tied 1-1 after regulation. Lima scored three in the top of the 12^th inning to win game seven 4-1. For the Lobos, this is their third BL pennant, joining their 1968 and 1935 successes.



The Southern Cone League’s North Division was an intense three-team battle. Belo Horizonte finished 100-62 to take the division and narrowly earn the #1 overall seed, giving the Hogs their second division title in three years. Salvador was three back at 97-65, which earned them the wild card by three over Fortaleza. This ended an eight-year playoff drought for the Storm. In the Southeast Division, Sao Paulo’s postseason streak extended to five seasons. This is the longest active streak in Beisbol Sudamerica. At 93-69, Rosario was six short of the division and four away from the wild card. In the South Central Division, Santiago earned its first postseason spot since their 10-year streak from1 964-73. The Saints won the division handily at 99-63. Concepcion, the three-time defending league champion, was a distant second at 84-78.

League MVP went to Rosario RF Jairo Vincente. The 29-year old Venezuelan lefty had a breakout season, leading the Southern Cone League in runs (122), home runs (59), RBI (132), total bases (420), slugging (.709), OPS (1.106), wRC+ (228), and WAR (11.3). Sao Paulo’s Andres Ramirez won a third consecutive Pitcher of the Year. The 26-year old Brazilian led the league with 298 strikeouts over 274.1 innings. He added a 2.00 ERA and 20-9 record with 7.6 WAR.

The wild card round saw Belo Horizonte survive in five against divisional foe Salvador, while Sao Paulo bested Santiago 3-1. It was the Hogs’ first Southern Cone Championship appearance since 1985, while the Padres last made it with their 1986 pennant. Sao Paulo pounded Belo Horizonte with a sweep, giving the Padres their third league title in eight years. Sao Paulo now has 13 league titles, more than any other BSA team.



In the 60^th Copa Sudamerica, Sao Paulo defeated Lima 4-2 to make the Padres five time Cup winners (1944, 58, 76, 83, 90). Catcher Antonio Barros was finals MVP, posting 20 hits, 5 runs, 3 doubles, 2 triples, 2 home runs, and 11 RBI over 14 playoff starts. Pitcher of the Year Andres Ramirez also had a big postseason, setting a still-standing BSA record for most WAR by a pitcher in the playoffs at 2.1. Over 38.1 innings, Ramirez had a 1.41 ERA, 56 strikeouts, and five walks. Sao Paulo is the first Brazilian champ since doing it themselves in 1983. With five Cups, the Padres are tied for second with Medellin, Santiago, and Cordoba. Buenos Aires has the most with six.



Other notes: Enrique Tafoya became the fifth member of the 3000 hit club and the eighth to reach 1500 runs scored. In his final season, Tafoya ended with 3094 hits and 1516 runs. OF Pasquale Martin, 2B Kip Flores, and SS Nando Crispin each won their seventh Silver Slugger.

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The #1 seed in the Japan League went to Niigata at 95-67 in what was the first ever winning season in the expansion Green Dragons’ 13-year history. This earned them the North Division title for the first time, finishing eight ahead of Saitama. Sapporo, who had won the division 10 times in the last 11 years, fell to a middling 80-82. Defending East Asian Champion Osaka finished 93-69 to earn the Central Division crown for the sixth consecutive season. Kitakyushu ended a five-year playoff drought to win the West Division at 92-70. Fukuoka was second at seven back, while defending champ Hiroshima fell below .500. In the Capital Division, Yokohama took first for the third time in five years. At 90-72, the Yellow Jackets were 10 better than second place Tokyo. Chiba, the JL runner-up last year, dropped to 75-87.

Leading Niigata to their first playoff berth was Japan League MVP Makhmud Hakim. The third-year RF from China led the league in runs (113), and WAR (8.3), while adding 37 home runs, 109 RBI, and a .314/.370/.602 slash. Hakim also pitched 23.1 innings and would emerge as a legit two way star the following season. Hakim also set a JL record for RBIs in a game with 11, going5-5 with 4 home runs against Sapporo on September 1. Osaka’s Rikiya Fujiwara won back-to-back Pitcher of the Year awards, leading the JL in ERA (1.72), and WHIP (0.75). The 29-year old lefty had a 19-5 record over 214.1 innings with 221 strikeouts and 6.6 WAR.

Niigata outlasted Yokohama 3-2 in a first round classic, while Kitakyushu upset defending champ Osaka with a road sweep. It was the Kodiaks’ first Japan League Championship Series appearance since 1979. The Green Dragons would claim the pennant in their first-ever JLCS appearance, dropping Kitakyushu 4-1.



The Korea League’s top three records were all out of the North Division. Hamhung and Bucheon tied for the top spot at 100-62 with the one-game playoff going to the Heat. This gave Hamhung its fourth division title in five years. For the Bolts, this was both their first-ever winning season and playoff berth since joining EAB in the 1978 expansion. Seongnam finished 96-66 to firmly take the second wild card, ending a four-year playoff drought for the Spiders. In the South Division, Gwangju took first at 91-71 to end the longest active playoff drought in EAB. The Grays last playoff berth was way back in 1955. The new longest drought belongs to the JL’s Saitama at 30 seasons. Busan finished three short of the division title at 88-74. Last year’s KL champ Daegu fell to fifth in the division at 78-84.

Seongnam’s Byung-Il Jun became only the second-ever five time MVP winner in Korea League history, joining all-time hit king Byung-Oh Tan. The 33-year old DH led the league in hits (218), runs (111), average (.357), OBP (.422), and OPS (1.008). Jun added 35 home runs, 119 RBI, and 7.8 WAR. Pitcher of the Year was Bucheon’s Seon-U Pak. The sixth-year righty was the WARlord (7.8) and leader in wins (23-9), innings (285.1), and strikeouts (297). His 2.87 ERA was fourth in the league.

The wild card teams pulled off road upsets in the first round of the playoffs. Seongnam shocked Hamhung 3-1, while Bucheon ousted Gwangju 3-1. It was the Spiders’ first Korea League Championship Series appearance since their back-to-back titles in 1982 and 1983. For the Bolts, it was their first appearance and with Niigata’s success in the Japan League, this meant each of the 1978 expansion teams have now gotten to the LCS once. Bucheon wouldn’t make it an all-expansion final though, losing 4-3 to Seongnam in the KLCS and making the Spiders three-time KL champs.



In the 70^th East Asia Championship, Seongnam bested Niigata 4-2 to give the Spiders their second overall title (1983). LF Jin-Uk Song won finals MVP as the 33-year old former league MVP had 19 hits, 5 runs, 3 doubles, 2 triples, 1 home run, and 5 RBI in 17 playoff starts.



Other notes: Fumihiko Ueda became the fourth EAB pitcher to 4500 career strikeouts, ending the season and his career with 4577. As of 2037, that is seventh on the all-time leaderboard. Both Hiroshi Koike and Jun-Seong Gwan joined the 3000 hit club, making 12 members to date in EAB. In Gold Glove news, LF Yeo-Min Kwan won his tenth, 2B/SS Shuzo Toda won his ninth, and SS Hyo-Jin Chang won his eighth.