Baseball: The World's Game

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Defending Arab League champion Casablanca finished with the Western Conference’s best record for the third consecutive season. At 102-60, the Bruins won the Mediterranean Division for the fifth time in ALB’s six year history. After taking second last season, Cairo was back atop the Nile Division for their fifth title in six years. The Pharaohs finished 95-67, besting last year’s division winner Alexandria and Khartoum both by nine games. In the Levant Division, Amman earned its first division title at 95-67. Jerusalem was a distant second at 81-81, while the defending winner Beirut dropped to 75-87.

Cairo’s Sahar Ahmadi was a repeat winner of the Western Conference MVP. The 28-year old Afghani center fielder had 44 home runs, 114 RBI, a .295/.321/.598 slash, and 7.2 WAR. Amman’s Saad Ahmed earned Pitcher of the Year in his fifth season. The Lebanese lefty led in wins (20-8), ERA (1.89), and quality starts (31). Ahmed added 271 strikeouts over 257.1 innings with 8.1 WAR.

Cairo swept Amman 2-0 in the first round of the playoffs to set up another rematch in the Western Conference Final between the Pharaohs and Casablanca. Cairo had won in their 1990 and 1992 battles, but the Bruins won in their 1993 encounter. The series went all five games with Casablanca winning for a third straight pennant. The Bruins would be the only Western Conference franchise to three-peat until Amman did it from 2023-25.



Three-time defending Eastern Conference champ Medina again was the class of the conference. The Mastodons earned a sixth straight Saudi Division title at 111-51. They blew away Mecca by 14 games despite the Marksmen having the EC’s second best record at 97-65. Mosul had an impressive turnaround in the Iraq Division, going from 68 wins to 93 for their first division title. Basra, who had won the division the prior two years, was a very distant second at 78-84. Dubai secured repeat Gulf Division wins at 88-74. The Diamonds were six games ahead of second place Abu Dhabi.

Eastern Conference MVP was future superstar SS Mohammed Mohamed. The Saudi righty was only 21 years old, having made an impressive debut as a teenager in 1992 for Mosul. He bounced back from a torn back muscle in 1994 to post a phenomenal 1995 campaign, leading in hits (185), total bases (338), and WAR (11.1). Mohamed won his first of nine Gold Gloves and added 35 home runs, 117 RBI, and a .981 OPS.

His Muskies teammate Rashid Tariq won his second Pitcher of the Year in three seasons. The 26-year old Iraqi set a single-season record with 298 innings pitched, which still holds as of 2037 as ALB’s most. Tariq was 25 strikeouts short of a Triple Crown with a 23-9 record, 340 Ks, and 2.02 ERA. He also led the conference in WHIP (0.88), K/BB (7.6), complete games (15), shutouts (6), and WAR (11.7).

Those two led Mosul to their first playoff series win with a first round sweep of Dubai. The Muskies would soon have a dynasty of their own, but Medina’s run of dominance wasn’t over yet. The Mastodons cruised to a 3-0 sweep in the Eastern Conference Final to a fourth consecutive pennant. There wouldn’t be another EC four-peat until Muscat from 2028-31.



The sixth Arab League Championship would serve as the rubber match between Casablanca and Medina. The Mastodons won in 1993 to repeat as champs, then the Bruins claimed their first title in the 1994 rematch. The 1995 series would be the least dramatic of the group, ending in a Casablanca sweep and repeat titles for the Bruins. 3B Mamadou Bassirou was the playoff hero as the ALB finals MVP and WCF MVP. The 30-year old Nigerien had 18 hits, 8 runs, 4 home runs, and 11 RBI over 9 playoff starts with a .529/.600/.912 slash. This marked the end of the early dynasty runs for Casablanca and Medina. Although both would be back in the finals in the early 2000s, neither would return for the remainder of the 1990s.



Other notes: Beirut’s Fabi Abu Kabeer set a bad ALB record with 24 losses on the mound, which still holds as the league record as of 2037. Abdullah Al-Muhafazat became the first ALB pitcher to 2000 career strikeouts.

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After taking second in the Pakistan League standings the prior year, Hyderabad took the top spot in 1995 at 98-64. This was the Horned Frogs’ fifth-ever playoff berth and third time in first place. Karachi had an impressive turnaround to take second at 91-71. The Carp had placed last at 71-91 the prior year. Karachi’s only prior playoff berth was in the ABF’s inaugural 1985 season. Two-time defending PL champ Multan dropped to third place at 84-78.

Karachi RF Rizwan Qureshi earned repeat Pakistan League MVP honors. The 25-year old left led the league in runs (87), hits (179), doubles (40), home runs (39), total bases (340), average (.312), slugging (.592), OPS (.966), wRC+ (245), and WAR (10.1). Hyderabad’s Masruq Abbas earned Pitcher of the Year in his third season. The 25-year old righty led in wins (21-5) and ERA (1.55), while adding 218 strikeouts over 232.2 innings and 4.5 WAR. Also of note, Karachi’s Qayyum Allahrakha became ABF’s third three-time Reliever of the Year winner.



The West Asia Association saw an intense battle for the Turkish League’s title. Adana claimed it at 102-62 with their second-ever playoff berth, finishing three ahead of defending TL winner Ankara at 99-63. 90-72 Istanbul was also in the hunt for much of the year. The Persian League saw the stunning collapse of defending ALB champ Mashhad, who had won three WAA pennants in the prior five years. The Mercury plummeted to 67-95, opening up the top spot for Isfahan at 89-73. The Imperials ended a six-year playoff drought and had an impressive rebound from only 68 wins the prior year. Tabriz was the closest competitor at .500.

Adana’s Mohammed Khan earned West Asia Association MVP with record-setting power. The 25-year old Indian first baseman became ABF’s single-season RBI leader with 155, beating Gokhan Karatas’ 153 from 1993. This stayed the RBI record until 2015. He also tied Karatas’ runs scored record of 133, which wasn’t passed until 2021. Khan’s 69 home runs were also the second most behind Vahid Hadadi’s 74 in 1991. The 6’6’’ lefty also led the WAA in walks (96), total bases 944), slugging (.754), OPS (1.191), wRC+ (215), and WAR (11.7). Isfahan’s Yazeed Anwari won his first Pitcher of the Year in what would become a remarkable career. The 22-year old Pakistani righty led in WAR (9.1), quality starts (25), and shutouts (50). Anwari added a 2.28 ERA and 19-7 record over 269 innings with 323 strikeouts.

In the Pakistan League Championship Series, Karachi upset Hyderabad 4-1. This gave the Carp their second pennant, as they won the first PL pennant in 1985. The West Asia Association Championship saw Adana become a first-time champ. The Axemen ousted Isfahan 4-2.



The 11^th Asian Baseball Federation Championship was an all-timer, joining 1986 and 1988 as the only finales to need all seven games. The 1995 edition also made history as the first to conclude in a walkoff. In game seven, Adana 2B Salman Culcuoglu had the RBI single in the ninth to win it 3-2 for the Axemen. SS Khody Yousefian was finals MVP, posting 13 hits, 5 runs, and 3 extra base hits in 13 playoff starts.



Other notes: Adana’s Ali Ozyazici had a 35-game hitting streak. This was second-most in ABF history behind Aleddin Simsek’s 37 in 1986. Neither mark would be reached again until 2028. Vahid Hadadi became the first slugger to 300 career home runs. Catcher Erhan Buyukdemir won his eighth consecutive Silver Slugger. He was the first eight-time winner at any position in ABF’s short history.

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Despite winning the South Asia Baseball Championship seven of the last nine seasons, Ahmedabad still managed to reach a new high. The Animals set a Indian League record at 124-38. Entering 1995, 124 or more wins had only been reached three other times in any world league. The all-time best had been Ho Chi Minh City’s 126-36 in 1995; who suffered a shocking first round playoff defeat that year. The Animals also set a team ERA record of 2.23; which still stands as the SAB single-season record as of 2037. Ahmedabad’s playoff streak extended to 11 seasons with 14 berths over SAB’s 16 seasons to date. 10 of their 11 year streak have seen West Division titles as well.

In the Central Division, Kanpur and Delhi both extended playoff streaks. The Poison took first at 90-72, making the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season and ninth time in a decade. The Drillers earned the wild card at 87-75 to get five playoff appearances in a row. In the South Division, Visakhapatnam’s bid for a seventh straight playoff spot was thwarted by Bengaluru. The Blazers won a weak division at 84-78, finishing four games ahead of the Volts. It was Bengaluru’s first playoff appearance since their run of seven straight from 1980-86.

Indian League MVP went to Bengaluru 2B Tirtha Upadhyaya in his second full season. At only age 21, the Nepali lefty led the league in home runs (60), RBI (120), total bases (381), slugging (.690), OPS (1.045), and wRC+ (234), adding 10.5 WAR and 105 runs. Arvind Lal won his third Pitcher of the Year in his debut season with Ahmedabad. The 6’4’’ lefty had a decade of excellence with Kanpur, but sat out 1994 as no one reached his asking price. At age 31 in his return, he led in wins at 24-4 and posted a 2.15 ERA over 243.1 innings with 285 strikeouts and 6.5 WAR.

Ahmedabad cruised to a first round playoff sweep of Delhi, while Bengaluru outlasted Kanpur in a five game battle. It was the fourth Indian League Championship Series appearance for the Blazers, who last made it a decade earlier. For the Animals, it was ten appearances in a row with a shot at their eighth pennant in a decade. Ahmedabad used their plentiful playoff experience to avoid the letdown that many of the other 120+ win teams in other world leagues had seen. The Animals beat Bengaluru 4-1 for repeat IL titles and their sixth in seven years.



Defending Southeast Asia League champ Ho Chi Minh City had its own historic season. Like Ahmedabad, the Hedgehogs finished 124-38, making it five squads in pro baseball history to hit the mark or better in a season. HCMC extended its playoff streak to nine years with a 12^th berth in 13 years. All other teams in the South Division finished below .500. The Hedgehogs 2.57 team ERA was second-best in SEAL history, behind their own 2.38 from the 126-win 1993 season.

Yangon and Dhaka battled for the North Division title with the Green Dragons (95-67) taking it by one game over the Dobermans (94-68). Yangon snapped a four year playoff drought, as they hadn’t won more than 70 games in that skid. Dhaka picked up a fourth playoff berth in five years by easily winning the first wild card, setting up a playoff rematch with the Green Dragons. There was a big drop to the second wild card spot, claimed by 81-81 Hanoi. The Hounds snatched a second playoff appearance in three years. Mandalay and Bangkok were both two games back.

Ho Chi Minh City CF Van Loi Phung became a four-time SEAL MVP. The 34-year old Vietnamese righty was the WARlord at 11.0 and had 49 home runs, 108 RBI, and 114 runs with a .303/.365/.616 slash. It was the final MVP for the beloved center fielder, who would effectively retire from 1997-99, not playing except for the World Baseball Championship. Phung would return in 2000 and play another five seasons, fully retiring at age 44.

His Hedgehogs teammate Zainal bin Aziz reached rarified air as an eight-time Pitcher of the Year winner. The 35-year old Malaysian lefty fell four ERA points shy of a Triple Crown with a 26-5 record, 2.04 ERA, and 385 strikeouts over 264.1 innings. He also led in K/BB (9.2), FIP- (37), and WAR (13.4). The WAR and wins were both single-season SAB records that still hold up as of 2037. He beat his own 13.05 WAR record from the prior year. It was the final great season for arguably SAB’s best-ever pitcher, as a torn flexor tendon in June 1996 would effectively force his retirement. As of 2037, bin Aziz remains SAB’s only eight-time Pitcher of the Year winner. Six of the top seven pitching seasons by WAR in SAB as of 2037 are bin Aziz.

Ho Chi Minh City was determined to not suffer the same first round failure that the 126-win team had seen two years earlier, sweeping Hanoi. Yangon dusted Dhaka 3-1, giving the Green Dragons their sixth Southeast Asia League Championship appearance and first since 1990. For the Hedgehogs, they had gotten there eight times in nine years with a 5-2 record prior to the 1995 edition. HCMC again avoided the collapse of the 1993 campaign by beating Yangon 4-1 and earning a sixth pennant.



The 16^th South Asia Baseball Championship was historic, setting a world record for the most combined wins between two finalists. As mentioned earlier, 124-38 or better had only happened five times ever in pro baseball counting this season. Having two 124-38 teams meeting for the title was absolutely unprecedented and wouldn’t be matched again.

The matchup was also a familiar one as Ahmedabad had faced Ho Chi Minh City five times in the prior eight championships. Each of those prior meetings, the Animals ended up victorious. For the second time, they needed all seven games to decide it, but yet again it was Ahmedabad on top. A newcomer to the rivalry, LF Deepak Rahim, won finals MVP. The 29-year old had signed with Ahmedabad as a free agent in the offseason from Bengaluru. In the playoffs, Rahim had 15 starts, 17 hits, 13 runs, 7 home runs, and 21 RBI. The 21 RBI was a SAB playoff record that held until 2015.



Triumphant in their historic win, Animals’ supporters argued their case for the 1995 team being the greatest not just in SAB history, but in pro baseball history. The Animals broke the record for most wins by a champion, previously set by Beisbol Sudamerica’s La Paz at 122-40 in 1940. Ahmedabad repeated as champ and won its eighth title in ten years; a mark that no other franchise has matched in any league as of 2037. Seven in a decade had only been met by OBA’s Honolulu from 1981-90

Detractors would point to SAB’s relative lower talent pool and lack of balance to discredit the GOAT team arguments. It wouldn’t be until 2010 that the Baseball Grand Championship was formed to allow all of the world’s champions to battle for supremacy. Regardless, Ahmedabad’s dominance hadn’t been seen before and their 1995 season stands even above their other outstanding squads during the dynasty. It wouldn’t be until 2036 that a team would win its league title with a better win-loss record.

Other notes: Yangon’s Arnav Sumedh had 181 singles, setting a single-season SAB record that still stands in 2037. Sumedh also had a 31-game hit streak, which beat the previous SAB record of 30 games. Although low compared to some other leagues, 31-games would be SAB’s record until passed in 2019. A bad record was set by Phnom Penh’s Phyu Khant Thar, who walked 155 batters.

Pitcher of the Year winner Zainal bin Aziz became the first pitcher to 4000 career strikeouts. He would finish after the 1996 season with 4483, holding the top spot until the late 2010s. V.J. Williams became the first batter to 1500 runs scored, 1500 RBI, and 2500 hits. He also got his 13^th and final Silver Slugger, his third at first base (the others were at second). This would be the most by any SAB player until passed in 2024 by eventual world home run king Majed Darwish. Williams played one more season and retired with 1594 runs, 2656 hits, and 1638 RBI. These marks would get passed in the higher offense environment to come in the new millennium. Williams also would retire with 142.6 WAR, which would be first until 2004. He’s still sixth as of 2037.

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It was a two-team race for first in the WAB Western League in 1995. Defending West African Champion Abidjan ended up on top for the fourth consecutive year. At 103-59, it was their fourth straight 100+ win season. Accra gave chase and took second at 99-63 for their first winning season since 1984. It was only the second-ever playoff berth for the Alligators (1976). Cape Verde claimed third place at 85-77 for their first playoff spot in five years. Bamako (81-81) and Freetown (80-82) were the closest competitors for that last playoff spot. Dakar had made the WLCS in the prior five years, but the Dukes dropped to an eighth place 75-87. Dakar wouldn’t post a winning season for the rest of the 1990s.

Leading Accra’s turnaround was 1B Mohamed Din, who won Western League MVP. The 26-year old Mauritanian lefty had been a bench player in the first five years of his career with Abidjan. The Athletes traded him to the Alligators in February for SP Usman John and Din thrived as a starter. He led the WL in hits (204), home runs (57), RBI (146), total bases (414), slugging (.703), OPS (1.093), and wRC+ (205). Din added 8.8 WAR and a .346 average. Pitcher of the Year was Abidjan’s Lin Freire. The 30-year old Bissau-Guinean lefty was in his third season with the Athletes and led in strikeouts (334), K/BB (15.9), FIP- (54), and WAR (9.3). Friere added an 18-4 record over 244 innings with a 2.43 ERA.

Accra outlasted Cape Verde 2-1 in the wild card round, sending the Alligators to their first-ever Western League Championship Series appearance. They gave the perennial powerhouse Abidjan a battle that came down to the final inning of game five. The Athletes would take the clincher 8-7 on a walkoff, becoming the first WAB team to win four pennants in a row. Abidjan has taken the WL crown eight times over WAB’s first 21 seasons.



The Eastern League was top heavy with three squads earning triple digit wins. It became clear they’d take the three playoff spots, but it came down to the final weeks to decide who placed where. Port Harcourt ended up first at 104-58, extending their playoff streak to seven years. It was only the second time the Hillcats had taken first in that stretch. Defending ELCS winner Ibadan was second at 102-60 to extend its playoff to six seasons. Kano joined them by grabbing third at 101-61, snapping a six-year playoff drought for the Condors. Lagos, who had a four-year streak entering the season, finished a distant fourth despite a respectable 89-73 mark.

It was a record setting season for Kano SS Darwin Morris, who claimed repeat Eastern League MVPs. The 23-year old Liberian posted an incredible 15.1 WAR season, blowing by the previous mark of 12.3 by Joseph Ambane in 1978. This remains the WAB single-season WAR mark as of 2037. At the time, it was also the fourth-best season of offensive WAR by any player in any pro league. Morris also set a WAB runs scored record with 142, topping Germain Tchouga’s 136 from the prior year. He also led the league in home runs (53), RBI (135), total bases (401), stolen bases (91), slugging (.693), OPS (1.103), and wRC+ (204). Morris also posted 15.0 ZR and a 1.069 EFF defensively, which would be the best defensive numbers in his storied career.

His Kano teammate Pomeyie Mensah was the EL’s Pitcher of the Year. The 26-year old Ghanaian was the leadear in ERA (2.20), and WHIP (0.96). Mensah added a 17-7 record over 216.2 innings with 297 strikeouts and 6.1 WAR. He also had the best triple slash against him of .189/.253/.303.

Ibadan had home field for the wild card round, but Kano upset them 2-1. It was the seventh Eastern League Championship Series appearance for the Condors, but first in a decade. While Darwin Morris was building a future dynasty for Kano, it wouldn’t begin quite yet. Port Harcourt edged Kano 3-2 in the ELCS, giving the Hillcats their fifth pennant (1980, 82, 89, 90, 95).



In the 21^st West African Championship, it was the second time that Abidjan and Port Harcourt had met in the final. Back in 1982, the Athletes prevailed to take their first-ever overall title. The Hillcats would get revenge and deny the repeat bid, taking the championship 4-2. It was the third overall title for PH, who also won it all in 1980 and 1989. Finals MVP was 1B Theodore Lawal, who posted 15 hits, 11 runs, 6 home runs, and 12 RBI over 11 starts. This performance got the 29-year old Lawal paid, as he’d sign a seven-year, $10,280,000 deal with Kano in the offseason



Other notes: Port Harcourt’s Aitor Zambrano drew 12 walks in the postseason to set a WAB record. Xavi Leko became the second pitcher to 4000 strikeouts. Leko finished the season with 4295, passing Addse Assefa’s 4147 to become the all-time leader. Bijou Kalumbu became the fourth to reach 3500 strikeouts. Germain Tchouga reached 1000 runs, 1000 RBI, and 400 home runs all in 1995. SS Jorginho Fonseca won his seventh Gold Glove.

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The CLB Northern League saw a very intense battle for the top two spots. Last year’s first place finisher and China Series runner-up Xi’an ended up on top at 93-69. Zhengzhou at 91-71 narrowly grabbed the second place spot, ending an 18-year playoff drought for the Zips. Dalian’s dynasty came to an end as the four-time defending CLB champs tied for third with Qingdao at 90-72. The Gold Dragons would drop below .500 the next season to officially close their competitive window. Shanghai (87-75) and Harbin (85-77) were both also in the playoff hunt for much of the season.

Qingdao RF Hongbo Wan became a two-time Northern League MVP. The 27-year old lefty led in runs (103), total bases (322), slugging (.560), and WAR (10.9), while adding 37 home runs and a .913 OPS. Xi’an’s Momota Oichi won Pitcher of the Year and became CLB’s second-ever Triple Crown pitcher. The 24-year old righty from Japan had an 18-6 record, 1.66 ERA, and 377 strikeouts over 250 innings. Oichi also led the league in WHIP (0.76), FIP- (54), and WAR (8.8). Also of note, Hangzhou’s Zhiming Cao became the third CLB pitcher to win Reliever of the Year five times. It was perhaps his best season too with a 0.84 ERA over 96 innings, 175 strikeouts, 50 shutdowns, and 7.2 WAR.



The Southern League also saw a very tight battle at the top of the standings. Chengdu took first at 91-71 to end an eight-year playoff drought. Changsha was one back at 90-72, but snapped their own 18-year postseason drought. Xiamen (89-730, Macau (87-75), and Dongguan (85-77) each ended up on the outside. The Mutts saw their three-year streak ended.

Kunming was towards the bottom of the standings, but their LF Tao Yang couldn’t be denied as Southern League MVP. The 26-year old lefty led in runs (92), home runs (55), RBI (95), total bases (356), slugging (.650), OPS (.985), wRC+ (263), and WAR (12.0). Yang was the first CLB batter to cross 50+ homers since 1974, falling four short of the record. Changsha’s Jiuling Huang won Pitcher of the Year in his seventh season with the Cannons. He set two single-season records that still stand as of 2037 with a 3.9 H/9 and .131 opponents batting average. Huang led with 381 strikeouts, 0.60 WHIP, and 25 FIP-. He had a 15-5 record over 234.1 innings with a 1.19 ERA and 11.1 WAR.

The Northern League’s dominance over the Southern League continued in the 1995 playoff semifinals. Xi’an downed Changsha 4-1, while Zhengzhou upset Chengdu in a seven game thriller. Both NL teams have gotten to the China Series five times in the last six years. The Attack earned a repeat appearance, while it was the first time for the Zips.



In the 26^th China Series, Xi’an cruised to a sweep of Zhengzhou, giving the Attack its third CLB title (1974, 1976). Finals MVP was RF Yai “Sluggo” Chounlamany. The 29-year old had 10 hits, 5 runs, 4 home runs, and 7 RBI over 9 playoff starts.



Other notes: Dalian’s Liang Shang Guan became CLB’s first batter to record seven hits in a game. He went 7-9 on June 1 against Beijing. As of 2037, Shang Guan is the only CLB batter to achieve the feat. He also won his ninth Silver Slugger at second base. Foshan’s Jinlong Han became the third pitcher to strike out 20+ in a game, fanning 20 on August 2 against Hong Kong. Kunming’s Aleksandr Pshenichny had CLB’s 23^rd Perfect Game and first since 1990, striking out 10 against Wuhan on 8/24. Four of the five no-hitters in 1995 came at the expense of the Wolverines. P/1B Wei Qin won his 11^th Silver Slugger, tying him with fellow two-way star Nick Wei for the most in CLB to this point.

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The Taiwan-Philippine Association would see the same two teams at the top of the standings as the prior season. Defending TPA champ Taoyuan earned repeat Taiwan League titles and set a new franchise-best at 104-58. Tainan was their closest competitor at 94-68. Davao took the Philippine League for the third consecutive season. The Devil Rays were 91-71, finishing six games ahead of Quezon.

Taoyuan’s Ting-Jen Hsu picked up the Taiwan-Philippine Association MVP as a two-way player. On the mound, the 25-yar old lefty had a 15-13 record, 2.40 ERA, and 229 strikeouts over 243.2 innings with 5.1 WAR. Hsu also played the outfield and had 5.2 WAR offensively in 92 games with 89 hits, 48 runs, and a .277/.343/.452 slash. His Tsunami teammate Hong-Hui Tseng won Pitcher of the Year, leading in wins (22-7), ERA (1.69), and quality starts (31). Tseng added 318 strikeouts over 277 innings and 7.9 WAR.



The Sundaland Association also had the same teams ending up at the top. Defending Austronesia Champion Bandung improved on the prior year to 101-61 and again won the Java League. Surabaya at 89-73 was their closest competitor. Batam (97-65) secured a third straight Malacca League title and earned a fifth playoff spot in six years. Only 87-75 Singapore gave the Blue Raiders any real opposition.

The Sharks’ challenge was led by 1B Gavin Loh, who won Sundaland Association MVP. The 31-year old Indonesian righty led in home runs (51), RBI (102), total bases (342), slugging (.604), OPS (.964), and wRC+ (219). Loh added 10.1 WAR. Also notable was Jakarta’s Wen-Yang Kuo becoming a three-time Reliever of the Year winner, posting 45 saves, a 0.86 ERA, and 6.1 WAR.

Batam’s Wisnu Mahmudiana won a third Pitcher of the Year in a row and became the fifth APB pitcher to achieve a Triple Crown. He had a 22-5 record, 0.91 ERA, and 406 strikeouts over 258 innings. Mahmudiana’s ERA was the second-lowest in a qualifying season, behind only Ahmad Syahmi Rusli’s 0.89 in 1982. Mahmudiana’s mark remains fifth best as of 2037. He was also the leader in WHIP (0.55), quality start (28), shutouts (8), FIP- (21) and WAR (14.0). His WHIP was a new single-season best that held until 2014 and he set pitching records for opponent’s triple slash (.136/.162/.364).

In the Taiwan-Philippine Association Championship rematch, Davao got revenge against Taoyuan and took it in five games. This was only the second-ever pennant for the Devil Rays, joining the 1975 season. The Sundaland Association Championship rematch saw Bandung repeat as champs, besting Batam 4-1. The Blackhawks are three-time SA winners, also having a title in 1967. The Blue Raiders are now 1-4 in their SAC appearances in the last six seasons.



The 31^st Austronesia Championship saw Davao earn its first-ever overall title, beating Bandung 4-1. Closer Wei-Min Chiang won finals MVP, posting five saves and two wins in seven playoff appearances, tossing 10.2 scoreless innings with 13 strikeouts. Also of note, Bandung’s Aris Bau set playoff records for H/9 (1.89), opponent average (.067), slugging (.067), and OPS (.163). He had a 0.47 ERA over 19 playoff innings with 33 strikeouts. With Davao’s title, 14 of APB’s 20 teams have won the overall title. Only Tainan, Zamboanga, Palembang, Singapore, Depok, and Pekanbaru lack a APB ring. Singapore, Depok, and Zamboanga each have also yet to make the finals.



Other notes: On May 30^th, Quezon’s Jared Alvarez had possibly the most dominant pitching performance in pro baseball history. Against Manila, Alvarez had APB’s 21^st Perfect Game, striking out 22 of the 27 batters he faced. As of 2037, this is a world record for most strikeouts in a perfect game and in a no-hitter. There had been two previous 22K no-nos in the World Baseball Championship (and would be a 22k perfect game in 2005). Alvarez also tied the APB record for strikeouts in a regulation game, while Vhon Lasam got 23 Ks in 10.1 innings back in 1984.

It got less attention, but Semarang’s Ferdinand Muchayyin also had a perfect game in 1995, striking out 10 against Pekanbaru. Ronald Purnomo became the seventh pitcher to 200 career wins. Chang-Rong Chang became the 15^th batter to 2000 hits. 1B Akbar Fatchurohman won his ninth consecutive Gold Glove.

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The Oceania Baseball Association had originally been set up with a universal designated hitter. However, after the 1980 season, the Pacific League had removed it while the Australasia League had kept it. For the 1995 season, the PL opted to return to having the DH. Both leagues would still use the DH as of 2037.



Perth’s bid to three-peat as Oceania Champions was thwarted by Christchurch. The Chinooks took the Australasia League title at 98-64, besting the Penguins by four games. Christchurch secured its seventh AL pennant (1963, 80, 83, 85, 88, 92, 95). This is tied with Perth for the most Australasia League titles. Unlike the Penguins, the Chinooks had struggled in the Oceania Championship. Since winning it all in 1963, they’ve lost five straight.

Gold Coast was fourth in the standings, but had the AL’s MVP in SS Woody Bolling. The 26-year old won the batting average title at .331 and led in wRC+ (170), and WAR (9.0). He added 167 hits and 20 home runs in 126 games, having missed six weeks to a hamstring strain. Pitcher of the Year was Christchurch veteran Jonah Lois. The 36-year old righty nicknamed “Boss” had the best year of a steady career, leading the AL in ERA (2.11), WHIP (0.83), and WAR (9.6). Lois added an 18-10 record over 319.2 innings and 295 strikeouts.



After finishing second thrice in the last four years, Honolulu was back atop the Pacific League in 1995. The Honu had an impressive 105-57 mark for a record 12^th PL pennant. Since 1981, they’ve finished first first ten times, most recently in 1993. Samoa was second at 94-68, posting their first winning season since 1990. Defending PL champ Guam fell to third at 91-71.

Honolulu slugger Vavao Brighouse earned his sixth Pacific League MVP with more record-setting power. The 32-year old Samoan lefty tied his own single-season home run record from 1988 with 69 dingers. It was his sixth season with 60+ homers and ninth team leading the league. Brighouse also shattered his own single season RBI mark of 139 from 1992, knocking in 161 runners. 69 HR and 161 RBI are still OBA’s all-time bests as of 2037. The 6’8’’ powerhouse also led in total bases (386) and slugging (.666) and added 7.6 WAR.

His Honolulu teammates also took the top pitching honors. Zeke Decker became a first-time Pitcher of the Year winner after leaving Guam in the offseason and signing a five-year, $9,420,000 deal with the Honu. Decker led in wins (26-7), ERA (2.19), WHIP (0.86), K/BB (10.2), quality starts (32), shutouts (5), FIP- (63), and WAR (10.5). He also had 348 strikeouts in 324.2 innings. Meanwhile, Garnet Wallace became a four-time Reliever of the Year winner; the second OBA pitcher to do so. The 29-year old American had 40 saves, a 1.38 ERA, and 122 strikeouts in 91 innings.



In the 36^th Oceania Championship, it was Honolulu and Christchurch facing off for the 4th time for the title. The Chinooks’ lone title came at the expense of the Honu in 1963. Honolulu got revenge with wins in 1983 and 1988. The 1995 showdown saw the Honu prevail in six games, making them 8-4 all-time in the championship and dropping the Chinooks to 1-6. 3B Harri Russell was the MVP, posting 10 hits, 3 runs, and 3 doubles in the series. It was Honolulu’s first title since the prime of the dynasty (1982, 83, 84, 86, 88, 89, 90, 95).



Other notes: Rookie Harrison Bussie was used in an experimental opener role and broke the OBA record for games started by a pitcher with 66. Graham Chapman and Quentin Basa became the fifth and sixth OBA batters to 500 career home runs. Basa also became the fifth to 2500 hits. Basa, Chapman, and Brighouse each won their seventh Silver Sluggers. Jonah Lois was the ninth pitcher to reach 3500 strikeouts. CF Thomas Ollivier won his seventh Gold Glove. Port Moresby as a team had 463 stolen bases, which remains the PL’s single-season record as of 2037.

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The EPB European League was quite top heavy in 1995 with all four playoff teams finishing with 100+ wins. After missing the playoffs the prior season, Kharkiv set a franchise-best at 116-46, earning the South Division and the top seed. Defending EPB champ Warsaw earned the North Division at 110-52. This was the third straight division title for the Wildcats, whose playoff streak extended to eight seasons. Wild cards Kyiv (104-58) and Minsk (102-60) both added to their own impressive postseason streaks. The Kings made it four-in-a-row and their ninth in ten years. The Miners added to their record streak with a 15^th consecutive playoff berth. Remarkably, Minsk has been in the playoffs in all but three of EPB’s 38 seasons to date.

European League MVP went to RF Gleb Lapchenko. After nearly a decade playing in Prague, the 29-year old Ukrainian was traded to Minsk for the 1995 season. He excelled in his one year with the Miners, leading in home runs (58), RBI (121), total bases (380), slugging (.646), OPS (.983), wRC+ (213), and WAR (8.9). Lapchenko’s .303 average was five points shy of a Triple Crown. He would leave for MLB and Philadelphia in the offseason on a mammoth seven-year, $25,480,000 deal. Pitcher of the Year was fourth-year Kharkiv ace Petro Mihalko. The 26-year old Ukrainian righty led in wins (24-6), and WHIP (0.76). Mihalko added a 1.65 ERA and 323 strikeouts over 289.2 innings with 10.7 WAR.

Kharkiv downed Minsk 3-1 and Warsaw ousted Kyiv 3-1 in the first round of the playoffs. The Wildcats earned a fourth consecutive European League Championship Series appearance, while it was the first since 1984 for the Killer Bees. Warsaw extended its EL dynasty by besting Kharkiv 4-2 to secure three pennants in a row. It was Warsaw’s fourth overall, as they also won in 1960.



Last year, Irkutsk set a franchise record with 109 wins, although their three-peat bid in the Asian League was thwarted by Bishkek. The Ice Cats were even better in 1995 at 115-47, winning the North Division and extending its playoff streak to six seasons. In the South Division, Tashkent ended a 14-year playoff drought with a 103-59 mark. This was the first division title for the Tomcats since 1978. In a tight wild card race, Almaty (96-66) and Novosibirsk (94-68) both extended their respective playoff streaks to five straight seasons. Defending AL champ Bishkek fell one game short at 93-69.

Asian League MVP was Irkutsk 3B David Kolesnikov. In his ninth season starting for the Ice Cats, the 30-year old Moscow native led in WAR (9.5), and OPS (.906). He added 39 home runs and a .281 average. His Ice Cats teammate Levka Khagba won Pitcher of the Year. It was his second, having also taken it in 1991. The 29-year old Russian led in wins at 23-3, ERA (1.59), and quality starts (30). Khagba added 252 strikeouts over 255.1 innings and 8.0 WAR.

The division winners both picked up first round playoff sweeps with Irkutsk over Novosibirsk and Tashkent over Almaty. The Ice Cats earned a fourth consecutive Asian League Championship Series appearance, while Tashkent hadn’t done it since 1972. Irkutsk refused to suffer a disappointment like the prior year, taking the ALCS 4-1 against the Tomcats. The Ice Cats earned a third pennant in four years, as well as their seventh overall (1956, 61, 75, 77, 92, 93, 95).



The 41^st Eurasian Professional Baseball Championship was a rematch of two years prior, which saw Irkutsk win in five against Warsaw. The Wildcats were the defending champ, having bounced back in 1994 over Bishkek. The 1995 finale was a seven game thriller which came down to the final inning. Warsaw led 5-1 entering the bottom of the ninth inning, but Irkutsk rallied from behind to win 6-5. Veteran RF Geza Aranyi had the clincher with a walk off two RBI single. 1B Khalid Meredov, the 1993 finals MVP, earned the honor again in 1995. The 28-year old Turkmen had 17 hits, 6 runs, 3 home runs, and 7 RBI in 15 playoff starts.



Irkutsk’s title was notable not only for being their second in three years. Although other teams had posted better win-loss records, the Ice Cats at 115-47 set the new EPB record for best record by a team that ultimately won it all. 1959 Kyiv at 113-49 had the previous top mark. Irkutsk held this distinction in EPB until passed in 2004 by a 116-win Yekaterinburg squad. Regardless, the 1995 Ice Cats remain the peak of their 1990s dynasty run and have a spot at the table when discussing EPB’s all-time best champions.

Other notes: Igor Bury and Fredi Tamasi became the third and fourth EPB pitchers to 5000 career strikeouts. Haxhi Maho joined both in the 4500K club and became the second to reach 300 wins. Maho would pitch two more seasons and finish with 335 wins, 14 short of Alvi Tahiri’s 349. Both Tamasi and Bury would fall short of Tahiri’s 6909 strikeouts, although they both still sit in the top five as of 2037. Dushanbe’s Carlton Eckel struck out 20 on May 23 against Ufa.

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The only playoff team from 1994 in the EBF Northern Conference to make it back in 1995 was defending European Champion Birmingham. The Bees dropped from their 110-win mark the prior year, but still had the Northern Conference’s tip mark at 94-68. Birmingham earned a fifth consecutive British Isles Division title. Dublin was three games back at 91-71, which earned them the wild card and ended a five-year playoff drought. Paris took the Northwest Division at 92-70 for their first playoff berth since 1984. The Poodles also had their first division title since 1970. Amsterdam, winners of 100 the prior year, took second at 85-77. Copenhagen earned the North Central Division at 89-73 for their first playoff spot since their 1985 pennant. Stockholm (87-75) and Hamburg (86-76) were both close behind, but just short of both the division and the wild card.

Copenhagen’s Mattias Stole earned repeat Northern Conference MVP. His third season wasn’t the absurd 75 home run, 183 RBI effort of the prior year, but the 25-year old Norwegian still led in RBI (153), total bases (418), and OPS (1.081). Stole added 53 home runs, 110 runs, and 8.7 WAR with a .346 average. Birmingham’s Lindsey Brampton won a fifth straight Pitcher of the Year and became the first Triple Crown pitcher in EBF since 1982. Brampton broke his own single-season strikeout record of 474 from the prior year, posting 489 Ks over 268 innings with a 24-5 record and 2.25 ERA. The 27-year old Englishman also led in WHIP (0.77), K/BB (11.6), quality starts (29), FIP- (50), and WAR (11.3).

Birmingham survived in five games over Copenhagen in the first round, giving the Bees their fourth Northern Conference Championship berth in five years. Dublin downed Paris 3-1, giving the Dinos their first conference finals since 1989. Dublin denied their division rival Birmingham the three-peat with a shocking sweep in the NCF. It was the Dinos’ fourth pennant and their first since the 1960s (1962, 67, 68, 95).



Lisbon was the only Southern Conference team to make it back to the playoffs from the prior season. The Clippers were 99-63 for a fifth straight playoff berth and their fourth Southwest Division title in that stretch. Defending SC champ Barcelona dropped to 82-80. The #1 seed in the conference was Southeast Division champ Athens at 103-59. The Anchors ended a playoff drought dating back to 1981. After missing the playoffs for the first time in 12 years, Munich was back in as the wild card. The Mavericks took it at 92-70, one game ahead of Zagreb and four better than Madrid. Zurich (90-72) reclaimed their South Central Division throne after seeing their historic 21 season streak snapped in 1994.

Southern Conference MVP went to two-way star Daniel Ramires. The 32-year old Portuguese righty had won Pitcher of the Year the prior season for Lisbon. On the mound, he led in innings (279.2) and posted an 18-9 record with a 3.12 ERA, 263 strikeouts, and 8.2 WAR. He also won his fourth Gold Glove as a pitcher. As an outfielder, Ramires played 123 games with 154 hits, 32 home runs, 107 RBI, a .344/.395/.656 slash and 5.9 WAR. Munich veteran Vincent Cassar won Pitcher of the Year at age 34. The Maltese lefty had by far his best year, posting a conference-best 1.92 EA and 0.92 WHIP. Cassar had a 17-5 record over 220 innings with 197 strikeouts and 5.7 WAR.

Athens swept Zurich in round one while Lisbon beat Munich 3-1. The Clippers earned their fifth Southern Conference Championship appearance in seven years, while the Anchors earned their first since winning the 1978 pennant. Lisbon rolled to a sweep of Athens, picking up their fourth pennant overall (1956, 89, 92, 95). 1995 joined 1954 as the only seasons in EBF history where both conference finals ended in sweeps.



While the conference finals weren’t competitive, the 46^th European Championship went all seven games. After falling in the 1989 and 1992 finals, Lisbon finally earned the title 4-3 over Dublin. It was the second ring for the Clippers, who also won it all in 1956. CF Willy Fierro won finals MVP as the 30-year old Spaniard had 18 hits, 12 runs, 6 home runs, and 16 RBI in 15 playoff starts. Although defeated, Dublin’s Silvio La Paglia was the second qualifying pitcher to post a zero ERA in the postseason, tossing 16 scoreless innings with 14 strikeouts.



Other notes: Jacob Ronnberg became the first EBF batter to 3500 hits. He played one more season and ended with 3520, remaining the hit king until the mid 2010s. Sean Houston was the fifth to reach 1500 runs scored. Daniel Galonopoulas was the 11^th to 1500 RBI and the 16^th to 500 home runs. Linus Schindler was the fourth to reach 250 wins on the mound. He pitched one more year and retired second with 274 wins.

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While most of the other leagues had shrunk their active rosters if they changed them, Beisbol Sudamerica went the other direction. Starting with the 1995 season, the BSA active roster increased from 25 players to 26. Teams took mixed approaches to how to handle the extra spot,



Lima led the way in the Bolivar League, dominating the Peru-Bolivia Division and earning the top seed at 101-61. The Lobos extended their playoff streak to eight years with seven division titles in the run. A loaded Colombia-Ecuador Division saw three teams battle for two playoff spots. At 98-64, defending Copa Sudamerica winner Quito took the division title. Bogota and Medellin finished tied for second at 93-69 with the Bats winning a tiebreaker game to claim the wild card. This ended the Mutiny’s playoff streak at three years and gave Bogota a fourth berth in five years. In the Venezuela Division, Caracas (86-76) edged defending division winner Maracaibo (84-78). It was the Colts’ first playoff berth and winning season since their 1987 pennant.

Valencia was a lousy 66-96, but that didn’t stop 1B Nyx Navas from winning his second Bolivar League MVP. The 28-year old Brazilian righty led in home runs (56), total bases (398), slugging (.662), and wRC+ (189). Navas added 7.3 WAR, a .321 average, and 119 RBI. This would end his run with the Velocity, as he left for MLB and Chicago in the offseason on a mammoth eight-year, $29,360,000 contract. Veteran pitcher Harvey Rizo won Pitcher of the Year. The 32-year old Colombian righty was in his second year with Lima, leading the league in ERA (2.27), WHIP (0.88), and quality starts (28). Rizo added a 21-9 record over 297.1 innings with 268 strikeouts and 7.3 WAR.

Bogota stunned Lima with a divisional series road sweep, while Caracas upset defending champ Quito 3-1. This was Bogota’s first Bolivar League Championship Series since 1988 and the Colts’ first since 1987. The Bats battered Caracas 4-1 for Bogota’s third-ever BL pennant (1951, 73, 95)



The Southern Cone League’s North Division was stacked in 1995. Recife ended up division champ for the second time in three years, posting the league’s best record at 103-59. Brasilia was close behind at 100-62, earning repeat wild cards. Defending league champ Fortaleza finished 96-66, falling short of the wild card by four games. Santiago was only one behind the Retrievers for the top seed. The Saints dominated the South Central Division at 102-60 for a fourth division title in a row. The Southeast Division saw Montevideo snap Sao Paulo’s hold on the top spot with the Venom at 93-69, one ahead of the Padres. It was only the second time in a decade that Sao Paulo missed the playoff field. For Montevideo, this was the second-ever playoff berth for the downtrodden franchise (1981).

Winning Southern Cone League MVP was Fortaleza SS/3B Dyjan Rondo. The 34-year old Brazilian righty le in runs (116), RBI (133), total bases (375), and WAR (10.6). Rondo added 52 home runs and a .300/.346/.622 slash. Recife’s Tete Sendas was Pitcher of the Year in his third season. He led in wins (23-3), ERA (2.15), WIHP (0.85), and shutouts (7). Sendas had 6.9 WAR and 291 strikeouts in 272.1 innings. Also of note was Brasilia’s Emeril Favela winning a third consecutive Reliever of the Year.

Recife rolled their divisional foe Brasilia with a first round sweep, while Montevideo upset Santiago 3-1. This was the third Southern Cone League Championship berth for the expansion Retrievers (1984, 89) while the Venon’s only prior appearance was in 1981. Recife would win the series 4-2 over Montevideo to win their second pennant.



The 65^th Copa Sudamerica was guaranteed to have a first-time winner. Recife had fallen to Ciudad Guayana in their lone appearance in 1984, while Bogota had been defeated in 1951 and 1973. The Bats dominated early by winning the first three games. However, Bogota collapsed and the Retrievers rallied from down 3-0 to win the series in seven. The finale ended in dramatic fashion as RF Franklin Lara had a pinch hit walk off RBI single to win it 2-1 for Recife. With the Retrievers’ win, 23 of BSA’s 30 teams have now won Copa Sudamerica at least once. Bogota, Montevideo, Asuncion, and Maracaibo are the original franchise without a cup, along with expansion teams Santa Cruz, Arequipa, and Mendoza.



Other notes: Bogota’s Emiliano Calleros set postseason records for innings pitched (44) and complete games (4). Recife’s Benny Brito set a playoff record for walks drawn (12). Pepito Cortina became the 15^th pitcher to 4500 career strikeouts. RF Ariando Abarca won his seventh Gold Glove. MVP Dyjan Rondo won his tenth Silver Slugger. It was his first at shortstop, as his previous awards all came at third base.

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The Japan League’s West Division was again loaded with the best two records in the league. Only one could advance and that was 103-59 Hiroshima, edging three-time defending EAB champ Kitakyushu by two games. That snapped a five-year playoff drought for the Hammerheads and officially marked the end of the Kodiaks’ five-year streak and their dynasty run. The Central Division went to 99-63 Kyoto for their second division win in three years. Kobe was second at 89-73. Sapporo cruised to repeat North Division titles at 94-68. Meanwhile in a putrid Capital Division, Tokyo (74-88) was first by two games over Yokohama and three over both Kawasaki and Chiba. The Tides extended their playoff streak to four years, but also notably posted the worst record ever by a playoff qualifier in any pro league.

Japan League MVP went to Kyoto RF Pikushi Tamaki. The 26-year old lefty led in the triple slash (.348/.419/.716), OPS (1.135), wRC+ (233), WAR (10.3), and runs (97). Tamaki added 41 home runs and 103 RBI. Kitakyushu’s Yutaka Kobayashi earned repeat Pitcher of the Year awards, leading in K/BB (14.2), FIP- (54), and WAR (8.9). Kobayashi had a 2.51 ERA over 240 innings with 270 strikeouts and a 20-7 record.

Tokyo shocked Hiroshima 3-1 in the first round of the playoffs, while Sapporo secured a road sweep of Kyoto. It was the first Japan League Championship Series for the Swordsmen since their 1983 pennant, while it was the first appearance since 1992 for the Tides. Tokyo continued to confound the baseball world by beating Sapporo 4-2 in the JLCS. At 74-88, the Tides easily set a world record for worst record by a pennant winner. This was Tokyo’s fifth Japan League title (1921, 36, 73, 75, 95).



Busan and Yongin ended up tied at 101-61 in the race for the Korea League’s best record and the South Division title. The Blue Jays won the tiebreaker game for repeat playoff berths and their first division title in 24 years. The defending KL champ Gold Sox were easily the first wild card, earning repeat playoff spots. Ulsan also picked up a repeat wild card and was in the division mix much of the season, finishing at 98-64. Pyongyang won the North Division at 93-69 for their second playoff appearance in four years. Suwon’s playoff streak ended at three years as they dropped to .500.

Ulsan’s Byung-Tak Wie earned back-to-back Korea League MVPs. The 25-year old first baseman led in runs (112), home runs (53), total bases (393), slugging (.696), OPS (1.086), and wRC+ (192). He added 8.7 WAR with 115 RBI. Ha-Ram Lee was a repeat Pitcher of the Year winner and won it for the fourth time. In his first full-season with Busan after getting traded from Incheon at the deadline last year, the 29-year old lefty earned a second Triple Crown with a 24-8 record, 1.66 ERA, and 392 strikeouts. He was five Ks short of the single-season record. Lee also joined Chikara Ohkubo and Aiya Kodama as the only multiple-time Triple Crown EAB pitchers. Lee pitched 277 innings and had 8.7 WAR along with a league-best 0.73 WHIP and 32 quality starts. Also notable was Gwangju’s Hachiro Koga winning a fourth Reliever of the Year.

Busan outlasted Ulsan 3-2 in the first round of the playoffs, while Yongin prevailed on the road 3-1 over Pyongyang. For the Blue Jays, they hadn’t been to the Korea League Championship Series since 1981. Despite their home field advantage and division win, Busan was battered by Yongin in the KLCS. The Gold Sox swept the Blue Jays to repeat as KL champs. This was Yongin’s fifth pennant with four of those coming in the last 12 years.



In the 75^th East Asian Championship, Tokyo’s stunning postseason run ended with a thud. Yongin took care of business 4-1 to earn the franchise’s second overall title, joining their 1984 win. LF Chae-Ho Yi won finals MVP with the 1992 league MVP proving a solid free agent pickup from Goyang. The 32-year old had 13 playoff starts with 13 hits, 9 runs, 5 home runs, and 9 RBI.



Other notes: Jun-Seong Noi became only the third batter to reach 3500 career hits. He finished the season and retired at 3519, behind leader Byung-Oh Tan’s 3871 and Dong-Ju Hahn’s 3585. Ju-Kan Yoo became only the 16^th member of the 3000 hit club. Tsukasa Kato became the 25^th to reach 600 home runs. Ju-Eon Eun was the 10^th pitcher to reach 250 wins. For the first time since 1985, zero no-hitters occurred in a season. 2B Kunihiko Koike won his seventh Gold Glove. CF Yuma Akasaka won his tenth Silver Slugger, setting a record for the position. 1B Tsukasa Kato and 2B/SS Katsunan Higashida won their seventh Silver Sluggers.

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After seeing their bid for a fifth consecutive Mexican League title thwarted last year, Monterrey set a new ML record at 116-46. This would remain the most wins in a season by a ML team until passed in 2023. The Matadors extended their postseason streak to eight seasons and earned a sixth straight North Division title. Tijuana at 90-72 was again second in the division and picked up the wild card for the fourth year in a row. The South Division saw a tie for the top spot between Puebla and Guadalajara at 84-78. The Pumas won the tiebreaker game for their first division title since 1987. Queretaro was only two games back of the division lead and Leon was three behind. Ecatepec, the defending Mexican League champ, dropped to a lousy 71-91.

Juarez 1B Maikel Loya won the Mexican League MVP and posted the 14^th Triple Crown season by a CABA hitter with a .381 average, 59 home runs, and 138 RBI. The 26-year old righty also led in runs (132), total bases (463), OBP (.419), slugging (.750), OPS (1.169), wRC+ (240), and WAR (12.8). Monterrey’s Daniel Fontan earned Pitcher of the Year in his third season. The 24-year old Honduran led in wins (21-4), strikeouts (305), WHIP (0.88), quality starts (27), and FIP- (63). Fontan added a 2.24 ERA over 221 innings and 7.2 WAR.

Although they had fewer wins, Puebla had the home field advantage in the wild card round as the division winner and used it to sweep Tijuana. It was the Pumas first Mexican League Championship Series berth since 1987. However, Monterrey was still stinging from their MLCS defeat the prior year and took out that frustration on Puebla. The Matadors swept the Pumas to win their fifth ML pennant in six years. They’re the first Mexican League to win five in six since Mexico City’s seven-peat from 1967-73.



Defending CABA champion Salvador had the Caribbean League’s best record at 105-57, taking the Continental Division by 13 games. The Stallions earned their third division title in four years. In the Island Division, Santiago snapped a playoff drought dating back to their 1979 CABA title. The Sailfish hadn’t even posted a winning record since 1980 and were 68-94 the prior season, but they posted an impressive 98-64 in 1995. In the wild card race, Honduras (92-70) edged out Haiti (90-72) and Santo Domingo (88-74). This extended the Horsemen playoff streak to three years and was their sixth berth in eight years.

The Caribbean League also saw a Triple Crown hitter in Panama’s Pedro Enciso. The second-year first baseman won MVP on 54 home runs, 164 RBI, and a .366 average. The 164 RBI set a new single season CABA record, topping the previous mark of 154. Enciso’s record wouldn’t be beaten until 2031. The 25-year old Honduran righty also led in hits (228), total bases (446), OBP (.395), slugging (.716), OPS (1.110), and wRC+ (192). Despite his efforts, Panama was a mediocre 75-87.

Pitcher of the Year was Salvador’s Emmanuel Bernabe. The 27-year old had posted three decent seasons to start his career with Jamaica, but was traded to the Stallions before the 1995 season. The deal paid off, as he led in wins (26-5) and quality starts (24). Bernabe added a 2.75 ERA over 265 innings with 259 strikeouts and 6.6 WAR. His teammate Ruy Torres also notably won his third Reliever of the Year in four seasons.

The wild card round went the distance as Santiago edged Honduras. The Sailfish were the underdog against the defending CABA champ Salvador, as they also were making their third Caribbean League Championship Series appearance in four years. Santiago hadn’t gotten that far since their 1979 title. The series was a classic that needed all seven games, plus extras in the finale. The Sailfish took game seven 2-1 in 12 innings to knock out Salvador. This was the 10^th CL pennant for Santiago (1916, 21, 23, 47, 51, 52, 54, 55, 79, 95)



In the 85^th Central American Baseball Association Championship, Monterrey reestablished control, downing Santiago 4-2. This resumed the Matador dynasty with their fourth title in six years, while also giving them their seventh ring overall (1937, 55, 57, 90, 91, 92, 95). 1B Francklin Bonhomme was finals MVP, posting 15 hits, 10 runs, 4 home runs and 10 RBI over 10 playoff starts.



At 116-46, the 1995 Matadors had the second-best record for a CABA champion behind only 1933 Jamaica’s 118-44. It would be the best W/L within their 1990s dynasty, although it would be a debate between both scholars and Monterrey fans on which of their teams from the era was the best. Only Mexico City had won four CABA titles in six years, as the Aztecs had a five-peat from 1969-73.

Other notes: Puebla’s Gabriel Castellanos set a single-season CABA record for singles with 191. He also had 246 hits, which was second most in a season to that point behind Prometheo Garcia’s 252 in 1949. For the first time since 1985, CABA had zero no-hitters thrown in 1995. Tijuana’s Mateo Solano had a 35-game hit streak in the spring. This was the second-longest streak in CABA history behind Ivan Iniguez’s 38 in 1911.

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The four division winners in the National Association were within four wins of each other, making for a tough fight for the #1 seed. Even trickier was the top two overall records coming from the same division. At 100-62, Washington won the East Division and top seed. It was the Admirals’ first playoff appearance since 1981. They only beat Philadelphia by one game for the division title. 99-63 was plenty good to give the Phillies the first wild card, ending a four-year playoff drought. New York, who had a four-year postseason streak entering 1995, saw it snapped as they fell to 83-79.

The Upper Midwest champ Cleveland and the Lower Midwest champ Columbus both finished at 97-65. The tiebreaker gave the defending NA winner Cobras the first round bye, while the Chargers were seeded third. In the Northeast Division, Boston (96-66) was back in the playoffs after missing in back-to-back seasons. It was also the Red Sox’s first division title since 1978. Buffalo (92-70) was second in the division, but good enough to earn the wild card and a repeat playoff berth. Wichita (90-72) and Toronto (87-75) were the only squads that gave them chase towards the end.

Washington RF Nathaniel D’Attilo won his third National Association MVP in a row and had his best season yet. The 25-year old lefty led in the triple slash (.388/.472/.723), OPS (1.195), wRC+ (267), WAR (11.6), total bases (365), and runs (107). D’Attilo’s .472 OBP set a new MLB single season record that still stands as of 2037. His 1.195 OPS also broke the record and stood as the top mark until 2026. D’Attilo also had 46 home runs and 119 RBI. Winnipeg’s Dirk Hughes won his second Pitcher of the Year, having also done it in 1992. The 28-year old English lefty led in ERA (2.11), FIP- (63), and WAR (9.2). Hughes added a 17-13 record over 277.1 innings and 208 strikeouts.

In the first round of the playoffs, Boston swept Philadelphia and Buffalo edged Columbus 2-1. The Red Sox then ousted defending champ Cleveland with a road sweep, while Washington beat the Blue Sox 3-1. It was Boston’s second National Association Championship Series appearance in four years, while the Admirals last made it in 1981. The NACS was a seven-game classic with the Red Sox winning only their third NA pennant (1955, 1967, 1995).



The American Association’s Southwest Division ended up loaded with arguably its three best teams. Defending World Series Champion San Francisco was first at 104-58. Even though the Gold Rush won it all the prior year and earned a third straight playoff berth, this was their first division title since 1990. Las Vegas (97-65) and Los Angeles (94-68) won the wild card spots by a solid margin. The Angels earned a fifth playoff spot in seven years, while it was the second in four years for the Vipers. Albuquerque and Phoenix, both playoff teams last year, both dropped below .500 in 1995.

The other first round bye went to 94-68 Tampa, who snapped Atlanta’s eight-year streak as Southeast Division winners. The Thunderbirds got their first playoff spot since 1991 and first division win since 1986. The Aces (89-73) and Charlotte (88-74) were both in the mix, but fell short. Houston (92-7) cruised to the South Central Division to end a four-year playoff drought. New Orleans, the winner the prior two years, stunk at 75-87.

The Northwest Division had the weakest division winner, but five teams had a legitimate shot at it entering the final week. Denver and Seattle finished tied for the top spot at 85-77, while both Calgary and Edmonton ended 84-78 and Vancouver was 83-79. The Dragons downed the Grizzlies in the tiebreaker game, putting Denver in the playoffs for the sixth time in eight years. The Cheetahs had won the division the prior three seasons and had three straight 100+ win seasons, but they came up just short in 1995. Calgary had been a regular contender in the 1980s and 1990s, but they wouldn’t see the AACS again in the next 40 years.

American Association MVP went to Seattle first baseman Bryson Wightman. The 25-year old hometown hero led in runs (135), hits (206), and RBI (135). Wightman added 39 home runs, a .330/.395/.590 slash, and 7.5 WAR. Pitcher of the Year was second-season San Antonio lefty Kentavious McCalister. The 21-year old led in quality starts (27), and shutouts (5). He added a 21-9 record, 2.39 ERA, and 170 strikeouts over 290 innings with 6.9 WAR.

Denver downed Las Vegas 2-0 and Houston topped Los Angeles 2-1 in the first round of the playoffs. Both the Dragons and Hornets pulled off round two upsets with Houston topping Tampa 3-1 and Denver sweeping San Francisco. This was the fourth American Association Championship Series appearance in seven years for the Dragons, while Houston hadn’t gotten that far since 1980. Despite having the weakest record among all of the 1995 MLB playoff teams, Denver cruised to an AACS sweep over the Hornets. This was the sixth pennant for the Dragons (1925, 38, 62, 89, 91, 95).



In the 95th World Series, Denver defeated Boston 4-2 to become five time MLB champs (1925, 38, 62, 89, 95). The Dragons are one of six franchises with five or more World Series rings, joining San Diego, Ottawa, Los Angeles, Philadelphia (7), and Houston (7). In his 15th season as a Dragon, first baseman Hunter Emerald was World Series MVP. The steady 34-year old had 19 hits, 10 runs, 4 doubles, 5 RBI, and 6 walks in 15 playoff starts. Denver pitcher James Ferron also had a notable postseason, setting a playoff record with five complete games. The 33-year old French export was 5-0 over 45 innings with a 2.40 ERA and 27 strikeouts. His 5 wins tied the MLB playoff record and his 1.8 WAR was fifth most by a pitcher.



Other notes: Edmonton’s Nico Lemmens struck out 16 in a no-hitter against Charlotte. This was tied for the third most Ks in a MLB no-hitter. T.J. Nakabayashi became the 36th pitcher to reach 250 wins.

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Two players grabbed first ballot inductions into Major League Baseball’s Hall of Fame in 1996. Pitcher Mike Lee was a no-doubter, receiving 98.2%. OF Lindsey Garcia joined him with a very respectable 78.4%. Six others were above 50%, but short of the 66% requirement. Closer Devin Ivey was the highest of that group at 61.5% on his second ballot. LF Aiden Hertlein had 59.7% in his second go. 1B Aranha Carlos had 56.8% on his debut, 1B Jonah Mabile was at 56.4% for his third ballot, LF Xiandong He had 52.4% for his fourth attempt, and 1B Kymani Massey earned 52.7% on his fourth try.

Closer Angelo Kiernan fell off the ballot after ten tries. He peaked at 59.7% and stayed in the 40-60% range for his run, ending at 49.8%. Kiernan had 14 MLB seasons with two Reliever of the Year awards along with 299 saves, 2.10 ERA, 860.2 innings, 938 strikeouts, and 35.0 WAR. His numbers weren’t too far off from other relievers that previously got in, but the accumulations were just low enough to keep him out.

SP Val Moscow also fell off after ten ballots, peaking at 45.5% in 1989 but ending at a low of 28.9%. He was the 1978 Pitcher of the Year with Louisville and helped them win that year’s World Series. Moscow had a 15 year career, posting a 221-188 record, 3.29 ERA, 3769.2 innings, 2761 strikeouts, 83 FIP-, and 84.1 WAR. Moscow’s case was another were there had been some previous inductees with similar stats, but the tallies were on the lower end. He also lacked dominant stats or accolades apart from the one big season, banishing him to the Hall of Very Good.

A third player dropped was closer Herbert Eve, who peaked at 38.4% on his second ballot but ended at 8.8%. His MLB run had 276 saves over 782.2 innings, a 2.44 ERA, 906 strikeouts, and 22.9 WAR. Eve was essentially a weaker version of Kiernan’s resume and if the former couldn’t get in, the latter had no chance.



Mike Lee – Starting Pitcher – Kansas City Cougars – 98.2% First Ballot

Mike Lee was a 6’2’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Tyler, Texas; a city with around 100,000 people in the northeastern part of the state. Lee was known for having phenomenal stuff with very good control and above average movement. He had a legendary 98-100 mph fastball and mixed it expertly with two other stellar pitches; a curveball and a forkball. Lee had great stamina and was very good at holding runners. There were work ethic criticisms at points in his career, but Lee was still plenty effective even when he was dogging it.

Lee went to Ohio University and was respectable in college, but not dominant. As a Bobcat, he had a 19-13 record, 3.10 ERA, 287 innings, 248 strikeouts, and 5.7 WAR. Lee wasn’t at the top of the draft boards and wasn’t selected until late in the fourth round of the 1967 MLB Draft. Kansas City picked him 187^th overall with the 36^th pick of the fourth round. He saw limited use with positive results as a reliever in his rookie year. Lee would be moved to the rotation full-time after that and would be a starter for the rest of his career.

In his first season as a starter, Lee stunk with a 5.01 ERA. In these first few seasons, he ate innings, but had middling production at best for some bad Kansas City teams. Lee didn’t really put it all together until a breakout 1974 season, where he led the National Association in WHIP, innings, and WAR. This got him the Pitcher of the Year award and a third place in MVP voting. The Cougars also made the playoffs for the second straight season, although they again were one-and-done.

It was a major turning point, as all of a sudden, Lee was looked at as an ace. He made it back onto the United States team for the World Baseball Championship after making a few appearances from 1970-72. He was a regular from 1975-85 and in total had a 3.56 ERA, 34-11 record, 387.1 innings, 586 strikeouts, and 9.2 WAR. Lee led the tournament in strikeouts six times and earned nine championship rings with the American team. He was also rewarded financially by Kansas City just before the 1975 season started, signing a seven-year, $3,870,000 contract extension.

Lee repeated as Pitcher of the Year and had his finest season with career and league bests in ERA (2.21), strikeouts (329), WHIP (0.87), quality starts (31), and WAR (9.8). He was one win short of a Triple Crown season and Kansas City was a playoff team again, although they fell in round two. 1976 would be a disaster though as Lee suffered a torn flexor tendon in his third start, knocking him out for seven months. Impressively, he worked his way back in time for the postseason, although he was terrible with a 11.34 ERA over four starts. Despite this, Kansas City won the National Association pennant, falling in the World Series to Las Vegas.

Lee bounced back with an excellent 1977, winning his third Pitcher of the Year and leading again in wins, strikeouts, innings, and quality starts. The Cougars would narrowly miss the postseason though. Lee’s 1978 was respectable, but ended with a fractured shoulder blade in August. To the surprise of many, he decided to opt out of the rest of his Kansas City deal. For the tenure, Lee had a 128-134 record, 3.23 ERA, 2315.1 innings, 2334 strikeouts, 85 FIP-, and 50.0 WAR. Despite the awkward end, Lee would still see his #10 uniform later retired by the Cougars.

Now aged 31, Lee signed a six-year, $4,110,000 deal with Houston. He would take third in Pitcher of the Year voting in 1979, second in 1980, and second again in 1983. Injuries cost him roughly half of both 1981 and 1982. 1983 saw an impressive 27-4 record, becoming the fifth pitcher in MLB history to have 27+ wins in a year. Houston tacked on a two-year extension after this. The Hornets made the playoffs five times in Lee’s tenure, although his stats were average and they never advanced beyond the second round. For his playoff career, he had a lackluster 4.92 ERA over 106 innings.

Lee spent nine years total with Houston, posting a 130-76 record, 3.31 ERA, 1868 innings, 1662 strikeouts, and 45.1 WAR. His stats had fallen to below average numbers by the end, but he still ate innings when healthy. In April 1987, Lee suffered a torn labrum, knocking him out nine months and ending his Houston tenure. At age 40, he still wanted to pitch and try to catch a few milestones. He was four away from being only the seventh in MLB history to reach 4000 career strikeouts. Lee also hoped to be the eighth to 300 wins, although that one was ultimately unreachable.

Montreal signed Lee for 1987 and he reached the strikeout mark, but suffered another torn labrum in June, putting him out 14 more months. He was stubborn and still wanted to pitch, getting a one-year deal with Virginia Beach in April 1989. Lee split time between the majors and minors, but actually still looked good with a solid 2.79 ERA in 126 innings. For 1990, Ottawa gave him a one-year deal, but he struggled when healthy. A ruptured finger tendon in July ended that run. Lee briefly signed a minor league deal in late 1991 with Eugene, but never saw the field. He finally retired that winter at age 44.

Lee’s final stats saw a 271-228 record, 3.30 ERA, 4479 innings, 4237 strikeouts, 1027 walks, 358/595 quality starts, 221 complete games, 83 FIP-, and 101.5 WAR. At induction, Lee was sixth all-time in strikeouts and 18^th in pitching WAR. He had managed to pitch a lot of innings even with his later injury issues, giving him impressive accumulations. His career was inconsistent at times, but was a Pitcher of the Year contender reliably for about a decade. The voters were easily sold and gave Lee a no-doubt first ballot induction at 98.2%.



Lindsey Garcia – Right Field – Nashville Knights – 78.4% First Ballot

Lindsey Garcia was a 5’9’’, 195 pound left-handed hitting outfielder from McCrory, Arkansas; a tiny town with fewer than 2000 people. Garcia was an excellent contact hitter that was great at avoiding strikeouts and respectable at drawing walks. He had a solid pop in his bat, averaging around 25-30 home runs per season with another 30-40 doubles/triples per season. The stocky Garcia was deceptively fast and was one of the game’s most effective baserunners. He bounced around defensively between numerous spots in the field and designated hitter, although more than half of his starts came in right field. There, Garcia was a below average, but not atrocious defender. Despite his speed on the basepaths, it didn’t translate to range and he was considered lackluster generally as a defender.

Garcia played college baseball at Texas Tech, although he did miss much of his junior season to a strained PCL. In 111 college games, he had 127 hits, 72 runs, 24 doubles, 21 home runs, 70 RBI, a .304/.391/.517 slash, and 5.5 WAR. That earned him plenty of attention with MLB teams and Nashville would choose Garcia with the 12^th pick of the 1969 MLB Draft. He was a full-time starter immediately for the Knights, although he missed most of his rookie year to a ruptured finger tendon.

Garcia was a pretty solid, but not award winning player in his early years with Nashville. He also played in the World Baseball Championship from 1971-74, winning four title titles with the United States team. Garcia garnered fan support with a 26 hit, 14 run, 7 home run effort over 18 games in the 1973 WBC. He became extremely popular in a dark era for Nashville, who were below .500 in the majority of his seasons. A 1978 wild card was the Knights’ lone playoff berth during his tenure. 1975 was his best season, winning a Silver Slugger with a 7.2 WAR season. Nashville signed him that winter to a five-year, $3,600,000 contract extension.

In total with the Knights, Garcia had 1423 hits, 808 runs, 209 home runs, 673 RBI, a .316/.376/.524 slash, 345 stolen bases, and 37.2 WAR. He was popular enough to later see his #4 uniform retired in Nashville, remembered fondly as a bright light in a weak era. Garcia would opt out of part of his contract thought after the 1978 season, becoming a free agent for the first time at age 30. Kansas City signed him to a five-year, $3,100,000 deal.

With the Cougars, Garcia won a Silver Slugger in 1979 as a first baseman and one in left field in 1980. 1980 saw his only time as a league leader, posting 125 runs scored. KC made the playoffs in 1979, but missed in 1980. Garcia scored his 100^th career run there as well. For whatever reason, it just wasn’t the right fit in his mind. Garcia opted out of the remaining three years of his contract. Still, he had 12.8 WAR in two seasons and hoped to cash in even bigger off the two Silver Slugger seasons.

Las Vegas signed Garcia on a five-year, $4,550,000 deal. Some minor injuries cost him bits of his first two years as a Viper. He had steady production in his tenure, but wasn’t a league leader or awards winner. LV made the AACS in 1981, but was ousted by Atlanta. They were a wild card in 1982, but then began to rebuild after that. For his time in the desert, Garcia had 797 hits, 468 runs, 115 home runs, 420 RBI, a .306/.362/.509 slash, and 20.4 WAR.

Now 37 years old, Garcia inked a two-year deal with Denver. His production was still steady when healthy, but he missed sizeable chunks in both seasons with the Dragons. Garcia still found work in 1988-89 with San Diego and still provided a solid bat even into his 40s, but injuries again limited his games. He would pass the 3000 hit milestone while with the Seals. 1990 was his last season with Vancouver where he was again limited by injuries. Garcia wanted to play in 1991, but was unsigned and retired that winter at age 42.

Garcia’s final stats: 3078 hits, 1766 runs, 445 doubles, 131 triples, 459 home runs, 1524 RBI, 694 stolen bases, a .313/.374/.525 slash, 144 wRC+, and 84.1 WAR. His tallies surprised many voters considering he wasn’t ever one to get MVP consideration or sit atop leaderboards. However, not many guys had reached 3000 hits, 1500 runs, 1500 RBI, and 450 home runs. There were still some voters that dismissed him as a compiler and pointed to his lack of accolades or playoff notables. But there were more than enough who saw the accumulations and were sold, giving Garcia a first-ballot induction at 78.4%.

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Left fielder Caetano Penuelas was the only addition in 1996 to the Central American Baseball Association’s Hall of Fame. Penuelas was a slam dunk with a 98.8% first ballot pick. Only two others had a shot at the 66% mark with C Hansel Morel at 59.1% on his sixth ballot and 2B Steven Bevil at 55.0% for his fifth. The next best debut was 3B Pedro Pizarro at only 44.7%.



One player fell off the ballot following ten tries in RF Ishmael “Noodle” Mendizabal. He was hurt by having only 11 seasons with Honduras before leaving CABA for MLB and Montreal in his later years. Mendizabal had the 1975 MVP, three Gold Gloves, and one Silver Slugger; adding 1807 hits, 991 runs, 279 doubles, 351 home runs, 1046 RBI, a .290/.336/.542 slash and 67.4 WAR. If his MLB numbers were in CABA, his 2424 pro hits, 456 homers, and 84.8 WAR may have been enough. His CABA tallies alone weren’t high enough, as Mendizabal peaked at 30.4% in 1988 before ending with only 11.2%.



Caetano “Acrobat” Penuelas – Left Field – Juarez Jesters – 98.8% First Ballot

Caetano Penuelas was a 6’4’’, 200 pound left-handed left fielder from San Nicolas, Costa Rica; a district of around 25,000 people in the center of the country. Penuelas was a generational talent at contact hitting that would lead the Mexican League in batting average six times. He was pretty good at avoiding strikeouts and okay at drawing walks. Penuelas was far from being just a singles hitter, providing terrific gap power. He averaged around 25-30 doubles, 15-25 triples, and 15-25 home runs each season. Despite his large frame, Penuelas was very quick and was a very intelligent baserunner. He was a career left fielder and graded out as below average defensively. Even with his great talents, Penuelas was incredibly humble, which helped endear him to fans and teammates alike.

Penuelas was spotted at a baseball camp in Costa Rica as a teenager by a scout from Juarez. They signed the 16-year old to a developmental deal and brought him north to Mexico. Penuelas would ultimately spend his entire pro career with the Jesters, although he would return home for the World Baseball Championship. He made 137 starts in 139 WBC games from 1973-91 for Costa Rica, posting 151 hits, 81 runs, 18 doubles, 28 home runs, 65 RBI, a .287/.352/.500 slash, and 4.2 WAR.

At age 20, Penuelas made his debut with Juarez in 1972. He was a full time roster member in his first three seasons, but rarely started and was used almost exclusively as a pinch hitter or runner. The Jesters began to contend around this point and even won the 1974 Mexican League pennant, although Penuelas struggled in limited playoff use. 1975 was Penuelas’s fulltime starting debut and what a debut it was. He posted a .391 batting average, a mark that had only been hit twice prior in CABA and both times by the legendary Prometheo Garcia. Penuelas led in hits and the triple slash with a 1.105 OPS, earning the Mexican League MVP.

In total, Penuelas led the ML twice in runs scored, four times in hits, once in doubles, thrice in triples, four times in total bases, six times in batting average, four times in OBP, thrice in slugging, four times in OPS, and thrice in wRC+. 1977 saw career highs in runs (124), hits (229), triples (32), doubles (38), total bases (418), average (.391), slugging (.715), OPS (1.154), wRC+ (232), and WAR (11.6). That season also saw a 33-game hit streak and 41-game on base streak over the early summer. Penuelas won MVP four times (1975, 77, 83, 84) and was third in 1981. He picked up seven Silver Sluggers (76, 77, 79, 81, 83, 84, 87).

Juarez realized Penuelas would be a key piece for a long time, signing him to a six-year, $1,622,000 extension after the 1974 season. Before the 1980 season, he got another eight years and $3,316,000. The Jesters became a Mexican League powerhouse with five playoff berths in six years from 1973-78. In 1977 and 1978, Juarez won back-to-back CABA Championships. Penuelas picked up MLCS MVP in 1977 and finals MVP in 1978. The Jesters would set a setback with only 83 wins in 1979 and a losing 74-88 in 1980. Penuelas missed most of the 1980 season with a stretched elbow ligament.

He would bounce back from that injury well and continued to contribute at a high level into his 30s. Juarez had a second dynasty run with Mexican League pennants in 1981, 82, and 84; along with the CABA crown in 1981. Penuelas was the 1984 MLCS MVP. For his playoff career, Penuelas had 89 games and 82 starts, 118 hits, 54 runs, 14 doubles, 11 triples, 18 home runs, 56 RBI, a .361/.399/.636 slash, and 6.1 WAR. He was beloved by Jesters fans and his #10 uniform would be displayed proudly once his career was oer.

The Jesters fell off hard in 1985 and had to rebuild. Age and injuries would start to cost Penuelas time in the lineup. Juarez would have one more almost surprising run in 1988, winning the Mexican League for the seventh time in Penuelas’s run. They would ultimately fall to Trinidad in the CABA Championship and fall towards the bottom of the standings heading into the 1990s.

Penuelas received another two year contract extension after the 1988 season. He didn’t seem to age at the plate, still posting a .356 average, 1.001 OPS, 195 wRC+, and 4.8 WAR in his final season of 1990. His body was physically wrecked though and he was becoming a defensive liability in the DH-less ML. Juarez didn’t re-sign him after the 1990 season. Penuelas was just short of 3000 hits and wanted to keep playing, but surprisingly he couldn’t find a home. After going unsigned in 1991, he retired that winter at age 40.

Penuelas’s final stats: 2928 hits, 1280 runs, 431 doubles, 328 triples, 294 home runs, 1278 RBI, 970 stolen bases, a .350/.395/.585 slash, 187 wRC+, and 99.8 WAR. At induction, his batting average (.3497) was second-best all time in CABA behind only Prometheo Garcia’s .3504. He was ninth in hits, fifth in triples, and 11^th in stolen bases. Penuelas was also viewed as a clutch playoff performer and a big reason why Juarez had such great success in the 1970s and 1980s. He was one of the finest pure hitters in CABA history and a slam dunk inductee at 98.8% as the only Hall of Famer in 1996 for CABA.

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The 1996 East Asia Baseball Hall of Fame class was a historic one with six different players earning induction. There had been five player classes before, but never before in any world league had there been a six player group. All six got it on their first ballot too, although at different intervals. The top marks went to SP Katsuo Nakayama (93.7%), RF Jun-Seong Gwan (93.7%), and SP Fumihiko Ueda (93.3%). CL Hagane Miya****a at 85.3% and SS Sol Kim at 78.3% were both pretty solidly in as well. RF Hiroshi Koike was the one who got in by the thinnest margin, but his nice 69.0% got across the 66% requirement. One other player got above 50% with LF Jay-Hoon Cho debuting with 55.7%. No players were dropped after ten tries and the best mark for a returner was a lowly 28.3%.



Katsuo Nakayama – Starting Pitcher – Tokyo Tides – 93.7% First Ballot

Katsuo Nakayama was a 6’5’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Kashiwa, a city of around 430,000 people in Japan’s Chiba Prefecture. Nakayama was known for having great control of his arsenal with solid movement and above average stuff. His fastball regularly hit the 97-99 mph range and was mixed with a curveball, splitter, and changeup. Nakayama was a good defensive pitcher and was a master at holding runners. He had strong stamina and was known for great durability, pitching 200+ innings in all but two of his 20 seasons. The knock on Nakayama was that he was a mercenary type who lacked loyalty. He didn’t end up staying in any one place too long throughout his career.

Nakayama’s talent was undeniable as he dominated college competition with Hosei University in Kawasaki. Tokyo picked him with the #1 overall pick in the 1970 EAB Draft and used him mostly as a reliever in his rookie season. Nakayama struggled as a rookie and was below average in his second year as a full-time starter. He would put it together and become a solid presence at the top of the rotation soon after. In 1975, Nakayama posted a 2.38 ERA and earned the Japan League Pitcher of the Year.

Nakayama played a notable role as Tokyo was a contender in the 1970s. The Tides earned four playoff berths from 1973-77 and won the JL pennant in 1973 and 1975, although Daegu dropped them both times in the East Asian Championship. Nakayama had a 2.98 ERA over 57.1 playoff innings with 44 strikeouts and 1.0 WAR. In total with Tokyo, he had a 92-79 record, 3.34 ERA, 1524 innings, 1355 strikeouts, and 26.0 WAR. The Tides wanted to keep him and hopefully keep contending, but Nakayama was excited to test free agency. At Age 30, he signed a four-year, $1,392,000 deal with Kitakyushu.

Nakayama led the Japan League in ERA with 2.36 in 1978, taking second in Pitcher of the Year voting. This was his only time in his career leading a major category, but he was fairly consistently making top tens. The Kodiaks made the JLCS in 1978 and 1979, but were denied both times. Although Nakayama had a 4-1 record in the playoffs with Kitakyushu, that was a misnomer as he struggled to a 4.42 ERA. They dropped below .500 in 1980 and were sellers at the trade deadline. Nakayama’s two-and-a-half seasons with the Kodiaks saw a 34-29 record, 3.10 ERA, 652.2 innings, 642 strikeouts, and 14.8 WAR.

Kitakyushu sent Nakayama to Sapporo for three prospects. The Swordfish made it to the JLCS in 1980, falling to Fukuoka. They made it back in 1981 and won the EAB Championship. Nakayama had a huge part in the title run with a 1.85 ERA and 4-1 record over six playoff starts with 36 strikeouts over 48.2 innings and 1.0 WAR. He also won his second Pitcher of the Year in 1981, posting a career-best 2.20 ERA. This was a contract year for Nakayama and he delivered, deciding to leave Sapporo for free agency again at age 34.

Nakayama’s big payday came from Yokohama on a five-year, $2,950,000 deal. He spent four seasons with the Yellow Jackets, who were middling at this point. Nakayama did his part with a 3.21 ERA, 23.2 WAR, 1058 innings, 52-56 record, and 939 strikeouts in that tenure. Before the final year of his deal, Yokohama traded him to Nagoya for two prospects. He had one respectable year with the Nightowls, then entered free agency again at age 39.

Despite his age, Nakayama remained steady and continued to give you consistent innings. Sapporo brought him back in on a two year deal and he posted a strong 6.0 WAR season in 1988. The Swordfish continued a playoff streak in his return, but they couldn’t get out of the first round. For his two runs, he had a 2.33 ERA over 85 playoff innings, 73 strikeouts, and 1.9 WAR. Between the stints with Sapporo, Nakayama had a 58-24 record, 2.61 ERA, 863 innings, 759 strikeouts, and 17.6 WAR. His brief times there were easily his most effective and impactful, although Nakayama was inducted with Tokyo based on that being his longest tenure by a notable margin.

Nakayama was a free agent yet again for 1989 at age 41 and signed with Osaka. By WAR, his 1989 was impressively a career best 6.9 despite his age. Nakayama again stepped up in the postseason, going 3-1 over 31 innings with a 2.03 ERA and 22 strikeouts. This helped the Orange Sox claim the 1989 EAB title. He also earned his 14th playoff win, which tied Nakayama for the EAB postseason record. For his playoff career, he was 14-7 with a 2.83 ERA, 210 innings, 173 strikeouts, and 4.2 WAR. At induction, Nakayama had the most playoff innings and second most pitching WAR.

Age finally caught up to Nakayama in 1990 as he struggled to a 3.93 ERA, 108 strikeouts, and 1.9 WAR; the worst numbers he had posted since the beginning of his career. His stamina and control were still great, but his velocity plummeted from the 93-95 mph range in his later years to 86-88 mph at the end. Nakayama wouldn’t be used in the 1990 postseason and opted to retire that winter at age 42.

The final stats for Nakayama saw a 279-228 record, 3.14 ERA, 4858.1 innings, 4208 strikeouts, 722 walks, 394/595 quality starts, 86 FIP-, and 94.3 WAR. With his impressive longevity, at induction he was sixth all-time in wins, 10th in strikeouts, and 11th in pitching WAR. Nakayama’s playoff accolades with multiple teams was impressive as well. He wasn’t overly dominant and he didn’t stay long enough to be any franchise’s icon, but his Hall of Fame bonafides were clear and he was a first ballot pick at 93.7% atop the loaded 1996 EAB class.



Jun-Seong Gwan – Right Field/Designated Hitter – Daegu Diamondbacks – 93.7% First Ballot

Jun-Seong Gwan was a 5’9’’, 185 pound left-handed right fielder from Seongnam, South Korea. Gwan was renowned for having a terrific eye as one of the all-time best at drawing walks. He was also an above average contact hitter and had solid home run power despite his smaller frame. Gwan averaged around 30-40 home runs per season, but only around 20 doubles. He was a painfully slow and poor baserunner with awful range defensively. Gwan made about half of his starts in right field with around 40% as a designated hitter and most of the rest at first base. In any spot, his defense was abysmal, but Gwan’s durability and ability to get on base still made him a very valuable player.

Gwan left South Korea to play college baseball at Chuo University in greater Tokyo. He impressed pro scouts across East Asia and was picked fifth overall in the 1968 EAB Draft by Daegu. The Diamondbacks kept Gwan in the developmental system in 1969, then used him sparingly in 1970. He was a full-time starter in 1971, although shoulder inflammation cost him a big chunk of the season. Still, Gwan had 29 home runs and 4.7 WAR in only 113 games, showing his big time potential as a hitter.

1972 saw Gwan lead the Korea League in runs (107) and walks (77). He put up regular solid production as Daegu began their dynasty in the 1970s. He won Silver Sluggers in 1973 and 1974, plus took third in MVP voting in 1974. The Diamondbacks would make the playoffs seven straight seasons from 1973-79. They won five KL pennants (1973, 74, 75, 76, 78) and took the EAB Championship in 1973 and 1975. Gwan stepped up in the playoffs, winning the 1976 KLCS MVP. In the postseason with Daegu, he made 67 starts, 73 hits, 39 runs, 16 home runs, 36 RBI, a .299/.369/.533 slash, 149 wRC+, and 2.6 WAR.

The Diamondbacks signed Gwan to a six-year, $2,400,000 extension just before the 1976 season. He also made some appearances with South Korea in the World Baseball Championship. From 1972-79 and then from 89-91, he had 70 games and 39 starts in the WBC with 36 hits, 27 runs, 19 home runs, 34 RBI, a .222/.335/.580 slash and 2.1 WAR.

Daegu’s dynasty ended as the 1980s dawned. They didn’t fall to the bottom of the standings, but they would be stuck in the mid-tier outside of the playoff picture. Gwan remained a popular player, but 1982 was the final year of his deal and they weren’t expected to contend. At the trade deadline, the Diamondback sent Gwan to Changwon for pitchers Sang-Cheon Moon and Jung-Nam Pak. After finishing the season with the Crabs, Gwan was a free agent for the first time at age 35.

Gwan would sign for 1983 with Gwangju, but posted the worst full season of his career. Daegu brought him back in 1984 and he bounced back with a respectable season. The Diamondbacks would later retire Gwan’s #5 uniform and between the two stints, he had 2006 hits, 1129 runs, 233 doubles, 434 home runs, 1241 RBI, 951 walks, a .292/.377/.524 slash, and 55.7 WAR.

Gwan managed to have a bit of a renaissance in his final few seasons, leading the league in walks drawn thrice. He signed a three-year deal for 1985 with Incheon, but was traded before the 1986 campaign to Daejeon. In his second season with the Ducks, he posted 35 home runs and 4.6 WAR despite only playing 124 games because of a stretched elbow ligament. That earned Gwan his third Silver Slugger.

He was a free agent again at age 40 and coming off a major injury, but Seoul signed Gwan to a three-year, $2,850,000 deal. He had two great years with the Seahawks, even leading the Korea League with a career best .415 OBP in 1989. Gwan was third in MVP voting at age 41. He also crossed the 1500 runs scored, 3000 hits, and 600 home run milestones in Seoul. Gwan would fall off in his final season with the Seahawks, entering free agency for 1991. He played in that year’s WBC, but couldn’t find an EAB home. Gwan retired at age 44 that winter.

For his career, Kwan had 3034 hits, 1698 runs, 366 doubles, 663 home runs, 1841 RBI, 1547 walks, a .285/.375/.513 slash, 143 wRC+, and 80.0 WAR. His 1547 walks was second-most all-time in EAB behind Ji-U Shin’s 1549. At induction, he was 15th in hits, seventh in runs, 11th in home runs, and eighth in RBI. Gwan put together very solid hitting accolades over a lengthy career and was a big part of Daegu’s 1970s dynasty. This gave Gwan the first ballot induction at 93.7%.



Fumihiko Ueda – Starting Pitcher – Osaka Orange Sox – 93.3% First Ballot

Fumihiko Ueda was a 6’2’’, 190 pound left-handed pitcher from Hamura, a city with around 57,000 people within the Tokyo metropolis. Ueda was known for having great stuff despite only having a fastball peaking in the 91-93 mph range. He was great at changing speeds between that, his slider, and changeup. Ueda did have poor movement and had trouble allowing home runs. His control was respectable with very reliable stamina. Ueda was also an ironman who never missed a start to injury, which made him a reliable arm despite his flaws.

Ueda was noticed as a talent at Nichidai Fujisawa High School. He was picked in the second round of the 1970 EAB Draft, 43rd overall, by Osaka. Despite it being his most famous team and who drafted him, Ueda didn’t actually debut with the Orange Sox. He only spent a few months in the developmental system before being traded in the summer of 1971. Osaka sent him and reliever Woo-Jong Son to Fukuoka for veteran 2B Seiichi Chiba. Ueda spent 1972 in developmental and debuted in 1973 at age 20 with four relief appearances.

Ueda struggled as a part-time starter in 1974. The Frogs made him a full-time starter the next year and he held that role for the rest of his Fukuoka tenure. He was steady for a struggling Fukuoka franchise, but then broke out along with the Frogs in 1980. Ueda led the Japan League with a career best 350 strikeouts and had a career best 9.2 WAR. Fukuoka earned its first playoff berth since 1929 and went on a surprise run all the way to the EAB title. Ueda had a strong postseason with a 2.48 ERA over 40 innings with 41 strikeouts.

For his Fukuoka tenure, Ueda had an 84-78 record, 3.56 ERA, 1566 innings, 1781 strikeouts, and 31.2 WAR. He had this breakout season in a contract year and decided to cash in on free agency at age 28. Ueda went back where he was drafted on a seven-year, $3,458,000 deal with Osaka. He was a bit iffy initially with the Orange Sox, but improved his strikeouts and ERA later in the run. In 1985, he was third in Pitcher of the Year voting, his only time as a finalist for the award. That season, he led the JL in wins at 20-7.

1985 also saw Osaka end a 27 year postseason drought. The Orange Sox led the league at 104-58 and went onto win it all. Ueda had a tremendous postseason, going 3-0 in four starts with a 1.16 ERA over 31 innings and 33 strikeouts. His playoff starts were less impressive in Osaka’s 1986 and 1987 efforts, going one-and-done both years. For his playoff career though, Ueda had a 2.71 ERA over 86.1 innings with 84 strikeouts. In total with the Orange Sox, Ueda had a 120-75 record, 2.81 ERA, 1792.1 innings, 2118 strikeouts, and 31.1 WAR.

A free agent again at age 35, Ueda inked a three-year, $2,790,000 deal with Kawasaki. He led the league in strikeouts in his first season as a Killer Whale, posting his fifth 300+ K season. Ueda was closer to average the next year, then found himself moved out of the rotation during the 1990 season. He would pass the 4500 strikeout milestone, becoming only the fourth to do so in EAB. Ueda retired after the 1990 campaign at age 38. In his three seasons with Kawasaki, he had a 30-33 record, 3.02 ERA, 604.1 innings, 678 strikeouts, and 10.7 WAR.

Ueda’s career stats were a 234-186 record, 3.14 ERA, 3962.2 innings, 4577 strikeouts, 874 walks, 316/503 quality starts, 117 complete games, 88 FIP-, and 73.0 WAR. He quietly climbed the strikeout chart and still sits seventh best as of 2037. Ueda did lack the dominance or advanced stats that most Hall of Fame pitchers have. However, lots of strikeouts, longevity, and two impressive postseason runs made Ueda a lock for most voters, putting him in at 93.3% as the third member of the six-player 1996 class.

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Hagane Miya****a – Closer – Kobe Blaze – 85.3% First Ballot

Hagane Miya****a was a 5’10’’, 170 pound right-handed relief pitcher from Yonezawa, a city of around 80,000 people in north central Japan’s Yamagata Prefecture. Miya****a was a hard thrower with an excellent one-two punch between a 98-100 mph fastball and a curveball. He had strong movement and above average control. Although a career reliever, Miya****a was known for having good stamina. He was very outspoken and polarizing amongst teammates and fans. Despite that, he amazingly didn’t bounce around as much as many other notable relievers would.

Miya****a threw hard back at Nihon Bunri High School in Niigata and drew attention from teams throughout Japan. High school players didn’t get drafted too often and even rarer would a reliever get picked so young. However, Nagoya picked him late in the second round of the 1969 EAB Draft, using the 54^th overall pick. Miya****a spent three seasons in the developmental system, then debuted in 1973 at age 22. He saw a decent amount of innings as a rookie, then was moved to middle relief in the next three seasons.

He became the full-time closer in 1977 for the Nightowls with decent results. Miya****a did see sporadic use with Japan in the World Baseball Championship as well. From 1974-87, he participated in nine WBCs with a 1.40 ERA over 51.1 innings, 84 strikeouts, and 2.3 WAR. In his initial run with Nagoya though, he had a 2.08 ERA, 57 saves, 298.1 innings, 370 strikeouts, and 4.7 WAR.

Before the 1978 season, the Nightowls traded Miya****a to Kobe for SP Joong-Seo Oh and SS Sung-Joon Uh. The Blaze intended on making him the full time closer and gave him a three-year extension only a few months in. Miya****a posted seven straight seasons of 30+ for Kobe, although his ERA was a roller coaster. He won Reliever of the Year in 1979 and 1981 with 1.12 and 1.03 ERAs, plus a league-best 44 saves in 1981. But Miya****a also saw a lousy 4.66 ERA in 1983 and finished above 3.00 in three other seasons with Kobe.

His up-and-down production and his outspoken personality made Miya****a a love or hate type of guy. Kobe was committed to him in the role as they became a contender with four playoff appearances from 1980-84. It was 1984 where both the Blaze and Miya****a shined, taking the Japan League pennant. Miya****a posted a 0.98 ERA and five saves over 18.1 innings with 19 strikeouts. Kobe lost in the EAB final to Yongin, but Miya****a’s role in the run would be a big reason why his #32 uniform was later retired by the Blaze.

In 1985, the now 34-year old Miya****a suffered a major setback with a torn flexor tendon in his elbow. This cost him 14 months total, missing most of the 1985 season and a large chunk of 1986. He looked okay in his return, but Kobe decided not to re-sign him in the offseason. Miya****a started 1987 with Saitama, but was sent to Sapporo in a July trade. He had a 38-inning scoreless streak from July 17 to September 24. The combined effort got him a second place in Reliever of the Year voting and a two-year extension with the Swordfish.

1988 was inconsistent, but Miya****a had a strong 1989. He posted a career high 43 saves and was third in Reliever of the Year voting. With Sapporo, Miya****a also became the sixth EAB reliever to earn 400 career saves. He had a 2.70 ERA in 10 playoff innings for the Swordfish, who couldn’t make it out of the first round of the playoffs. In total with Sapporo, Miya****a had a 2.19 ERA, 98 saves, 226 innings, 249 strikeouts, and 8.2 WAR.

Miya****a was a free agent again at 39 and had suitors coming off a strong season. Kobe brought him back in with decent results, but traded him to Incheon in July. Between the Kobe stings, he had a 2.67 ERA, 307 saves, 660.1 innings, 801 strikeouts, and 16.1 WAR. He struggled in the second half with the Inferno and opted to retire that winter at age 39.

Miya****a’s final stats: 489 saves and 544 shutdowns, a 2.55 ERA, 1266 innings, 1066 games, 1499 strikeouts, 306 walks, a 74 FIP-, and 30.0 WAR. As of 2037, he is still second all-time in saves behind Oki Tanaka’s 565. Miya****a wasn’t quite as dominant as some of the other Hall of Fame relievers, but he had impressive longevity. Even though some voters thought he was a loudmouth jerk, his totals were hard to deny. Miya****a picked up 85.3% to secure the fourth spot in the massive six player 1996 EAB Hall of Fame class.



Sol Kim – Shortstop – Nagoya Nightowls – 78.3% First Ballot

Sol Kim was a 6’3’’, 200 pound switch hitting shortstop from Nampo, North Korea’s second largest city with just under a million people. Kim was best known for being an ironman at shortstop, starting 140+ games for 16 consecutive games. He was also an excellent defender, accumulating the third best cumulative zone rating of any EAB shortstop as of retirement. Kim was a very good contact hitter with a decent eye, plus above average speed and baserunning chops. Kim had strong gap power and averaged around 40 doubles/triples per year, while also reliably adding around 15 home runs a season. He always came to work and put in great effort, making him a popular player in his two decade pro career.

Kim’s entire career would come in Japan with Nagoya. A Nightowls scout signed him out of North Korea in 1968 and mostly kept him their academy for the next few years. He officially debuted in 1971 at age 19, but he saw very limited action in 1971 and 1972. Kim was a full time starter in 1973 and held that role for the next 16 seasons in Nagoya. He would also return home to North Korea, playing in the World Baseball Championship regularly from 1974-89. In 103 WBC games, he had 95 hits, 55 runs, 13 doubles, 17 home runs, 44 RBI, a .251/.324/.425 slash, and 2.4 WAR.

Nagoya was generally in the mid-tier in the 1970s, never making the playoffs despite posting some solid years. Kim exceled in this era though, winning three Gold Gloves (1976, 77, 79) and two Silver Sluggers (1974, 76). 1976 saw a third place finish in MVP voting with an impressive 11.5 WAR, boosted by his stellar defense. He also led in hits that year and led in doubles back in 1974. The Nightowls were committed to Kim and in May 1977, signed him with an eight-year, $4,174,000 extension.

Nagoya finally made the playoffs going 103-59 in 1978, although they were upset by Sendai in the first round of the playoffs. The Nightowls won the division in 1979 at 87-75, but put together a Japan League pennant run. They lost to Seoul in the EAB Championship, but Kim had a stellar postseason with 36 hits, 24 runs, 6 doubles, 3 triples, 2 home runs, and 9 RBI in 18 starts. He set EAB single-postseason records for runs, hits, and singles (25); all three of which still stand as the top mark in 2037.

Kim regularly posted stellar WAR totals with his great defense and solid bat. He had 11 consecutive 8+ WAR seasons from 1975-85, leading the league thrice and posting 10+ thrice. 1983 saw a career best 11.9 WAR, along with league bests in batting average (.348), hits (217), and doubles (44). Kim won his lone MVP this season, but somehow not the Silver Slugger. 1983 was his only other playoff season with the Nightowls falling in the first round. He would earn Sluggers in 1980, 82, and 84 to get to five total for his career. Kim remained committed to Nagoya and signed a five-year, $4,380,000 extension starting with the 1986 season.

Age started to catch up after this extension as his stellar range started to diminish, as did his bat. Kim was still quite good in 1986 and 1987, although down by his prior high standard. By 1988, his offense was below league average. Kim was reduced to a bench role in his final two seasons and fell just short of the 3000 hit milestone. He retired after the 1990 season at age 39. Nagoya retired his #14 uniform immediately and he remained one of the franchise’s notable icons for many years after.

Kim’s final statistics saw 2920 hits, 1347 runs, 517 doubles, 181 triples, 233 home runs, 1133 RBI, 425 stolen bases, a .300/.343/.463 slash, 136 wRC+, and 130.0 WAR. Aided by the fielding metrics, his WAR total was fifth best among all EAB batters at induction and still sits sixth best in 2037. Later generations would appreciate Kim’s value more his contemporaries, who only gave him 78.3% on his first ballot. This was still more than plenty to earn induction though in the impressive six player 1996 class.



Hiroshi Koike – Right Field – Tokyo Tides – 69.0 First Ballot%

Hiroshi Koike was a 5’9’’, 200 pound left-handed hitting right fielder from Mishima, a city of around 110,000 inhabitants in Japan’s Shizuoka Prefecture. Koike was a terrific contact hitter and was great at avoiding strikeouts, although he didn’t draw many walks. He wasn’t just a singles hitter either, averaging around 25-30 doubles and around 20-25 home runs per season. With his stout frame, Koike was below average in terms of speed and range. He had excellent durability and very rarely missed a start in right field, where he graded out as a below average, but not awful defender. Koike worked very hard and became popular as fans, but he was viewed as a loner by teammates.

Koike played a season of junior college baseball at Tokai University, which earned him plenty of attention for the 1968 EAB Draft. Sapporo selected him ninth overall with the intent of developing him for a few years first. He officially debuted in 1970, but only had four at-bats that year and nine the next. The Swordfish made him a more regular part of the roster from 1972-75, but he was still primarily a backup and pinch hitter. In his first seven years under contract with Sapporo, Koike had only 53 starts. But his bat showed lots of promise in his limited appearances. Koike also sporadically played in the World Baseball Championship for Japan, but he only played 35 games with eight starts over nine editions of the event.

Koike finally was a full time starter in 1976 and 1977 with the Swordfish. He showed he belonged and had plenty of attention ahead of pending free agency. For the Sapporo run, Koike had 583 hits, 281 runs, a .324/.354/.531 slash, and 18.2 WAR. The 28-year old Koike tested the market for the 1978 season and signed with Tokyo on a five-year, $2,094,000 deal. He only played three years on this deal, notably leading the Japan League in hits in 1980. This was his only time as a league leader and despite his steady bat, Koike never won a Silver Slugger or was an MVP finalist. Koike was popular still and earned ten all-star game appearances in his career.

When the Tides had signed Koike, they were coming off four playoff berths in five years. But they just missed the field in 1978 and 1979, then plummeted to 61 wins in 1980. Looking to blow it up, Koike was sent to Kyoto in a six player trade. After one solid season for the Kamikaze, he opted out of the final deal of his contract to become a free agent at age 32. Nagoya would sign Koike to a five-year, $3,000,000 deal.

Koike continued his standard solid production. He had 12 seasons in his career worth 5+ WAR, making very positive contributions even without eye popping stats. Koike played four years with the Nightowls and helped them to the 1983 playoffs, although they went one and done. For the Nagoya run, he had 791 hits, 335 runs, a .332/.362/.535 slash, and 24.8 WAR. Koike declined the contract option year and returned to free agency again at age 36.

Tokyo brought him back on a three-year deal worth $2,570,000. Koike’s production yet again was the same reliable thing, impressively showing no decline despite his age. Between the two Tokyo tenures, he had 1163 hits, 483 runs, 176 doubles, 155 home runs, 535 RBI, a .327/.352/.525/ slash, and 35.8 WAR. Although he spent more years with Sapporo, he had more games and his best production with the Tides, thus the Tokyo hat for his Hall of Fame plaque.

Koike’s final contract came for $2,320,000 for the 1988-89 seasons with Hiroshima. He did see his numbers at the plate drop a bit, but he was yet again still starting caliber with 6.9 WAR in the two seasons with the Hammerheads. In 1990, Koike became the 11^th member of EAB’s 3000 hit club. He wanted to still play in 1991, but went unsigned, retiring that winter at age 41.

Koike’s statistics included 3043 hits, 1314 runs, 516 doubles, 408 home runs, 1366 RBI, a .325/.352/.526 slash, 159 wRC+, and 91.2 WAR. To that point, only four other EAB Hall of Famers had batting averages of .325 or better. Some voters were taken aback by how solid Koike’s tallies ended up being. Still, there were those who didn’t think being a sustained B+ player was worthy of the top honor. Koike had no major awards or playoff accolades, plus he bounced around between teams. Enough were willing to overlook that though to get him to 69.0% on his debut, allowing Koike to round out the six player 1996 EAB Hall of Fame class.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

Beisbol Sudamerica had a three player Hall of Fame class in 1996, each earning a first ballot nod. Only CF Pasquale Martin was a lock though at 99.3%. The other two only narrowly crossed the 66% requirement with 2B Enrique Tafoya at 70.6% and 2B Petronio Veiga at 68.0%. RF Dani Manzanares was close in his debut, but short at 60.2%. The top two returners on the ballot were RF Jasper Saucedo with 57.2% in his sixth attempt and SP Robinson Moreira at 56.1% on his seventh try. No players were dropped following ten failed ballots.



Pasquale Martin – Center/Left Field – Valencia Velocity – 99.3% First Ballot

Pasquale Martin was a 6’0’’, 205 pound switch hitting outfielder from El Tocuyo, a town of around 40,000 people in west-central Venezuela. At his peak, Martin was about as complete of a hitter one could be with great contact, power, and eye. He maintained excellent power for his entire career with around 40 home runs per season, plus around 35-40 doubles/triples per year. Martin was quite quick on the basepaths as well with a steady amount of stolen bases each year and an ability to leg out that extra base in key situations. His only real flaw as a hitter was strikeout woes and diminished contact in his later years, although he still got on base plenty with his great eye.

Martin had excellent durability, rarely missing games throughout an impressive 20 year career. He primarily played center field, although he did move to left in his later years. Martin graded out as below average defensively for his career in center and slightly above average in left. Teams salivated over the prospect of nabbing him when he came up in the 1972 Beisbol Sudamerica Draft. Valencia had the fortune of landing Martin with the second overall pick.

Martin was a full-time starter immediately and took third in Rookie of the Year voting. He was viewed as elite by his second year, becoming a rare player to win league MVP as a sophomore. It was his first of four consecutive seasons leading in WAR and walks. His 1975 was better by almost all metrics, although tougher competition meant he was second in MVP voting. Martin also played from 1974-83 for Venezuela in the World Baseball Championship with 84 starts, 75 hits, 67 runs, 32 home runs, 60 RBI, a .254/.390/.617 slash, and 4.5 WAR.

Martin was even better still with MVP wins in 1976 and 1977. Both seasons were worth more than 12+ WAR with league bests in runs, home runs, walks, total bases, triple slash, and wRC+. His 140 runs scored in 1977 was one short of Jasper Saucedo’s record from the prior year. It still stands as the third most as of 2037. Also as of 2037, Martin has two of the 13 seasons by a BSA batter worth 12+ WAR. He also led in RBI in 1976 to post the tenth BSA Triple Crown season by a batter.

Martin’s incredible bat played a huge role in Valencia’s 1970s dynasty run. The Velocity won five consecutive Bolivar League championships from 1974-78 and won Copa Sudamerica in both 1977 and 1978. Martin was the 1975 BLCS MVP and for his playoff career had 58 starts, 66 hits, 47 runs, 21 home runs, 46 RBI, a .289/.357/.662 slash, and 3.3 WAR. In the middle of this run, Valencia extended Martin on an eight-year, $3,170,000 contract beginning with the 1977 season.

In total, Martin won six Silver Sluggers (1975, 76, 77, 78, 84, 90). He took third in 1978 MVP voting and then third again in 1985. Martin didn’t ever match the monster numbers of the dynasty run, but he remained an elite hitter that regularly got you more than 5+ WAR per season. His only other times as a league leader after the MVP years was in walks twice (1980, 1982), and in RBI in 1982.

Valencia remained a good team in the early 1980s and had a couple 90+ win seasons, but they wouldn’t make the playoffs from 1979-88. Knee issues cost Martin parts of 1983 and 1984. However, Martin kept chugging along and signed a five-year, $3,014,000 extension in March 1984. Towards the end of the run, he crossed the 2500 hit, 600 home run, 1500 run, and 1500 RBI milestones.

Martin didn’t seem to age, posting a run in his 30s that would beat most players’ best seasons in their 20s. He helped Valencia finally get back to the playoffs in 1989, although they lost in the first round. His final season with the Velocity was 1990, stilling posting 7.3 WAR and 43 home runs as a 39-year old. Martin was finally a free agent after this, although he remained beloved in Valencia and kept good terms with the franchise. He would come back two years later to see his #21 uniform retired.

At age 40, Martin was able to cash in on MLB money, signing a two-year, $4,160,000 deal with Jacksonville. His bat was merely league average in his first year with the Gators, but he improved with a solid 4.1 WAR and 34 home runs in his second year. It looked like Martin could still go, but no one wanted to match his asking price in 1993. After going unsigned, he retired from pro baseball at age 42.

Martin’s Beisbol Sudamerica and Valencia stats had 2816 hits, 1702 runs, 455 doubles, 646 home runs, 1629 RBI, 1237 walks, 802 stolen bases, a .303/.387/.597 slash, 172 wRC+, and 127.6 WAR. At induction, he was second all-time in runs scored, only six behind Valor Melo’s 1708. He was also fourth in RBI, sixth in home runs, fourth in walks drawn, and sixth in batting WAR. Although he’d fall down the accumulations with later higher offense action in BSA, Martin still sits ninth on the WAR chart in 2037. He was one of the finest outfielders of all-time and a no-doubt Hall of Famer, getting 99.3% in his ballot debut.



Enrique Tafoya – Second Base/Shortstop – Barquisimeto Black Cats – 70.6% First Ballot

Enrique Tafoya was a 5’10’’, 180 pound switch-hitting infielder from Turmero, a city of around 50,000 in northern Venezuela. Tafoya was a good contact hitter with a great eye and decent strikeout rate. He had respectable gap power and average around 30-35 doubles/triples per year, although he wouldn’t get you more than 10-20 home runs typically. Tafoya had above average speed and excellent baserunning ability. He was very durable with 145+ games each year for 14 straight years. Tafoya had about 2/3s of his starts at second base with around ¼ at shortstop and the rest at first base. He was a reliably strong defender at second, but subpar in the other spots. Tafoya was a hard worker and very smart, becoming one of the most popular players of the era.

Tafoya was arguably the most highly touted prospect ahead of Beisbol Sudamerica’s 1970 draft. He’d get picked second overall by Barquisimeto and spend the first 15 years of his pro career as a Black Cat. After being mostly a pinch hitter with occasional starts as a rookie, Tafoya was a full-time starter from 1972 onward. He would go onto win Silver Slugger nine times (1973, 75, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 87). The first seven were as a second basemen with the latter two as a shortstop.

Barquisimeto stunk in the 1960s, but slowly climbed to relevance by the end of the 1970s with Tafoya leading the charge. The Black Cats won 102 games in 1977, but missed the playoffs due to sharing a division with the Valencia dynasty. The Velocity finally faded and Barquisimeto snapped a 21-year playoff drought in 1979. They fell La Paz in the Bolivar League Championship Series, but the Black Cats were convinced they were closed. That fall, Tafoya was signed to a seven-year, $3,426,000 extension.

That paid off big time, as Barquisimeto won the Bolivar League title in 1980 and 1982. 1980 saw Tafoya lead the league for the first time in both hits and runs, although his lack of home run power meant he never was a MVP finalist. He had a weak postseason as the Black Cats lost to Buenos Aires in Copa Sudamerica. Tafoya redeemed himself by winning 1982 Copa Sudamerica MVP as Barquisimeto won in a rematch with the Atlantics. In 10 starts that year, Tafoya had 19 hits, 8 runs, and 8 RBI.

The Black Cats faded towards the middle of the standings after this and Tafoya’s contract expired after the 1985 season. Now 36 years old, he signed with Ciudad Guayana for three years and $2,290,000. The Giants made the playoffs each year he was there and Tafoya won a batting title and led in OBP in 1987. CG’s best run was a Bolivar Leauge title in 1989, although Tafoya missed the playoffs and most of the second half to a concussion. As a Giant, Tafoya had 409 hits, 185 runs, a .321/.396/.465 slash, and 14.2 WAR.

Now 39 years old, Tafoya returned “home” to Barquisimeto on a three year deal. The Black Cats were now a bottom rung team, but fans got to see an old favorite once again. Tafoya played two more seasons and was below average, but he was able to cross the 3000 hit and 1500 milestones with Barquisimeto. For his Black Cat tenures, he had 2685 hits, 1331 runs, 460 doubles, 210 home runs, 989 RBI, a .286/.353/.419 slash, and 84.9 WAR. Tafoya retired after the 1990 season at age 41 and saw his #34 uniform immediately retired.

Tafoya’s career stats had 3094 hits, 1516 runs, 526 doubles, 238 home runs, 1141 RBI, 1117 walks, 443 stolen bases, a .290/.358/.424 slash, 122 wRC+, and 99.1 WAR. He was only the fifth BSA batter to reach 3000 hits and the eighth to 1500 runs scored. Still, a surprising number of voters were against him due to a lack of home run power. Plenty saw his terrific value, his role in a title run for the Black Cats, and his popularity. Tafoya only narrowly crossed the 66% requirement, but 70.6% got him into the 1996 Hall of Fame class on the first ballot.



Petronio Veiga – Designated Hitter/Infielder – La Paz Pump Jacks – 68.0% First Ballot

Petronio Veiga was a 5’11’’, 205 pound right-handed infielder from Tucurui, a city of around 115,000 people in northern Brazil. Veiga was a fantastic contract hitter who knew how to put the ball in play. He was excellent at avoiding strikeouts, but below average at getting walks. Veiga had solid gap power, averaging around 40 or so doubles/triples with another 20-25 home runs added. He was a very slow and lousy baserunner and had poor range. Despite that, Veiga had some starts at shortstop and second base, posting atrocious defense in both spots. He also played a bit at first base and was average there. Veiga’s best use would be as a designated hitter, where he made roughly half of his career starts. The bat was good enough though to justify a prominent spot in the lineup in his prime.

Veiga was picked 16^th overall in the 1973 BSA Draft by Sao Paulo. He saw very little action in 1974 and 1975, then was an occasional starter in 1976. His bat showed promise in his limited use and he had a nice postseason with 10 hits, 6 runs, 3 home runs, and 7 RBI in 11 games. This helped the Padres claim the 1976 Copa Sudamerica. With his porous defense though, Sao Paulo was having trouble finding a role for Veiga. He ultimately only played 166 games with 69 starts and 3.0 WAR with his drafted squad.

Sao Paulo traded Veiga before the 1977 season to La Paz for SP Rogny Gonzales and 2B Carlo Carmona. He was iffy in his first season with the Pump Jacks, but put it all together in 1978. That year, Veiga led the Bolivar League in hits (235), doubles (44), and average (.372), while posting a career best 32 home runs. He won his first Silver Slugger at shortstop and took second in MVP voting despite posting an absolutely putrid -27.1 zone rating defensively. La Paz made it back-to-back playoff berths, but again suffered a first round exit.

In 1979, the Pump Jacks won the Bolivar League title for the first time since their 1940s dynasty. They lost to Recife in Copa Sudamerica, but Veiga posted 14 hits, 6 runs, 2 home runs, and 6 RBI in the playoffs. This would be their peak in Veiga’s tenure. La Paz would made the playoffs thrice in the 1980s, but they couldn’t claim the pennant any of those years and typically hovered around .500.

Veiga would put up his finest numbers in the early 1980s and earn a five-year, $13,970,000 extension after the 1982 season. He was third in MVP voting in 1982, then won Silver Sluggers in 1983 and 1984 as a DH. Veiga led the Bolivar League in hits thrice, doubles once more, and batting average twice more. He was also a starter for Brazil in their 1984 finalist effort in the World Baseball Championship. Veiga was on the squad in eight WBCs from 1979-88, but primarily as a pinch hitter. Although he had only two at-bats, he earned a world title ring with the 1987 Brazilian squad.

La Paz extended Veiga for another four years after the 1985 season for $3,220,000. His contact abilities didn’t wane much as he aged, but Veiga would start to miss more time to injuries and see his role somewhat reduced. His final season with the Pump Jacks in 1990 still saw a .320 average and 5.1 WAR. Veiga would get his 1000^th run and 2500^th hit in this final season, but La Paz would let him go. He was signed to MLB’s Virginia Beach on May 1, 1991, but was released after only two games. Veiga retired that winter at age 40. Still quite popular in La Paz, the Pump Jacks retired his #48 uniforn.

Veiga’s stat line was 2520 hits, 1070 runs, 420 doubles, 287 home runs, 1085 RBI, a .331/.368/.521 slash, 148 wRC+, and 61.3 WAR. At induction, only four other Hall of Fame hitters had a better batting average. The hitting accumulations were respectable, but he didn’t have the big power numbers or awards favored by many voters. Plus, his WAR would be among the worst to get in thanks to his time as either a DH or a defensive liability. Veiga was a fringe case, but he was well liked and had the bump of having helped La Paz back to the finals. In his debut, Veiga passed the 66% requirement with 68.0% to get a first ballot induction to round out the 1996 BSA class.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

Three players picked up a first ballot induction into the European Baseball Federation’s 1996 Hall of Fame class. Third basemen Radovan Smodlaka (90.9%) and Wojtek Napierkowski (89.7%) both firmly got in, while SP Jace Karch had just enough at 72.8% to make it. It was almost a four player class, but 1B Charles-Olivier Mallen was just shy of the 66% mark in his debut at 64.4%.



1B Jared Psaila was the lone player to fall off the ballot after ten failed tries. The Maltese righty got as high as 49.3% before ending at 42.8%. He was hurt by leaving for MLB after a decade in Milan, where he posted 1792 hits, 883 runs, 339 home runs, 333 doubles, 992 RBI, a .300/.366/.543 slash, 70.5 WAR, one MVP, and three Silver Sluggers. With his six MLB seasons, his 2498 hits, 483 homers, 1442 RBI, and 90.6 WAR probably gets him across the line. But his European accumulations alone weren’t quite there.



Radovan “Hoodoo” Smodlaka – Third/First Base – Athens Anchors – 90.9% First Ballot

Radovan Smodlaka was a 6’2’’, 200 pound right-handed corner infielder from the capital of Serbia, Belgrade. Smodlaka was a great contact hitter who also had excellent power and a decent eye. He regularly hit above .300 with upwards of 30 home runs. Smodlaka did also add around 20-25 doubles per year, but lacked the speed or baserunning ability to get extra bags. He made about 3/5s of his starts at third base, where he was a terrible defender. The rest of his starts were at first, where he was delightfully average. Smodlaka was a fan favorite who worked hard and always made time to sign items after games for kids.

Smodlaka’s talents were well known as a high schooler throughout Yugoslavia’s amateur ranks. Upon graduating high school, Zagreb picked him eighth overall in the 1970 EBF Draft. Smodlaka wasn’t ready to begin playing pro ball though and opted to head to college. When he was eligible again in 1973, it was Athens that grabbed him with the ninth overall pick. Smodlaka was a regular pinch hitter for his first three seasons, but didn’t make a start until his fourth year in 1977.

He made an impressive impact, leading the Southern Conference in RBI in his first three seasons as a starter. Smodlaka also led in total bases, average, and OPS in 1978 while adding career bests with 55 home runs and 10.7 WAR. 1978 was his lone MVP, although he took third in 1977. Smodlaka won Silver Sluggers in 1977, 78, 79, 81, and 83. He also regularly played for Serbia in the World Baseball Championship with 145 games from 1973-90. In the WBC, he had 131 hits, 76 runs, 22 doubles, 45 home runs, 93 RBI, a .264/.336/.584 slash, and 6.3 WAR.

Smodlaka’s power in the heart of the Athens lineup helped the Anchors earn five straight Southeast Division titles from 1977-81. In 1978, they picked up the franchise’s first conference title, falling to Brussels in the European Championship. Athens would be one-and-done in the other appearances with Smodlaka posting 32 hits, 14 runs, 5 home runs, 7 RBI, and a .291/.342/.473 over 29 career playoff starts.

Following the 1977 season, Smodlaka was signed to an eight-year, $3,206,000 deal with Athens to be the franchise’s icon for the next decade. The Anchors would fall towards the bottom of the standings into the 1980s, but Smodlaka remained steady. He didn’t lead the conference ever again, but notably smacked 52 home runs and 138 RBI in 1986 at age 35. Smodlaka had signed another four-year, $4 million extension that started with the 1986 campaign.

That was Smodlaka’s last great season, as his power dwindled after that. He did bounce back from a weak 1987 with a better 1988, but that would be his final year as a starter. His final two seasons in Greece were primarily as a figurehead role, as he only made 19 starts and played 109 total games. Smodlaka was happy to play that part and remained a fan favorite, seeing his #31 retired after he called it quits at age 39 with the 1990 campaign.

Smodlaka’s stats were 2124 hits, 1119 runs, 330 doubles, 492 home runs, 1359 RBI, a .308/.366/.580 slash, 168 wRC+, and 81.8 WAR. While his totals aren’t at the very top of the EBF Hall of Fame leaderboard, they weren’t at the very bottom either. Being a well-liked player with one franchise and helping them get to a conference final goes a long way. EBF’s voters gave Smodlaka the thumbs up with 90.9% for his ballot debut.



Wojtek Napierkowski – Third Base – Copenhagen Corsairs – 89.7% First Ballot

Wojtek Napierkowski was a 6’0’’, 200 pound right-handed third baseman from Szczecin, Poland, a city of around 390,000 located in the northwest by the Baltic Sea and the German border. Napierkowski had outstanding home run power, regularly smacking 40+ per season. He was good at drawing walks, although his strikeout rate was middling and his contact was above average at best. Napierkowski didn’t get many doubles or triples with his power concentrated on homers along with poor speed. He had very good durability and was a career third baseman who graded out as slightly below average defensively for his career. Napierkowski had a tireless work ethic and became a very popular player in his run.

In the 1970s, Polish baseball was the domain of Eurasian Professional Baseball and not the European Baseball Federation. However, Napierkowski left Poland for his college career and declared his intent to enter EBF’s draft in 1977. Poland wasn’t part of the regional draft restrictions of the first four rounds, meaning Napierkowski wasn’t eligible to be picked until the fifth round. However, any team would be able to pick him at that point. Copenhagen had the very first pick of the round, the 131st overall, and used it to bring Napierkowski to Denmark. He would later return to Poland for the World Baseball Championship, playing for his home country from1979-92. In the WBC, he had 118 games, 89 hits, 73 runs, 45 home runs, 88 RBI, a .211/.320/.555 slash, and 4.5 WAR.

Napierkowski was a full-time starter immediately and held that role for his entire 13 year tenure with the Corsairs, only missing time occasionally to injury. His 34 home runs and 4.1 WAR in his debut earned him the 1978 Rookie of the Year in the Northern Conference. In his second season, Napierkowski led with 49 home runs. He would post nine straight seasons with 45+ homers and hit 40+ in all but his first and final seasons with Copenhagen.

Napierkowski took second in 1980’s MVP voting, then won it in 1981 with a career best in WAR (10.1), plus 57 home runs and 126 RBI. This helped Copenhagen earn its first playoff appearance in three decades, as they had struggled after winning the very first European Championship in 1950. It was his first of three Silver Sluggers with additional wins in 1985 and 1988. The Corsairs were convinced Napierkowski was the guy and signed him to an eight-year, $5,820,000 extension after the 1982 season.

He was third in 1982 and 1985’s MVP voting. 1985 was a banner year with career bests for Napierkowski in homers (61), RBI (136), and batting average (.308). Copenhagen was one-and-done in the 1981 playoffs, then fell in the conference finals in 1983. In 1985, a strained groin kept Napierkowski out for most of the playoffs, but the Corsairs won the conference title. He was back for the tail end as they dropped the championship to Marseille. For his career, Napierkowski had 18 playoff games with 15 hits, 8 runs, 2 home runs, and a .238/.294/.365 slash.

Napierkowski’s power continued to be solid into his 30s, but Copenhagen faded towards the bottom of the standings by the end of the 1980s. While still a solid power guy, his final season with the Corsairs saw his lowest homer and WAR totals since his rookie year. They agreed to part ways after the 1990 campaign, although Napierkowski remained very popular and kept a good relationship with the franchise, He would soon come back to see his #8 uniform retired.

Napierkowski wasn’t ready to retire at age 36 and his steady power had gotten some attention in the United States. The Washington Admirals signed him to a three-year, $5,220,000 deal. However, Napierkowski struggled with strikeouts in MLB. Washington moved him to a bench role later in 1991 and he saw only 45 games and 25 starts in 1992. The Admirals let him go and Napierkowski went unsigned in 1993. He finally retired that winter at age 39.

For his EBF and Copenhagen run, Napierkowski had 1959 hits, 1245 runs, 204 doubles, 614 home runs, 1403 RBI, a .277/.355/.574 slash, 165 wRC+, and 94.3 WAR. It was rare for a guy without 2000 hits to get serious consideration, but Napierkowski was only the sixth to reach 600 home runs. At induction he was 15th best in batting WAR. The dingers and his fan favorite status made it easy for voters to fill in his bubble, sending him into the 1996 EBF Hall of Fame class at 89.7%.



Jace Karch – Starting Pitcher – Marseille Musketeers – 72.8% First Ballot

Jace Karch was a 5’11’’, 200 pound right-handed starting pitcher from Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht, a town of 31,000 people in the western Netherlands. Karch’s biggest strength was very good control which he mixed with above average stuff and movement. His fastball peaked in the 95-97 mph range and was mixed with a slider, forkball, and changeup. Karch was very durable with 230+ innings in each of his first 12 seasons. He had respectable stamina, but it was the control and reliability that made Karch a success.

After playing in the Dutch amateur ranks, Karch ended up in France as he was picked third overall in the 1975 EBF Draft by Marseille. He did go back to the Netherlands for the World Baseball Championship from 1978-89. Karch had 156.1 WBC innings, but he was unremarkable in international play with a 4.89 ERA and 168 strikeouts.

His entire EBF run would be with the Musketeers and he was a full-time starter immediately with 233.1 innings as a rookie. Karch was merely average initially, but became reliably good from about his third year onward. He wasn’t overly dominant and never was a finalist for Pitcher of the Year. Karch’s only time atop a leaderboard was with a 23-3 record in 1980. That season would mark the start of a run of dominance for Marseille, who made the playoffs every year of the 1980s with the exception of 1984.

The Musketeers made it to the Southern Conference Championship in 1980, 81, 83, 85, and 86. They would win both the conference title and the European Championship in 1981, 1985, and 1986. Karch was not generally dominant in the playoffs, but was steady with a 10-4 record, 3.91 ERA, 119.2 innings, and 103 strikeouts. His best showing was a 1.99 ERA in 1983, although they were denied that year. Knowing what they were reliably going to get with Karch each year, Marseille signed him to a four-year, $4,000,000 extension after the 1985 season.

In 1988, shoulder inflammation cost Karch the majority of the season. When he came back for 1989 and 1990 with the Musketeers, his velocity had dropped a few miles per hour. Marseille didn’t re-sign him, although he would be honored soon after with his #32 uniform being retired. Karch found a surprising suitor for 1991 in CABA’s Honduras Horsemen. He struggled in only 17.2 innings of relief in his brief time in Central America. Karch wasn’t signed in 1992 and retired that winter at age 38.

Karch’s stats in EBF with Marseille had a 246-133 record, 3.13 ERA, 3526 innings, 3247 strikeouts, 624 walks, 311/475 quality starts, 90 FIP-, and 63.9 WAR. At induction, he was tied for seventh in wins among EBF pitchers. The advanced stats put him towards the bottom end of inductees though. It became a debate between voters who valued sustained solidness versus the ones who wanted moments of brilliants. Karch didn’t have the big awards or accolades, but he was a steady and reliable presence for a Marseille squad that won three rings in the 1980s. The rings won out and Karch got just enough to earn a first ballot induction at 72.8% to round out the 1996 EBF class.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

The Eurasian Professional Baseball Hall of Fame ballot in 1996 was an open field with no slam dunk debuts. Two returners found their way narrowly across the 66% requirement, led by DH Emin Ismayliov at 75.7% on his seventh ballot. SP Yevhen Selin barely joined him with 66.5% for his third attempt. SP Maksim Ekstrem missed it at 65.2%, the closest he’s been in his eight attempts. The best debut was Maxim Aivazyan with 59.4%. 1B Bartlomiej Tarka was the only other guy above 50% at 53.7% for his seventh attempt. No players were dropped after ten failed ballots in 1996.



Emin “Sparrow” Ismayilov – Designated Hitter – Moscow Mules – 75.7% Sixth Ballot

Emin Ismayliov was a 6’0’’, 200 pound left-handed hitter from Denau, Uzbekistan; a city with around 78,000 people in the country’s southeast. Ismayliov had excellent home run power and was effective at drawing walks. He was a decent contact hitter, but he would strike out a ton. Ismayliov had respectable contact power and was a smart baserunner despite lacking speed. Ismayliov was primarily a designated hitter, making around 2/3s of his career starts there. The rest were split generally between left and right field, where he was a terrible defender at both spots. Ismayliov did have very good durability, which combined with the home run power made him a valuable bat even with his flaws.

A scout from Kyiv managed to notice an 18-year old Ismayliov toiling away in the amateur ranks of Uzbekistan and signed him to a developmental deal. He officially debuted with three at-bats in 1966, although he had limited appearances and mostly pinch hit opportunities in his first three seasons. Ismayliov really struggled with contact and strikeouts early on. It wasn’t until 1970, his fifth year on roster with the Kings, that Ismayliov became a full-time starter. He would be a regular for the next 15 years in EPB.

Ismayliov would get noticed with 37 home runs and 102 RBI in 1970, although he really got noticed the next year with 53 dingers and 120 RBI. That earned him his first Silver Slugger at DH and his lone award with Kyiv. In total with the Kings, he had 885 hits, 468 runs, 147 doubles, 228 home runs, 545 RBI, a .245/.299/.482 slash, and 22.4 WAR. Ismayliov also regularly played for his native Uzbekistan from 1971-86 in the World Baseball Championship. He had 111 games and 83 starts in the WBC, posting 74 hits, 55 runs, 36 home runs, 57 RBI, a .232/.332/.599 slash, and 4.3 WAR.

Ismayliov entered free agency at age 29 in 1975 and would begin his signature run with defending EPB Champion Moscow, signing a six-year, $1,724,000 deal. His debut season with the Mules was by far his most impressive with European League and career highs in runs, hits, home runs, RBI, walks, total bases, OBP, slugging, OPS, wRC+, and WAR. With 62 homers, 117 RBI, and 10.3 WAR, Ismayliov easily earned league MVP and a Silver Slugger. Moscow only narrowly got a wild card, but they went on an impressive playoff run and repeated as EPB champs. Ismayliov was finals MVP and had an outstanding postseason with 18 hits, 11 runs, 4 doubles, 6 home runs, and 15 RBI over 15 starts. That season alone in many ways cemented Ismayliov’s legacy.

Ismayliov never had a season quite that dominant, but he did win a Silver Slugger at right field in 1977 and DH in 1978. He led the EL in doubles in 177 and RBI in 1978 and hit 34+ home runs in each of his nine seasons in the main Moscow run. The Mules would be respectable, but only make the playoffs twice more during Ismayliov’s tenure with first round exits in both 1979 and 1981. After the 1980 season, Moscow would give Ismayliov a four-year, $1,106,000 extension.

Ismayliov began to struggle a bit in his later years, leading in strikeouts in 1982 and managing only 23 home runs in 1983. The Mules bottomed out at 60-102 that season and began a full rebuild. The now 38-year old Ismayliov was traded to Ufa with RF Rahim Ametov for prospects Pardis Butayev and Thacher Correll. In his one year with the Fiends, Ismayliov became the sixth EPB member of the 600 home run club. He became a free agent in 1985 and went back to Moscow, where he struggled in one final season. Ismayliov retired after going unsigned in 1986 at age 40. The Mules would honor him by retiring his #11 uniform. For his time in the Russian capital, he had 1362 hits, 774 runs, 254 doubles, 390 home runs, 852 RBI, a .241/.305/.501 slash, and 42.6 WAR.

Ismayliov’s career stats had 2357 hits, 1309 runs, 419 doubles, 643 home runs, 1471 RBI, 851 walks, a .241/.302/.489 slash, 144 wRC+, and 67.3 WAR. At induction, he was fifth in home runs and seventh in RBI (but also fifth in strikeouts at 2932). His WAR total was lower though than any other HOF hitter to that point and many voters were reluctant to give a DH the nod. Ismayliov debuted at 59.9% and was always within single digits of the threshold, but missed out in his first five ballots. In 1994, he was less than a percentage point shy at 65.3%. The homers, his MVP season, and title with Moscow though were enough to get him across the line in 1996, receiving 75.7% of the vote on his sixth try.



Yevhen Selin – Starting Pitcher – Omsk Otters – 66.5% Third Ballot

Yevhen Selin was a 6’1’’, 190 pound left-handed pitcher from Simferopol, Ukraine, the second largest city on the Crimean peninsula with around 330,000 inhabitants. Selin was viewed as above average to good across the board in terms of stuff, control, and movement. Control would be his biggest asset, especially in his later years. Selin had a 93-95 mph cutter mixed with a slider and a changeup. The changeup in particular was considered outstanding. Selin had respectable stamina and durability, while also viewed as a respectable defensive pitcher that could hold runners. Some would criticize him for a lack of leadership and work ethic.

Many fans don’t realize that Selin began his pro career with Kyiv, picked 20^th overall by the Kings in the 1972 EPB Draft. His time in the Ukrainian capital was brief with 13 forgettable starts in 1973. Kyiv was looking to push for a playoff spot and decided to move Selin and another prospect at the deadline. He was traded to Omsk for SP Nikita Titov (Hall of Fame class of 1984) and SS Yevhen Zhokh.

Selin would spend the remainder of his pro career with the Otters. He would still return home to Ukraine for the World Baseball Championship, although he was used more as a reliever than starter. In 100 innings from 1975-88, he had a 2.52 ERA with 130 strikeouts and 2.3 WAR. Selin was primarily a starter with Omsk, but a fairly unimpressive one in his first two seasons. He would emerge as a fine starter soon after, although he never was a finalist for Pitcher of the Year. Selin would pass 300 strikeouts in four seasons and peaked with 8.2 WAR in 1977.

Content with his steady production, Omsk gave Selin a four-year, $1,788,000 extension in March 1981. The Otters were mid to bottom tier with no playoff appearances from 1972-84. They finally returned to relevance the mid 80s, wining the Asian League pennant in 1985 and 1987. They fell in the EPB final in 1985 to Minsk and Kyiv in 1987. For his playoff career, Selin had a 2-5 record, but 2.44 ERA over 59 innings with 54 strikeouts and a 121 ERA+.

The veteran received another three year extension after the 1985 season. In 1986, he had his first-ever season as a league leader, topping the AL in both ERA (1.50) and WHIP (0.81). Selin had a nice 1987, but saw his production worsen in 1988. He was only a part-time starter in that final season, opting to retire at age 38.

Selin finished with a 205-162 record, 2.51 ERA, 3584.1 innings, 3753 strikeouts, 666 walks, 332/456 quality starts, 115 complete games, 81 FIP-, and 79.0 WAR. His totals were more middle-to-bottom of the leaderboard compared to other EPB Hall of Famers. Selin’s lack of dominant seasons and awards hurt him with many voters, but a long run with Omsk and helping them to two AL pennants was a notable plus. He missed out at 61.7% and 55.2% in his first two ballot appearances. With a fairly quiet 1996 group, Selin just barely breached the 66% threshold with 66.5% to secure his place among EPB’s all-timers.