Baseball: The World's Game

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1999 saw no additions into the Eurasian Professional Baseball Hall of Fame, the first blank ballot since 1994. The list had no debuts of note, with the top first-timer being closer Nodar Zarqua with only 35.4%. SP Maxim Aivazyan came closest to induction with 64.0% on his fourth ballot. SP Petr Bidzinashvili had 60.9% on his second go. Also above 50% were 1B Ilkin Hasanov with 57.4% for his seventh ballot and closer Valdislav Minev taking 52.0% for his third go.

Dropped after ten ballots was RF Aleksei Winchi, who had a 19-year career spread out between Krasnoyarsk, Bishkek, and Prague. He won five Silver Sluggers and one MVP, posting 2600 hits, 1108 runs, 429 doubles, 408 home runs, 1268 RBI, a .292/.321/.496 slash, 157 wRC+, and 82.1 WAR. He got to the finals with both the Cossacks and Black Sox. Despite a pretty good resume, the voters seemed underwhelmed by Winchi. He debuted at 43.6% and slowly dropped down the ballots, eventually ending at 15.4%.

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The Oceania Baseball Association’s 1999 Hall of Fame ballot was the first since 1992 to see no players added. Coming closest to the 66% requirement was closer Lorenzo Amaru with 64.% on his fourth try. RF Dede Hayati got 60.5% in his eighth try and RF Ryan Whatley got 51.4% for his third go. The best debut was LF Adrian Delgado at a measly 20.7%.

1B Matthew Johnson fell off after ten failed tries. The Guamanian first baseman had a 14-year carer playing with Samoa, posting 1989 hits, 961 runs, 424 home runs, 1171 RBI, a .248/.289/.459 slash, and 52.9 WAR. He only won Silver Slugger once, but did help the Sun Sox win the 1973 Oceania Championship. Johnson was more of a “Hall of Good” fit though, debuting at 24.8% and ending at 7.1%.

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Austronesia Professional Baseball had two additions into the Hall of Fame from the 1999 ballot. Kuo-Long Tsai was nearly unanimous with the pitcher getting 98.8%. Fellow pitcher Ravi Peng saw 78.7% to gain entry on his second try. Closer Stallion Ricciardi nearly joined them on his second ballot, but narrowly missed at 63.9%. Also above 50% were closers Ting-Wei Ping (58.3%, third ballot), Hong Quinonez (57.4%, third ballot), and Afriza Bachdim (53.3%, third ballot).



RF Angelo “Razor” Mula fell off the ballot with a peak of 49.4% on his sixth try and a finish at 39.3%. He was a 13-time all-star, but only had one Silver Slugger over his 16 years in APB. He had 2517 hits, 1040 runs, 382 doubles, 329 triples, 173 home runs, 1007 RBI, 1104 stolen bases, a .290/.330/.469 slash, 149 wRC+, and 83.6 WAR. He retired as the all-time stolen bases leader and second all-time in triples. Mula still sits 5th in steals and 4th in triples as of 2037. Many scholars would point to Mula as one of the more notable and surprising snubs of his era.



Kuo-Long Tsai – Starting Pitcher – Semarang Sliders – 98.8% First Ballot

Kuo-Long Tsai was a 6’4’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Chiayi, a city of around 263,000 people in southwestern Taiwan. Tsai was a hard thrower with good stuff, excellent movement, and above average control. He had a five pitch arsenal with a 99-101 mph fastball mixed with a slider, curveball, splitter, and changeup. Tsai had stellar stamina, leading the Sundaland Association five times in both complete games and shutouts. He was also known for an outstanding pickoff move. Tsai also was considered quite durable for much of his run.

As a teenager in Taiwan, a scout visiting from Indonesia managed to notice Tsai at a camp. Even as a 16-year old, he was hitting the mid 90 mph range. The Semarang scout signed Tsai in late 1972 to an amateur deal. He spent most of the next six years in the Sliders’ developmental system. Tsai officially debuted with two relief appearances in 1978 at age 21. He was a part-time starter with promising results the next year, earning a full-time spot in the rotation from 1980 onward.

In 1980, Tsai led the SA in wins and helped Semarang win the pennant. He had a 2.28 ERA over 23.2 playoff innings, but the Sliders lost to Cebu in the Austronesia Championship. Tsai remained consistently good the next few years, even throwing a no-hitter in 1983 against Batam with eight strikeouts and one walk. 1983 also saw Tsai throw 29 complete games, one short of APB’s all-time record. The Sliders made it back to the playoffs in 1984, but went one-and-done despite a complete game effort in his one playoff start.

Although playing in Indonesia, Tsai did regularly return to Taiwan for the World Baseball Championship. He played with the squad from 1980-93, posting a 3.50 ERA over 239.1 innings with 259 strikeouts and 3.9 WAR. Tsai’s success with Semarang inspired the Sliders to keep him around. In April 1986, Tsai inked a four-year, $2,232,000 contract extension.

He lived up to the deal, winning both Sundaland Association Pitcher of the Year and MVP in 1986. Tsai had a career-best 1.27 ERA over 291 innings with 331 strikeouts, 27 complete games, and 8 shutouts. He wouldn’t win the POTY again, but took third in 1987, 1989, and 1990. Semarang won the SA pennant in both 1988 and 1990 and in the latter year, also won the APB Championship over Cebu. Tsai had an excellent 0.68 ERA in 26.1 innings of the 1990 run and posted a 1.75 ERA over 77 career playoff innings with 75 strikeouts.

Tsai had added another five years at $5,540,000 to his deal in spring 1990. He would see his velocity drop steeply in 1992 from 99-101 mph to 96-98 mph, then further down to 92-94 mph in 1993. Tsai still provided positive value in 1991 and 1992, but was worth negative WAR in 1993. He retired that winter at age 37 and saw his #12 uniform retired by Semarang immediately.

Tsai’s career stats included a 227-166 record, 1.95 ERA, 3860 innings, 4100 strikeouts, 700 walks, 360/439 quality starts, 251 complete games, 73 shutouts, 122 ERA+, 86 FIP-, and 72.8 WAR. At induction, he was second-all time in complete games and first in shutouts. Tsai was also ninth in strikeouts and ninth in wins, although only 15th in pitching WAR. He wasn’t the most dominant arm in APB history, but Tsai was one of the most sturdy and played a big role in multiple pennants for Semarang. He was an easy choice for the voters and got in at 98.8% to lead the 1999 ballot.



Ravi “Beagle” Peng – Starting Pitcher – Jakarta Jaguars – 78.7% Second Ballot

Ravi Peng was a 6’0’’, 190 pound left-handed pitcher from Singapore. Nicknamed “Beagle” for his love of the floppy eared dog, Peng was well rounded with good stuff, control, and movement. His velocity peaked in the 94-96 mph range, but he had three equal potent pitches with a cutter, curveball, changeup combo. Peng’s stamina was on the low end compared to most other APB greats. He was excellent and holding runners and was a great defensive pitcher, winning a Gold Glove in 1986. Peng also won Silver Sluggers in 1986 and 1989, posting a .188 career average. He was smart and a hard worker, becoming very respected in his time.

Peng showed potential as a teenager in Singapore and he caught the eye of a scout from Jakarta. He was signed as a teenage amateur in the summer of 1973 and made his debut in 1978 at age 21. He struggled split between relief and the rotation in his rookie year. Peng looked great to start his sophomore season, but suffered a catastrophic tear of the flexor tendon in his elbow. This knocked him out 14 months and put his future prospects in question.

Peng returned for the back half of 1980 and looked fairly average in his return. The next two years, he emerged as the ace Jakarta hoped he could be when they signed him. In 1982, he took third in Pitcher of the Year voting with a career best 10.4 WAR and 31 quality starts. The Jaguars ended a more than decade-long playoff drought and won the Sundaland Association title. They fell to Taoyuan in the Austronesia Championship with Peng posting a 2.05 ERA over 22 playoff innings with 27 strikeouts. That winter, Jakarta gave Peng a five-year, $1,412,000 extension.

Disaster struck again in 1983 as in his second start, he again tore his flexor tendon. Peng showed his incredible resilience again, bouncing back with the league-lead in wins and a 9.6 WAR 1984. He also put up good numbers in his career for Singapore’s squad in the World Baseball Championship. From 1979-93, he appeared in 12 WBCs and had a 2.08 ERA over 169 innings, 204 strikeouts, and 4.7 WAR.

Peng managed to stay largely healthy and consistent for the next few years. He led the Sundaland Association in ERA in 1988, although he never reached the top three in Pitcher of the Year voting. Jakarta made the playoffs in 1985, 86, and 87. The Jaguars won the SA pennant in 85 and 86 and took the Austronesian Championship in 1985. Peng was especially excellent in that run with a 0.41 ERA over 22 innings. For his whole playoff career, he had a 2.74 ERA over 65.2 innings, 73 strikeouts, and 2.2 WAR.

Jakarta gave him a five-year, $4,150,000 extension starting after the 1987 campaign. It would be back issues that started to plague Peng in 1989 and 1990, including a torn back muscle in September 1990. Both back spasms and shoulder inflammation cost him nearly the entire 1991 season. The Jaguars decided to move on that winter, trading Peng for prospects to Semarang.

Peng made it seven appearances with Semarang in 1992 and still looked effective when he pitched. In late April, severe shoulder inflammation would knock him out for the rest of the year. Peng still wanted to pitch, but his body disagreed. He would pitch in the 1993 WBC, but was unsigned for the season and retired at age 36. Well respected for his efforts by Jakarta, the Jaguars decided to retire his #30 uniform,

Peng’s career stats saw a 155-92 record, 1.76 ERA, 2523.2 innings, 3027 strikeouts, 434 walks, 279/333 quality starts, 44 complete games, 140 ERA+, 63 FIP-, and 77.3 WAR. Peng actually had more WAR than his Hall of Fame classmate Kuo-Long Tsai despite having around 1300 fewer innings pitched. His rate stats were impressive, but the accumulations were low due to the injuries. Peng never won the top award, but he did play a role in multiple pennants for Jakarta. He narrowly missed out in 1998 at 64.4%, but made it across the line on his second ballot at 78.7%.

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Chinese League Baseball didn’t add any players into the Hall of Fame with the 1999 voting. This was CLB’s first empty ballot since 1988. Debuting SP Lang Lu came the closest, but fell two points short at 64.0%. Closer Junwei Zhu (61.8%) and SP Xiabin Chen (61.5%) crossed the 60% mark on their second and third goes, respectively. Also above 50% were RF Zhengyu Peng (58.0%, third ballot), SP Baoxian He (53.7%, second ballot), and SP Pengju Xue (50.2%, third ballot).

Dropped after ten ballots was SP Ningqing Liong, who had a 12-year career with four teams. He won two titles with Kunming and had career stats of 159-122, 2.45 ERA, 2780.2 innings, 2522 strikeouts, 114 ERA+, and 53.6 WAR. Liong fell off quickly and was irrelevant by his early 30s and didn’t post dominating stats. He still managed to get as high as 40.5% on his second ballot, ending at 25.8%.

Also dropped after ten tries was reliever Lianbin Tan, who won Reliever of the Year in 1978. He pitched for five CLB teams and had 306 saves and 386 shutdowns, a 1.68 ERA, 835.2 innings, 1079 strikeouts, and 29.5 WAR. He was the first in CLB history to earn 300+ saves and get dropped from the ballot. His WAR totals and general dominance weren’t as impressive as most voters wanted. Tan was as high as 46.7% in 1991, but ended with a measly 5.7%.

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West African Baseball’s 1999 Hall of Fame voting netted three new members. Leading the way was pitcher Dalanda Soumah with a first ballot induction at 83.5%. Fellow pitcher Moussa Sidi just narrowly passed the 66% threshold at 68.3% in his third ballot. CF Stephen Tshukudu on his tenth and final shot at glory made the cut at exactly 66.0%. SP Issaka Camara almost made it a four-player crew with 64.1% in his third try. The other player above 50% was 2B Endurance Jacob with 51.4% on his eighth ballot.



The lone player dropped after ten ballots was LF George Nandjou, who had a ten year career with three teams with one MVP and two Silver Sluggers. The Cameroonian had 1309 hits, 889 runs, 286 doubles, 415 home runs, 1002 RBI, a .239/.326/.524 slash, 147 wRC+, and 40.3 WAR. His official career began at age 27, so a few more years might have gotten him accumulations that would’ve swayed the voters. He debuted at 30.7% and ended at a low of 12.4%.



Dalanda Soumah – Starting Pitcher – Lagos Lizards – 83.5% First Ballot

Dalanda Soumah was a 6’4’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Conakry, the capital of Guinea. Soumah was a hard thrower known for having great stuff, very good control, and above average movement. His fastball was great with 99-101 mph velocity and was mixed with an outstanding slider, good splitter, and rarely seen changeup. Soumah’s stamina was average and his defense graded out the same, although he did win a Gold Glove in 1990. He was outspoken and polarizing, beloved by some and despised by others his lack of tact.

Soumah was picked 18^th overall in the 1978 WAB Draft by Lagos at age 19 and spent his entire African pro career with the Lizards. Lagos had just won the West African Championship and had a loaded lineup, thus they could keep Soumah in the developmental system for a bit. The Lizards again won the title in 1979. Soumah officially debuted in 1981 at age 21 with mostly relief appearances. He would be used as a starter by the postseason, posting a lousy 4.87 ERA in 20.1 innings. Regardless, Lagos continued their dynasty and Soumah received his first championship ring as an active roster player.

Soumah was a full-time starter from 1982 onward with Lagos, leading the Eastern League that year in strikeouts. It was officially his rookie season and he picked up Rookie of the Year honors. Lagos shockingly missed the playoffs for the first time in WAB’s short history that year. However, they would win three more WAB titles during the 1980s with Soumah playing a major role as the team’s ace.

They won it all in 1983, 85, and 88. In each of those title runs, Soumah went 3-0 and posted sub-one ERAs. For his playoff career, Soumah had a 1.99 ERA, 10-3 record, 104 innings, 112 strikeouts, and 1.9 WAR. During his Lagos run, Soumah led the league in wins three times, ERA once, innings once, strikeouts thrice, WHIP twice, quality starts twice, and WAR once. He claimed Pitcher of the Year honors in 1985 and 1988, while taking second in 1983 and 1984, plus third in 1986. Soumah also finished second in MVP voting in the 1988 campaign.

Soumah had signed a five-year, $1,504,000 contract extension after the 1984 season. When his deal came up again for the 1990 season, he was still only 30 years old and a hot commodity. It was hard to pass up the allure of MLB money and the outspoken Soumah wasn’t shy about boasting that he could hang with the best of the best. Thus, he ended his WAB career after nine seasons.

With Lagos, Soumah had a 132-77 record, 2.60 ERA, 1908 innings, 2745 strikeouts, 192/258 quality starts, 137 ERA+, 71 FIP-, and 53.8 WAR. Lagos would later retire his #26 uniform as a huge part of the Lizards’ continued success in the 1980s. His short stay in WAB meant his accumulations are on the bottom end of the leaderboards, but his dominance in the 1980s was hard to deny. His 10 playoff wins are tied for the most by any WAB pitcher. Some held Soumah leaving and his personality against him, but his tenure was impressive enough to still get the first ballot induction into the WAB Hall of Fame at 83.5% in 1999.

That was only the first half of Soumah’s career. He took his talents next to Dallas, Texas; signing a six-year, $10,720,000 deal. Soumah was never the dominant elite force during his Dalmatians tenure, but he was a consistently solid starter. He had been quite durable in his 20s, but did miss half of 1992 to various injuries. Dallas only made the playoffs once during Soumah’s tenure with a first round exit.

Ultimately, Soumah played five and a half years with Dallas, posting a 79-63 record, 3.56 ERA, 1323.2 innings, 904 strikeouts, 113 ERA+, and 24.8 WAR. The Dalmatians traded him at the 1995 deadline to Atlanta for two prospects and a draft pick. The Aces hoped he’d help them continue their eight-year division title streak, but they came up five games short to Tampa. Soumah looked good in his 11 starts in Atlanta with a 2.77 ERA, giving him some shine heading back into free agency at age 36.

Portland picked up Soumah on a three-year, $10,920,000 deal. A dead arm cost him a month of the season, but he had his best MLB production this season with a 2.83 ERA and an American Association best 0.94 WHIP. The Pacifics were pleased with their investment, but trouble arose in 1997. A strained shoulder cost Soumah the first two months of the season. Then shortly after returning, a ruptured his UCL. That ended a promising Portland tenure with a 2.84 ERA over 250 innings, 21-9 record, 139 ERA+, and 6.0 WAR.

He was a free agent again, failing to meet the vesting criteria for his third year with Portland. The numbers were good enough that nearby Seattle was filling to give Soumah a look for 1998. He made four starts in minor league Spokane, but tore his UCL yet again. This officially ended Soumah’s career at age 38. For his MLB tenure, he had a 105-77 record, 3.41 ERA, 1661.1 innings, 1126 strikeouts, 118 ERA+, 88 FIP-, and 32.7 WAR.

For his entire pro career, Soumah had a 237-154 record, 2.98 ERA, 3569.1 innings, 3871 strikeouts, 733 walks, 315/472 quality starts, 127 ERA+, 79 FIP-, and 86.4 WAR. He certainly proved his worth as one of the first great pitchers out of West Africa. His full line is certainly HOF caliber and his WAB tenure alone was enough to get him into their elite class.



Moussa Sidi – Starting Pitcher – Kano Condors – 68.3% Third Ballot

Moussa Sidi was a 6’0’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from the capital of Mauritania, Nouakchott. Sidi boasted great control with good stuff and above average movement. His fastball was solid at 97-99 mph and was mixed with a great curveball, good slider, and okay changeup. Sidi’s stamina was iffy though and he dealt with injury woes throughout his career. When he was at full strength though, he was one of WAB’s most impressive arms.
Sidi began a semi-pro career just as West Africa Baseball started, therefore missing out on the early drafts despite being near that age range. His first WAB contract came with Conakry in November 1976. Sidi made only five relief appearances that year, then missed all of 1978 with a partially torn UCL. An elbow strain cost him part of 1979, but he was able to pitch much of the season with promising results. Then in 1980, he looked like a true ace with 7.1 WAR.

1981 saw more injury trouble, this time to his knee as a torn meniscus cost him four months. Sidi was great though with a full 1982 season, taking third in Pitcher of the Year voting. He was entering his last year under contract with Conakry, who had struggled in their first decade as a WAB franchise. Lagos was looking to bounce back from their first-ever season missing the playoffs, so they got Sidi and SS Osvaldo Barbosa in a trade from Conakry for three prospects. For his Coyotes tenure, Sidi had a 34-33 record, 2.75 ERA, 698.1 innings, 842 strikeouts, a 128 ERA+, and 21.2 WAR.

The one-year rental paid off for Lagos as Sidi helped them back to the playoffs and to their fourth WAB Championship. He led the league in ERA, winning Pitcher of the Year honors. Sidi also posted a 1.69 ERA over 21.1 playoff innings with 30 strikeouts. This made him the top free agent entering 1984 season. The 29-year old would stay in Nigeria, moving to Kano on a seven-year, $2,940,000 contract. The Condors had been Lagos top competitor in WAB’s Eastern League; together they had taken seven of the first nine EL pennants.

Sidi won Pitcher of the Year in his Kano debut in 1984 with league and career bests in wins (19-8), ERA (1.71), quality starts (28), and WAR (9.1), along with a career-best 304 strikeouts. The Condors claimed the EL pennant, but fell in the WAB final Sidi’s hometown team Nouakchott. Although he was 0-2 in his three starts, Sidi was still great with a 1.66 ERA over 21.2 playoff innings and 25 strikeouts. The injury bug would rear its ugly head again in 1985, suffering his second torn meniscus to miss the second half and the playoffs.

Sidi looked merely above average in 1986, but he pitched most of the season and helped Kano win the WAB Championship over Bamako, posting a 2.50 ERA in 18 playoff innings. In 1987, Sidi for the third time tore his left knee’s meniscus. A setback meant he was out a total of 10 months dealing with the injury, But again, Sidi managed to bounce back. In 1988, he led the EL in ERA and WHIP. Kano got back to the playoffs, but lost in the first round.

Sidi looked subpar in 1989 and missed some time to a strained hamstring. Kano fell off a cliff that year to 64-98 and decided to blow it up completely, which would ultimately help set the stage for a dynasty run in the late 1990s. With one year left in Sidi’s contract, he was shipped straight up to Kumasi for 1B Atim Amoah. With the Condors, Sidi had a 71-33 record, 2.50 ERA, 964 innings, 1125 strikeouts, 128 ERA+, and 21.2 WAR.

Yet another injury befell Sidi in his one season with the Monkeys, suffering a torn labrum in the summer. This knocked him out 10 months and put his career in serious jeopardy. Now 36-years old, Lagos brought him back in to be a reliever. He was good in his limited use, and had one strong start in the 1991 postseason, allowing one run in 5.1 innings. The Lizards won another WAB Championship, giving Sidi the third ring of his career. He decided to retire that winter at age 36.

Sidi’s final stats saw a 130-79 record, 2.59 ERA, 1999.2 innings, 2343 strikeouts, 319 walks, 171/292 quality starts, 138 ERA+, 71 FIP-, and 54.9 WAR. Despite having almost twice as many years in WAB as his HOF classmate Dalanda Soumah, Sidi barely had more innings due to injuries. His rate stats looked remarkably similar. Both guys had two Pitcher of the Year awards and both had great playoff numbers. Sidi had a 1.74 ERA in 72.1 playoff innings with 94 strikeouts. Yet, the voters were more underwhelmed by Sidi’s resume compared to Soumah. Sidi missed out on his first two ballots at 57.4% and 51.0%. However, he won enough voters over in 1999 to squeak in at 68.3% as a third ballot inductee.



Stephen Tshukudu – Center Field – Kano Candors – 66.0% Tenth Ballot

Stephen Tshukudu was a 6’2’’, 200 pound switch hitting center fielder from Lobatse, a town of just under 30,000 people in southeastern Botswana. Tshukudu was an excellent home run hitter who had seven straight seasons with 40+ dingers. He did that despite being a lousy contact hitter that struck out a ton. Tshukudu’s gap power was solid and he could stretch out extra bases when the ball was in play, as he had very good speed and baserunning skills. Tshukudu was a career center fielder and while not Gold Glove caliber, he was considered quite good defensively with excellent range.

Tshukudu had already been a barnstorming pro throughout southern Africa for a few years when West Africa Baseball was formed. The 26-year old Motswana finally had a chance to make a more steady living on the continent and his power did attract suitors. His first WAB deal came for two years and $160,000 with Kano, sending Tshukudu to Nigeria.

A strained abdominal cost him about six weeks, but he still hit 38 home runs in 120 games for his debut season. Tshukudu smacked five homers with 11 RBI in the playoffs, helping Kano win the first-ever WAB Championship against Abidjan. The Condors repeated in 1976, beating Bamako in the final. Tshukudu had 4 home runs and 8 RBI in that postseason run. The next year would be his finest, although Kano was upset by Lagos in the ELCS. Tshukudu smacked 58 home runs and posted 9.0 WAR. He earned his first Silver Slugger and was second in MVP voting. That effort convinced the Condors to sign Tshukudu to a six-year, $1,326,000 contract extension.

He led the Eastern League in home runs twice in this stretch and had a career-best 59 dingers in 1979. Tshukudu’s batting average was still poor with a lot of strikeouts, but he became very popular for his power. He won additional Silver Sluggers in 1978, 79, 80, and 81. Tshukudu took third in 1979 MVP voting as well. Kano remained a contender, but wouldn’t get back to the final during Tshukudu’s tenure. He had a .186/.233/.504 playoff slash in 36 starts with the Condors, adding 25 hits, 17 runs, 13 home runs, and 26 RBI.

Tshukudu became a free agent after the 1983 season at age 35. In March, he signed a one-year deal with Kumasi. This was ultimately the weakest year of his career with a .172 average and 92 wRC+. Still, his reputation for towering homers and popularity reached across the Atlantic Ocean. MLB’s Denver Dragons signed Tshukudu to a two-year, $2,560,000 deal. He was abysmal in his one year as a part-time starter for the Dragons and retired that winter at age 37.

For his WAB career, Tshukudu had 1202 hits, 901 runs, 183 doubles, 452 home runs, 945 RBI, a .215/.279/.523 slash, 128 wRC+, and 52.2 WAR. Tshukudu was the first WAB slugger to 400 career home runs, but his accumulations were hurt both by starting at age 26 and because of his propensity for whiffing. Fans loved him, but many voters thought he was too limited of a player to belong. Tshukudu debuted at 44.6% and hovered around that range for his first few ballots, although he slowly climbed a bit.

By 1998, he reached a peak of 57.3%. For his final chance, supporters made it a point to highlight his role on Kano’s first two championship teams. Tshukudu won the exact number of voters over he needed to get exactly to the 66.0% threshold. He was only the sixth player in any world league to earn induction on the tenth and final ballot. Tshukudu proved yet again that chicks (and Hall of Fame voters) dig the long ball.

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South Asia Baseball didn’t add any players into the Hall of Fame for the second time in three years with the 1999 ballot. Closer Jason Mayekar was the closest with 52.1% on his eighth ballot. The only other player above 50% was catcher Krish Balvinder. He was the best to debut on the ballot at 51.8%. Everyone else received less than ¼ of the vote.



The Asian Baseball Federation continued voting in 1999 but still seemed far away from inducting its first Hall of Famer. SP Abbas Nadim had the highest mark with only 28.6% for his sixth. The best debut was 1B Ghantous Abbs at 16.9%.

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The 1999 World Baseball Championship was the 53^rd edition of the event and was the second to be centered around mainland China with Guangzhou as the host city. In Division 1, Colombia prevailed at 8-1, fending off 7-2 Puerto Rico. This was the second division title in three years for the Colombians and their 15^th time advancing overall. Canada, who had been impressive in the 1990s, was tied for third at 5-4.

Division 2 saw a stunner as Vietnam took first at 7-2, ousting the United States by one game. This was only the ninth time in WBC history that the Americans didn’t advance and it ended their hopes of four-peating as champs. This also was Vietnam’s first-ever division title. Taiwan, who was third the prior season, finished two back at 5-4.

Division 3 was very competitive as the Philippines and China tied for first at 6-3, while the Czech Republic, Romania, and Sweden were each 5-4. The tiebreaker went to the Filipinos, ending an 11-year division title drought for them. It was the 12^th division title overall of the Philippines. Division 4 had a first-time winner in Egypt at 8-1 with Australia their closest competitor at 6-3. In D5, England and Argentina tied at the top with 6-3 marks, while four others were one back. The English had the tiebreaker for their fifth division title and second in three years.

Division 6 needed a dig into tiebreaker procedures as Brazil, France, Germany, and Iraq were all 6-3. Denmark, Honduras, and South Korea each went 5-4, making that group a toss up. The tiebreakers went to the Brazilians, who ended up being the only team from the 1998 WBC Elite Eight to make it back in 1999. Brazil advanced for the 29^th time.

Division 7 had Nigeria first at 7-2, holding off 6-3 efforts from Paraguay, Spain, and Thailand. It was the fourth division title for the Nigerians and first since 1988. Mexico, last year’s runner-up, tied for fifth at 5-4. Lastly in Division 8, Indonesia rolled at 8-1 with Cuba (6-3) their closest foe. The Indonesians now have six division titles in seven years along with 15 total.

Indonesia was the leader in Round Robin Group A at 5-1, advancing to the semifinal for the third time in their recent run. Nigeria advanced with them at 3-3, while the Philippines and Vietnam both were 2-4. This was the second-ever final four for the Nigerians, who were the 1979 runner-up. Group B saw Colombia first at 5-1, moving forward along with 3-3 Brazil. England and Egypt were both 2-4. This was the ninth semifinal berth for the Colombians, who took third two years prior. The Brazilians got to the final four for the eighth time since 1987 and 17^th time overall.

In an intense semifinal, Indonesia edged Brazil 3-2, sending them to their third finals appearance (1986, 1997). On the other side, Nigeria bested Colombia 3-1 to earn their second finals berth (1979). Brazil officially was third and Colombia was fourth. The Colombians have the unfortunate distinction of being 0-9 in their semifinal efforts.



The 53^rd World Championship was guaranteed to crown the 11^th unique world champ. The series ended up lacking drama as Indonesia swept Nigeria 4-0. They’re the first Asian champ since China’s 1993-94 titles. They won many close games, setting a tournament record for saves recorded as 15 of their 19 wins ended with a save.



Leading Indonesia’s effort offensively was Tournament MVP Basuki Susanti. A 27-year old 1B/RF with Surabaya, Susanti played 23 games with 21 runs, 26 hits, 4 doubles, 12 home runs, 22 RBI, a .313/.402/.795 slash, and 2.0 WAR. Although ousted early, the United States had the Best Pitcher winner in Phoenix closer Nicky Loughborough. He tossed 10.1 scoreless innings with 17 strikeouts and only two hits and two walks allowed.

Other notes: With Egypt and Vietnam both winning division titles in 1999, that now makes 69 nations that have advanced to the elite eight at least once. In the all-time standings, Indonesia’s championship vaulted them to seventh, passing both Russia and Japan.

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Defending AAB Southern Conference champ Johannesburg vastly improved from their solid 98-64 mark the prior year, dominating the field at 110-52. The Jackalopes scored 1003 runs, which is still the AAB single-season record as of 2037. This was also the first time since 1921 in any world league that a team scored 1000+ runs in a season. Cape Town extended its playoff streak to four seasons, taking the second place slot at 91-71. Luanda was their only real competitor, finishing three back at 88-74.

The Landsharks had a shot thanks to Marley Mubiru, who repeated as Southern Conference MVP. The 26-year old Ugandan left fielder was the leader in home runs (58), slugging (.741), OPS (1.173), total bases (391), wRC+ (196), and WAR (9.3). He was also second in the conference in both batting average (.332) and RBI (130). Cape Town’s Adugna Mulugeta won Pitcher of the Year as the 24-year old Ethiopian righty led in ERA (2.30), WHIP (0.97), and FIP- (63). He added 182 strikeouts and 8.0 WAR over 230.2 innings with a 19-8 record. Sadly for Mulugeta, a very promising career was derailed by a torn flexor tendon in late August 1999. He would be out of the game three years later.



Two-time defending Africa Series champion Kinshasa took first in the Central Conference standings for the third time. The Sun Cats went 102-60 and have made the playoffs in all five of AAB’s seasons to date. There was a nine game gap to second place Bujumbura at 93-69, with the Bighorns earning their second playoff berth in three years. Four teams were within seven games of Bujumbura with solid efforts from Brazzaville, Addis Ababa, Ndjamena, and Lubumbashi.

Both top awards in the Central Conference saw historic performances. Brazzaville’s Mohau Sibiya won MVP with one of the finest offensive seasons in AAB history. The 26-year old South African lefty became the new leader in home runs with 69 (nice), runs (143), RBI (142), total bases (413), OPS (1.283) and WAR (13.3). He also led in OBP (.445), slugging (.838), and wRC+ (241). While the accumulation stats would get passed in later high offense era, as of 2037 Sibiya’s WAR amount is still the second-best ever season by an AAB position player and his OPS mark still sits fourth.

Bujumbura’s Henry Kibirige won his second Pitcher of the Year in three seasons and became the first-ever Triple Crown winner in AAB history. The 24-year old righty had a 22-10 record, 2.38 ERA, and 261 strikeouts. Kibirige also was the leader in WAR (9.7), innings pitched (287), quality starts (29), and FIP- (64).

Both conference finals were familiar matchups with the Southern Conference final being a rematch of the prior year and the Central Conference showdown a rematch from two years earlier. Both ended up going all seven games and ending in dramatic fashion. In the South, Johannesburg edged Cape Town with a 2-1 game seven victory in an 11 inning contest. The Central also saw game seven end 2-1 in extras, as Kinshasa walked off on Bujumbura. This gave the Jackalopes their third pennant and the Sun Cats their fourth.



The fifth Africa Series was a rubber match of sorts. Johannesburg had beaten Kinshasa in the inaugural final in 1995, but the Sun Cats earned revenge in 1998. In 1999, Kinshasa took the best-of-nine series 5-3 to win three AAB titles in a row. Finals MVP went to SS Abdulkadir Dahir, who had posted bad offensive stats with good defense during the season. In 14 playoff starts, the 25-year old Somali had 18 hits, 9 runs, 4 doubles, 2 home runs, and 7 RBI. While briefly a hero, he’d get traded to Antananarivo during spring training next year.



Other notes: Johannesburg’s Jamal Sakar had a .466 on-base percentage. This set the single-season record and as of 2037, has only been passed once. 3B Jayson Vunakece, 1B Tony Pendry, and SS Ian Dube each won their fifth Gold Gloves.

Through the first five seasons of the African Association of Baseball, the league statistics were mixed. The league average ERA was at 4.01, which was the highest of any world league for the decade and above average on the greater historical scale. However, the league’s batting average was around .233, which is on the lower end historically and middle-of-the-road for all leagues in the 1990s. Offensive numbers would increase in AAB for the most part into the 21^st Century.

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The ALB’s Western Conference saw all three divisions with repeat champs. Two-time defending conference champ Khartoum had the best overall record at 100-62, winning a fierce Nile Division. They outlasted a 94-68 effort by Alexandria and 88-74 mark by Cairo. Amman was atop the Levant Division for the fourth time in five years as they were 93-69. Jerusalem was the closest competitor at 86-76. Casablanca at 92-70 narrowly claimed the Mediterranean Division, beating Algiers by only one game. The Bruins have been a playoff team in eight of the first ten seasons of Arab League Baseball; the most of any franchise.

Western Conference MVP went to Jerusalem 2B Mustafa bin Nazim for the second time in three years. The 24-year old Omani switch hitter led in OBP (.413), slugging (.683), OPS (1.096), and wRC+ (202). Additionally, bin Nazim had 9.4 WAR, a .338 average, 52 home runs, and 119 RBI. He managed to beat Algiers’ Medhi Idris despite the 64 dingers from Idris; the second-most in a season so far in ALB.

Amman’s Tha’er Nasr won Pitcher of the Year. The 29-year old Jordanian righty was the leader in strikeouts (335), innings (275), and complete games (12). He added 6.7 WAR and a 3.11 ERA with a 14-15 record. His Aviators teammate Khemais Khalid also notably won a fourth Reliever of the Year award. As of 2037, Khalid is one of only four pitchers to win the award four times in ALB.

Amman edged Casablanca 2-1 in the first round of the playoffs, setting up a Western Conference Finals rematch with Khartoum. The Cottonmouths were looking to three-peat, but the Aviators pulled off the upset 3-1. This gave Amman their first-ever pennant.



It was an intense battle for the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Jeddah ended up taking it at 107-55, repeating as Saudi Division champs. Reigning ALB champ Mosul ended up one back at 106-56, but still cruised to a fifth consecutive Iraq Division title. After taking second in back-to-back seasons, Dubai ended up on top at 94-68 in the Gulf Division. It was the sixth time the Diamonds earned a playoff berth. Defending division winner Doha was a distant second at 84-78.

Mosul shortstop Mohammed Mohamed became a four-time Eastern Conference MVP, remarkably earning it despite missing two months to injury. The 25-year old Saudi saw posted a blistering 11.8 WAR in only 116 games, hitting 47 home runs with 117 RBI, a .386/.448/.827 slash, and 242 wRC+. He would’ve led in batting average, but didn’t have enough at-bats. This effort beat out defending MVP Nordine Soule of Basra for the award, who smacked 62 homers with 136 RBI. Jeddah’s Jameleddine El Baraka won Pitcher of the Year as the 24-year old Algerian had the ERA title at 1.98. He added a 19-8 record over 218 innings with 237 strikeouts and 6.4 WAR.

Mousl fended off Dubai 2-1 in the first round of the playoffs, sending the defending champs to their fifth consecutive Eastern Conference Final. It was the first-ever finals berth for Jeddah, who had home field advantage. The playoff experience allowed the Muskies to triumph 3-2, repeating as EC champs and taking their third pennant in four years.



In the tenth Arab League Championship, Mosul became the third franchise win repeat titles, joining Medina and Casablanca. The Muskies bested Amman 4-2, boosted by Mohammed Mohamed’s return to the lineup in late September. He repeated as finals MVP and posted 17 hits, 11 runs, 7 homers, and 11 RBI over 14 playoff starts.



Other notes: For the first time in ALB history, there weren’t any no-hitters thrown all season. In the first decade of Arab League Baseball, the league ERA was around 3.62, which graded as very historically average. The batting average was around .241, below average on the historical trend but very middle-of-the-road amongst all leagues in the 1990s. Like most leagues, ALB would see offense tick upward in later years, eventually reaching high to very high numbers by the 2030s.

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For the fifth consecutive year, Hyderabad had the first place spot in the Pakistan League standings. The two-time defending champs were 105-57 and also earned a sixth consecutive playoff berth. Multan ended a four-year playoff drought, taking second place at 93-69. There was a large gap to third place Faisalabad at 83-79. Last year’s wild card Lahore dropped to fifth at 76-86. Karachi, who placed third last year, plummeted to last at 66-96.

Pakistan League MVP went to Gujranwala 1B Haroon Yahya, who became a two-time winner. He led in doubles (40), RBI (125), and total bases (397). Yahya added 9.8 WAR, 62 home runs, and a .275/.334/.661 slash. He was second in dingers to Rawalpindi’s Altaf Aslam, who smacked 66. Yahya had one more year with the Grasshoppers before leaving for the Oceania Baseball Association in free agency.

Hyderabad’s Rami Naqvi won Pitcher of the Year. In his second season with the Horned Frogs, the 28-year old lefty led in ERA (1.78), strikeouts (406), quality starts (28), FIP- (46), and WAR (9.7). Naqvi added a 15-6 record over 237.2 innings. His biggest accomplishment came on April 28 against Rawalpindi, as he struck out an incredible 24 batters over nine innings. This set the world record for strikeouts in any game. As of 2037, it is still the record for a regulation game, getting topped twice in other leagues during extra inning efforts. Naqvi also on July 30 had a 20 strikeout no-hitter against the Red Wings, which set the ABF record for most Ks in a no-no.



The West Asia Association again had Isfahan and Bursa atop their leagues. The two-time defending Asian Baseball Federation champion Imperials dominated the Persian League at 103-59. They narrowly beat out the 102-60 Blue Claws for the top seed. Bursa had to fight off Adana in the Turkish League, taking the title by five games. The Blue Claws earned a third straight playoff berth, while Isfahan’s streak extended to five seasons.

Adana’s Humayun Kahil repeated as West Asia Association MVP and posted a historic effort. Already in his fifth season despite only being 22 years old, Kahil became ABF’s third Triple Crown hitter with a .365 average, 49 home runs, and 135 RBI. He also scored 133 runs, which tied the single-season record and wouldn’t get topped until 2021. Kahil was also the leader in hits (212), total bases (428), OBP (.426), slugging (.737), OPS (1.162), wRC+ (218), and WAR (13.1). To that point, that was the fourth highest WAR total by a position player in ABF history.

Also historic was Isfahan’s Yazeed Anwari winning his fifth consecutive Pitcher of the Year. As of 2037, he’s one of only three ABF pitchers to win the award five times and the only one to do it consecutively. The 26-year old led in ERA (2.07), strikeouts (374), K/BB (9.3), complete games (17), FIP- (50), and WAR (10.9). He had a 20-8 record over 265 innings, falling one win short of a Triple Crown behind teammate Allama Badar.

In the Pakistan League Championship Series, Hyderabad became the first franchise to win three straight pennants. The Horned Frogs rolled Multan 4-1, becoming five time PL champs. In the third straight West Asia Association Championship clash between Isfahan and Bursa, the Blue Claws finally got the better of the Imperials. Despite being the road team, Bursa dominated the two-time defending ABF champs with a sweep. This was the first-ever pennant for the Blue Claws.



In the 15^th Asian Baseball Federation Championship, Hyderabad handled Bursa 4-1. The Horned Frogs became three-time ABF champs, having also won it all in 1986 and 1987. SS Uddin Sidhu was the finals MVP. Normally renowned defensively as a six-time Gold Glove winner, the 25-year old posted 11 hits, 6 runs, 3 doubles, 2 triples, 2 home runs, and 7 RBI in 10 playoff starts.



Other notes: Multan’s Andrei Motova had the first four home run game in ABF history, doing it on May 8 against Lahore. Vahid Hadadi became the first ABF slugger to reach 500 career home runs and 1000 runs scored. He was also the second to 1000 career RBI. Hasan Afshin became the first pitcher to 3000 career strikeouts. RF Yakup Gunduz won his ninth Gold Glove.

The West Asia Association saw its offensive numbers go up from the 1980s to the 1990s with a league ERA of 3.59 and batting average of .244. These numbers were considered average to slightly below average on the historical scale. Meanwhile surprisingly, the offense went down in the Pakistan League with a 2.96 ERA and .222 batting average for the 1990s. These both grade out as low to very low. The DH in the WAA and lack of one in the PL explains part of the difference. Notably, this was also the final season of ABF’s original alignment. The exodus of teams from Eurasian Professional Baseball after the 1999 season would lead to the ABF getting new members and realigning as a result.

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Ahmedabad’s unprecedented dominance of the Indian League continued as they were 114-48 atop the West Division. The Animals’ pitching staff set new IL records for strikeouts (1915) and WHIP (0.899). They earned a 15^th consecutive playoff berth and set the world record for most consecutive 100+ win seasons at 12. The previous best was 11 by EPB’s Minsk Miners from 1956-66. The other two divisions had repeat winners with Kolkata taking the Central at 94-68 and Visakhapatnam at 88-74 atop the South. The wild card race saw Jaipur and Delhi tied for the spot at 83-79, while Mumbai was at 81-81. The tiebreaker game went to the Jokers, giving them their third playoff appearance in four years.

Bengaluru’s Tirtha Upadhyaya made history, becoming the second player in South Asia Baseball history to be a five-time league MVP. The 25-year old won his fifth consecutive Indian League MVP, again playing great despite his Blazers being mediocre. The Nepali second baseman led the IL in runs (104), home runs (58), total bases (376), slugging (.656), OPS (1.020), wRC+ (227), and WAR (11.7). This would end Upadhyaya’s run with Bengaluru, entering free agency in the winter and signing an eight-year, $15,300,000 deal with Ho Chi Minh City.

Jade Poomkeaw won Pitcher of the Year and tossed the sixth Triple Crown season in SAB history. The 32-year old Lao lefty had sat out 1998 after helping HCMC win the 1997 title. He joined Ahmedabad for 1999 and had a 23-4 record, 1.92 ERA, and 375 strikeouts over 276 innings. Poomkeaw also was the leader in WAR (9.8), complete games (12), shutouts (7), and FIP- (58).

Ahmedabad cruised 3-0 over Jaipur in the first round, earning a spot in the Indian League Championship Series for the 14^th straight year. Kolkata beat Visakhapatnam 3-1 on the other side, sending the Cosmos to only their second-ever ILCS (1989). The Animals buzz saw made quick work of Kolkata with a sweep, earning Ahmedabad six IL pennants in a row and their 12^th in 14 years.



Ho Chi Minh City remained dominant in the Southeast Asia League, but they had an equal for a change. The Hedgehogs won the South Division at 112-50, while Yangon posted the same record in the North Division. The two-time reigning SEAL champ HCMC extended their own playoff streak to 13 seasons with 10 straight 100+ win campaigns. The Green Dragons secured a fifth consecutive division title and set a franchise record for wins. There was a steep drop to the two wild card teams with Phnom Penh at 88-74 and Johor Bahru at 82-80. Hanoi was one back on the Blue wings with both Chittagong and Bangkok only two away. The Pandas picked up a second playoff berth in three years, while JB snapped a five-year drought dating back to their surprise 1993 SAB title.

Amoda Shah repeated as Southeast Asia League MVP, winning his third. The 28-year old left fielder for Ho Chi Minh City led in runs (118) while adding 53 home runs, 126 RBI, 6.4 WAR, and a .273/353/.639 slash. Yangon’s Akrti Dawar grabbed Pitcher of the Year with the 26-year old Indian righty leading in wins at 21-8. He had a 2.65 ERA over 257.2 innings with 303 strikeouts and 6.2 WAR.

Despite the huge wins gap between the division champs and the wild card teams, both first round series went all five games. Ho Chi Minh City survived against Johor Bahru, sending the Hedgehogs to the Southeast Asia League Championship Series for the sixth straight season. Phnom Penh shocked Yangon on the other side, sending the Pandas to the SEALCS for the second time in three years. PP couldn’t keep the magic alive, falling to HCMC in a spirited six game effort. The Hedgehogs three-peated as SEAL champs and won their fifth pennant in six years, as well as their ninth since 1987.



For the ninth time in 13 years, the SAB Championship saw Ahmedabad versus Ho Chi Minh City. The Animals continued their general dominance of the series, improving to 8-1 over the Hedgehogs. Ahmedabad won the 1999 edition in six games to repeat as champs. It was also their fifth SAB title in six years and their 11^th title in 14 years. CF Anjan Sumanjit repeated as finals MVP and won it for the third time in his career. The 29-year old in 13 playoff starts had 16 hits, 8 runs, 3 doubles, 4 home runs, and 8 RBI.



Manager Sharafat Azam won his fifth pennant, having taken over Ahmedabad in 1994. He won Manager of the Year six straight seasons, an impressive job considering he saw no success in the 1980s with both Vientiane and Hyderabad. As of 2037, he and Maurf Chowdhury are the only five-time champion managers in SAB history. Chowdhury led Ahmedabad from 1987-93

Other notes: SAB’s fourth perfect game was thrown on July 9 by Pune’s Pattukkottai Varadarasanar against Delhi with eight strikeouts. K.C. Choudhury became the fourth batter to 500 home runs. Abdul Deepkaran and Manju Abbas became the sixth and seventh to 2000 hits. Abbas also won his record tenth Gold Glove at third base, the first SAB player to win 10 at any position. Deepkaran won his tenth Silver Slugger at second base, becoming the second batter to win ten at any spot. Thiang Huynh won his ninth, split between 3B/1B.

For the 1990s, the Southeast Asia League’s offense statistics stayed about the same with the league ERA going from 3.68 to 3.65 and the batting average staying at .240. Both of these marks are in the average to below average range historically. The Indian League’s offense dropped however from a 3.43 ERA over the 1980s to a 3.18 one in the 1990s. The batting average stayed roughly the same around .233. These stats grade out as low on the historical scale. Both would see a slight increase in the next two decades.

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Freetown extended its postseason streak to four seasons and for the first time in that streak, placed first in the WAB Western League standings. The Foresters finished 103-59, setting a new franchise record for wins. Abidjan was second at 99-63, giving the Athletes their seventh playoff berth in eight years. Nouakchott grabbed the third place spot at 91-71 for their second berth in three years. Bamako was the closest to the final wild card at 85-77. Kumasi, last year’s Western League winner, dropped to fifth at .500.

Emmanuel Kao repeated as Western League MVP. He won it the prior season with Dakar, but was surprisingly traded to Freetown in the offseason for three prospects. Still only 24 years old, the Togolese right fielder led in runs (118), home runs (57), RBI (153), total bases (411), slugging (.711), OPS (1.104), and wRC+ (197), while adding 8.5 WAR and a .329 average. Kao fell one RBI short of Jamil Boadi’s single-season record of 154 from 1975.

Pitcher of the Year was Kieran du Toit, who joined Kumasi that year in a trade from Lome. The 27-year old South African righty was two wins short of a Triple Crown with a 17-9 record, 2.63 ERA, and 349 strikeouts. He also led with 263.2 innings and 16 complete games while posting 6.6 WAR. In the offseason, du Toit would leave and sign one of the largest contracts in baseball to date for seven years and $41,300,000 with MLB’s Boston Red Sox. He would have a solid debut season, but du Toit stunningly got the yips. Boston released him after three years and he never played again.

Abidjan edged Nouakchott 2-1 in the first round of the playoffs, sending the Athletes to their first Western League Championship Series since their 1992-95 pennant four-peat. Freetown had home field advantage, but ended up losing in the WLCS for the fourth consecutive season. The series went all five games with Abidjan on top for their ninth pennant through WAB’s first 25 seasons. That is tied with Lagos for the most of any team.



History was made in the Eastern League by two-time defending WAB champ Kano. The Condors set the all-time WAB record with a 123-93 mark. They also smacked 299 home runs, second in EL history only to Lagos’ 300 from 1977. Kano became the eighth team in any world league to win 123+ games in a season. As of 2037, it is WAB’s second best, as the Condors themselves would best it the next year. Kano scored 200+ more runs than any of their EL foes with 954 and also allowed the fewest at 563. These marks also led the entire WAB.

It was a 27 game drop down to second place Ibadan at 96-66. The Iguanas managed to make the playoffs each season of the 1990s, giving them the second-longest postseason streak in WAB history behind Kumasi’s 14-year odyssey from 1978-91. Niamey also repeated as the third place finisher as they were 94-68. Cotonou was also in the mix at 89-73, but fell five games short of a playoff spot.

Kano shortstop Darwin Morris became the first five-time MVP in WAB history, taking the Eastern League’s MVP for the third consecutive year. The 27-year old Liberian led in runs (144), home runs (55), RBI (150), total bases (450), slugging (.769), OPS (1.191), wRC+ (221), and WAR (14.1). Ibadan’s Tiemogo Idrissa repeated as Pitcher of the Year. The 29-year old Nigerien led in wins (24-6), ERA (2.28), innings (252.1), quality starts (26), complete games (10), and WAR (8.3). He also added 272 strikeouts.

Ibadan downed Niamey 2-1 in the wild card round, sending the Iguanas to the Eastern League Championship Series for the sixth time in eight years. It was the fifth straight for Kano, who came in as a massive favorite. Ibadan gave them a hearty effort, but the Condors survived the ELCS in five games to three-peat as Eastern League champs. It was the eighth EL pennant overall for Kano.



In the 25^th West African Championship, Kano became the first WAB franchise to three-peat as overall champ, rolling 4-1 over Abidjan. LF Amewu Murry repeated as finals MVP. In 10 playoff starts, the 29-year old Ghanaian had 12 hits, 7 runs, 4 doubles, 2 home runs, and 7 RBI.



At 123-39, Kano blew by their own record from the prior year (114-46) for winningest season by a WAB champion. This was also the Condors’ sixth overall title (1975, 76, 86, 97, 98, 99). Even as of 2037, the 1999 Condors stake a very strong claim as being the greatest team in WAB history. They also have an argument as one of the greatest in any league. Only 1995 Ahmedabad (124-38) of South Asia Baseball won more games to that point in a season while also winning it all

Other notes: 1999 had WAB’s 13^th and 14^th perfect games, both thrown by pitchers for Cape Verde. On April 12, Karim Samir Abdel Gaber struck out 10 against Conakry. Then on July 31, Yamoussa Camara fanned 10 versus Monrovia. SS Jorginho Fonseca picked up his tenth Gold Glove and LF Jake Pourchet won his ninth. Fonseca became the first player in WAB to win ten at any position.

West Africa Baseball’s offensive numbers saw a boost in the 1990s from where they were in the 1970s and 1980s. The league ERA was around 3.86 with batting averages around .254. The 1980s had seen around a .243 batting average and 3.64 ERA. WAB graded out historically as slightly above average offensively in the 1990s. The early 2000s would look similar with a slight jump before spiking significantly after.

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The Chinese Northern League saw a major shakeup in 1999. The prior year, the NL had the China Series champion Harbin and the runner-up Shenyang. In 1999, both of those teams fell below .500. Beijing would snap a five-year stretch without a winning season, finishing first at 95-67. Hangzhou finished second, which ended their own eight year playoff drought. The third place spot went to Xi’an at 90-72, edging out Tianjin by three games and Zhengzhou by five. The Attack made it into the playoffs for the third straight year and the fifth time in six years.

Northern League MVP went to Xi’an CF Yunzi Mao. The 26-year old lefty led the league in runs (85), total bases (321), slugging (.568), OPS (.893), wRC+ (205), and WAR (9.7). Mao added 39 home runs and 85 RBI. Beijing’s Jun Tang earned Pitcher of the Year, leading in wins (23-7), ERA (1.24), innings (290), WHIP (0.72), complete games (19), and shutouts (9). Tang also had 8.6 WAR and was second in strikeouts at 324. A torn rotator cuff for him the next fall ultimately derailed any chance of a career in his 30s.



The Southern League saw Guangzhou on top at 94-68, their first playoff spot since their 1987 runner-up campaign. Chongqing was one back at 93-69, giving the Cavaliers repeat playoff berths. Foshan earned the second wild card at 88-74. The Flyers were four games ahead of last year’s first place squad Chengdu, as well as Changsha and Hong Kong. Foshan secured its third playoff appearance in four years.

Guangzhou catcher Jiancheng “Snuffy” Wu was named Southern League MVP. The 28-year old led in slugging at .535 while posting 9.6 WAR, a 205 wRC+, and 31 home runs. The former #1 overall pick would play one more season with the Gamecocks before signing a four-year, $33,600,000 to head to MLB’s New York Yankees. Foshan’s Jinlong Han became a three-time Pitcher of the Year winner and the third CLB pitcher to achieve a Triple Crown. The 29-year old Han had a 21-12 record, 1.33 ERA, and 382 strikeouts while also leading with 31 quality starts and 25 complete games. The 25 CGs was a new CLB single-season record. Among those complete games was a no-hitter against Wuhan with 13 strikeouts and two walks. Han also had 10.6 WAR over 283.1 innings.

Both Southern League wild cards defeated their Northern League opposition to start the playoffs. Chongqing swept Xi’an 2-0 and Foshan swept Hangzhou. Neither held up against the first place teams in the semifinal. Beijing bested the Cavaliers 4-1 and Guangzhou defeated the Flyers 4-2. This gave the Bears their first China Series berth since 1991. For the Gamecocks, their last finals appearance was a 1987 defeat to Beijing.



In the 30^th China Series, the final went all seven games for the fourth year in a row. Beijing outlasted Guangzhou to make the Bears five-time Chinese League Baseball champs (1970, 84, 85, 87, 99). Finals MVP was CF Simok Kommandam, who posted 13 hits, 10 runs, 3 doubles, 4 RBI, and 4 stolen bases over 12 playoff starts.



Other notes: Martin Cui became the 11^th CLB pitcher to 3000 career strikeouts. 3B Feixien Wu, SS Chengxi Erpan, and SS Xuepeng Ye each became seven time Gold Glove winners.

Chinese League Baseball remained the lowest scoring of all of the pro leagues, posting extremely low statistics in the 1990s. The combined league batting average for the decade was around .212 and the ERA was around 2.51. These were both slightly down from the previous decades. The Southern League in 1996 had an ERA of 2.28; the lowest of any league in any season ever. While many other leagues had rule changes and increased offense in the next two decades; CLB kept its low scoring pretty steady for the next 20 years.

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For the first time in seven years, Kaohsiung sat atop the Taiwan League standings in 1999. The Steelheads had the Taiwan-Philippine Association’s best record at 94-68. Reigning TL champ Taipei was second at 89-73, while Taoyuan was third at 85-77. The Philippine League was weak as 83-79 was good enough to win it for Manila. The Manatees earned their second PL title in three years. Last year’s TPA winner Quezon was tied for second in the PL with Cebu at 80-82.

Taiwan-Philippine Association MVP was Taipei veteran designated hitter Dwi Taufik. The 25-year old Indonesian lefty led in walks drawn (58), total bases (324), OBP (.353), slugging (.544), OPS (.897), and wRC+ (194). He added 40 home runs and 8.0 WAR. Taufik also had a 28-game hit streak in the late spring, which tied the APB record. Cebu’s Ninoy Lumar secured Pitcher of the Year. The 28-year old Filipino led in wins (23-12), innings (310.0), strikeouts (412), WHIP (0.79), K/BB (10.8), complete games (29), and WAR (9.6). The 29 complete games fell one shy of the APB single-season record. Lumar was also 0.15 away from a Triple Crown, finishing behind his teammate EJ Caitano in ERA.



Reigning Austronesian Professional Baseball champ Batam finished first again atop the Malacca League. The Blue Raiders were 94-68 with the best record in the Sundaland Association, earning their eighth playoff appearance of the decade. Singapore and Medan gave chase with the Sharks at 92-70 and the Marlins at 88-74. The Java League had Surabaya first at 92-70, ending a playoff drought back to 1991. Defending JL champ Depok was second at 86-76.

Batam LF Nerius Senaen made history as a six-time Sundaland Association MVP. He would be APB’s only player to win six or more MVPs until the later GOAT Bing Tang’s arrival in the 2020s. The 33-year old led in runs (90), doubles (33), RBI (109), total bases (353), triple slash (.336/.396/.666), OPS (1.062), wRC+ (251), and WAR (11.5). Senaen had 42 home runs, four shy of a Triple Crown. His OPS total of 1.061 was the second-best season to that point in APB, behind Abracham Gumelar’s 1.066 in 1969.

Medan’s Afiq Parker repeated as Pitcher of the Year with an absolute all-timer of a season. The 25-year old Singaporean had 17.27 WAR, only the fifth time any pitcher in any league had 17+ in a season. He narrowly was behind Kun-Sheng Lin’s record of 17.30 from 1972. Parker became only the fifth APB pitcher to earn a Triple Crown, posting a 22-8 record, 1.17 ERA, and 454 strikeouts in 276 innings. Parker was also the leader in quality starts (28), complete games (18), and shutouts (10) with a bonkers FIP- of 12. Meanwhile, Wisnu Mahmudiana of Batam ended up overlooked despite his own awesome season. The five-time Pitcher of the Year winner had a 1.27 ERA, 19-5 record, 377 strikeouts, and 13.5 WAR; all marks behind only Parker.

The Taiwan-Philippine Association Championship saw Manila defeat Kaohsiung 4-2, giving the Manatees their first pennant since 1986. It was their fifth overall. Batam was looking to be the second-ever franchise to three-peat in the Sundaland Association Championship. However, Surabaya pulled off the upset in a seven game battle. It was the Sunbirds’ fourth pennant and first since 1979.



The 35^th Austronesia Championship had Surabaya defeat Manila 4-2. The Sunbirds became three-time APB champs, having also won in 1971 and 1979. RF Basuki Susanti was the finals MVP, posting 18 hits, 9 runs, 4 doubles, 2 home runs, and 6 RBI over 13 playoff starts.



Other notes: Both Ronald Purnomo and Mulya Dayanti reached 5000 carer strikeouts, making it four pitchers to have reached the mark. Both would end up just short of Vhon Lasam’s top spot of 5365. Purnomo got to 5122 and Dayanti 5036. As of 2037, they are fourth and fifth on the APB all-time list. 3B Gede Mamuaya won his ninth Silver Slugger and CF Roy Cardillo became an eight-time winner.

AJ Tan became the third hitter to reach 2500 career hits. He would play three more seasons and become APB’s hit king at 2957. Junior Sanchez passed him for the top spot in the early 2010s. As of 2037, Tan is still fifth all-time. 1B Akbar Fatchuorhman won his 12^th Gold Glove.

Austronesia Professional Baseball in the 1990s remained fairly consistent offensively with the prior decades. APB still saw very low to extremely low scoring with only Chinese League Baseball having less offense. The TPA had an ERA around 2.76 and .223 batting average. The Sundaland Association had a .216 average and 2.53 ERA. The SA had a slight increase compared to the 1980s, while the Taiwan-Philippine Association dropped slightly. While most other leagues fluctuated significantly in the 21^st Century, APB would remain remarkably consistent.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

Beginning with the 1999 season, the Oceania Baseball Association became the latest league to lower their active roster number. The OBA dropped it from 25 to 24, following the trend seen by many other world leagues recently. Teams still had full use of the reserve roster, but it forced an adjusted day-to-day strategy.



The Australasia League was yet again quite competitive for the 1999 season. Christchurch pulled away in the final weeks to take first at 89-73. It was the third pennant of the 1990s for the Chinooks and their eighth overall. Three teams tied for second at 83-79; Gold Coast, Melbourne, and Sydney. Perth (82-80) and Brisbane (81-81) were both in the mix for much of the season. Adelaide, the defending Oceania Champion, finished last at 72-90.

Gold Coast’s Woody Bolling repeated as Australasia League MVP, winning the award for the third time. The 30-year old shortstop was the WARlord (11.0) and leader in batting average (.328), RBI (107), and hits (187). He added 26 home runs and a 176 wRC+. Sydney’s Jim DeRossi won his second Pitcher of the Year and made history. He became the second pitcher in world history to win 30 games in a season, matching Nathaniel Doloran’s 1974 effort. The 28-year old Australian righty was one strikeout away from a Triple Crown, posting a 30-8 record, 1.61 ERA, and 369 Ks over a league-best 329 innings. He also led the AL in WHIP (0.78), K/BB (13.7), quality starts (31), complete games (26), FIP- (61), and WAR (10.7).



Two-time defending Pacific League champ Guam set a new OBA record for wins in a season, dominating the field at 119-43. They blew by their own previous record of 112 wins from both 1979 and 1992. As of 2037, that is still the PL’s record and would only be bested once in the AL. The Golden Eagles for the sixth time in the 1990s won the pennant and earned their 11th overall. Guam allowed 421, which was tied for the third-lowest allowed in PL history. Port Moresby had a fine season in second at 99-63, which was the first winning campaign for the Mud Hens since 1986. Honolulu notably dropped to 72-90, their first losing season in 20 years.

Although Guadalcanal stunk for the season, their CF Damien Patton won his second Pacific League MVP. The 29-year old Australian led in runs (98), walks (70), total bases (326), OBP (.370), slugging (.570), OPS (.940), wRC+ (173), and WAR (7.8). He added 40 home runs and a .294 average. Patton would get traded by the Green Jackets in the offseason to Gold Coast, where he would quickly sign a seven-year, $21,320,000 deal.

For the third year in a row, Guam’s Timothy Manglona won Pitcher of the Year. Still only 25 years old, the Northern Marianan lefty led in wins (28-9), innings (330.1), strikeouts (455), quality starts (30), complete games (18), shutouts (5), FIP- (60), and WAR (11.6). He posted a 2.13 ERA, third in the PL behind teammates Samuel Burridge (2.00), and Corbin Acupan (2.08). Manglona would also toss his second no-hitter of his career on May 17, fanning 13 with one walk against Fiji. He had signed a five-year, $9,760,000 extension prior to the 1999 season.



Guam entered the 40th Oceania Championship as a heavy favorite again, although that didn’t help them in the prior year’s loss to Adelaide. It would be a seven game classic against Christchurch, but the Golden Eagles would prevail for their second title in three years. It was the fifth ring for Guam (1979, 80, 93, 97, 99) while the Chinooks had the unfortunate distinction of now being 1-7 in the finals. LF Gunga Majhi was the finals MVP in his fourth season with Guam. The 28-year old American had 11 hits, 2 runs, 4 doubles, 1 home run, and 4 RBI in the series.



The 1999 Guam group certainly makes a case for OBA’s greatest-ever team. Few teams in any world league had won 119 games and also taken home the championship. As of 2037, one OBA team would match their record and win it all, while another topped it but lost in the finale.

Other notes: Perth’s Chester Sanchez threw OBA’s eighth ever perfect game on June 6, striking out six against Brisbane. Christchurch’s Ji-Hu Kim set a playoff record, hitting four triples in the finals. Slugger Vavao Brighouse played his final season and became the first OBA batter to reach 800 home runs. He finished with 804 and held the HR King until passed by Roe Kaupa in the 2020s. Brighouse also retired as the RBI leader (1629), but would lose that in the mid 2010s.

Quintin Basa became the first OBA player to reach 3000 career hits and 1500 career runs. He retired the next season with 3078 hits and 1506 runs. Basa held both top spots until the mid 2010s. SS Jay Lawrence won his ninth Gold Glove. 3B Errol Herne won his eighth. MVP SS Woody Bolling won his eighth Silver Slugger, while 3B Dan Molitor won his seventh.

The Australasia League’s offense stayed fairly level from the 1980s to the 1990s, while the Pacific League saw a bump up as they reintroduced the DH. The AL had an ERA of 3.20 and .235 batting average. The PL had a .234 average and 3.16 ERA. Both grade out as low offense on the historical scale. OBA would institute rule changes after the 1999 season to encourage more offense, which would bring it up to around world average numbers in the 21st Century.

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Before the 1999 season, Eurasian Professional Baseball increased it minimum service time required for free agency from eight to nine years. This matched the Arab League for the most restrictive of any world leagues. EPB wanted to keep free agent salaries down and keep players from defecting to other leagues. This change only further annoyed many players, adding to the rumbles that would culminate in the great exodus following the season.



For the third consecutive season, the EPB European League had the same four playoff teams. Defending EBP champ Kharkiv had the top overall record at 108-54 and won the South Division for the fifth consecutive season. Minsk secured the North Division at 104-58 for a fourth straight division title. The Miners also extended their EPB-record postseason streak to 19 seasons. At 99-63, Warsaw took the first wild card and extended its own streak to 12 years. Kazan was the second wild card at 97-65, making the playoffs for the third year in a row. There was a nine game gap to the next closest competitor in Budapest.

Kharkiv ace Igor Kuchkowski repeated as European League Pitcher of the Year and also picked up MVP honors. The 32-year old Polish lefty led in ERA (1.53), shutouts (7), FIP- (50), and WAR (10.7). He added a 19-9 record and 373 strikeouts over 270.1 innings.

Both division champs won their first round playoff matchups as Kharkiv topped Kazan 3-1 and Minsk swept Warsaw 3-0. For the third time in four years, the Killer Bees and Miners met in the European League Championship Series. Kharkiv was the defending champ, while Minsk had taken their 1996 encounter. In their last-ever battle, the Killer Bees prevailed in a seven game classic. Kharkiv repeated and won their fourth pennant overall.



The battle for the Asian League’s top seed was centered in the South Division. Reigning AL champ Tashkent took it at 108-54, earning a third consecutive division title and fifth straight playoff berth. Asgabat gave chase, but ended up the wild card at 104-58. This was a remarkable turnaround for the Alphas, who had won only 65 games the prior season and hadn’t made the playoffs since 1981. Omsk at 96-66 was North Division champ. It was their second playoff berth in three years, but the first division title since 1987 for the Otters. Yekaterinburg ended up the second wild card at 92-70, snapping a nine-year playoff drought. The Yaks edged out Irkutsk (90-72), Ufa (89-73), and Chelyabinsk (88-74) for the last spot.

Asian League MVP went to fourth-year Yekaterinburg second baseman Sarxan Niftaliyev. The 26-year old Russian led in total bases (378), slugging (.629), OPS (1.002), and wRC+ (212). He added 9.0 WAR, a .324 average, and 43 home runs. His Yaks teammate Matvey Ivanov won Pitcher of the Year in his third full season. The 24-year old Russian lefty led in wins (24-7), quality starts (30), and complete games (28). He added a 1.55 ERA over 290.1 innings, 321 strikeouts, and 9.2 WAR.

Tashkent topped Yekaterinburg 3-1 and Asgabat upset Omsk 3-2 in the first round. The Tomcats earned a fourth Asian League Championship Series berth in five years, while it was the Alphas’ first appearance since 1981. Tashkent took care of business quickly, sweeping Asgabat to earn repeat AL pennants. This was the third Asian League crown for the Tomcats (and ultimately their last).



The 45^th Eurasian Professional Baseball Championship was a highly anticipated rematch between Kharkiv and Tashkent. Emotions were mixed throughout EPB as it was expected that both teams would be leaving as part of the brewing exodus (more details to come). The rematch was a seven game thriller with the Killer Bees repeating ad champs. It was Kharkiv’s third title (1980, 1998, 1999) whereas the Tomcats would end 0-3 in their EPB finals tries.



Kharkiv’s Igor Kuchkowski was finals MVP and posted arguably the greatest postseason effort by a pitcher ever. He had four starts, all complete game shutouts. Kuchkowski also had a relief appearance, going 4-0 over 39.2 scoreless innings with only 12 hits allowed, 54 strikeouts, and one walk. He set still-standing EPB playoff records for shutouts, ERA, WHIP (0.33), opponent OBP (.100), opponent OPS (.208), and WAR (2.77). As of 2037, no pitcher in any world league has posted a higher WAR in a single postseason run or thrown four shutouts in one run.

Other notes: EPB’s 30^th perfect game was thrown by Helsinki’s Egor Korneyev on September 13 with 10 strikeouts against Budapest. Sofia’s Ivan Kondev had 684 at bats during the season, setting a new EPB record. Moscow’s Shahin Lebedev set a pitching record for appearances with 80. 1B Jov Vyrubov won his seventh Silver Slugger.

EPB’s offensive stats didn’t change much from the prior two decades, still remaining a low to very low offense environment on the historical scale. The batting average was around .227 and the ERA was around 2.89. Certainly among the lowest of the leagues in the 1990s, but not quite as low as the likes of CLB or APB. Although EPB would shortly go through a rapid change of alignment, the play style would see similar results in the 2000s with a slight bump up after.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

Eurasian Professional Baseball’s 45^th season was the final one with the teams and alignment it had since its 1955 founding. We will go into much more detail later about the exodus, which saw some teams defect to EBF, some to the ABF, and expansion teams added to partially fill those voids. But first, let us look at how EPB’s original 45 seasons played out.



The European League in particular lacked parity with Minsk incredibly dominant in the North Division and Kyiv controlling the South Division. The Miners made the playoffs in 42 of 45 seasons with 13 finals appearances and 25 LCS berths. With an average win total of 102.3, Minsk dominated EPB like no team in any other pro league. The Kings’ 30 playoff berths and 17 LCS appearances with a 95.3 average win total would be the top team in just about any other situation.

There were other good teams in the middle bit with half of the 16 European League teams winning it all at least once and nine making it to the finals. The EL dominated the finals as well, going 30-15 against the Asian League. However, five EL teams either never made the playoffs or only did once. Seven EL teams have either never won a division or only won once.

The Asian League was far less top heavy. Almaty had the most playoff appearances at 23, making it roughly every other season on average. They also narrowly had the best win percentage over Tashkent. Bishkek and Irkutsk had the most finals berths and nine each. Yekaterinburg had the most titles at three, a big gap between the nine and eight that Minsk and Kyiv had in the EL.

The gap between the haves and have not’s wasn’t nearly as noticeable in the AL. The only team without multiple playoff berths was Yerevan, although they made it at least once unlike the EL’s Bratislava and Vilnius. The Valiants did have the worst win total on average at 68.6.

17 of EPB’s 32 teams won a championship with 21 teams making it to the final at least once.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

Glasgow had the Northern Conference’s best record at 108-54, dominating the British Isles Division. This was the third straight division title for the Highlanders and their fourth playoff berth in a row. Paris cruised to the Northwest Division at 104-58, securing their third straight division title. Defending conference champ Berlin took the North Central Division at 97-65. It was the Barons’ third division title in their four-year playoff stretch. The wild card race had Hamburg on top at 91-71, besting Copenhagen by four games and Birmingham by five. The Hammers ended a four-year playoff drought.

Northern Conference MVP was Paris CF Remy Morel. The 28-year old Frenchman was the hits leader with 241, adding 127 runs, 78 extra base hits, a .371/.404/.581 slash, and 9.3 WAR. Morel also notably had a six-hit game against Rome. This effort got Morel paid handsomely, as the Poodles signed him to a seven-year, $29,000,000 extension the next spring. Copenhagen’s Gianni Fenech earned Pitcher of the Year. The Maltese 30-year old joined the Corsairs in the offseason on a six-year, $21,040,000 contract. The former Malta and Glasgow ace was the WARlord at 9.2 in his debut in Denmark and led with 17 complete games. Fenech also had a 2.36 ERA over 274 innings, 312 strikeouts, and a 21-10 record.

Wild card Hamburg stunned top seed Glasgow 3-2 in the first round of the playoffs, while Paris beat Berlin 3-1. This was the first Northern Conference Championship berth in a decade for the Hammers and the second in three years for the Poodles. Hamburg again pulled off the upset, defeating Paris 4-2. This was Hamburg’s fourth conference pennant (1964, 79, 90, 99).



The Southern Conference’s fight for the top seed was also the fight for the Southwest Division title. In a fierce battle, Madrid (104-58) topped Lisbon (103-59). The Conquistadors got their first playoff berth since their 1990 EBF title season. The Clippers as the wild card extended the longest active postseason streak in EBF to nine seasons. Athens barely bested Munich for the Southeast Division. The Anchors won their fourth division title in five years with an 89-73 mark, while the Mavericks were one behind. In the South Central Division, reigning European Champion Naples repeated as division champ. The Nobles finished 89-73, six games better than Zurich. Notably, last year’s wild card Barcelona had a stunning collapse. The EBF champ just three years earlier, the Bengals plummeted to 62-100 in 1999.

EBF saw a new home run king with Lisbon 1B Peter Brinkmann, the Southern Conference MVP. In his first season in Portugal in 1998, he smacked 72 dingers. In 1999, the 30-year old German lefty crushed 76 bombs, beating Mattias Stole’s record of 75 from 1994. This also tied the world record to this point, reached twice in the 1970s by Valor Melo of Beisbol Sudamerica. Brinkmann was also the conference leader in RBI (140), total bases (.733), and wRC+ (201). He added a 1.083 OPS, .329 average, and 8.7 WAR.

Lisbon also had the Pitcher of the Year in rising star Geza Sebestyen. A 24-year old Hungarian righty, the fourth-year pitcher was the leader in strikeouts (364) but also walks (81). Sebestyen had a 17-8 record over 262.1 innings, a 2.30 ERA, and 8.7 WAR. He also won a Gold Glove defensively.

In the first round of the playoffs, the Southwest Division powerhouses both won, although both series needed all five games. Madrid ousted defending champ Naples and Lisbon outlasted Athens. Since 1989, this was the Clippers’ seventh time appearing in the Southern Conference Championship. Madrid hadn’t been there since winning it all in 1990. The winner either way would be earning their sixth SC pennant. In a seven-game classic between neighbors, Madrid edged Lisbon.



The 50th European Championship was a rematch of the 41st. The most recent finals appearance for both Madrid and Hamburg was their 1990 encounter, claimed in seven games by the Conquistadors. The 1999 edition only needed five games, but the end result was the same. Madrid topped Hamburg to become four-time EBF champs (1955, 87, 90, 99). That ties Spanish rival Barcelona for the most titles by a Southern Conference team. 2B Pierre-Nicolas Leroy was the MVP of the EBF Championship and the conference final. The 24-year old Frenchman in 17 playoff starts had 30 hits, 10 runs, 12 doubles, and 7 RBI. The 12 doubles set a playoff record which still stands in 2037. That was also the record in any league until passed in 2004 in ABF.



Other notes: Zagreb’s Mehmet Azemi tossed EBF’s 20th perfect game, striking out 12 against Belgrade on April 8. Hamburg’s Ulf Alstrom had a 31-game hitting streak. Lindsey Brampton became the third pitcher to 4500 career strikeouts and also crossed 200 wins. Daniel Ramires became the fifth to reach 250 wins. It would be his final season and he ended at 267, which is still seventh best as of 2037. Daniel Galonopoulas became the sixth to reach 1500 runs scored. Dario Wiesner was the seventh to reach 300 saves. RF Udo Gottschall won his eighth Gold Glove.

The European Baseball Federation did have its highest-scoring decade yet, although the bump up from the 1980s was small. The EBF had around a 3.80 ERA and .262 batting average for the decade, up from a .256 average and 3.72 ERA in the 1980s. This graded out as above average in the greater historical context while being near the top among the other world leagues in the 1990s. EBF would hover around this same range in the 2000 and 2010s even as the Federation expanded.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

The 1999 season was the 50^th for the European Baseball Federation. It was also the final one for the EBF in its original form. 2000 would bring about both expansion teams and a number of additions from the EPB exodus. Below are the results of EBF’s first 50 years.



The Northern Conference had pretty good parity overall. 14 of 15 teams have a conference pennant to their name. Berlin (21) had the most playoff appearances and Paris had the best average win total at 87.9. However, Amsterdam and Rotterdam were the most successful in the postseason, both with five EBF titles. The Anacondas have eight finals berths and have been to the conference final 31 times. The Barons had the most division titles at 17. Oslo had the lowest average win total at 73.4. Belfast was the most unsuccessful generally with only one playoff appearance. They’re the only Northern Conference team to not make it to either the EBF final or the conference final.

Zurich had the most playoff appearances of any team at 32, the most division titles at 30, and the best average win total at 90.4. The Mountaineers are the only team in either conference to make the playoffs more than half of EBF’s first 50 seasons. They had the most conference finals berths at 17 and were tied with Amsterdam for the most total finals appearances. However, the Southern Conference teams with the most EBF titles were Madrid and Barcelona with four each. 10 of 15 SC teams had a EBF title and 13 of 15 had a conference pennant. The worst team in EBF by far was Malta with an average win total of 66.5. They were the only team with no playoff berths. Milan was the other SC team without a pennant.

The competition between the conferences was fairly even. The Northern Conference had the edge over the Southern Conference in the finals but at a competitive 27-23 mark.

[FuzzyRussianHat]

Beisbol Sudamerica increased its service time minimum for free agency from 8 to 9 years. This made BSA aligned with Eurasian Professional Baseball and Arab League Baseball as the most restrictive of any world league at this point. It was frustrating for many South American players, but notably you reached arbitration after five years.



Yet again, the Bolivar League’s division titles were locked down by Caracas, Bogota, and Lima. For the fourth consecutive season, those squads got first place finishes. The Bats had the top overall record at 105-57 atop the Colombia-Ecuador Division, giving them eight playoff berths in nine years with six division titles. The Colts snagged the Venezuela Division at 100-62 for their fifth straight division title. Two-time defending Copa Sudamerica winner Lima secured the Peru-Bolivia Division at 99-63. The Lobos’ BSA record playoff streak extended to 12 seasons as they won a ninth successive division title. In a tight wild card race, La Paz (88-74) edged out Guayaquil (87-75), Cali (85-77), and Valencia (84-78). The Pump jacks ended an eight-year playoff drought.

Caracas designated hitter Milton Becker became a three-time Bolivar League MVP. The 29-year old Venezuelan slugger led in home runs (58), and RBI (147). He added a .336/..416/.683 slash, 198 wRC+, and 9.7 WAR. Pitcher of the Year went to second-year lefty Lamberto Castillo of Ciudad Guayana. The hometown hero led in ERA (1.88), strikeouts (342), WHIP (0.93), shutouts (6), FIP- (57), and WAR (10.1). The 23-year old had a 21-8 record over 277.1 innings, falling three wins short of a Triple Crown.

In the Divisional Series, wild card La Paz upset Bogota 3-2 to send the Pump Jacks to their first Bolivar League Championship Series since 1982. Caracas outlasted Lima 3-2, denying the Lobos’ three-peat dreams. It was the third BLCS in five years for the Colts. La Paz continued their surprising run, rolling to the pennant over Caracas in five games. The Pump Jacks hadn’t won the pennant in two decades, taking their ninth overall.



Brasilia came somewhat out of nowhere to finish with the Southern Cone League’s best record at 103-59. The Bearcats won the North Division after missing the playoffs in three straight seasons. Recife, who had dominated the division recently, dropped to 83-79. The South Central Division also had a shakeup with Mendoza taking first at 96-66. It was the second-ever playoff berth for the Mutants (1996). Two-time defending league champ Asuncion was 91-71, falling five short of the division and one shy of the wild card. Santiago at 83-79 also missed the playoffs for only the third time in the 1990s. In the Southeast Division, Rio de Janeiro (93-69) edged Buenos Aires (92-70). The Redbirds ended a seven year playoff drought. The Atlantics took the wild card for their third berth in four years.

Leading Brasilia’s resurgence was Southern Cone League MVP Bernaldo Lagasse. Nicknamed “Cowboy,” the 25-year old Brazilian first baseman led in runs (121), walks (100), OBP (.424), OPS (1.058), and WAR (10.7). He was only the sixth player in BSA history to draw 100+ walks in a season. Lagasse also added 48 home runs, 112 RBI, and a .320 average. Pitcher of the Year was Recife’s Tete Sendas. The 30-year old Brazilian righty led in wins (23-8), ERA (1.86), innings (295.1) and quality starts (32). Sendas added 269 strikeouts and 6.3 WAR. This effort earned him a five-year, $17,680,000 contract extension.

Brasilia beat Buenos Aires 3-1 and Mendoza swept Rio de Janeiro in the Divisional Series. This sent the Bearcats to their first Southern Cone Championship since 1994, while the Mutants had never gotten this far since joining in the 1987 expansion. Brasilia took the series 4-2 to become four-time league champs, although all of their other titles were way back in the 1930s. Most Bearcat fans weren’t alive when they last took the pennant 61 years prior.



The 69^th Copa Sudamerica was guaranteed to end a long title drought for the winner. Brasilia’s two previous titles were 1935 and 1938, while La Paz’s four titles came during their 1939-46 dynasty run. The Bearcats bested the Pump Jacks 4-2 to bring the title back to the Brazilian capital. Finals MVP was RF Eron Batistuta with the 31-year old getting 19 hits, 6 runs, 2 home runs, and 6 RBI in 16 playoff starts.



Other notes: Mendoza’s Kellan Cruz set a playoff record with 15 stolen bases. Impressively, he did that in only nine games. BSA’s 46^th Perfect Game came from Fortaleza’s Gerardo Pardo, who struck out eight against Belo Horizonte on September 21. After 46 perfect games happened in 69 seasons, the next one in BSA wouldn’t come until 2012. Rosario’s Matt Monaco had a 34-game hitting streak, the third-longest in BSA history to that point. Andres Ramirez became the 16^th pitcher to 4500 career strikeouts. Leonardo Salvador became the sixth member of the 3000 hit club, ending the season and his career at 3010. SS Jose Luis Velasques won his eighth Gold Glove.

Beisbol Sudamerica’s scoring in the 1990s dropped slightly from the 1980s, but It was still higher than the 1970s or earlier. The Bolivar League’s ERA was 3.55 and batting average was .255, putting them around average on the historical context. The DH-less Southern Cone League was below average at .248 and 3.26. BSA would make rule changes to encourage more scoring starting with 200, which would cause both leagues to jump notably.