Baseball: The World's Game (OOTP 22 Fictional World)

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2012 ALB Hall of Fame

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Left Fielder/Designated Hitter Junoon Asghar was the lone addition into the Arab League Baseball Hall of Fame in 2012. He only barely breached the 66% requirement, earning 69.8% on his second try. Pitcher Ahmed Khandour narrowly missed joining him, receiving 65.1% on his second ballot. Also above 50% was SP Nacerdine Rahim at 56.5% in his seventh ballot and CL Khemais Khalid at 54.1% on his eighth ballot. The best debut was LF Hassan El Mubarak at only 38.5%. No players were dropped after ten failed tries.



Junoon Asghar – Left Field/Designated Hitter – Beirut Bluebirds – 69.8% Second Ballot

Junoon Asghar was a 6’1’’, 200 pound right-handed outfielder from Salfit, Palestine; a city of 10,000 in the West Bank. He would be the first Palestinian to earn Hall of Fame induction. Asghar was one of ALB’s first prolific home run hitters, topping 40+ 11 times in his career and hitting 50+ homers in four different seasons. He was also solid at working counts and was an above average contact hitter. Asghar could draw walks fairly well, but did have a lackluster strikeout rate.

Asghar’s gap power was respectable, getting you around 25-35 doubles each year. He wasn’t going to get extra bases with his legs, as he was a very slow and clumsy baserunner. Asghar was equally clumsy defensively, posting mediocre glove work in left field. He made around 2/3s of his starts in left with the rest as a designated hitter.

Asghar’s durability was respectable and he avoided major injuries, starting 120+ games in all but his first and final seasons. He would receive criticism for selfishness and greed. Some teammates accused Asghar of laziness as well. Regardless, the man socked dingers, becoming one of the Arab World’s most well-known sluggers from the early days.

The 1991 ALB Draft was only the second rookie draft to that point. Asghar’s power potential on the amateur circuits made him one of the most prized prospects. Asghar would be taken fifth overall by Beirut, who used him part-time with 61 games as a rookie. He earned a full-time starting gig in his second year and maintained it for the next eight seasons with the Bluebirds.

Asghar played in left his entire Beirut run with respectable stats in his first three years. The Bluebirds won division titles in 1993 and 1994, but lost both times in the first round of the playoffs. Asghar was a lackluster 3-18 in his five playoff starts for Beirut. The Bluebirds would be a bottom rung franchise for his remaining seasons.

Still, Asghar emerged as a superstar in 1996. He became the second ALB hitter to smack 60+ homers, leading the Western Conference with a career-best 62. He also led in runs (113), RBI (135), total bases (389), slugging (.684), OPS (1.051), and wRC +(195). Those were all career bests, as was his 8.4 WAR. Although Beirut finished 68-94, Asghar won MVP and his first Silver Slugger.

Asghar won additional Silver Sluggers in 1997, 1998, and 2000 for Beirut. He topped 50+ homers each of those years and led the conference with 57 in 2000. That year, Asghar also led in slugging, OPS, and wRC+. He took second in 1997’’s MVP voting and third in 2000. Still, the Bluebirds showed no signs of contention, having bottomed out at an atrocious 51-111 in 1999.

2001 was to be Asghar’s last year under team control and he made it clear that he wanted to leave for free agency to get paid. Beirut decided to trade the 30-year old slugger to Dubai for 1B Naldo Fernandez and RP Abdul Karim Jaradat. With Beirut, Asghar had 1260 hits, 711 runs, 250 doubles, 363 home runs, 829 RBI, a .280/.348/.583 slash, 161 wRC+, and 46.9 WAR. Bluebirds fans would still remember his homers fondly and the franchise would later retire Asghar’s #8 uniform.

After only a few months with Dubai, the Diamonds gave Asghar a five-year, $9,360,000 extension to lock him up full-time. Asghar helped Dubai maintain hold of the Gulf Division, earning seven straight berths from 2001-07. He did miss part of his debut season for the Diamonds with a fractured hand. Dubai had a first round playoff defeat in 2001 to Jeddah.

2002 was statistically his weakest season by WAR to that point at 2.8, although he still hit 40 home runs. Dubai also used Asghar as a DH both in 2002 and 2004. He stepped up in the playoffs though, as the Diamonds won their first-ever Arab League Championship against Alexandria. Asghar was finals MVP and in 14 playoff starts had 17 hits, 10 runs, 4 doubles, 8 home runs, 18 RBI, and a 1.206 OPS. Asghar’s eight homers in that run remains the ALB playoff record and wasn’t matched until 2031. The 18 RBI also held as a playoff record until 2025.

Back trouble cost Asghar more than a month of the 2003 season. Still, Dubai set a franchise-record at 109-53 and repeated as conference champ. They would fall to 108-win Casablanca in the ALB Championship. This time, Asghar was lousy in the playoffs with a .163/.217/.372 slash in 11 starts.

The one great run saves Asghar from weak career playoff starts, finishing with 35 starts, 31 hits, 19 runs, 7 doubles, 14 home runs, 30 RBI, a .235/.271/.606 slash, 143 wRC+, and 1.2 WAR. He had 1.1 WAR in 2002 alone. Still, Dubai fans appreciated him being a big part in the franchise’s only championship appearances as of 2037.

Dubai made the playoffs again in 2004, but went one-and-done. This was Asghar’s best season there statistically with 57 home runs, 122 RBI, 6.8 WAR, and a 1.010 OPS. He won his fifth Silver Slugger (his lone one at DH) and took third in MVP voting. Heading into his age 35 season, Asghar’s stock had shot up and he wanted to cash in. He opted out of the remainder of his Dubai deal and ultimately ended his time in ALB.

With the Diamonds, Asghar had 545 hits, 364 runs, 117 doubles, 181 home runs, 387 RBI, a .270/.346/.600 slash, 156 wRC+, and 19.6 WAR. He became only the second ALB slugger to 500 career home runs, but his tallies would look less impressive as time passed. In ALB, Asghar had 1805 hits, 1075 runs, 367 doubles, 544 home runs, 1216 RBI, 582 walks, a .277/.347/.589 slash, 160 wRC+, and 66.5 WAR.

As of 2037, he ranks 48^th in WAR among position players and 32^nd in home runs. Many voters thought he was a bit borderline, not standing out beyond the dingers. Some of his best slugging was overlooked as Beirut was lousy during some of his prime years. Still, an MVP and a key role in Dubai’s 2002 championship weighed in his favor.

Asghar debuted at 62.7%, barely missing the 66% requirement in 2011. He didn’t win too many over in 2012, but it was enough to cross that line at 69.8%. Asghar ended up as the lone addition into the Arab League Baseball Hall of Fame in 2012.

His career continued for five more years beyond the Arab League, finding a home in Australia in 2005. Asghar signed a four-year, $18,620,000 with Brisbane of the OBA. While not award winning, he gave the Black Bears four solid years of power, even leading the Australasia League with 44 in 2005. Asghar rarely saw time in the field with Brisbane, used mostly as a DH.

The Black Bears had good seasons with Asghar, including a 102-win effort in 2008. Unfortunately for them, they ran up against Melbourne’s historic dynasty. With Brisbane, Asghar had 632 hits, 373 runs, 133 doubles, 156 home runs, 394 RBI, a .276/.341/.544 slash, 139 wRC+, and 16.7 WAR. He was heading into his age 39 season as he became a free agent again for 2009.

Asghar stayed in OBA and went to New Zealand on a one-year, $2,640,000 deal with Auckland. He notably had two different games with three home runs, but otherwise was unremarkable with 20 homers, 1.1 WAR, and 116 wRC+ in 98 games. After going unsigned in 2010, Asghar retired at age 40.

For his entire pro career, Asghar had 2521 hits, 1492 runs, 493 doubles, 720 home runs, 1662 RBI, 825 walks, a .275/.345/.572 slash, 153 wRC+, and 84.3 WAR. With the extra five OBA seasons, his resume looked less borderline than his ALB tenure alone. Regardless, Asghar was one of the most reliable home run hits of the 1990s and 2000s, making him a fitting choice as Palestine’s first-ever Hall of Famer.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2012 AAB Hall of Fame

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The African Association of Baseball still didn’t name its first Hall of Famer in 2012, but Bawaka Ngoie got closer than anyone to date. On his third ballot, the Congolese CF received 62.0%, besting his previous high of 54.0%. SP Hendrik Jongman had 53.8% on his fifth ballot, closer Jaures Ibara got 50.9% on his second try, and SP Ahmed Hussen Rooble was at 50.0% even on his fifth go. The best debut was 1B Boubacar Mavinga at 48.8%. No players were dropped following ten failed ballots.

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2012 World Baseball Championship

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The 2012 World Baseball Championship was the 66^th edition of the event and was centered in Leon, Mexico. This was the sixth time it was hosted in Mexico, but the first time since 1998 in Juarez. The 2012 WBC would see a historic first as the elite eight came entirely from the Eastern Hemisphere. No nations from North or South America made it through. Additionally, Indonesia would be the only repeat division winner from the prior season.

Italy won Division 1 at 8-1, topping 7-2 Germany and 6-3 Panama. Last year’s runner-up England was fourth at 5-4. The Italians earned their 15^th division title and their first since 2006. In Division 2, the two-time defending champ United States was a non-factor at 5-4. This marked only the 12^th time that the Americans didn’t get to the elite eight, which last happened in 2006. The US had earned five straight championship appearances, going 4-1 in that stretch.

D2 had Romania on top at 7-2, besting Bangladesh (6-3) with the US, Canada, and Guatemala each 5-4. This was the third-ever division title for the Romanians, whose only other berths were back in the 1950s. Division 3 went to the Netherlands at 8-1, beating Singapore (7-2) and Kazakhstan (6-3). It was the eighth title for the Dutch, who last did it in their 2008 finalist season. Notably, China was 5-4, extending their surprising drought to five seasons.

Japan claimed Division 4 at 8-1 with Ecuador (6-3) their closest foe. This was the 19^th time advancing for the Japanese, who hadn’t done it since winning it all in 2006. D5 had 7-2 Australia win a tight field against 6-3 efforts by Greece, India, and Taiwan. It was the Aussies’ sixth division title, ending a three-year drought.

Indonesia and Poland tied atop Division 6 at 7-2, while South Korea and Slovakia were close behind at 6-3. The Indonesians had the head-to-head tiebreaker as the only returner from last year’s field. Indonesia secured its 20^th division title.

Division 7 had Algeria (7-2) on top with Colombia and Russia (6-3) both nearby. The Algerians became the 75^th unique nation to advance to the Round Robin. Lastly in D8, Serbia (8-1) held off South Africa (7-2). The only prior division titles for the Serbians were 1966 and 1961. 2012 notably had no teams that went unbeaten in divisional play.

In Round Robin Group A, Romania (5-1) and Japan (3-3) advanced while Indonesia and Serbia both fell at 2-4. This was the second-ever final four for the Romanians, who took third back in 1957. It was the tenth semifinal for the Japanese, who last did it in 2006.

In Group B, Australia and Italy both moved forward at 4-2, while the Netherlands (3-3) and Algeria (1-5) missed. The Italians picked up their eighth semifinal appearance, most recently taking fourth in 2006. The Australians only other final four came in 1982, when they took runner-up against the US.

Romania survived 3-2 over Australia in their semifinal, while Italy dropped Japan 3-1. The Romanians became the 26^th different nation to earn a trip to the World Championship. The Italians earned their third finals berth, having lost to the Americans in both 1988 and 2005. The Japanese officially took third for the fifth time, while the Australians were fourth.



The 66^th World Championship guaranteed a European world champ for the first time since 1983. That year’s Germany/Ukraine matchup was the only other time that both finalists were European. There had only been three prior European champs with the Germans in 1983, the Czechs in 1980, and the Russians in 1956. The matchup also guaranteed the 13^th unique world champ.

Romania continued its surprise run and defeated Italy 4-2 for the World Championship. The Italians are now 0-3 in the finals and are the only team with 3+ defeats without at least one win. Great pitching led the way for Romania ultimately, led by remarkable relief from 29-year old Alin Gabor.

Gabor most recently pitched with Chisinau of the European Second League. Gabor had 25.1 innings in 15 appearances with 7 saves, a 5-1 record, 35 strikeouts, and 12 walks. It was a pivotal moment for his country in an otherwise unremarkable career. Romania also saw a strong effort on the mound from Serghei Perenyi, who was 4-0 with a 0.51 ERA over 35 innings with 42 strikeouts and 1.2 WAR.



The Tournament MVP came from Peru’s Rico Ortega, a fourth-year LF with Trujillo. In only seven games, he had 15 hits, 10 runs, 2 doubles, 5 home runs, 10 RBI, a .556/.636/1/.185 slash, 1.822 OPS, and 405 wRC+. Ortega was also the tenth player to have a four home run game in the WBC, doing it against the Czech Republic.

Japan’s Heihachiro Okasawa was the Best Pitcher winner. He had won five Reliever of the Year awards in Japan before joining MLB’s Philadelphia in 2011. Okasawa had two starts and four relief appearances, tossing 24 scoreless innings with a 4-0 record, 52 strikeouts, 7 hits, and 5 walks. Both of his starts were shutouts, joining a short list of guys with two shutouts in the same tournament.

Other notes: Three no-hitters were thrown in the 2012 WBC. Denmark’s Nohr Jeppesen had 10 strikeouts and one walk against Honduras; Taiwan’s Po-Liang Yang saw 13 Ks and 3 BB over Australia; and Myanmar’s Khon Aye Ko fanned 18 with one walk over Afghanistan. Below are the updated tournament stats:

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2012 in E2L

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Valencia earned back-to-back playoff berths in the European Second League’s Western Conference. The Vandals took the top spot at 106-56, finishing eight ahead of second place Reykjavik at 98-64. The Raccoons earned a third straight playoff berth, hoping to finally earn promotion. Zaragoza was a close third at 97-65. The Gold Hawks hadn’t posted a winning season in their previous seven seasons of existence.

The fourth and final playoff spot was Stuttgart at 92-70, edging out Berlin (91-71) and Nottingham (90-72). This was the fourth time in the playoffs for the Silver Sabres, although they hadn’t gotten promoted yet. 90 wins was a new best for the North Stars, but they still didn’t secure their first-ever playoff spot. Rome, last year’s conference finalist, fell to eighth at 81-81.



Tbilisi led the Eastern Conference at 101-61, followed by Gothenburg at 95-67. The Gales had an impressive turnaround, having won a franchise-worst 60 games in 2011. Tirana at 92-70 took the third place spot. The Trojans were in their second E2L season after being demoted in 2010.

There was a tie for the final spot with Ljubljana and Cluj-Napoca both at 88-74. The Juggernauts won the tiebreaker game for their first playoff try since 2005. Close behind but just short were Sarajevo at 87-75, and both Lodz and Odessa at 85-77.

Lviv notably collapsed, having earned five straight playoff berths without a promotion. The Lunkers won 97 games in 2011, but plummeted to 65-97 in 2012. Kyiv’s E2L debut saw a lackluster 73-79 for 13^th place. It showed how quickly a team could fall, as the Kings had won the European Championship only four years prior.

Reykjavik was the top squad from the Western Conference’s Round Robin at 5-1. Zaragoza and Stuttgart both were 3-3, while top seed Valencia faltered at 1-5. The tiebreaker went to the Gold Hawks, who proceeded to sweep the Raccoons in the Western Conference Championship.

Gothenburg led the Eastern Conference’s Round Robin at 4-2. Ljubljana and Tirana were both 3-3 and Tbilisi was 2-4. The Juggernauts had the tiebreaker over the Trojans to advance, but fell 4-1 to the Gales in the Eastern Conference Championship.



The Second League Championship was anti-climactic with Gothenburg sweeping Zaragoza. Either way, both guaranteed promotion to the EBF Elite for the first time in franchise history. If additional spots open up because of 100+ loss EBF Elite teams, Reykjavik would be first in line, followed by Ljubljana.



Other notes: Stuttgart’s Dieter Launhardt threw two perfect games in the 2012 season. The first had 11 strikeouts on May 30 against Turin, while the second had 15 Ks over Valencia on September 24. Lviv LF Zurab Karpenko became the first three-time MVP in E2L history.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2012 AAB Hall of Fame

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Lusaka again took first in the Southern Conference standings at 104-58, earning a third consecutive playoff berth. The Lake Monsters hit 314 home runs as a team, second-best in conference history behind their own 318 the prior season. Their 880 runs were the most in AAB and were 124 more than their closest conference foe.

Last year’s conference champ Maputo used pitching to repeat as the wild card at 99-63. Their 563 runs allowed was tied for first in all of AAB and their 1.073 team WHIP was the second-lowest in AAB history at that point, behind only Dar es Salaam’s 1.066 in 2003. There was an 11 game gap to third place Harare at 88-74, followed by Lilongwe at 84-78.

Lusaka RF Kaunda Kalinga won his third straight Southern Conference MVP and boasted historic power. The 30-year old Tanzanian tied Mwarami Tale’s single-season home run record of 77, while also leading in runs (136), RBI (153), total bases (437), slugging (.769), OPS (1.154), wRC+ (194), and WAR (10.3). The Lake Monsters gave their superstar a hefty payday the following spring for five years and $63,000,000, making Kalinga one of AAB’s first eight-figure earners.

Maputo’s Natnael Seyoum repeated as Pitcher of the Year. The 26-year old Ethiopian left led in strikeouts (263), quality starts (24), shutouts (3), and WAR (8.5). Seyoum had a 2.38 ERA over 242 innings with a 15-6 record and 179 ERA+.



Four-time reigning Africa Series winner Addis Ababa’s dynasty run rolled on at 113-49, giving the Brahmas first in the Central Conference for the seventh consecutive season. This was the second most wins in conference history behind their own 120-42 from two years prior. AA led the conference in both runs (822) and runs allowed (563).

20 games away was Kigali at 93-69, repeating as the wild card. The Guardians were six games ahead of 87-75 Brazzaville and nine better than 84-78 Kinshasa. Although they were a dynasty not that long ago, the Sun Cats posted their first winning season since 2006. For the Blowfish, they snapped a 12-year run of losing seasons.

RF Felix Chaula won Central Conference MVP and joined his Addis Ababa teammate Mwarami Tale as the only six-time MVPs in AAB history. The 36-year old Tanzanian led in runs (119), OBP (.427), OPS (1.090), and wRC+ (196). Chaula added 57 home runs, 131 RBI, and 8.1 WAR.

He narrowly edged out Tale, who took second with 8.4 WAR in only 113 games. Tale led in WAR despite a strained oblique and plantar fasciitis costing him two months. Bujumbura’s Like Tembo was also in the mix, as he led with 68 home runs and 145 RBI. Tembo led in homers and hit 60+ for the sixth time in his powerful career. Both Tale and Tembo joined Chaula and Mohau Sibiya as the lone members of the 600 home run club.

Kinshasa’s Paulin Pongo won Pitcher of the Year. The 26-year old Congolese righty nicknamed “Sandman” led in WHIP (0.97), K/BB (5.0), FIP- (66), and WAR (6.8). Pongo added a 3.04 ERA over 216 innings, 257 strikeouts, and a 14-10 record.

The Southern Conference Championship rematch had a different result as Lusaka edged Maputo 4-3 in a seven-game classic, giving the Lake Monsters their first-ever pennant. The Central Conference Championship had Addis Ababa on top for the seventh straight year, winning 4-1 in their rematch with Kigali. The Brahmas joined SAB’s Ahmedabad, WAB’s Kano, CABA’s Mexico City, and MLB’s Philadelphia to win their subleague seven consecutive seasons.



The 18^th Africa Series also saw Addis Ababa win a fifth consecutive championship. Lusaka took them the distance with the series needing all nine games, but the Brahmas prevailed 5-4. Mwarami Tale repeated as finals MVP with the 31-year old CF making it back from injury for the final six games. Tale had 8 hits, 6 runs, 2 doubles, 4 home runs, and 7 RBI.



The Addis Ababa dynasty found very exclusive company in world baseball history. The only other squad to five-peat as their league’s overall champ was CABA’s Mexico City from 1969-73. All of the other epic sustained dynasties had been stopped at four straight, although there had been a few to win five in six years. Among them were Kinshasa’s six titles from 1997-2003. The Sun Cats still have Addis Ababa beat in overall rings by one.

Other notes: Felix Chaula became AAB’s all-time home runs and RBI leader, passing the previous highs of 727 and 1585 set by Mohau Sibiya. Chaula also joined Sibiya as the only guys with 1500+ runs and would pass his 1604 runs in 2014. Chaula, Gabriel Rakotomamojv, and Negue Roullard each passed 2000 hits, making six to do so.

Chaula won his record 11^th Silver Slugger in right field. 3B Marlin Kimwaki became a nine-time Slugger winner. 2B Fani Ngambi and 1B Luke Tembo won their eighth and Tale won his seventh in CF. Mandla Ndungane became the fifth to reach 300 career saves.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2012 in ALB

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Tripoli surprised many by taking the Arab League Western Conference’s best record at 97-65. It was only their second winning record since their most recent Mediterranean Division title in 2004. Casablanca, who had a five-year division title streak, was a non-factor at 75-87.

Defending conference champ Alexandria repeated as Nile Division champ at 89-73, finishing five games better than Khartoum. Amman’s Levant Division streak grew to five seasons with an 88-74 mark. The Aviators bested Jerusalem by four games.

Although the Jets missed the playoffs, they had a historic performance from designated hitter Tarek Abdel Rahman. Not only did he won his fourth consecutive Western Conference MVP, but he posted the sixth hitting Triple Crown in ALB history with 64 home runs, 138 RBI, and a .335 batting average. The 31-year old Egyptian also led in runs (116), hits (211), total bases (456), slugging (.724), OPS (1.103), wRC+ (211), and WAR (9.5). Jerusalem would give Rahman a six-year, $35,800,000 extension in July.

Damascus was a non-factor at 74-88, but they had the Pitcher of the Year in Ziyad bin Mostafa. The 28-year old Jordanian lefty led in strikeouts (308) and WAR (8.1). Over 248 innings, bin Mostafa had a 2.43 ERA, 16-8 record, and 156 ERA+. The Dusters had given him a six-year, $13,400,000 extension the prior winter.

Amman edged Alexandria 2-1 in the first round of the playoffs, giving the Aviators their fourth Western Conference Final appearance in five years. Tripoli had been there thrice prior, most recently in 2002. The top-seeded Privateers rolled to a 3-0 sweep, earning their second-ever pennant (1991).



Reigning Arab League champ Basra had the top overall record at 101-61 atop the Iraq Division. The Bulldogs extended their record division title streak to a decade and guaranteed a ninth consecutive berth in the Eastern Conference Final. Basra had an impressive 906 runs, while no one else in ALB breached 800. The Bulldogs also allowed 749, the second-worst in 2012.

The #2 seed was 95-67 Abu Dhabi, wining their second Gulf Division title in three years. Last year’s division winner Dubai struggled to a mere 71-91. Jeddah repeated in a very competitive Saudi Division at 86-76. The Jackals were three games better than both Riyadh and Medina and six games ahead of Mecca.

For the 10^th time since 2001, Eastern Conference MVP went to a Basra player. This time, it was a new star in 21-year old Egyptian DH Mohmaed Hassan. In his second year as a full-time starter, Hassan led in home runs (61), RBI (146), and total bases (439). The lefty also had 8.6 WAR, a 191 wRC+, and 1.078 OPS. He would take over as the Bulldogs’ superstar for the next 15 years after the likes of Nordine Soule retired. Hassan also notably in 2012 became the 12^th ALB hitter with a six-hit game.

Pitcher of the Year went to Doha’s Qadir Mohamedzai, making an impressive return from a torn elbow ligament the prior spring. The 29-year old Egyptian righty led in ERA (2.11), FIP- (67), and WAR (6.2). Mohamedzai pitched 200.1 innings with a 14-10 record, 212 strikeouts, and 184 ERA+. This earned him a six-year, $31,140,000 payday from the Dash, although more injuries limited his value over that deal.

Abu Dhabi edged Jeddah 2-1 in the first round for their second Eastern Conference Final in three years. Most people had Basra as the heavy favorite, expecting the Bulldogs to win three-peat. However, the Destroyers pulled off an impressive 3-2 upset for their first-ever pennant.



In the 23^rd Arab League Championship, Abu Dhabi downed Tripoli 4-1. The Destroyers became the 13^th of ALB’s 24 franchises to win it all. DH Adham Abdallah was finals MVP with the 23-year old Tunisian posting 14 hits, 8 runs, 3 doubles, 3 home runs, and 7 RBI over 13 playoff starts.



Other notes: The legendary Nordine Soule became the first player in world baseball history to reach 1000 career home runs, finishing the season with 1004. Although he missed six weeks to injury, Soule posted his 17^th straight season with 40+ home runs. He also crossed 2000 career runs scored in 2012, a mark only one other ALB hitter would later reach. As of 2037, he’s still the runs leader at 2162. 2012 would end Soule’s incredible 19-year run with Basra, as he’d play his final two seasons for Casablanca.

Mustafa bin Nazim joined Soule as the only ALB players with 1500 runs scored. Additionally, bin Nazim won his 14^th and final Silver Slugger. It was his fourth at third base, with 10 other wins at second base. Only Soule (15) has more Sluggers in ALB.

Fadi Adwan and Mohamed Aziz became the fourth and fifth hitters to 1500 career RBI. Aziz also became the fourth member of the 600 home run club. RF Farouk Adam won his eighth Silver Slugger. 1B Samer Al-Mousa and CF Hassan El Zamek won their seventh Silver Sluggers.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2012 in ABF

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Almaty had the ABF East League’s #1 seed at 97-65. The Assassins extended their playoff streak to four seasons and won their third North Division title since the 2009 realignment. Hyderabad won the South Division at 93-69, their first time in first place since 2008. Despite that, the Horned Frogs picked up their fifth playoff berth in six years.

Both wild cards came out of the South with Lahore (89-73) and reigning Asian Baseball Federation champ Faisalabad (86-76) advancing. The Longhorns ended a three-year playoff drought, while the Fire grew their streak to three. Just missing out on the final spot were Bishkek (84-78) and Dushanbe (83-79). Karachi fell to 77-85, the first losing season since 2003 for the Carp.

The Dynamo had their first winning season since their 2004 pennant, led by perhaps the greatest rookie season ever by shortstop Nizami Aghazade. The Kazakh righty nicknamed “Dingus” was the third overall pick in the 2011 ABF Draft. He broke the world record for most WAR by a Rookie of the Year winner in any league, as Aghazade’s 13.9 bested the 13.7 set by 1977 WAB Pitcher of the Year Kouadio Diao.

That WAR mark was the second-most by any player in ABF history to that point, only behind Gokhan Karatas’ 14.9 in 1993. Aghazade won East League MVP and posted the eighth Triple Crown season by an ABF hitter. He led in home runs (47), RBI (110), triple slash (.364/.433/.685), OPS (1.118), wRC+ (247), runs (103), hits (208), and WAR (13.9). By the time he was done, most would agree that Aghazade was the greatest player in ABF history.

Bishkek’s Oskar Tamm also made history with his sixth East League Pitcher of the Year, joining Yazeed Anwari (8) as the only ABF pitchers with 6+ POTYs. The 35-year old Estonian lefty led in WAR (5.9), complete games (18), and innings (267). Tamm added a 2.43 ERA, 296 strikeouts, 15-13 record, and 134 ERA+. Tamm also became the fifth ABF pitcher with 200 career wins and the third to 4000 strikeouts in 2012. He played one more season with the Black Sox before finishing his career between MLB and EPB.

Both first round playoff matchups went all five games. Top seed Almaty ousted defending champ Faisalabad in a rematch of last year’s East League Championship Series, while wild card Lahore upset Hyderabad. The Assassins grabbed their third ELCS berth in four years, while the Longhorns had their first since their back-to-back pennants in 2005-06.

Lahore pulled off another upset, defeating Almaty 4-2. This continued the bad luck for the Assassins, who are 0-5 in the ELCS since joining the ABF in 2000. Going back to their Eurasian Professional Baseball days, Almaty has lost in nine straight LCS appearances.



Baku had the ABF’s best overall record at 108-54, taking the top seed in the West League and their fourth straight Central Division title. They fended off tough competition from Tehran (98-64), Mashhad (95-67), and Shiraz (91-71). The defending conference champ Tarpons were the first wild card, while the Meteors got the second. Mashhad ended a four-year playoff drought. Meanwhile, last year’s WLCS runner-up Isfahan fell to 79-83, their first losing season since 2004.

Gaziantep won the Turkish Division at 88-74 with Ankara (82-80) as their only real competition. It was impressively the Gorillas’ second division title despite being in only their fourth season post-expansion. They were the only expansion team in any world league to pull off that feat to that point.

Baku 1B Ali Sungu won his second West League MVP in three years. The 27-year old Turkish lefty led in runs (131), homers (65), RBI (148), total bases (418), OBP (.400), slugging (.706), OPS (1.106), wRC+ (216), and WAR (11.0). His 131 runs fell two short of Gokhan Karatas’ single-season record of 133 from 1993. Sungu’s .326 batting average was also only seven points from a Triple Crown.

Pitcher of the Year as Istanbul’s Khatib Karzai. The 27-year old Pakistani righty was the strikeout leader (371) and WARlord (9.7) and led with 4 shutouts. Karzai added a 2.16 ERA over 24 6 innings, a 17-8 record, and 159 ERA+. He stayed two more years with the Ironmen before leaving for MLB on a hefty four-year, $50,700,000 deal with Toronto.

Division champs prevailed in round one with Baku sweeping Mashhad and Gaziantep topping Tehran 3-1. This was the first-ever West League Championship Series for the young Gorillas franchise. Ultimately, the high-powered Blackbirds rolled 4-1 to their second pennant in three years.



The 28^th Asian Baseball Federation Championship was a seven game classic with Baku outlasting Lahore 4-3. The Blackbirds earned their first-ever league title and became the 17^th unique champ in ABF history. Baku was also the fifth different champion in five seasons. 28-year old catcher Firdoze Umar was finals MVP, getting 18 hits, 8 doubles, 2 runs, 1 homer, and 10 RBI in 15 playoff starts.



Other notes: Lahore’s Mehmet Fatih Canadin stole 18 bases in the playoffs, tying the world playoff record set by SAB’s David Rusli in 2006. 18 would be matched again, but still hasn’t been topped anywhere as of 2037. 3B Shaheed Abbas and LF Martyn Khaladkow won their eighth Gold Gloves. OF Majd Bsharri won his eighth Silver Slugger.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2012 in SAB

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Last year, Visakhapatnam got to the Indian League Championship Series being 79-83 and winning a terrible South Division. The Volts were a far more legitimate contender in 2012, taking the top overall seed at 106-56. Defending IL champ Kolkata was the #2 seed at 104-58. The Cosmos won the Central Division for the third straight year and extended their playoff streak to five seasons. Kolkata won many close games, setting a new SAB team record with 67 saves.

Ahmedabad repeated in the West Division at 104-58, fending off a 92-70 Mumbai. The Meteors took earned a third straight wild card, finishing three games ahead of Nagpur. That was a new franchise best for the Patriots, whose only other winning season since joining in the 2004 expansion was an 82-win 2010 effort.

Kolkata LF Lwin Swe Ko won his second Indian League MVP. The 28-year old Burmese righty led in home runs (59), RBI (142), runs (117), total bases (412), slugging (.732), and WAR (9.9). Ko added a 223 wRC+ and 1.109 OPS. In March, the Cosmos locked up their slugger on a seven-year, $33,680,000 extension.

Visakhapatnam’s Ariffin Sapri won his second Pitcher of the Year. The 30-year old Malaysian led in wins (18-6), WHIP (0.88), FIP- (54), and WAR (7.5). Sapri had a 2.09 ERA, 344 strikeouts, and 168 ERA+ in 207 innings. He won despite last year’s POTY Amarjit Bedi’s 1.59 ERA, which was the eighth-best qualifying season in SAB history. Kolkata’s Bedi only threw 170 innings and had 226 strikeouts though.

The Volts swept Mumbai and Ahmedabad swept Kolkata in the first round of the playoffs. Visakhapatnam earned repeat Indian League Championship Series berths, while the Animals hadn’t done it since 2006. The top-seeded Volts were dominant 4-1 over Ahmedabad to win their first-ever IL pennant. Visakhapatnam is the eighth of the Indian League’s 14 teams to win the pennant.



After a top-heavy run of teams in the Southeast Asia League, 2012 was the first time since 2002 that SEAL didn’t have a 110+ win team or multiple 100+ win teams. Top seed Yangon was still very impressive at 109-53, extending their playoff streak to 18 seasons. They’re still five seasons short of the remarkable 23-year reigns of both Ho Chi Minh City and Ahmedabad. The fortunes have really changed for the Hedgehogs, who finished 78-86. It was only the second-ever losing season for the franchise, joining the 1981 campaign.

The Green Dragons easily won the South Division, but their foe Vientiane still had the second-best record in SEAL at 98-64. This was a huge turnaround for the wild card Vampires, who hadn’t seen a winning record since their last playoff berth in 1992. It was only their fourth-ever playoff berth in the franchise’s 33 seasons.

Hanoi’s streak of 100+ win seasons was snapped at seven, but 92-70 was still good enough to win the North Division. Defending South Asia Baseball champ Dhaka also dropped from their 113-win 2011, but snagged the second wild card at 90-72. The Dobermans’ playoff streak grew to eight seasons. Dhaka bested Kathmandu by three games and Bangkok by four in the race for the final wild card.

Leading Vientiane’s turnaround was two-way star Huynh Pham, who took both Pitcher of the Year and MVP honors in the Southeast Asia League. The 25-year old Vietnamese lefty led in strikeouts (347), wins (21-5), and WAR (8.0). Pham added a 2.35 ERA over 249.1 innings with a 163 ERA+. His ERA was only five points away from a Triple Crown season.

Pham also played DH for 96 total games hitting, posting a .329/.357/.576 slash, 3.9 WAR, 154 wRC+, 19 home runs, and 60 RBI. He’s the first pitcher in SAB history to win MVP, granted he needed the two-way effort to do it. Pham lived up to the #1 overall pick in the 2009 SAB Draft by the Vampires. This ended the five-year MVP reign of Hanoi slugger Majed Darwish, who still took third with 55 home runs, 150 RBI, and 134 runs.

Yangon ousted reigning champ Dhaka 3-1, while Hanoi swept Vientiane in the first round. The Hounds secured a third straight SEAL Championship appearance and their sixth in eighth years. The Green Dragons had their fifth in the same span, with Hanoi having won in their 2007 and 2008 encounters. This time, Yangon took it in a seven game classic over Hanoi. The Green Dragons won their seventh league title, although it was their first since 2006.



The South Asia Baseball Championship hadn’t historically gone well for Yangon, going 1-5 in their prior appearances with the lone win in 2001. The Green Dragons would reverse that trend in the 2010s, starting with a 4-2 victory over a first-time appearing Visakhapatnam. SS Javin Sita was finals MVP, a ten-year vet for signed in 2012 with Yangon after runs with Dhaka and Kanpur. In 17 playoff starts, Sita had 25 hits, 12 runs, 8 doubles, 3 home runs, and 8 RBI.



Other notes: Devavesman Toppo and Ratan Canduri became the third and fourth members of the 700 home run club. Both Canduri and Dhuna Itar reached 1500 RBI, previously met by Toppo and six others. Majed Darwin became the seventh to reach 600 homers. Canduri also won his eighth Silver Slugger. It was his second as a first baseman, with the other wins in left field.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2012 in WAB

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Abidjan finished atop the WAB Western League standings again and grew their impressive playoff streak to eight years. The Athletes finished 108-54 for their best record of that streak. Abidjan easily had the best pitching with 492 runs allowed. The next closest in all of WAB at 582 runs allowed was last year’s WLCS winner Freetown. The Foresters took second at 98-64 for their third wild card in four years.

Kumasi ended a five-year stretch of losing seasons by taking the third place slot at 96-66. The fourth and final wild card went to Dakar at 94-68, giving them repeat berths. There was a 13 game drop to fifth place Bamako. Monrovia’s seven-year playoff streak ended as they finished sixth at 80-82.

Western League MVP went to Dakar 1B Edmilson Monteiro The 25-year old Cape Verdean led in hits (213) and posted 7.0 WAR, a .349/.389/.565 slash, 164 wRC+, 28 home runs, and 114 RBI. Monteiro also won his first Gold Glove. The #1 overall pick by the Dukes in the 2007 WAB Draft, Monteiro signed a five-year, $47,700,000 extension in May 2013.

Leading Abidjan’s staff was Pitcher of the Year Christopher Larbi. The 26-year old Ghanaian lefty led in ERA (1.72), WHIP (0.78), K/BB (15.3), quality starts (26), FIP- (49), and WAR (8.4). Larbi added 290 strikeouts and a 17-5 record over 204 innings with a 225 ERA+. His 1.72 ERA was the ninth-lowest qualifying season in WAB history. With offensive numbers exploding in later years, Larbi’s mark is the most recent sub-two ERA season as of 2037.

Dakar swept Kumasi 2-0 in the first round, then pulled off a 2-1 round two upset of Freetown. This earned the Dukes their first Western League Championship Series since going 0-5 from 1990-94. It was the fifth straight appearance for the Athletes, who won pennants in 2009 and 2010. Those both came as a wild card, while they fell in 2008 and 2011 despite having the top seed.

The #1 seed continued to be a curse for Abidjan. Dakar upset the Athletes 3-1 to win their second-ever Western League pennant (1988). The Dukes joined 2009 Ibadan as the only #4 seeds to advance to the final since the stepladder postseason format was adopted.



The Eastern League had a tight battle for the top overall seed between the prior season’s ELCS finalists. Ouagadougou narrowly took it at 100-62, edging two-time defending WAB Champion Cotonou by one game. The Osprey guaranteed their third ELCS appearance in four years and earned their sixth playoff berth in eight years.

The remaining wild cards went to Lome (91-71) and Ibadan (90-72). Niamey (85-77) was really the only other team in the hunt. The Lasers earned their second wild card in three years. The Iguanas picked up their fourth in six years. For the Atomics, their playoff streak ended at three seasons.

Cotonou designated hitter Fares Belaid won Eastern League MVP. The 23-year old Tunisian righty led in hits (248), triples (27), stolen bases (93), batting average (.368), and WAR (8.6). Belaid added 107 runs, 47 doubles, 19 home runs, and a .995 OPS. The Copperheads wisely signed Belaid long-term prior to the 2012 season with an eight-year, $31,960,000 extension.

Pitcher of the Year went to Niamey’s Joseph Masuta. In only his third season, the 21-year old Kenyan led in ERA (2.27), strikeouts (303), quality starts (20), FIP- (58), and WAR (8.3). He had a 180 ERA+ over 234 innings with a 16-8 record, falling two wins short of a Triple Crown.

#3 seed Lome edged Ibadan 2-1 in the first round, then knocked off the defending champs Cotonou 2-1 in round two. That ended the Copperheads’ three-peat dreams and gave the Lasers their third-ever Eastern League Championship Series appearance. They were the runner-up in both 1989 and 1990.

The series guaranteed a first-time EL champ, as Ouagadougou had gone 0-3 in their previous tries. Lome not only upset the Osprey, but stunned them with a sweep. Ouagadougou suffered a third ELCS loss in four years. The Lasers became the 17^th of WAB’s 24 teams to earn a berth in the West African Championship.



The 38^th finale was guaranteed to crown a first-time champ, as Dakar’s one previous berth in 1988 was a loss. Lome defeated the Dukes 4-2, bringing the title home to Togo as the 13^th franchise to win it all. 2B Pedro Serna was the finals MVP in his WAB debut season, as the 30-year old Mexican righty had a nine-year run as an MLB backup. In 15 playoff starts, Serna had 19 hits, 7 runs, 4 doubles, 3 home runs, 9 RBI, and 8 walks.



Other notes: Dakar’s Tadjou Forson set a playoff record for innings pitched (34) and teammate Christian Ndiaye set the record for at-bats at 68. Lome’s Backer Ajavon set a record for times caught stealing in the playoffs at 7. He did at least successfully steal nine bags. 2012 saw zero no-hitters thrown for the first time since 2006. RF Jacob Jamil won his eighth Gold Glove.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2012 in CLB

2012 marked a change in the postseason format for Chinese League Baseball. Previously, CLB had been unique in having an interleague playoff structure, which allowed the possibility for a championship matchup between two teams from the same league. That had happened 20 times in 42 seasons with 12 all-Northern League matchups and eight all-Southern League matchups.

CLB decided to scrap that feature for 2012 onward, although the format otherwise stayed the same. The first round remained a four-team double round robin, but the NL teams played the NL and vice versa. The top two advanced to a best-of-seven semifinal for the league title, followed by the best-of-seven China Series.



Xi’an led the Northern League standings at 101-61, ending a playoff drought going back to 2000. The Attack edged out Shanghai (100-62) by one game for the top spot. The Seawolves grew their playoff streak to five seasons. The #3 seed went to 97-65 Jinan, ending the Jumbos’ four-year playoff drought.

The fourth and final playoff spot went to 92-70 Qingdao, which snapped a three-year postseason skid for them. The Devils pitching staff had a 0.820 team WHIP, which ranked second-best in NL history. Their 5.95 H/9 ranked third-best ever. Qingdao edged Shiijazhuang (89-73) and Tianjin (86-76) for the final playoff spot.

The Serpents notably became the first of the 2009 expansion teams to post a winning record. The Jackrabbits saw their playoff streak end at three seasons. Also missing the field was last year’s China Series runner-up Beijing, who dropped to 80-82. Nanjing, who topped the NL standings at 100-62 in 2011, fell to 79-83 in 2012.

Leading Shiijazhuang to their franchise-best season was LF Cheng Kang, the #1 overall pick in the 2011 CLB Draft. His rookie season was an all-timer, winning both Northern League Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player. He joined Shenzhen’s Nyo Sar Htet from 1974 as the only rookies to win MVP in Chinese League history. Kang also bested Htet’s 9.6 WAR for the highest by a ROTY winner.

Kang was the leader in WAR (10.8), wRC+ (259), triple slash (.343/.427/.613), OPS (1.040), total bases (309), and runs (87). He also had 35 home runs, 82 RBI, and 71 walks. The Serpents had drafted him #1 in 2010, but he didn’t sign. They picked Kang again in 2011 and this time it paid dividends.

Xi’an’s Changwei Yang picked up Pitcher of the Year honors. The 27-year old righty led in both ERA (1.32) and WHIP (0.72). Yang added a 15-7 record over 245.2 innings, 287 strikeouts, 184 ERA+, and 7.9 WAR. The Attack had signed him to a five-year, $24,800,000 extension prior to the start of the season.

#4 seed Qingdao’s great pitching gave them the top spot in the Round Robin at 4-2. Shanghai and Xi’an both were 3-3, while Jinan was 2-4. The Seawolves got the tiebreaker to advance over the Attack. This set up a rematch of the 2008 China Series, which was the last semifinal berth for both the Devils and Seawolves. Shanghai would cruise to a sweep of Qingdao, giving the Seawolves their third-ever finals berth (1976, 2008, 2012).



While the Northern League saw numerous playoff streaks snapped, the Southern League saw the same four teams advance from the prior year. Even odder, all four finished in the exact same spot in the standings. Shenzhen once again took the #1 spot with a 105-57. The Spartans’ pitching had a .800 team WHIP, the second-lowest in CLB history behind only Wuhan’s .779 in 1974. This remains the second-lowest as of 2037.

Chengdu was a close second at 103-59, giving the Clowns five straight wild cards. Defending CLB champ Changsha took third again at 92-70, growing their playoff streak to three. The Cannons have earned eight playoff appearances over the past decade and made it to the China Series four times, although they’ve only finished atop the SL standings once. The fourth and final spot was Guangzhou at 91-71. There was a nine-game drop to fifth place Foshan.

Repeating as Southern League MVP was Chengdu 1B Peng Wang. The 28-year old righty didn’t come close to his historic 70 homer, 150 RBI, 15.1 WAR tear in 2011. Still, Wang led again in homers (47), RBI (113), runs (98), total bases (340), slugging (.586), OPS (.936), and wRC+ (227). He also had 10.8 WAR. The Clowns playoff chances took a huge hit though as Wang suffered a torn ACL in late September.

Leading Shenzhen’s impressive pitching staff was Pitcher of the Year Zheng Zhang. The 26-year old led in wins (21-4), ERA (1.31), WHIP (0.64), and K/BB (14.6). Zhang added 306 strikeouts over 247.2 innings for a 186 ERA+ and 8.7 WAR. The Spartans had wisely locked up their ace after the 2010 season on a five-year, $22,520,000 extension.

The Southern League also had their #4 seed atop the Round Robin with Guangzhou at 4-2. Shenzhen and Changsha tied at 3-3 and Chengdu was 2-4. The top-seed Spartans advanced on the tiebreaker, earning their first semifinal appearance since 1991. It was back-to-back berths for the Gamecocks, who ultimately upset Shenzhen 4-3 in the semifinal. Guangzhou picked up a sixth China Series appearance (1971, 1974, 1987, 1999, 2000, 2012).



In the 43^rd China Series, Shanghai crushed Guangzhou in only the third-ever finals sweep, joining the 1983 and 1995 seasons. The Seawolves became two-time CLB champs, having also won in 2008. Finals MVP was second-year 2B Kaishek Shi. In 14 starts, he had 20 hits, 4 runs, 2 doubles, 1 triple, 1 homer, and 7 RBI.

Shanghai also had a record-setting postseason run from closer Shengting Wu, who allowed one run over 15 innings with three saves, six shutdowns, three hits, one walk, and 27 strikeouts. As of 2037, Wu still holds CLB postseason records by anyone with 15+ innings in H/9 (1.80), WHIP (0.27), opponent’s average (.064), opponent’s OBP (.083), and opponent’s OPS (.211).



Other notes: The 46^th CLB perfect game was thrown by Xiamne’s Joong Xu on May 5, striking out 13 against Dongguan. MVP Cheng Kang had a 20-game hitting streak, which is notable because the dead-ball Chinese League hadn’t had a 20+ game hitting streak since 2005. It was only the third 20+ game streak of the 21^st Century.

In their fourth season, expansion Urumqi was historically bad at 51-111, which was only one win better than the NL’s all-time worst. The Unicorns scored only 336 runs, which remains the NL’s worst as of 2037. Their 117 doubles is also the all-time lowest mark, while their .237 team OBP and .275 team slugging rank third-worst.

Setting a bad playoff record was Guangzhou’s Yu Zhao, who struck out 34 times in 66 at-bats. Zhao’s value was as a fielder, winning five Gold Gloves in center.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2012 in APB

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After finishing second in 2011, Taipei returned to the top of the Taiwan League with a dominant 109-53. The Tigercats had the top record in the Taiwan-Philippine Association and earned a third playoff berth in four years. Taichung was a distant second at 88-74, while last year’s TL leader Kaohsiung fell to 83-79.

Davao’s historic reign in the Philippine League came to an end at 84-78. The Devil Rays had won three consecutive TPA pennants and had been atop the PL since 2005. In their seven-year run, Davao had four Austronesia Championship wins as well.

Cebu had been second place in four of the prior five seasons. The Crows finally finished on top with a dominant 106-56, besting second place Zamboanga by 14 games. This was Cebu’s first Philippine League crown since 1996. For the Zebras, they notably had their first winning season since 2005.

Taiwan-Philippine Association MVP went to Taipei DH Meiga Rafiandri. The 26-year old Indonesian righty led in WAR (9.4) and runs scored (102). Rafiandri added 42 home runs, 105 RBI, 192 wRC+, and .900 OPS. He took MVP over Quezon’s Preston Bonilla, who led in homers (53) and wRC+ (204).

Zamboanga’s Ching-Chen Yao had missed most of the prior three seasons between shoulder inflammation, a torn back muscle, and torn UCL. The 24-year old Taiwanese lefty was finally able to post a full season in 2012 and delivered an all-time effort to win Pitcher of the Year. Yao led in ERA (1.19), strikeouts (385), WHIP (0.57), K/BB (19.2), and WAR (14.5). He had a 16-6 record over 205 innings with a 230 ERA+ and only 20 walks.

Yao’s 16.9 K/9 set a world record which only would get passed in 2022 by EAB’s Toshikuni Naikai. Yao’s .166 opponents OBP, 4.21 H/9, and 0.57 WHIP were each top-three APB seasons at the time. As of 2037, his 14.5 WAR ranks 12^th-best among APB pithing seasons. Yao would best this twice more and re-write the APB record book for rate stats. Zamboanga’s gamble that he’d stay relatively healthy after the 2012 effort paid off. Yao would sign a seven-year, $59,880,000 extension in July 2012.



Surabaya’s reign in the Java Sea League ended at six seasons, as they dropped to 80-82 in 2012. Semarang filled the vacuum at 95-67 as the only team above .500 in the league. That did also get the Sliders the top seed in the Sundaland Association thanks to a very competitive Malacca League. For Semarang, this was their first playoff appearance since 2005.

Medan and Singapore tied for the Malacca League at 93-69, requiring a tiebreaker game. The Marlins prevailed for their second playoff berth in three years. The Sharks missed the playoffs for the third consecutive season despite winning 91, 91, and 93 games. Defending APB champ Pekanbaru was tied for third with Batam at a distant 83-79.

Repeating as Sundaland Association MVP was Singapore 1B Wil Tabaldo. The 25-year old Filipino smacked 61 home runs, falling one short of Po-Yu Shao’s single-season APB record of 62 from 1969. As of 2037, they remain the only 60+ seasons in APB. Tabaldo also led in RBI (114), runs (105), total bases (363), slugging (.640), OPS (1.008), wRC+ (235), and WAR (10.8). In April, the Sharks gave Tabaldo the richest deal in APB history to that point at eight seasons and $135,500,000.

Surabaya’s Rahmat Hasim won a third Pitcher of the Year in a row despite the Sunbirds’ decline. He led in K/BB (21.6) and shutouts (7). Hasjim added 7.5 WAR and 138 ERA+ over 245.2 innings with a 1.80 ERA, 15-9 record, and 281 strikeouts. The 30-year old righty would leave for free agency in the winter and ink a six-year, $90,200,000 deal with Jakarta.

Medan’s Donny Agustinus had the unusual distinction of winning both Rookie of the Year and Reliever of the Year. He had 47 saves and a 1.11 ERA over 89.1 innings with 3.3 WAR. A catastrophic labrum tear in 2015 effectively ended Agustinus’s career, as he’d only pitch 4.2 innings after that in the following four years.

Cebu downed Taipei 4-1 in the Taiwan-Philippine Association Championship, giving the Crows their first pennant since the 1990-92 three-peat. Semarang rolled Medan 4-1 in the Sundaland Association Championship, which was the first Sliders pennant since their 2001-02 repeat.



Interestingly, it would be the third time meeting in the Austronesia Championship for Cebu and Semarang. The Crows won in 1980 for their first-ever title, while the Sliders prevailed in 1990. Cebu was the favorite by record, but Semarang prevailed 4-1 to move to 5-2 all-time in the championship. RF Yee Ibrahim was finals MVP in his seventh season for the Sliders, getting 12 hits, 7 runs, 5 home runs, and 6 RBI over 10 playoff starts.

The Sliders also won it all in 1975, 1990, 2001, and 2002. With the 2012 win, Semarang joins Kaohsiung and Davao in the five-ring club. Jakarta and Taoyuan meanwhile lead all APB teams with six titles apiece. Cebu sits at 2-3 in their finals tries with the defeat.



Other notes: Junior Sanchez became the all-time APB hits leader, passing A.J. Tan’s 2957. Sanchez ended the 2012 campaign at 2995. Dwi Aditya Supandi became the 18^th pitcher to reach 200 career wins. Paolo Baptista became the 16^th to reach 400 home runs

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2012 in OBA

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Melbourne made more history in 2012, becoming the only team in any pro league ever to win ten consecutive subleague pennants. The Mets remained atop the Australasia League and posted a seventh straight 100+ win season. Yet again, the Mets also led the AL in both runs scored (814) and fewest allowed (610).

At 102-60, Melbourne was five games ahead of Canberra and 11 better than Brisbane. The 97-65 mark was a new franchise best for the 2006 expansion Centurions. They used impressive power to get there with 263 home runs, a new AL team record. As of 2037, that remains the Australasia League’s top mark.

Canberra’s Merlin Megson won his third Australasia League MVP in four years. The 26-year old English lefty led in runs (122), hits (210), RBI (137), total bases (451), triple slash (.363/.400/.779), OPS (1.179), wRC+ (217), and WAR (9.7). He broke the OBA single-season records for slugging, OPS, and total bases. Megson’s 57 home runs were second to teammate Aidan Gang’s 61. The Centurions had already locked up Megson long-term, but wouldn’t pull it off with Gang, who left for MLB in 2015.

Perth struggled to seventh place at 76-86, but they had the Pitcher of the Year in Raj Marple. He missed most of his second season to shoulder inflammation, but bounced back in 2012 with an ERA title (2.59) and WARlord status (10.0). Marple added 357 strikeouts over 291.2 innings with a 19-12 record and 151 ERA+. The Penguins gave the 25-year old Australian lefty a six-year, $25,840,000 extension in July.



Following a second place in 2011, Guadalcanal earned their second Pacific League title in three years. The Green Jackets were 103-59 and set PL records for home runs (279) and doubles (262). The homers mark was the OBA record as well and wouldn’t be passed until 2034. The doubles mark held as the PL best until 2026.

With 826 runs, Guadalcanal scored 107 more than the next best PL team. Honolulu was second in the standings at 96-66, while defending Oceania Champion Tahiti was third at 93-69. The Tropics have been so strong that 93 wins was actually their lowest output in a decade. They had won 98 or more each year since 2003.

Pacific League MVP was Guadalcanal CF Aston Abavu. The 25-year old Solomon Islander led in hits (193), doubles (36), triples (31), total bases (402), slugging (.690), OPS (1.065), wRC+ (209), and WAR (9.4). Abavu also had 37 home runs, 112 RBI, and a .331 average. It was his sixth straight year leading the PL in triples. The Green Jackets would lock him up in June 2014 to an eight-year, $106,900,000 extension.

Fiji’s Akira Brady won a third straight Pitcher of the Year, leading in strikeouts (464), quality starts (29), and WAR (13.7). The 25-year old New Zealander had a 2.42 ERA over 316.1 innings, 19-12 record, and 147 ERA+. The Freedom gave their ace a seven-year, $52,500,000 extension in July.



In the 53^rd Oceania Championship, Guadalcanal seemed primed for a sweep by taking the first three games. Melbourne rallied back to win games four, five, and six. The Green Jackets avoided the collapse, taking game seven for their fourth title. It had been 44 years since Guadalcanal had last won it all, as their three prior titles were 1968, 1966, and 1961. The 1968 win had come against the Mets as well.

League MVP Aston Abavu was finals MVP going 16-31 with 5 runs, 4 doubles, 1 triple, 3 home runs, and 10 RBI. His 16 hits set an OBA postseason record which still holds as of 2037. The 10 RBI fell one short of Ian Griff’s 11 from 2002.



2012 also marked the end of the historic Melbourne dynasty, as they wouldn’t win the Australasia League title again in the following 24 years. It still stands as the only time in any pro league that a team played in 10 consecutive championships. The Mets went 6-4 in that stretch with wins in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, and 2010.

There is an interesting argument as to if Melbourne or Honolulu had OBA’s all-time greatest dynasty. The Honu had eight finals berths from 1981-90, but had the Mets beat by winning seven titles in that stretch. If you extended it out to 1996, Honolulu had 11 finals appearances and went 8-3. Either way, Melbourne’s run was an all-timer.

Other notes: Timothy Manglona became OBA’s all-time strikeout king, passing Tarzan Rao’s top mark of 5650. Manglona had suffered a torn UCL in late 2010 and battled back to reach the mark, although his 2012 ended with another UCL tear. Manglona would only pitch 9.1 innings in 2013 and add 4 strikeouts and 1 win to his tally.

At 5771, he remained the strikeout king until passed in the 2020s by Akira Brady. Manglona also fell just short of being the third to 300 wins, retiring with 299. As of 2037, Manglona does sit as OBA’s all-time leader in BB/9 among any pitcher with 1000+ innings with 0.88. His 599 starts are also the most and his 147.3 WAR ranks third. He fell short of Rao’s 154.9 WAR and both would later be passed by Brady.

Junia Lava, Elliot McFall, and Arjita Gabeja each reached 600 home runs in 2012, making a seven-player club. Lava and McFall both also reached 1500 RBI; a six-player group. Those two also both reached 2500 hits, a mark now met by nine players total. Gabeja won his ninth Silver Slugger (his seventh in LF).

Ryder Murray and Mikey Alao both won their 200^th game, making 17 pitchers to do so. For back-to-back seasons, OBA didn’t have a single no-hitter. CF Ashton Hughes won his tenth straight Gold Glove. His AL CF counterpart Tory Clayton won his ninth.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2012 in EPB

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2012 seemed like a changing of the guard in the European League. For only the second time in the 58-year history of Eurasian Professional Baseball (1980), both Moscow and Minsk missed the playoffs. The defending EPB champ Miners were fourth at 86-76, while the Mules were fifth at 85-77. Moscow’s playoff streak ended at seven seasons.

Kazan had been often stuck in third place behind those two, but took the top spot in 2012 at 100-62. It was their second playoff berth in three years, but the Crusaders’ first division title since 2004. They were one game ahead of 99-63 Rostov, who earned their first playoff appearance since joining EPB in 2000. Volgograd was third at 88-74.

European League MVP went to Kazan’s Evgeny Kiselev for the second time in three years. The 27-year old Russian designated hitter led in runs (109), hits (221), home runs (44), total bases (402), and WAR (10.9). Kiselev added 111 RBI, a .358/.407/.650 slash, and 213 wRC+. The Crusaders locked him up as their franchise icon indefinitely, signing an eight-year, $54,700,000 extension in April.

Kiselev earned MVP despite multiple league records set by Moscow LF Yuriy Isakov. The 22-year old Azeri became the first-ever .400+ hitter in EPB history at .4105, blowing by the previous high of .370. Isakov also set single-season records for OBP (.476) and OPS (1.173) which still stand as of 2037. His .697 slugging also was the fourth-best EPB season to date. Isakov had 35 doubles, 27 triples, 21 home runs, 91 RBI, 103 stolen bases, and 9.6 WAR. However, the lack of homers, RBI, and team success kept him from the MVP despite that eye-popping slash.

In a relatively quiet Pitcher of the Year field, second-year Nizhny Novgorod righty Roman Kaliuzhnyi took it. The 24-year old Ukrainian led in ERA (2.01) and complete games (22). Kaliuzhnyi added a 15-10 record over 255.2 innings, 236 strikeouts, a 162 ERA+, and 5.6 WAR.



The Asian League was a tight field with four teams within three games of the top spot. Ulaanbaatar and Yekaterinburg tied for first at 92-70, followed by two-time defending AL champ Omsk and Irkutsk both at 89-73. Chelyabinsk (85-77) and Krasnoyarsk (83-79) were also in the hunt for much of the season.

With no tiebreaker game being used, the league title and #1 seed went to the Boars on the formula. Ulaanbaatar hadn’t been a playoff team or first place finisher since 1998. Meanwhile, the Yaks extended their impressive playoff streak to a decade. Yekaterinburg has 13 playoff appearances in the last 14 years. Notably, this was their fourth year in a row as the wild card.

Asian League MVP was Chelyabinsk 1B Sergei Stoev in only his second season. The 25-year old Russian lefty led with 56 home runs, 112 RBI, 362 total bases, a .621 slugging, .951 OPS, and 175 wRC+. Stoev had 7.1 WAR and also the most strikeouts at 191. He had been picked third overall by Ufa in 2008, but didn’t sign. The Cadets picked him third in 2009, but Stoev again returned to college. The fourth pick in 2010 finally snagged him for Chelyabinsk.

Yekaterinburg ace Matvey Ivanov made history again with his 11^th and final Pitcher of the Year. It is a distinction no pitcher in world history had reached. The 37-year old Russian lefty had a 1.98 ERA over 227.2 innings with an 18-9 record, 269 strikeouts, a 165 ERA+, and 6.9 WAR.

2012 also saw Ivanov cross 4500 strikeouts, the 13^th pitcher to do so. The Yaks gave their superstar ace another two-year, $12,600,000 extension to continue on. He’d take second in 2013 POTY voting, then wrapped up with an abridged 2014 due to injury.

In the European League Championship Series, Rostov upset Kazan 4-1 to become the first expansion team to win a pennant. The Crusaders remained snake-bitten, having lost five straight ELCS appearances. Kazan also has lost seven consecutive playoff series since their 1997 title.

Yekaterinburg had lost three straight Asian League Championship Series appearances. They reversed the trend though, winning 4-2 at Ulaanbaatar. The Yaks picked up their seventh pennant since 2000 and their 11^th overall. The Boars fall to 1-3 all-time in the ALCS.



The EPB Championship newcomer Rostov gave a valiant effort in the 58^th finale, but experience paid off for Yekaterinburg. The Yaks survived in the first 4-3 finish since 2007; their most recent title. LF Aram Sargsyan was finals MVP in his fifth season with Yekaterinburg. The 33-year old Armenian had 15 hits, 8 runs, 2 doubles, 2 triples, 1 homer, and 6 RBI in 13 playoff starts.



Yekaterinburg now has an 8-3 record in the championship with wins in 1955, 1970, 1989, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, and 2012. The eight titles are tied with Kyiv for second most, while Minsk still remains the king with 13 rings. No other AL team has more than two.

The Yaks notably won their fifth title in ten years, a feat no other EPB team had achieved. This would mark the end of their reign of dominance in the Asian League, as Yekaterinburg would start a decade long playoff drought. Their next ALCS appearance would be in 2023, allowing other squads to compete for the top spot.

Other notes: Although they missed the playoffs, Moscow set a team record with 478 stolen bases, besting their own 476 from the prior year. This remains the EPB record as of 2037. C Eduard Melnychenko won his eighth Silver Slugger. Finals MVP Aram Sarsgyan won his seventh Silver Slugger.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2012 in EBF

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Two-time defending European Champion Dublin and last year’s #1 seed Cologne tied for the top record in the EBF Elite at 107-55. The Dinos had the tiebreaker to take the top slot in the Northern Conference and posted their fifth straight 100+ win season. Dublin also earned its sixth British Isles Division title in eight years. The Copperheads won a third straight North Central Division title with their fourth division title in five years.

Brussels took the Northwest Division at 98-64, edging Paris (95-67) and Amsterdam (89-73). The Beavers picked up their third straight division title. For the Poodles, they narrowly took the first wild card slot. Just behind them at 94-68 were both Birmingham and Antwerp. The Bees won a tiebreaker game over the Airedales to earn their third straight playoff berth. It was a record season for Antwerp, who had won the Second League title the prior year.

The only team above .500 in the Baltic Sea Division was 92-70 Oslo, winning a fourth consecutive division title. Thus, five of the six playoff teams from the prior season in the Northern Conference made it back. Paris was the only one who had missed in 2011, but had been a wild card in 2010. Luxembourg was the team that didn’t make it back, going from a 92-win wild card to only 79-83 in 2012.

Manchester was by far the worst team at 58-104 and was relegated. The Crushers had been a wild card in 2009, but hadn’t topped 70 wins since. London very narrowly was relegated again at 63-99, avoiding the 100-loss cut by one. The Monarchs had only been mark in the top tier for three years since their last relegation. Helsinki (64-98) almost dropped again in their second season back in the EBF Elite.

Oslo shortstop Harvey Coyle won his fourth consecutive Northern Conference MVP. The 25-year old English switch hitter led in home runs (55), total bases (421), slugging (.710), and WAR (13.2). Coyle added 101 runs, 132 RBI, a .322 average, 1.077 OPS, and 199 wRC+. He picked up his fifth Gold Glove, posting a 29.9 zone rating and 1.136 EFF.

Pitcher of the Year was Vilnius veteran Andrea Pellegrini. The 30-year old Italian righty led in ERA (1.88), WHIP (0.87), K/BB (7.9), and shutouts (8). He added 8.0 WAR, an 18-9 record, 262 strikeouts, and 195 ERA+ over 253.1 innings. This was Pellegrini’s last great season with labrum tears and a torn UCL getting him in later years. He would pitch only 308.1 innings combined over the next four seasons.

Paris swept Oslo and Brussels swept Birmingham in the first round of the playoffs. The Poodles then stunned Dublin 3-1 in round two, ending the Dinos’ three-peat bid. This was Paris’ third Northern Conference Championship berth of the decade (2004, 2006, 2012). Cologne meanwhile defeated Brussels 3-1, sending the Copperheads to their second-ever conference final (2008).

Cologne defeated Paris 4-2, becoming the first of the 2000 expansion teams to win a pennant. The Copperheads were also the first German team since Munich in 2001 to make it to the final. Bad luck continued for the Poodles, as the defeat gave them four consecutive conference finals losses.



Last year’s Southern Conference runner-up Athens earned the top seed in 2012. The Anchors finished 100-62, winning the Southeast Division for the fourth year in a row and extended their playoff streak to five. Zurich received the other bye, taking the South Central Division at 98-64. After winning the pennant in 2010, the Mountaineers had dropped to 76-86 in 2011. They had to fend off a feisty Prague at 94-68, who took the first wild card for repeat playoff berths.

Marseille secured the Southwest Division at 94-68, extending their playoff streak to four. It was their first division title since winning it all in 2009. They were five games better than Madrid and six ahead of both Lisbon and Milan.

In the East Central Division, Vienna (90-72) edged out Budapest (89-73) and Skopje (85-77). The Vultures bounced back from a 70-win 2011. Even though this was their seventh playoff berth in a decade, it was Vienna’s first division title since 2006.

The race for the second wild card was incredibly tight with the Bombers and Conquistadors tying at 89-73. The Clippers and Maulers missed by only one game, both Malta and Munich were two back, and the Stags were four behind. Budapest defeated Madrid in a tiebreaker game to end a three-year playoff drought for the Bombers.

Naples was relegated with an EBF-worst 56-106 record. It was their sixth straight losing season, although only 15 years earlier they had won it all. Bratislava would also be relegated as they lost exactly 100 games at 62-100. The Blue Falcons had won 106 in 2007, but slowly declined from there. Thus, three total teams were demoted in 2012.

For the fifth time in six years, Marseille RF Jean-Luc Tapie won Southern Conference MVP. He joined Sean Houston as EBF’s only players to win 5+ MVPs. The 27-year old French lefty led in homers (53), slugging (.704), OPS (1.128), and total bases (390). Tapie added 9.8 WAR, 208 wRC+, .339 batting average, 112 RBI, and 117 runs. The Musketeers had locked him up long-term the prior autumn on an eight-year, $88,300,000 extension.

Pitcher of the Year went to Krakow’s Rostyslav Varenyk. The 28-year old Ukrainian led with 26 quality starts, posting a 2.20 ERA over 249.1 innings with 244 strikeouts and a 22-6 record. Varenyk added a 166 ERA+ and 6.2 WAR. It was the one standout season in an otherwise journeyman career. He’d post 10.1 WAR total over the next decade bouncing around between three leagues and eight teams.

Vienna edged Prague 2-1 and Budapest edged Marseille 2-1 in the first round. The Vultures then upset top-seed Athens 3-1, while Zurich survived in five against the Bombers. Vienna hadn’t been to the Southern Conference Championship since their 2005 pennant, while the Mountaineers had a shot at their second title in three years.

The Vultures prevailed 4-2 over Zurich, making Vienna eight-time conference champs (1967, 69, 70, 72, 73, 2003, 05, 12). This put them only one pennant behind the Mountaineers, Madrid, and Barcelona; who have nine apiece.



For only the fifth time in the 63 year history of the European Championship and the first time since 1987, the series ended in a sweep. Cologne clobbered Vienna, making the Copperheads the first expansion team to win the EBF crown. The Vultures’ finals fortunes remain lousy, moving to 1-7 all-time.

Veteran LF Gabby Flor was finals MVP in his 10^th season for Cologne, posting 14 hits, 10 runs, 5 homers, and 11 RBI over 14 playoff starts. The Copperheads became the first German team since Munich in 1988 to take the cup. The other German champs were Berlin in 1958 and Munich in 1952.



Other notes: Amsterdam’s Giannis Mavromichalis threw EBF’s 33^rd perfect game on July 23, striking out 10 against Helsinki. He then threw another no-hitter with seven strikeouts and one walk against Manchester on August 29. Mavromichalis joined Hall of Famer Jean-Luc Roch (1975) and Harald Solbach (1952) as the only EBF pitchers with two no-hitters in the same season. Mavromichalis was the only of those three to have a perfecto in that season.

Blazej Swierczewski and Alan Dikov became the 25^th and 26^th sluggers to reach 500 home runs. Francisco Cruz became the 18^th to reach 1500 RBI. Sam Connor was the 28^th to reach 2500 hits and Lance de Ruiter was the 32^nd to cross 200 pitching wins. 1B Wilfried Keilbach won his eighth Gold Glove.

Promotion/Relegation: Naples, Bratislava, and Manchester were the relegated teams. Promoted were Second League finalists Gothenburg and Zaragoza, along with Reykjavik. The Crushers and Nobles took over the two E2L Western Conference slots while the Blue Falcons joined the Eastern Conference.

Manchester’s relegation allowed for Edinburgh to move out of the Northwest Division into the logical fit of the British Isles Division. Reykjavik took the Enforcers’ spot in the Northwest. Zaragoza was moved into the Southwest Division with their fellow Spanish squads. This allowed Milan to be moved out of the Southwest and back into the South Central, filling Naples’ spot.

Gothenburg was moved into the Baltic Sea Division with their Scandinavian neighbors, which required one team to switch conferences to fix the balance. Hamburg was moved out of the Baltic Sea Division to the North Central. Krakow would then be swapped from the North Central into the East Central, swapping conferences. That plugged the spot previously occupied by Bratislava.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2012 in BSA

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Callao emerged as the Bolivar League’s top seed at 103-59. Although the Cats had been a playoff team from 2008-2010, this was their first Peru-Bolivia Division title since 1967. They dethroned Santa Cruz, although the Crawfish extended their playoff streak to seven seasons by taking the first wild card at 96-66. 90-72 Arequipa was in the mix, but fell one game short of the second wild card.

Medellin had the second best record at 98-64, repeating as Colombia-Ecuador Division champs. Guayaquil’s playoff streak ended at four as they were a distant second at 86-76 with Quito third at 85-77. Meanwhile, reigning Copa Sudamerica champ Valencia narrowly won the Venezuela Division at 92-70. The Velocity only beat Barquisimeto by one game. At 91-71, the Black Cats finished one ahead of Arequipa for the second wild card. Barquisimeto’s playoff streak grew to five seasons.

Trujillo had the second-worst record in the Bolivar League at 64-98, yet LF Rico Ortega wouldn’t be denied MVP. The hometown favorite missed more than a month to a strained knee, but still led in WAR at 8.7 over 128 games. The 26-year old Ortega also led in the triple slash (.382/.436/.747), OPS (1.183), and wRC+ (200). He added 37 home runs, 103 RBI, and a Gold Glove.

Barquisimeto’s Sebastian Marquez won his third Pitcher of the Year in four years. The 26-year old Venezuelan led in wins (23-7), strikeouts (304), WHIP (0.94), and K/BB (13.2). Marquez had a 2.43 ERA over 266.2 innings with a 167 ERA+ and 8.0 WAR.

Valencia swept Barquisimeto in the first round of the playoffs, but lost 3-1 to top seed Callao in the Divisional Series. The Cats got back to the Bolivar League Championship Series for the second time in five years. On the other size, Medellin swept Santa Cruz, giving the Mutiny their first BLCS since 1998. Medellin had seen the BLCS five times from 1989-98, but lost each time.

The series was a seven-game classic with the finale requiring 11 innings. Backup catcher Hernan Valdor was the unlikely hero, a journeyman who made 74 starts in his entire career. The 27-year old Paraguayan had the walkoff RBI single to win it 6-5 in 11 innings for Callao. This ended a 55-year pennant drought for the Cats, whose only Bolivar League titles came with Copa Sudamerica wins in 1954 and 1957. Callao was also the first Peruvian league champ since Lima in 2001.



A very competitive Southern Cone League had only six wins separating the #1 seed from the #5 seed. Concepcion had the top spot at 97-65, earning repeat playoff berths. However, this was their first South Central Division title since 1991. Impressively, the Chiefs took the top seed despite having the lowest payroll in Beisbol Sudamerica at just over $101 million. Santiago was four back at 93-69, which earned repeat wild cards for the Saints. Cordoba, last year’s league runner-up, dropped hard to 73-89.

In the North Division, Brasilia prevailed at 96-66 to end a seven-year playoff drought. Fortaleza at 94-68 earned their fourth berth in five years, taking the first wild card. Two-time defending league champ Recife was 91-71, falling two games short of Santiago for the second wild card. That snapped a three-year playoff streak for the Retrievers.

The #5 seed would be Sao Paulo, three-peating as Southeast Division champs at 91-71. Their closest foe was Rosario at 87-75, who had allowed the fewest runs in the league at 567. Montevideo was only 82-80 despite tying with Fortaleza for the most runs scored at 776. Rio de Janeiro fell off a cliff to 63-99 for their first losing season in a decade. It was the worst effort by the Redbirds since winning 62 games in 1982.

Southern Cone League MVP was Montevideo left fielder Vicente Cristian. The 24-year old Paraguayan lefty became only the third player in BSA history to bat above .400, finishing at .4038. This ranked third at the time and sits eighth as of 2037. His 252 hits ranked third-best in a single-season at that point and ranks seventh in 2037.

Cristian also led in RBI (143), OBP (.435), slugging (.755), OPS (1.190), and wRC+ (239). He also had 9.8 WAR, 118 runs, and 53 home runs. Cristian’s own solid power allowed him to fend off both Antonio Arceo and Niccolo Coelho for the MVP despite the latter two both smacking 64 dingers. Cristian would stay loyal to the Venom, eventually signing an eight-year, $74,700,000 extension in June 2015.

Buneos Aires veteran Fernan Murillo won Pitcher of the Year for the third time in four years. The 34-year old Colombian lefty got his first ERA title at 2.31 and led in WHIP (0.91), and K/BB (13.6). Murillo added 6.6 WAR over 214.2 innings, a 15-9 record, 259 strikeouts, and 159 ERA+. He became the 14^th pitcher to earn 250 career wins in 2012. This would be his last stellar season, although he’d still have six more respectable seasons ahead of him.

Santiago edged Sao Paulo 2-1 in the first round, then gave Concepcion a fierce challenge in the Divisional Series. However, the Chiefs survived 3-2 against the Saints to earn their first Southern Cone Championship appearance since their late 1980s dynasty. Brasilia edged Fortaleza 3-2 on the other side, giving the Bearcats their first finals berth since 2004.

The Southern Cone Championship was also an all-timer that needed all seven games and an extra inning. After no runs were scored in regulation, Concepcion walked it off 1-0 in the 10^th inning. The Chiefs won their fourth title, joining their 1987-89 three-peat. That was also the last time a Chilean team had taken the league pennant.



After all of the LCS drama, the 82^nd Copa Sudamerica was relatively uneventful. Callao bested Concepcion 4-1, making them 3-0 all-time in the final along with their 1954 and 1957 wins. The 55-year gap was the second-longest between Cup wins, only topped by Brasilia’s 62-year gap from 1938-2002. Veteran catcher Wellinton Esparza was finals MVP in his fifth year with the Cats. The 32-year old had 16 playoff starts, 19 hits, 10 runs, 6 doubles, 6 home runs, and 15 RBI.



Other notes: Bono Claudio of Salta threw BSA’s 47^th perfect game on July 9, striking out seven against Asuncion. That was the first perfecto in BSA since Gerardo Pardo in 1999. Fortaleza’s Jomar Cardoso stole 132 bases, which sits as the second-most in BSA history behind Pascal Garcia’s 152 in 1996.