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

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2013 CLB Hall of Fame

The 2013 Hall of Fame class for Chinese League Baseball had two inductees on their debuts. Pitcher Zirong Chen led the way at 83.8% and was joined by OF Tao Yang at 74.6%. CL Chiang-Ho Yang didn’t miss the 66% requirement by much with 62.7% for his fourth try. No one else topped the 50% mark.



SP Chengxi Chen fell off the ballot after ten tries, peaking with his debut at 32.9% and ending at 9.2%. His tallies were hurt by leaving for Beisbol Sudamerica in his final six seasons. Chen had around a decade with Xiamen and posted a 119-112 record, 2.19 ERA, 2355.2 innings, 2831 strikeouts, 329 walks, 107 ERA+, and 40.7 WAR. It was a nice run, but nowhere near dominant enough to make up for having lower tallies.



Zirong Chen – Starting Pitcher – Chongqing Cavaliers – 83.8% First Ballot

Zirong Chen was a 6’1’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Zhaoqing, a prefecture-level city of more than four million in South China’s Guangdong Province. Chen was a very well-rounded pitcher with good-to-great stuff, movement, and control. His 98-100 mph cutter was his most effective pitch, but he also had a solid splitter, forkball, and changeup in the arsenal.

Chen’s stamina was pretty good compared to the other aces in China and he avoided major injuries in his 20s. He was a good defensive pitcher, but was poor at holding runners. Chen’s leadership and work ethic were both considered strong points, although he wasn’t the brightest guy.

By the 1995 CLB Draft, Chen was one of the highest ranked pitching prospects. He was selected fourth overall by Chongqing, where he’d spend his entire CLB career. Chen saw limited use initially with only three relief appearances in 1996, followed by 99 innings in 1997. He became a full-time starter from 1998 and held down that role for a decade with the Cavaliers.

Chen led the Southern League in wins in both 1998 and 2000. The latter saw career bests in ERA (1.58) and strikeouts (352) along with a 9.3 WAR effort, taking second in Pitcher of the Year voting. Chen fell off a bit in 2001, then posted league-bests 10.0 WAR and 9.1 WAR in back-to-back seasons. He led in strikeouts (310) and shutouts (6) in 2002, but didn’t earn POTY finalist recognition. He would take second in 2003 with his 1.64 ERA, but ultimately never earned the top honor.

Chongqing made the playoffs in both 1998 and 1999. The Cavaliers lost in the first round in 1998 with Chen not being used. They made the semifinal in 1999, but fell to eventual champ Beijing. He allowed four runs over 16 innings in his only playoff starts in CLB. Chongqing was generally just above average during his tenure, getting 83.1 wins per season from 1996-2007.

Chen did at least get to see some big games for China from 1999-2007 in the World Baseball Championship. He was excellent in the 2002 championship season with a 1.57 ERA over five quality starts, 40 innings, and 58 strikeouts. In total, Chen had a 12-5 record, 3.29 ERA, 164.1 innings, 204 strikeouts, 51 walks, 111 ERA+, and 2.8 WAR.

After the 2002 season, Chongqing gave Chen a five-year, $19,680,000 extension. He continued with very solid production, but did see some nagging injuries pop up near the end. A hamstring strain cost him a month in 2006, then both shoulder and forearm tendinitis cost him more than a month in 2007. His contact expired after the 2007 season and the Cavaliers let him leave for free agency at age 32.

That ultimately ended his CLB career, as he surprisingly didn’t have many decent offers. Chen found a good deal in West Africa Baseball, moving to Burkina Faso with a five-year, $17,080,000 deal with Ouagadougou. The deal was cursed right away with Chen suffering a torn flexor tendon in his elbow in June 2008. When he made it back in the summer of 2009, bone chips in his elbow knocked him out for another three months.

Chen stayed relatively healthy from 2010 onwards, but the prior injuries tanked his control. He was relegated to relief with lackluster results in 2010 and 2011 for the Osprey and didn’t reach the criteria for the fifth year of his deal. With Ouagadougou, Chen had a 25-17 record, 327.2 innings, 4.37 ERA, 368 strikeouts, 118 walks, 93 ERA+, and 2.0 WAR. Chen was unemployed in 2012 and retired that winter at age 37. Chongqing would quickly honor him by retiring his #17 uniform.

The final CLB stats for Chen: 161-116 record, 1.93 ERA, 2651.1 innings, 3017 strikeouts, 421 walks, 263/320 quality starts, 135 complete games, 42 shutouts, 127 ERA+, and 68.1 WAR. Despite a fairly short run relatively, as of 2037 Chen ranks 25^th in pitching WAR, 17^th in strikeouts, and 20^th in wins. He also sits 39^th in ERA among all CLB pitchers with 1000+ career innings.

Chen fairly quietly put together an excellent career. Even though he didn’t have the awards and playoff accolades, his stats spoke for themselves regarding how good he was in his prime. The voters agreed, giving Chen 83.8% for a first ballot induction with CLB’s 2013 Hall of Fame class.



Tao Yang – Left/Center Field – Kunming Muscle – 74.6% First Ballot

Tao Yang was a 6’4’’, 205 pound left-handed outfielder from Hangzhou, China. Yang was a prolific home run hitter, especially in the incredibly low-scoring world of Chinese baseball. He led the Southern League in homers eight times and topped 40+ homers in ten different seasons. In his prime, some scouts gave Yang’s home run power a 10/10. He was especially dominant against right-handed pitching with a 223 wRC+ and .928 OPS in CLB. He wasn’t a bum against lefties with a 139 wRC+ and .662 OPS.

Yang was above average against righties as a contact hitter, but firmly below average against lefties. He was quite solid at drawing walks, but had a lousy strikeout rate. Yang’s power was generally focused on dingers with only 15 doubles and 11 triples per his 162 game average. He had average speed, but his baserunning ability was lousy.

Defensively, Yang had around 2/3s of his starts in left field with most of the rest in center. He graded as a very good defender in left and a poor one in center, lacking the range needed to cover the middle. Yang had some injury woes, but his adaptability and work ethic pushed him through it for an excellent 20 year career. Yang was also known for being outspoken, especially for speaking truth to power. This often rubbed powerful figures in the league and Chinese government the wrong way, but made him popular with many fans and teammates.

Yang was hitting towering home runs even in the amateur ranks, soaring up the prospect charts by the 1991 CLB Draft. Kunming picked him second overall and he was an immediate star. Yang’s rookie year of 1992 saw 42 home runs and 7.7 WAR, picking up a Silver Slugger and Rookie of the Year. His sophomore season saw a significant setback with a stretched elbow ligament costing him nearly the entire season. Yang returned with a good effort in 1994.

1995 was an historic effort with 55 home runs, a mark that had been reached only thrice prior in CLB. Yang also led the league and posted career bests in runs (92), total bases (356), slugging (.650), OPS (.985), wRC+ (263), and WAR (12.0). He led with 95 RBI and his .270 average would be a CLB career high. Yang won his first MVP and his second Silver Slugger. Kunming knew they had a superstar on their hands and signed Yang to an eight-year, $18,820,000 extension that winter.

From here, Yang led the league in home runs in seven of the next eight seasons. He also led in RBI twice more, walks once, and total bases twice. Yang won additional Silver Sluggers in 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003. With Kunming, Yang topped 7+ WAR in eight different seasons. Despite his efforts, the Muscle were stuck just outside the playoffs in the 1990s, averaging 84 wins per season from 1992-1999.

Kunming finally became a contender and made it to the China Series in 2000, 2002, and 2003. Yang won his second MVP in 2000, leading in home runs (52), total bases (323), slugging (.619), OPS (.956), and wRC+ (225) while adding 9.8 WAR. He was the first in CLB history to breach 50+ homers twice and was the only one until the mid 2010s. 2000 was an impressive bounce-back for Yang, as he suffered a torn PCL in August 1999 that shelved him seven months.

A strained oblique kept Yang out for part of the 2000 playoffs, although he had three homers and four RBI in five games. Kunming lost to Guangzhou in the final. They just missed the 2001 playoffs, although Yang still took second in MVP voting. He won his third MVP in 2002 with 47 home runs and 8.2 WAR. The Muscle would win their second CLB title, besting Shenyang in the China Series. Yang was merely okay in the 2002 playoff run with a 106 wRC+ and 0.3 WAR over 12 starts.

Yang was second in 2003’s MVP voting on a 44 homer, 8.8 WAR season. He put the 100-win Muscle on his back in the playoffs, where they ultimately fell 4-2 to Harbin in the China Series. Yang was semifinal MVP with an all-time playoff run over 12 starts, getting 17 hits, 15 runs, 8 home runs, 4 doubles, 2 triples, 11 RBI, a 1.443 OPS, 410 wRC+, and 2.0 WAR. This tied the then playoff record for playoff homers.

This also marked the end of his playing days in Chinese League Baseball. Yang had passed Hao Lan’s 437 career home runs in 2002 to become CLB’s home run king, setting three shy of 500. His Kunming deal expired heading into his age 35 season and he had worldwide attention. There were also those in CLB who disliked his outspoken nature and didn’t want such a vocal guy to keep soaring up the all-time leaderboards. All of this prompted Yang to leave for Major League Baseball.

He remained one of China’s most popular baseball stars even if he was outspoken. Even after leaving, the national team had to keep him on the World Baseball Championship squad despite the reluctance of some government officials. Yang’s beastly power had helped the Chinese team to their mid 1990s dominance. They won world titles in 1993 and 1994 and were runner-up in 1995 and 1996. Yang was also there for the 2002 world title and 2007 runner-up finish.

Yang also was second in 1994’s MVP voting with an impressive 13 home runs, 22 run, 26 RBI performance over 26 starts with a 1.144 OPS. For his WBC career from 1993-2008, Yang had 219 games, 198 starts, 158 hits, 129 runs, 14 doubles, 82 home runs, 150 RBI, 85 walks, a .219/.311/.588 slash, 151 wRC+, and 7.5 WAR. As of 2037, he ranks 11^th in all WBC players in home runs and 22^nd in RBI.

For 2004, the soon-to-be 35-year old Yang signed a four-year, $41,200,000 deal with MLB’s Austin Amigos. A hamstring strain cost him more than a month in 2004. At full strength the next two years, he hit 39 and 42 home runs, peaking with a 5.5 WAR effort in 2006. Yang had a good pace in 2007, but lost half of the season from a strained abdominal muscle.

He wasn’t an award winner with Austin, but was a solid veteran slugger over 505 games with 451 hits, 281 runs, 124 home runs, 278 RBI, a .250/.313/.514 slash, 124 wRC+, and 15.5 WAR. A free agent again nearing age 39, Yang stayed in Texas on a three-year, $30,500,000 deal with Houston.

Age started to catch up with various injuries costing him roughly half of both the 2008 and 2009 campaigns. Yang was back for the 2008 playoffs with Houston, but was pedestrian with a 97 wRC+ over 13 games. The Hornets lost the American Association Championship Series to San Diego. Yang didn’t meet the vesting criteria for the third season, becoming a free agent again heading into his 40s.

With Houston, he had 169 games, 153 hits, 88 runs, 33 home runs, 110 RBI, a .250/.312/.466 slash, 114 wRC+, and 4.1 WAR. For his six seasons in MLB, he had 604 hits, 369 runs, 58 doubles, 39 triples, 157 home runs, 388 RBI, a .250/.313/.502 slash, 121 wRC+, and 19.6 WAR. This was a very solid run for a guy who entered arguably the top league in the world in his mid to late 30s.

Yang still wanted to play somewhere and eventually found a home in Australia as OBA’s Brisbane gave him a three-year, $9,200,000 deal. He was merely decent in 2010 with 1.4 WAR over 143 games. Yang would struggle in 2011 with -1.1 WAR over 86 games. The run ended in disaster with a ruptured Achilles tendon on August 31. This effectively ended his career. Yang tried to make a 2012 comeback after rehabbing, but was unsigned. He officially retired in the winter of 2012 at age 43.

For his combined pro career, Yang had 2585 games, 2213 hits, 1298 runs, 232 doubles, 171 triples, 682 home runs, 1424 RBI, 796 walks, 158 stolen bases, a .243/.307/.531 slash, 172 wRC+, and 112.2 WAR. Just in CLB with Kunming, he had 1416 hits, 843 runs, 148 doubles, 115 triples, 497 home runs, 945 RBI, 539 walks, 131 stolen bases, a .240/.306/.556 slash, 203 wRC+, and 92.4 WAR.

Yang stayed the CLB home run king until the early 2020s with the “dead ball” Chinese League seeing a slight uptick in offense from the 2020s onward. Still, as of 2037 Yang ranks seventh in dingers. He also sits 31^st in RBI and 32^nd in WAR among position players. Among all hitters with 3000+ plate appearances, Yang sits 24^th in slugging percentage.

In the 1990s and early 2000s, Yang was THE home run hitter of Chinese baseball. Had he stuck around, his final overall tallies likely would’ve placed him more favorably among CLB’s tip-top greats. The lower final accumulations and his outspoken nature probably are why Yang only got 74.6%. That was plenty though for the deserved first ball Hall of Fame nod in 2013.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2013 WAB Hall of Fame

West Africa Baseball didn’t add any players into the Hall of Fame in 2013 for the first blank ballot since 2007. The top performer was RF Ada Nwankwo at 59.2% on his fourth ballot. The top debut was 3B Yakubu Odiye at 53.7%. SP Alusine Sadiq also topped 50% with 52.9% for his fifth ballot.



Dropped after ten failed ballots included LF Ferdinand Chihana, who had a 14-year career between Lome and Port Harcourt. The Malawian switch hitter was MVP in 1989 and won six Silver Sluggers while also helping the Hillcats win the 1995 title. Chihana had 1848 hits, 1027 runs, 392 doubles, 112 triples, 382 home runs, 1096 RBI, 507 stolen bases, a .275/.305/.538 slash, 136 wRC+, and 47.9 WAR.

Advanced stats weren’t kind to Chihana, who struck out a lot and played terrible defense. Injuries also cost him some potential longevity. Chihana debuted at 38.2% and never fell below 30%. He peaked with 48.3% on his final shot, getting banished to the Hall of Pretty Good.

SP Akeem Adeniran also fell off after ten ballots, peaking at 31.9% on his second ballot and ending with a mere 13.8%. He was hurt by leaving for CABA in his final four seasons with Monterrey. With Kumasi in ten WAB seasons, Adeniran had a 133-102 record, 3.09 ERA, 2057 innings, 2611 strikeouts, 410 walks, 124 ERA+, and 55.9 WAR. As of 2037, he still ranks 35^th in pitching WAR.

With his four seasons in Mexico, Adeniran had a 197-133 record, 3.03 ERA, 3007.2 innings, 3634 strikeouts, 125 ERA+, and 75.6 WAR. That full line probably gets him in, but his WAB run just didn’t have the accumulations. Adeniran also the lacked black ink and awards that could’ve gotten him in despite low final tallies.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2013 SAB Hall of Fame

South Asia Baseball had back-to-back blank Hall of Fame ballots for the first time since their first inductee in 1992. SP Raja Ahmad Saari barely missed the 66% cut with a debut at 63.8%. 1B Sunil Lamichhane was close as well on his fifth try at 62.3%. Also cracking 50% were C Kumar Patel at 58.4% on his sixth ballot, RF Han Kywe Khant debuting with 56.4%, and RF Teerapat Siriyakorn with a 51.4% second try. No players were dropped after ten failed tries.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2013 ABF Hall of Fame

The Asian Baseball Federation had a four-player 2012 Hall of Fame class, but that left them with an empty group in 2013. Only two got close to the 66% requirement, led by a debuting catcher Alireza Omidvar at 64.8%. S Sa’id Farahani had 62.8% in his third attempt. No one else topped 50% and no players were dropped after ten failed ballots.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2013 ALB Hall of Fame

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SP Ahmed Khandour was the lone addition into the Arab League Baseball Hall of Fame in 2013. On his third ballot, Khandour reached the 66% requirement with a nice 69.3%. SP Nacerdine Rahim was the next closest with 58.3% on his eighth ballot. 2B Ahmad Abbas was the other player above 50% with a 53.9% third try. The top debut was SP Ali Al-Shakal with 42.6%. No players were cut from the ballot after ten tries.



Ahmed Khandour – Starting Pitcher – Alexandria Astronauts – 69.3% Third Ballot

Ahmed Khandour was a 6’5’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Talkha, Egypt, a city of 413,000 located about 120 kilometers northeast of Cairo. Khandour was a balanced arm with above average to good stuff and movement along with average control. He reached 97-99 mph peak velocity with an arsenal of cutter, splitter, curveball, and slider.

Although complete games are less common in ALB than other leagues, Khandour very rarely went the distance relative to his peers. He was one of the most respected guys in the game, known for excellent leadership and adaptability, plus an excellent work ethic.

Khandour quickly emerged as one of the top overall prospects for the 1993 ALB Draft. The other Egyptian teams took notice of their countryman with Alexandria selecting him ninth overall. Khandour’s entire pro career came with the Astronauts. He also regularly represented Egypt in the World Baseball Championship from 1994-2003, posting a 3.23 ERA over 122.2 innings, 7-8 record, 124 strikeouts, 47 walks, 112 ERA+, and 2.1 WAR.

Khandour was a full-time start immediately and had an excellent rookie year with a 2.62 ERA, 20-7 record, and 6.9 WAR. He finished third in both Rookie of the Year and Pitcher of the Year voting. Khandour was more efficient in 1995, but missed nearly two months to injuries. Alexandria won their first-ever Egypt Division title, but lost in the Western Conference Final to Casablanca. Khandour had a 2.02 ERA over 13.1 playoff innings. Alexandria was solid in the next seven seasons with an average of 88 wins per season, but they couldn’t crack the playoff field.

Khandour’s lone Pitcher of the Year came in 1996, winning an ERA title at 2.13 and leading in quality starts at 28. This also saw Khandour’s career best WAR at 8.1. He would top 6+ six times in his career. Khandour placed second in 1997 and 2000’s POTY voting. 2000 saw another ERA title with a career-best 2.02. Khandour also led with a career-best 0.91 WHIP, 196 ERA+, and 31 quality starts while also posting 7.9 WAR and 306 strikeouts.

2001 saw a career-best 310 strikeouts, taking third in POTY voting. Alexandria gave him a four-year, $9,220,000 extension with that. Heading into his age 31 season, the Astronauts figured their ace would continue to roll on. However, 2001 proved to be his final full season.

Khandour had 25 starts in 2002 with decent results, although his 3.24 ERA was his first time above three. The season ended with rotator cuff inflammation in late July. Alexandria would take the top seed and win the conference title, falling in the Arab League Championship to Dubai. Khandour had to watch the festivities in a sling.

2003 started with a strained oblique in spring training, then a strained abdominal muscle in May. In June, Khandour tore his rotator cuff, knocking him out 12 months. When he returned in 2004, he only saw nine relief appearances in the regular season. Khandour did make a quality start in the playoffs as Alexandria lost in the conference final to Beirut.

Khandour’s control was ruined by the rotator cuff tear, but he still tried to make it work in 2005. A ruptured finger tendon kept him out almost the entire season. Khandour only had four relief appearances, allowing six runs in 3.1 innings. He was unsigned in 2006 and retired that winter at age 35. Alexandria would honor him by retiring his #31 uniform; the first to be taken out of circulation by the Astronauts.

The final stats saw a 152-72 record, 2.60 ERA, 2011 innings, 2345 strikeouts, 412 walks, 213/307 quality starts, 14 complete games, 148 ERA+, and 59.8 WAR. The rate stats show how excellent Khandour was and even though he only won Pitcher of the Year once, he was a regular finalist in his prime. As of 2037, he ranks ninth in ERA among any pitcher with 1000+ innings. Khandour also ranks 15^th in WHIP and even sits 28^th in WAR despite the injuries.

However, the overall accumulations were on the low-end, sitting 41^st in wins and 65^th in strikeouts. Some voters felt he just didn’t have the required longevity, thus Khandour got 57.5% and 65.1% in his first two ballots. His brief dominance and his respected leadership was enough for the majority of voters though. Khandour got 69.3% on his third ballot, earning his spot as the lone ALB Hall of Fame inductee of 2013.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2013 AAB Hall of Fame

The African Association of Baseball still didn’t add its first Hall of Famer in 2013, but they got as close as they ever have. On his third ballot, CL Jaures Ibara received 65.6%, less than a full percent short of the 66% requirement. CF Bawaka Ngoie also had 61.3% on his fourth ballot, slightly down from the 62.0% the prior year.



1B Abebe Chekol was the top debut at 60.7%. SP Hendrik Jongman had 59.5% in his sixth ballot and 1B Boubacar Mavinga saw 50.9% on his second ballot. No one else cracked 50% and no players were dropped after ten failed ballots. The next year would finally see someone break the AAB HOF seal.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2013 World Baseball Championship

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The 67^th World Baseball Championship was hosted in Nanning, China. Division 1 saw Guatemala emerge from a very competitive field at 7-2, finishing one game ahead of last year’s runner-up Italy, the DR Congo, and Taiwan. This was the fifth division title for the Guatemalans, who last did it with a fourth place overall finish in 2009.

England and the United States tied at 7-2 in Division 2, while Sweden was 6-3. The English had the head-to-head win to advance for the eighth time. This was only the third time in WBC history that the Americans missed the Round Robin in back-to-back WBCs, joining 1986-87 and 1969-70.

Myanmar secured D3 at 7-2, edging host China and Spain at 6-3. This was the second-ever division title for Myanmar, who took fourth in 2001. The defending world champion Romania struggled to 3-6 in D3. Ethiopia went 8-1 atop Division 4 with both Afghanistan and Kazakhstan their closest foes at 6-3. It was the third division title for the Ethiopians, who most recently had finished fourth in 2008.

Division 5 had a three-way tie for first at 7-2 between Canada, India, and Australia. The Canadians took the tiebreaker, advancing for the 37^th time and the first time since 2010. D6 went to 8-1 Ukraine with their nearest foe being 6-3 Czechia. That gives the Ukrainians nine division titles with their last coming in 2007.

All ten teams were within two games of first in Division 7. Scotland prevailed at 6-3, followed by Malaysia, Nigeria, and Slovakia at 5-4, then everyone else at 4-5. The Scots grabbed their fourth division title, ending a drought dating back to 1977.

In Division 8, Poland tied with Russia at 7-2, followed by Iran at 6-3. The Poles had the tiebreaker for their sixth division title; their first in 44 years going back to 1969. No teams were unbeaten in divisional play in 2013 and eight different teams advanced compared to 2012. The last four years had seen significant parity with the 32 division titles claimed by 27 different nations.

England took first in Double Round Robin Group A at 4-2. Ethiopia and Canada were 3-3, while Scotland was 2-4. The Ethiopians had the tiebreaker to advance to their second-ever semifinal, joining the fourth place from 2008. The English moved to the semifinal for the fourth time (1963, 1975, 2011, 2013).

Group B was dominated by Ukraine at 5-1. The Ukrainians earned a third trip to the final four, having taken runner-up in both 1958 and 1983. Guatemala advanced as well at 3-3, topping 2-4 efforts by Myanmar and Poland. This was the third semifinal for the Guatemalans, who took third in 1968 and fourth in 2009.

England cruised to a semifinal sweep of Guatemala, while Ukraine outlasted Ethiopia 3-2. The Ethiopians officially took third, their highest-ever finish. The 67^th World Championship was guaranteed to crown the 14^th unique nation as champ. Both countries had been there before with the English losing two years prior to the United States and Ukraine losing to the US in 1958 and to Germany in 1983. It was also back-to-back finals between two European nations and the third all-Europe final.



For the first time since 2002, the finale needed all seven games. England edged Ukraine for the title, led by Tournament MVP Harvey Coyle. The 25-year old shortstop had won four straight EBF Northern Conference MVPs with Oslo. In 25 games, Coyle had 33 hits, 20 runs, 4 doubles, 14 home runs, 30 RBI, a .333/.383/.798 slash, and 2.0 WAR.

England also had the Best Pitcher winner in Leo Bhagwan, a 24-year old closer in the Second League with Liverpool. He had 13 appearances with a 0.76 ERA over 23.2 innings, 5-1 record, 7 saves, 11 shutdowns, 47 strikeouts, and 9 hits allowed for a 502 ERA+ and 1.5 WAR.



With the loss, Ukraine joins Italy at 0-3 in their finals appearances; the most defeats by a nation without a world title. Their top performer was LF Anatoliy Kucherenko, twice a Second League MVP with Odessa. In 27 starts, he had 25 hits, 23 runs, 13 home runs, 21 RBI, and 14 stolen bases.

Other notes: Japan’s Heihachiro Okasawa struck out 22 over 8.1 innings against Kazakhstan. It was the 12^th time in WBC history that a pitcher had 22+ Ks in a game and the third time it had happened in fewer than nine innings. Greece’s Stefanos Emmanoulidis became the 15^th player to hit for the cycle in the WBC, doing it against Peru.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2013 in E2L

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Rome took the top spot in the European Second League’s Western Conference at 109-53. Valencia gave them a run at 105-57 with the Vandals earning a third straight playoff appearance. The other two spots went to Cardiff (95-67) and Stuttgart (89-73). The Crew bounced back after a lousy 69-93 the prior year. The Silver Sabres earned their third playoff appearance in four years. Berlin (82-80), Turin (81-81), and Toulouse (80-82) were just short in the wild card mix.



Four wins separated the top four teams in the Eastern Conference. Tirana took first at 100-62, besting Tbilisi by one game at 93-63. Both Brno and Ljubljana were next at 96-66. It was repeat playoff appearances for all but the Bandits, who had their first-ever winning season. Dnipro (91-71) and Odessa (89-73) were the only other teams that were competitive with that group.

Advancing from the Round Robin in the Western Conference were the top two as Valencia went 5-1 and Rome was 4-2. Stuttgart finished 2-4 and Cardiff went 1-5. The Vandals then upset the Red Wolves 4-3 in a classic for the conference title and a guaranteed promotion. Valencia had been the first Second League champ and spent four seasons in the EBF Elite before getting relegated back for four seasons.



Brno and Tirana advanced to the Eastern Conference Championship with 4-2 Round Robin records, while Tbilisi and Ljubljana both were 1-5. The Bandits then downed the Trojans 4-1 to earn their first-ever promotion. In the Second League Championship, Valencia defeated Brno 4-2, making the Vandals to first franchise to win the E2L title twice.



Ultimately, five EBF Elite teams had 100+ losses, which enabled five promotions out of the E2L. Semifinalists Rome and Tirana both were promoted as was Tbilisi as the top performer of the remaining playoff teams. The Red Wolves and the Trains return to the top tier after four seasons in E2L. The Trojans’ Second League stay lasted three seasons.

Other notes: Turn’s Christopher Goddard set still-standing E2L records for batting average (.369), hits (232), and singles (171). Valencia’s Felipe Macias set the OBP record at .476. The Vandals’ Odon Torgyan set the E2L playoff record for wins, going 5-0 in his five starts. He had a 0.88 ERA with 32 strikeouts. His Valencia teammate Spencer Matebwe set the playoff saves record with 8. He had a 0.81 ERA over 22.1 innings with 32 strikeouts.

Sheffield’s Don Ransom had the ninth Perfect Game in E2L history, striking out six against Palermo on August 15. Stuttgart’s Dieter Launhardt tossed his fourth no-hitter, a mark no one else has reached. He also won his third Pitcher of the Year award for the Silver Sabres. Odessa’s Yannick Thomas repeated as POTY in the Eastern Conference. Cardiff’s Charlie Gray won his second MVP.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2013 in AAB

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Defending Southern Conference champ Lusaka took first place in the standings for the third straight season and earned a fourth playoff berth in a row. The Lake Monsters finished 102-60 for a comfortable eight-game lead over second place. That went to Harare at 94-68 for their second-ever playoff berth, joining their 2010 pennant season. The Hustlers had seen back-to-back third place finishes since then.

Harare had the fewest runs allowed (594) while Lusaka scored the most (881) in the SC. Johannesburg was a close third at 91-71, ending a four-year stretch of losing seasons. Maputo, who had been second in 2011 and 2012, dropped to fourth at 89-73.

Lusaka RF Hamad Ali won Southern Conference MVP and broke AAB’s single-season runs scored record with 153. Mwarami Tale had the previous record with 146 in 2006. At the time, Ali also had the fourth-most in a season in any world league, only behind the bonkers 172, 167, and 167 by SAB’s Majed Darwish. Ali’s mark would hold in AAB until 2028 and still ranks second as of 2037.

The 28-year old Tanzanian lefty also led with 68 home runs, 155 RBI, 192 hits, 438 total bases, .711 slugging, 1.121 OPS, 192 wRC+, and 9.4 WAR. Ali would have a few more good years, but would decline sharply in his early 30s. Still, the 2013 effort was definitely one for the record books.

Pitcher of the Year went to Durban’s Amari Yimer. The 26-year old Ethiopian righty won the ERA title at 2.54 and had a 162 ERA+ and 58 FIP-. Yimer had 7.3 WAR over 208.2 innings with 255 strikeouts and a 14-5 record. Sadly, Yimer never had 100+ innings in any season after, falling off hard after a torn elbow ligament in early 2014.



Addis Ababa at 105-57 looked to continue the dynasty in the Central Conference. The five-time defending Africa Series champs finished atop the conference standings for the eighth consecutive season. This Brahmas pitching staff was historic, setting AAB team records for ERA (2.88), runs allowed (512), earned runs (474), and WHIP (1.047). Each of those remains AAB all-time bests as of 2037. AA also allowed 1123 hits with a 6.83 H/9, both ranking third in conference history.

They would see a new challenger as Nairobi took second at 94-68, earning their first-ever playoff berth. This left Lilongwe, Brazzaville, and Kampala as the only AAB teams without a playoff appearance. The Night Hawks finished five ahead of Bujumbura (89-73) and six ahead of Kinshasa (88-74). Kigali, who had been second in the prior two seasons, dropped to eighth at 70-92.

Mwarami Tale took the Central Conference MVP to become the first (and as of 2037, only) seven-time MVP in AAB history. In his fourth season with Addis Ababa, the 32-year old Tanzanian led in runs (121), RBI (138), total bases (394), slugging (.714), OPS (1.117), wRC+ (207), and WAR (10.2). Tale also smacked 64 home runs with a .308 batting average, earning his eighth Silver Slugger.

Kinshasa’s Paulin Pongo repeated as Pitcher of the Year. The 27-year old Congolese righty led in wins (20-8), quality starts (23), shutouts (3), FIP- (63), and WAR (7.6). Pongo also had a 2.61 ERA, 148 ERA+, and 269 strikeouts over 231 innings. In the offseason, Pongo signed a five-year, $32,300,000 extension with the Sun Cats.

Lusaka repeated as Southern Conference Champion, defeating Harare 4-2. On the other side, Addis Ababa downed Nairobi 4-2 for an eighth consecutive Central Conference pennant. The Brahmas joined WAB’s Kano, SAB’s Ahmedabad and OBA’s Melbourne as the only teams in any world league to win 8+ consecutive subleague titles.



In the 19^th Africa Series, Addis Ababa claimed their rematch with Lusaka 5-3 for an unprecedented sixth straight title. Conference MVP Mwarami Tale won Africa Series MVP for the third straight season and is believed to be the only player in any world league with three consecutive finals MVPs. In 13 playoff starts, Tale had 14 hits, 16 runs, 4 doubles, 7 home runs, 15 RBI, 12 walks, 263 wRC+, and 1.4 WAR.



The Brahmas became the first team in any world league to six-peat. A couple of the other great dynasties had won six in seven, including Kinshasa in AAB from 1997-2003, but AA’s six-peat stands alone in history as of 2037. It is a fair debate on if Addis Ababa or Kinshasa had the better run, since the Sun Cats also had 10 finals appearances in 11 years compared to the Brahmas’ eight straight. Regardless, it stands as one of the finest runs in baseball history.

2013 would also mark the end of their great dynasty. Addis Ababa would fall in the conference championship in 2014, then go on a decade-long streak without a playoff berth. Six-time MVP Felix Chaula left after the 2013 season for Mogadishu and Tale would leave in free agency for Johannesburg after the 2014 season.

Manager Orville Sneddon also joined former Kinshaha manager Alimayu Kiros with six championships. Only seven managers in world history have six or more titles. The Scotsman had a unique path to Ethiopia after an unremarkable pitching career from 1985-92 in Europe. Sneddon was Kigali’s bench coach from 2000-02 before taking over the Brahmas job in 2003. He won Manager of the Year seven times and would retire after the 2015 season with a 1271-835 record.

Sneddon’s .604 winning percentage is the best among any AAB manager with 1000+ games. Kiros would have him beat in total wins at 1359-909 and remained the AAB’s winngest manager until passed by Hakim Grant in 2027.

Other notes: Bujumbura 1B Luke Tembo set the AAB record for most strikeouts in a season with 241, a mark he still holds in 2037. Despite that, Tembo smacked 65 home runs in 2013, leading the conference for the seventh time. It was also his seventh 60+ homer season, which led all AAB players. It wasn’t a world record though, as the all-time home run king Nordine Soule had ten 60+ dinger seasons in his Arab League career.

Kinshasa’s Reginald Ulengo set a single-season AAB record that still holds with 4.85 hits allowed per nine innings. He allowed only 98 hits over 182 innings. However, Ulengo’s ERA+ would only be 117, since he also walked the most batters in the conference at 133.

Brazzaville’s Augustin Garba threw AAB’s second-ever perfect game. Most impressively, he did it against the champs with 14 strikeouts versus Addis Ababa on August 24. The only other perfect game had come back in 2002 by Seth Zoontjes. Ndjamena’s Simpson Ndebele had a 30-game hit streak, besting Arsenio Barroso’s record of 29 from 2004. Ndebele’s wouldn’t be passed until 2027.

Felix Chaula became the first to reach 800 career home runs. Mwarami Tale and Marlin Kimwaki both passed 1500 RBI, joining Chaula and Mohau Sibiya as the only AAB guys to do so. Chaula also became the first 12-time Silver Slugger winner. It was his first as a left fielder with the previous 11 in right field. 2B Fani Ngambi won his ninth Silver Slugger.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2013 in AAB

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Alexandria had the Arab League’s best overall record at 107-55 to earn the Western Conference’s top seed. The Astronauts earned a third straight Nile Division title and had to thrive against a stacked field. They had by far the best pitching with 532 runs allowed and 3.03 ERA; the next best in the conference was 627 and 3.65. Alexandria’s 1.01 WHIP was also the third lowest in conference history.

Cairo was second in the Nile Division at 97-65 and had by far the conference’s second best record, but was thwarted by only division champs making the playoffs. Even 83-79 Khartoum and 81-81 Giza were comparable to the other two division champs.

Defending conference champ Tripoli was only 83-79, but that was enough to win the Mediterranean Division by seven games over Algiers. Beirut was the best in the Levant Division at 80-82, becoming the second-ever ALB division champ to finish below .500. The Bluebirds did end an eight-year playoff drought as Amman’s five-year hold on the division ended. The Aviators were second at 76-86, followed by 75-87 Jerusalem and 72-90 Damascus.

Western Conference MVP went to Khartoum 1B Ali Jassem, who led in home runs (66), RBI (142), total bases (422), slugging (.676), OPS (1.028), wRC+ (180), and WAR (7.5). His 66 homers was only the seventh time in ALB that 65+ had been breached. Jassem had done it himself with 65 two years prior.

Alexandria’s Amar Ratim won Pitcher of the Year in his third full season. Nicknamed “The Skull,” the 23-year old hometown favorite led in ERA (2.05), and WHIP (0.95). Ratim added 7.4 WAR and a 188 ERA+ with 238 strikeouts and a 14-5 record over 206.2 innings.

Beirut swept Tripoli in the first round, giving the Bluebirds only their second-ever Western Conference Final appearance (2004). They were no match for Alexandria, as the Astronauts cruised to a 3-0 sweep. Alexandria won its third pennant, having also taken the conference crown in 2011 and 2002.



Sulaymaniyah was a stunning #1 seed in the Eastern Conference, as the Sultans hadn’t finished above .500 in 19 years. At 106-56, they took their first Iraq Division title since winning it in ALB’s first three seasons of 1990-92. This dethroned Basra and ended their ALB-record decade-long playoff streak. The Bulldogs struggled to a lackluster 73-89 for only their third losing season in 20 years.

Jeddah won a third straight Saudi Division title at 93-69, finishing eight better than Medina and ten ahead of Mecca. Reigning Arab League champ Abu Dhabi again won the Gulf Division, although it was a tight race. The Destroyers at 87-75 beat out 83-79 efforts by both Dubai and Kuwait. AD earned its third division title in four years.

Veteran 2B Mohamed Mustafa won his second Eastern Conference MVP in three years. In his 10^th season with Abu Dhabi, Mustafa led in home runs (54) and posted 10.2 WAR, a 200 wRC+, and 1.078 OPS. Mustafa also had a .348 average, 214 hits, 108 runs, and 125 RBI. He also earned his seventh Silver Slugger with the effort.

Sulaymaniyah’s Abdelmalek Kamal won Pitcher of the Year with a historic effort. The 26-year old Tunisian righty had 434 strikeouts, breaking the record of 410 held by Kamal himself and also Ahmad Abu Kabeer. As of 2037, Kamal’s 434 is still the ALB record and no one else has topped 400.

Kamal was also six points from a Triple Crown season with a 19-6 record and 2.51 ERA. He also was the leader in WHIP (0.88), innings (254.1), K/BB (14.0), FIP- (49), and WAR (10.9) with a 151 ERA+. The Sultans signed him to a seven-year, $19,640,000 extension in May 2011, although Kamal would opt out after 2015 and leave for MLB.

Jeddah swept Abu Dhabi 2-0 in round one, ousting the defending champs. It was only the third time the Jackals had been in the Eastern Conference Final, having lost in 1999 and 2001. Sulaymaniyah won pennants in 1990 and 1991 and lost in the 1992 ECF, but hadn’t been back to the playoffs since. Despite the top seed, the Sultans would get swept 3-0 by Jeddah. The Jackals were the first Saudi pennant winner since Medina in 2007.



The 24^th Arab League Championship was guaranteed to have the 14^th unique first time champ. Alexandria had been there twice before with defeats, but they were the heavy favorite at 107-55. However, Jeddah pulled off the upset 4-2 to bring the trophy back to Saudi Arabia. Pitcher Khamis Sheik had an impressive playoff run, going 4-0 over 22.1 innings with a 1.21 ERA and 24 strikeouts. Four wins remains the ALB playoff record.



Other notes: Alexandria’s Mostafa Nabil set a playoff record for K/9 with 19.01, striking out 50 over 23.2 innings with a 1.52 ERA. After winning four Pitcher of the Year awards with Medina, Nabil signed a massive seven-year, $90,300,000 deal with the Astronauts for 2013. Nabil also had a 21-strikeout game in the regular season against Beirut, tying the ALB single-game record reached by only himself in 2007 and Vladik Giorgadze in 2009.

Riyadh’s Samer Al-Mousa became the third to reach 700 career home runs, the fifth to 2500 hits, and the third to 1500 runs scored. Mosul’s offense drew 560 walks, which remains a single-season ALB record as of 2037. It didn’t do them any good though, as they had ALB’s worst record at 61-101 and the fewest hits of any team.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2013 in ABF

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The top two records in the ABF East League came out of the South Division. Faisalabad took the top spot at 100-62, extending their playoff streak to four. Hyderabad was four back at 96-66, grabbing the first wild card. The Horned Frogs earned a third playoff berth in a row and their sixth in seven years.

Tashkent and Dushanbe tied for the North Division title at 91-71. No tiebreaker game was used with the formula giving the Tomcats the division title and the Dynamo the wild card. Both ended significant playoff droughts with Tashkent’s last berth in 2002 and Dushanbe’s in 2004. The next closest in the wild card race were Bishkek (83-79) and defending EL champ Lahore (82-80). Almaty’s four-year playoff streak also ended with a lackluster 70-92 season.

Fresh off a record-setting rookie campaign, Dushanbe shortstop Nizami Aghazade repeated as East League MVP. He was on pace for a truly bonkers season, but missed about two months to an oblique strain. Despite only playing 119 games, Aghazade matched his 2012 WAR total with 13.9 again. He also had an absurd 313 wRC+ and 1.302 OPS.

Even with the injury, the 25-year old Kazakh righty led in home runs (47), RBI (107), and runs (105). He just missed out on the 502 plate appearances required for league-leading status in rate stats, but in 490 PAs posted a .399/.471/.830 slash. Those would’ve all been ABF single-season records if qualifying. He also had a 30-game hit streak in the summer, a six-hit game in April, and won Batter of the Month four times.

Pitcher of the Year went to Gujranwala’s Pedram Dadashzadeh, who led in ERA (1.98), and WHIP (0.86). The 26-year old Iranian righty had a 13-11 record over 223 innings, 302 strikeouts, 155 ERA+, and 6.0 WAR. Sadly, Dadashzadeh tore his rotator cuff the following season and only tossed 42.1 innings after his 27^th birthday.

Dushanbe upset Faisalabad 3-2 in a first round classic, while Hyderabad earned the road sweep over Tashkent. Despite the Horned Frogs regular playoff appearances in the last decade, they hadn’t been to the East League Championship Series since their 1999 title. They had suffered seven consecutive first round exits since the league expansion and realignment in for 2000.

The Dynamo earned their first ELCS since 2004, having won pennants that year and in 2001. In six games, Hyderabad held off Dushanbe to finally end their playoff woes. Even with the drought, the Horned Frogs’ got their sixth pennant (1986, 87, 97, 98, 99, 2013), the most among the former Pakistan League teams.



The West League’s power was firmly concentrated in the Central Division. Reigning ABF champ Baku took the top seed at 105-57, extending their playoff and division title steak to five seasons. The Blackbirds fended off a very strong Tehran at 102-60, who had to settle for a third straight wild card. Mashhad at 90-72 repeated as the second wild card, finishing seven games ahead of their closest foe Isfahan.

83-79 from Ankara was enough to win a weak Turkish Division with the other five teams below .500. Still, the Alouettes were only three ahead of Adana, five better than defending winner Gaziantep and Istanbul, and six ahead of Bursa. Ankara won its third division title in five years.

Baku’s offense scored 802 runs, 142 more than second best Tehran in the West League. This was led by the one-two punch of 1B Ali Sungu and DH Fakhri Rajavi. Both split the league lead with 48 home runs with Rajavi also leading with 122 RBI, 210 wRC+, and 9.5 WAR. Sungu was just behind him with 9.4 WAR and a 207 wRC+.

It would be Sungu who repeated as WL MVP, winning his third. The 27-year old Turkish lefty led in slugging at .675 and added 104 runs and a 1.061 OPS. Rajavi was second in MVP voting, perhaps because of the DH bias. With a .338 average, Rajavi had the ninth Triple Crown season by an ABF hitter.

Tabriz lefty Gevorg Qasimov became a three-time Pitcher of the Year winner, having also won in 2008 and 2010. In 2013, the 28-year old Uzbek lefty earned his second ERA title (1.82) and had the lowest WHIP (0.86). Qasimov had 281 strikeouts over 217.1 innings with an 11-7 record, 182 ERA+, and 5.9 WAR.

Baku bested Mashhad 3-1 in the first round while Tehran survived a spirited 3-2 challenge from Ankara. It was the third West League Championship Series in four years for the Blackbirds and the second in three years for the Tarpons, although they had avoided each other in the WLCS previously. Tehran had knocked out Baku 3-2 in the first round of 2011. In a seven-game classic, the Blackbirds edged the Tarpons 4-3, giving Baku back-to-back pennants and its third in four years.



The 29^th Asian Baseball Federation Championship needed all seven games and in a unique quirk, all seven games were won by the road team. This favored Hyderabad over the defending champ Baku, making the Horned Frogs four-time ABF champs (1986, 1987, 1999, 2013). League MVP Ali Sungu was finals MVP in defeat for the Blackbirds, posting 18 hits 13 runs, 5 doubles, 8 home runs, and 18 RBI over 18 playoff starts.



Other notes: Ankara’s Faruk Aksoy struck out 23 in 8.1 innings against Tabriz on September 2. This was one K short of Rami Naqvi’s single-game record, but Aksoy was the first in any world league to fan 23 in fewer than nine innings. 2013 was the first time since ABF’s inaugural season that there wasn’t at least one player with 50+ home runs.

Sattar Betab became the fifth member of the 500 home run club. Petri Viskari and Abbasi Mahmud made ten members of the 2000 hit club. Shaheed Qureshi and Zahir Nasir became the fifth and sixth pitchers to 3500 career strikeouts. 3B Shaheed Abbas won his ninth consecutive Gold Glove. CF Marat Gadmaliyev won his seventh straight Gold Glove. CF Rahman Polat won his seventh Silver Slugger.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2013 in SAB

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Kolkata took the Indian League’s #1 seed at 111-51, matching the franchise best they set two years prior. The Cosmos earned a sixth straight playoff berth with their fifth Central Division title and fifth 100+ win season of that stretch. The Central Division also had the wild card in Delhi at 94-67. The Drillers hadn’t seen a winning record or playoff berth since 2003. Delhi scored the most runs in the IL (827) while Kolkata allowed the fewest (539).

Defending IL champ Visakhapatnam earned a third straight South Division title at 99-63. Nagpur was their closest foe at 87-75, which was still seven away in the wild card race. In the West Division, Ahmedabad (90-72) edged Mumbai (89-73). The Animals won their third straight division title, while the Meteors’ wild card streak ended at three.

Leading Delhi’s turnaround was Ratan Canduri, who won his third MVP. The 36-year old Indian righty signed a one-year deal with the Drillers right as the season started, playing for his fifth team in six years. He had won MVP in 2006 with Mandalay and in 2010 with Pune. The cost and Canduri’s preferences had kept him from long-term deals, as his talent remained stellar. This was his ninth Silver Slugger and third at first base with the prior six in left field.

Canduri’s 2013 was record-setting with a .406/.487/.817 slash line. The batting average and on-base percentage marks were both new SAB records and the slugging was fourth only behind Majed Darwish’s insane 2008-2010 pace. Canduri’s 1.304 OPS ranked third-best in SAB history, even beating one of Darwish’s monster years. Canduri broke his own OBP record from 2006 and his .487 from 2013 remains the SAB record in 2037. He was the third player to bat over .400 and his .406 remained the top mark until 2035.

Additionally, Canduri led in total bases (384) and WAR (11.8) despite suffering a broken bone in his elbow in early September, costing him the final month and the postseason. Canduri had 48 home runs, 129 RBI, 118 runs, and 191 hits. Had he not gotten hurt, he likely would’ve won a Triple Crown since he fell only two homers and four RBI short. It would be only a one-year run with Delhi, as Canduri would play with four more teams over the final eight years of his career. He wouldn’t win MVP again, but remained an elite hitter until his final year.

In a weak field, Mumbai’s Alok Hussain won Pitcher of the Year. He led in wins (19-8) and quality starts (23) while adding a 2.45 ERA, 242.1 innings, 270 strikeouts, and 4.4 WAR with a 145 ERA+. This was only the second time in SAB history that the POTY winner had less than five WAR, narrowly beating Arkakara Raja’s 4.1 from 2010.

Even without Ratan Canduri in the lineup, Delhi stunned top seed Kolkata with a 3-2 first round upset. This sent the Drillers to the Indian League Championship Series for only the second time in franchise history (1992). Defending champ Visakhapatnam swept Ahmedabad in the first round. Delhi took the Volts to the limit, but Visakhapatnam survived 4-3 to repeat as IL champs.



Reigning South Asia Baseball champion Yangon narrowly took the Southeast Asia League’s #1 seed at 106-56, although they won the North Division by 12 games. The Green Dragons won the division for the third straight year and grew their playoff streak to 19 seasons, the longest active streak in the world. Yangon is still four years from matching the historic 23-year streaks of Ahmedabad and Ho Chi Minh City.

Hanoi and Dhaka both extended their very impressive streaks to nine years, tying atop the South Division at 104-58. In a one-game tiebreaker, the Hounds prevailed to repeat as division champs, leaving the Dobermans as the first wild card. Dhaka stole 472 bases offensively, falling one short of Kathmandu’s SAB record set two years prior.

For the second wild card, Vientiane and Chittagong tied at 94-68 with no one else even remotely nearby. No tiebreaker games were used for wild cards in SAB and the tiebreaker formula gave the spot to the Vampires. Thus, SEAL had the same four playoff teams as the prior year. Although they missed out, the Commandos still set a franchise record for wins.

Yangon 1B Janesvara Aryasva won his third MVP, although it was his first in SEAL. It was a resurgence for the 35-year old Indian, who won the 2003 and 2004 IL MVPs with Hyderabad. In his sixth year for the Green Dragons, Aryasva led in OBP (.431), slugging (.717), OPS (1.147), wRC+ (219), and WAR (10.1). Aryasva also had a .346 average, 54 home runs, 85 walks, and 136 RBI.

Vientiane’s Huynh Pham repeated as Pitcher of the Year in only his fourth season. The 26-year old Vietnamese lefty led in wins (20-9), ERA (1.70), and shutouts (6). Pham struck out 318 over 248.1 innings with for 7.4 WAR and a 213 ERA+. His two-way exploits gave him a second in MVP voting with his career-best two way WAR at 12.8. Playing first base, Pham had 5.4 WAR, a 1.021 OPS, and 186 wRC+ in 100 games. The Vampires wisely extended Pham with a five-year, $27,900,000 deal signed that winter.

Wild card Vientiane was easily the weakest playoff team by record, but they shocked top seed Yangon 3-2 in the first round. Right after their one-game playoff for the division title, Hanoi and Dhaka met again. The home-field advantage helped the Hounds to a 3-1 victory, sending them to the Southeast Asia League Championship for the fourth year in a row.

Hanoi was also playing in the SEAL Championship for the seventh time in nine years. For Vientiane, they had only gotten that far once before with a 1992 defeat. The Vampires were again the major underdog and gave a spirited effort, but the Hounds proved to be too strong. Hanoi won the series 4-2 to claim their fifth pennant (1985, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2013).



The 34^th South Asia Baseball Championship was an intense seven game affair with Hanoi outlasting Visakhapatnam, making the Volts the runner-up in back-to-back years. The Hounds became three-time SAB champs, having also won it all in 2007 and 2008. LF Avi Mukherjee was finals MVP in his fifth season with Hanoi. The 32-year old had 17 playoff games and 15 starts with 18 hits, 8 runs, 4 doubles, 2 triples, 2 home runs, and 6 RBI.



Other notes: This was the third title with Hanoi for Majed Darwish, who took third in MVP voting and led yet again in home runs (64), RBI (151), and runs (134). The Bahraini DH breached 60+ homers and 150+ RBI both for the seventh time. It was a world record for 150+ RBI seasons and there were four entire LEAGUES that didn’t have seven 150+ RBI seasons between them. The closest was all-time home run king Nordine Soule at five 150+ RBI seasons. Soule still had him beat for 60+ homer seasons with ten.

Darwish won his seventh Silver Slugger and reached the 1500 career RBI and 2000 hit milestones in 2013. Hanoi gave him a big payday at the start of the 2013 season with an eight-year, $81,300,000 extension. Darwish would only be 31-years old entering 2014 with 665 home runs, 1413 runs scored, 1555 RBI, and 98.7 WAR already in his career.

Devavesman Toppo joined Tirtha Upadhyaya in the 800 home run club and became the ninth to 1500 runs scored. Ratan Canduri also reached the 1500 run mark and became the ninth batter to 2500 hits. Janesvara Aryasva crossed 1500 RBI, making 11 players to do so total. Dhuna Itar became the fifth member of the 700 home run club. C Quoc Pham won his ninth Gold Glove. Catchers Hoang Nguyen and Lance Tong won their seventh Silver Sluggers.

SAB’s 11^th Perfect Game came on June 14 by Chittagong’s Bhagirath Thapa with 16 strikeouts against Khulna. This set the SAB record for strikeouts in a perfecto and was one short of the record for Ks in any no-hitter. Viaan Govindraj and Viaan Ramakrishna both crossed 300 saves, making nine members of that club.

Mumbai had 82 triples, setting an Indian League record that held until 2029. Hai Phong set a SEAL all-time worst offensively with a team OBP of .258. That stills holds as of 2037 as the worst. Their .210 batting average and 1137 hits rank second and third worst, respectively.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2013 in WAB

West African Baseball officials wanted to see more scoring and more balls in play and tweaked some rules prior to the 2013 season to achieve those ends. It had an immediate impact as the league average ERA went from around 3.98 in 2012 to around 4.70 in 2013. The league batting average grew from .261 to a blistering .279.

The Western League specifically in 2013 had a .285 batting average, which remains a world record as of 2037. It would settle into around .272 with a 4.46 ERA for the 2010s, but this was the highest scoring environment of any world league. WAB would become well known worldwide as the highest-scoring league through the 2020s and 2030s, a style which excited many newer and younger fans in the region.



Although Dakar was the defending Western League champ, 2013 was their first time atop the regular season standings since 1988. At 102-60, the Dukes set a franchise best and earned a third straight playoff berth. Dakar had 1774 hits as a team, the second-highest in Western League history to that point. The Dukes guaranteed themselves their eighth WLCS appearance in franchise history.

Expansion Bouake was a surprise second place at 98-64 in only their fifth season. The Blood Hawks’ best effort in the prior four seasons was a mere 76-86 in 2012. Bouake became the first of the 2009 expansion teams to earn a playoff spot. Kumasi repeated as a wild card at 94-68 in third.

It was a ten game drop to fourth place Freetown at 84-78, who narrowly earned a third consecutive wild card. The Foresters were only one game better than both Banjul and Monrovia. It was also the first winning season for the expansion Bucks, who set a WL record with 117 triples. That remains the WL record as of 2037.

Meanwhile, Abidjan’s eight-year playoff run came to an end with an eighth place 80-82. The Athletes had won 100+ games in four of the prior five seasons, including a 108-54 season one year prior. 2013 was Abidjan’s first losing season since 2002.

Dakar’s Edmilson Monteiro repeated as Western League MVP. The 27-year old first baseman won his second Gold Glove and led the league in hits (240), total bases (405), average (.383), OPS (1.068), wRC+ (168), and WAR (7.9). The Cape Verdean lefty also had 125 runs, 33 home runs, and 147 RBI. In May, the Dukes extended Monteiro for five years at $47,700,000.

Abidjan’s Christopher Larbi repeated as Pitcher of the Year and posted the ninth Triple Crown pitching season in WAB history with a 19-6 record, 2.93 ERA, and 258 strikeouts. The 27-year old Ghanaian lefty also led in WHIP (1.03) and FIP- (73). Larbi posted 5.7 WAR and a 161 ERA+ over 206 innings. He also earned a massive payday as the Athletes gave Larbi a six-year, $87,300,000 extension in the offseason.

#4 seed Freetown upset Kumasi 2-0 in the first round and gave #2 seed Bouake a challenge in the second round. The Blood Hawks survived 2-1, earning the first-ever Western League Championship Series appearance for the expansion squad. Dakar denied them their first pennant, winning 3-1 for the WLCS repeat. It was the Dukes’ third pennant, as they also took the Western League crown in 1988.



It was a remarkably tight Eastern League with five teams within five games of first and four teams within two games. Cotonou managed to snag first at 95-67, setting the all-time single-season WAB record with 118 triples. It was the fourth straight playoff berth for the Copperheads, who won WAB titles in 2010 and 2011.

Reigning WAB champ Lome and Port Harcourt were both only one back at 94-68 with the Lasers taking second place on the tiebreaker. The Hillcats earned their second wild card in three years. Then at 93-69 was Ibadan, earning repeat wild cards and their fifth playoff berth in seven years.

Niamey was only five games from first place at 90-72 but alas, that was worth fifth place and a playoff miss in 2013. There was a big gap from the Big Five down to sixth place Benin City at 81-81. Ouagadougou was the #1 seed last year at 100-62, but fell to a seventh place 75-87 in 2013. This was the Osprey’s first losing season since 2004.

Lome DH Pedro Serna won Eastern League MVP in his second season in WAB. The 31-year old Mexican came to Africa after nine years as a backup in MLB. In 2013, Serna became the second WAB hitter to bat above .400. His .401 was still second-best all-time behind Kelly Ballard’s .412 from 2004.

Serna also led the league in hits (246), runs (125), doubles (59), total bases (420), OBP (.458), slugging (.685), OPS (1.143), and wRC+ (194). He added 7.2 WAR, 27 home runs, 118 RBI, and 63 stolen bases. Serna had made a quick impact in Togo, having won finals MVP for the Lasers the prior season.

Niamey’s Joseph Masuta repeated as Pitcher of the Year in only his fourth season. The 22-year old Kenyan led in ERA (2.55), wins (22-4), K/BB (12.3), shutouts (2), FIP- (53), and WAR (9.6). Masuta had a 182 ERA+ and 320 strikeouts over 239.2 innings, falling only 11 Ks shy of a Triple Crown. The Atomics would lock up their ace after the 2014 campaign to a six-year, $78,400,000 extension.

Ibadan upset the defending champs Lome 2-1 in the first round, then continued on to a second round sweep of Port Harcourt. The Iguanas set up a rematch of the 2010 Eastern League Championship Series with Cotonou. Ibadan gave them a valiant effort, but the Copperheads survived 3-2 for their third pennant in four years. The Iguanas have the misfortune of being 1-8 despite the myriad ELCS appearances since 1998.



Cotonou officially christened a dynasty by sweeping Dakar in the 39^th West African Championship. There hadn’t been a finals sweep in WAB since 1983. 1B Mohamed Elsheikh was both finals MVP and WLCS MVP for Cotonou. The 31-year old from Sudan had 15 hits, 9 runs, 5 doubles, 2 triples, 3 home runs, and 12 RBI over 9 playoff starts.



The Copperheads joined Kano and Lagos as the only WAB franchises to win three titles in four years. Although Cotonou wouldn’t have the longevity compared to Kano’s seven titles from 1997-2005 or Lagos’ eight titles from 1978-1992, the Copperheads run deserves recognition.

Other notes: WAB’s 18^th perfect game came on September 19 from Lome’s Modibo Abdourahamane with 13 strikeouts against Benin City. With the higher offense numbers in future years, there would only be two more perfect games from 2014 to 2036. WAB also would have only two no-hitters thrown period between 2015-2024, both in 2021.

Dakar’s Christian Ndiaye set the new WAB record for longest hitting streak at 40 games, besting Kelly Ballard’s record 35 from 2001. Ndiaye became the 12^th player in any world league to have a 40+ game streak. Sam Pappoe became the eighth member of the 500 home run club. RF Jacob Jamil won his ninth Gold Glove.

Nouakchott’s pitching staff allowed 1861 hits with an 11.74 H/9, new WL all-time worsts that still hold in 2037. The Night Riders also had a team 5.94 ERA, 1020 runs allowed, and 941 earned runs; each still rank third-worst in Western League history.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2013 in CLB

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Dalian dominated the Northern League field at 95-67 to end a five-year playoff drought. It was a tight race for the final three playoff spots with six teams within five games on second place. Defending China Series champ Shanghai and Hangzhou tied for second at 88-74. The Seawolves extended their playoff streak to six seasons, tying the record for the longest streak in Chinese League Ball history. The Hens ended an eight-year playoff drought with their effort.

The fourth and final playoff spot went to Harbin at 86-76, getting their first playoff berth since their 2003 title. The Hellcats were only one game better than 85-77 Shenyang, two ahead of 84-78 Jinan, three over 83-79 Nanjing, and five ahead of both Qingdao and Tianjin at 81-81. Xi’an, who had the #1 seed the prior year at 100-62, was tenth place at 80-82.

Although Shenyang barely missed the playoffs, they saw a massive breakout season for Chuchuan Cao, who many would later call the greatest two-way player of all-time. The Swans picked Cao fifth overall in the 2011 CLB Draft and he had an impressive rookie season in 2012 with 5.9 WAR pitching plus 5.0 WAR hitting. In 2013, he would win both Northern League Pitcher of the Year and MVP with arguably the greatest single-player effort in baseball history.

Cao’s pitching season alone was an all-timer as the 24-year old lefty posted only the third Triple Crown pitching season in CLB history. The previous two came back in 1975 and 1999. Cao had a 20-8 record, 1.31 ERA, and 356 strikeouts. He pitched 275.1 innings and also led in WHIP (0.70), K/BB (10.2), quality starts (29), shutouts (10), FIP- (40), and WAR (12.0) with a 186 ERA+.

Playing left field and hitting as a pitcher, Cao had 130 games and 117 starts with 9.6 WAR, a 212 wRC+ and .919 OPS, a .311/.354/.565 slash, 143 hits, 60 runs, 28 doubles, 10 triples, 23 home runs, 62 RBI, and 49 stolen bases. This gave Cao 21.6 WAR in total, the first-ever 20+ WAR season by any player in pro baseball history. The previous single-season best was legendary Beisbol Sudamerica pitcher Mohamed Ramos with 17.9 in 1936.

In the Northern League’s double-round robin, top seed Dalian shockingly went 0-6. Hangzhou at 5-1 and Harbin at 4-2 advanced to the semifinal, while reigning champ Shanghai was ousted at 3-3. The Hens hadn’t been to the semifinal since their 1989 title, while it was the Hellcats’ first since their 2003 title. Hangzhou would cruise by Harbin 4-1, sending the Hens to the China Series for the third time in franchise history.



For the third straight season, Shenzhen had the Southern League’s top record. The Spartans took it at 98-64, down slightly from their 105 and 101 win efforts the prior two years. It was a five game drop to Chongqing in second at 93-69. The Cavaliers ended a 13 year playoff drought, which had been the longest active drought in CLB. This shifted the longest drought to Shenyang and Kunming, both at a decade.

Chengdu and Hong Kong tied for the final two wild cards at 91-71. The Clowns grew their playoff streak to six seasons to tie the CLB record. The Champions ended a four-year stretch of losing seasons without a playoff spot. Only 86-76 Shantou really had a shot with a steep drop after. That was a franchise best for the 2009 expansion Scorpions, whose previous high mar was 70 wins in 2011.

Changsha, who had a three-year playoff streak, finished seventh place at .500. The big stunner was last year’s SL champ Guangzhou, who fell off a cliff for a last place finish at 66-96. The Gamecocks made bad history, as never before in CLB had a team finished last place after making it to the China Series the prior season.

Southern League MVP went to Chengdu 3B Baurchuk Reapuhati. In his ninth year for the Clowns, the 30-year old righty led in WAR (13.2) and runs scored (94). That was the fifth most WAR in a single-season for a CLB position player. Reapuhati also had 35 home runs, a 205 wRC+, and .272/.318/.519 slash. He had signed an eight-year deal after the 2009 season, but Reapuhati would opt out of the 2013 campaign. He left for MLB money and a mammoth five-year, $120,000,000 deal with Hartford.

Shenzhen’s Zheng Zhang repeated as Pitcher of the Year and posted an incredible 0.89 ERA over 233 innings. Even in the dead-ball environment of CLB, this was an all-timer. It was the second-lowest ERA in world history for a season with 162+ innings, only behind Zhiyuan Lai’s 0.71 in the 1975 CLB season. Zhang was the sixth qualifying pitcher in CLB history with an ERA below one.

Zhang also led the league in wins (20-4), WHIP (0.61), and shutouts (8). He posted 256 strikeouts, a 263 ERA+, and 8.7 WAR over 233 innings. Zhang’s WHIP ranked seventh-best in CLB history while his .395 opponents’ OPS ranked fourth-best.

Chongqing was the top team in the Southern League round robin at 4-2. Both Chengdu and Shenzhen were 3-3 and Hong Kong finished 2-4. The Clowns got the tiebreaker to oust the top-seed Spartans. The Cavaliers hadn’t been to the semifinal since 1999, while it was Chengdu’s fourth berth in five years. The Clowns were the road underdog, but rolled to a 4-1 series win over the Cavaliers for their second-ever China Series berth.



In the 44^th China Series, Chengdu downed Hangzhou 4-2 to give the Clowns their second title along with their 2010 win. RF Yiteng Tang was finals MVP in his ninth year starting for the Clowns. In 17 starts, Tang had 17 hits, 9 runs, 3 doubles, 1 triple, 3 RBI, and 7 stolen bases. Like league MVP Reapuhati, the Clowns would also lose Tang to MLB in the offseason, as he rode that run to a seven-year, $142,800,000 deal with Austin.

With the win, manager Vikram Anjan became the seventh CLB manager with two championships. He would retire after the 2015 season with a 775-521 record. His .598 win percentage would be the highest among any CLB manager with 1000+ games. Anjan’s eight playoff appearances would also be second most behind D.J. Morua’s nine. As a player, the Madras, India native had a brief six-year SAB run as a reliever.



Other notes: Foshan’s Zhiyun Gao threw CLB’s 47^th perfect game on June 12, striking out seven against Nanning. SS Jiyu Liu and CF Sheng-Yu Pei both became seven-time Silver Slugger winners.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2013 in APB

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Taipei made history in 2013 at 119-43, posting the most wins in a season ever in Austronesia Professional Baseball. The Tigercats topped the previous record of 116-46 set by Manila in 1966. That Manatees squad ended up getting upset in the Taiwan-Philippine Association Championship by Taichung. For Taipei, they won the Taiwan League for the fourth time in five years and have impressively averaged 107 wins per season in that stretch.

Great pitching led the way for the Tigercats, who set TPA single-season records in ERA (1.97), fewest runs allowed (381), and saves (63). The saves mark still holds in 2037, while the other two would both be passed twice. Taipei’s 615 runs scored were also the best in APB in 2013. Taichung had the TPA’s second-best record at 95-67, but were still 24 games out of first place.

The Philippine League had a tie for first between defending TPA champ Cebu and Zamboanga at 90-72. The Zebras defeated the Crows in the tiebreaker game, ending an eight-year playoff drought for Zamboanga. Davao was a distant third at 82-80, but did post their tenth consecutive winning season.

Taiwan-Philippine Association MVP went to Taichung 3B Buwono Gunawan. The 22-year old Indonesian lefty was impressively in his fourth season as a starter already, breaking out the prior year with a Silver Slugger. In 2013, Gunawan led in WAR (8.0), RBI (102), OBP (.361), slugging (.567), OPS (.928), and wRC+ (199). Gunawan also had 30 home runs and a .311 average.

Zamboanga’s Ching-Chen Yao repeated as Pitcher of the Year. The defining moment came on April 15 against Davao as Yao tossed APB’s 35^th Perfect Game, striking out 10. The 25-year old Taiwanese lefty led in strikeouts (367), WHIP (0.61), K/BB (16.7), shutouts (6), FIP- (16), and WAR (12.2). Yao also had 209.2 innings, a 1.63 ERA, 17-7 record, and 163 ERA+.



Bandung ended a nine-year playoff drought, taking the Sundaland Association’s top seed at 98-64. The Blackhawks were seven games ahead of defending APB champ Semarang at 91-71 in the Java Sea League. Medan repeated atop the Malacca League at 93-69, edging out Singapore by one game and Pekanbaru by six.

Pekanbaru’s Ali Yusef earned Sundaland Association MVP. The 28-year old Indonesian first baseman led in WAR (10.8), walks (74), total bases (347), OBP (.380), slugging (.597), OPS (.977), and wRC+ (223). Yusef added 45 home runs, 105 RBI, and 34 doubles.

Pitcher of the Year was Bandung’s Gosner Rahmawati. The 25-year old Indonesian lefty was the WARlord at 8.4 and had the most innings at 277.1. Rahmawati saw a 1.91 ERA, 19-9 record, 290 strikeouts, and 132 ERA+. The Blackhawks rewarded him in the offseason with a five-year, $56,700,000 extension.

Despite their record-setting season, Taipei choked in the playoffs. Zamboanga beat them firmly 4-1 in the Taiwan-Philippine Association Championship, giving the Zebras their fourth pennant (2001, 2003, 2004). The Tigercats are now 0-4 in their Association finals berths over the last five years. Taipei’s lone win was notable for a playoff no-hitter by Anto Astuti with 13 strikeouts and 3 walks.

The Sundaland Association Championship lacked drama as Bandung swept Medan, giving the Blackhawks their fifth pennant (1967, 1994, 1995, 2003, 2013).



In the 49^th Austronesia Championship, Zamboanga earned their first overall title with a 4-2 victory over Bandung. The Zebras’ win leaves Tainan, Depok, Palembang, and Singapore as the only of APB’s original 20 teams without a title. The Demons are the only of that group without a single finals berth. Finals MVP was veteran LF Dias Angga Dermawan, who Zamboanga acquired the prior winter in a trade. The 31-year old had 10 playoff starts, 7 hits, 4 runs, 3 home runs, and 7 RBI.



Other notes: Davao’s Junior Sanchez became the first APB batter to reach 3000 career hits. He also moved into second on the runs scored list at 1288 behind only Chun-Chia Lan’s 1361. Sanchez also was the stolen bases leader at 1467. His top competitor Beau Cabral retired with 1373 steals in 2013 and Hector Constanza would finish with 1292 after the 2014 campaign.

Sanchez did also set a bad record in 2013, tying Mohamad Yulianti’s 1979 for the most times caught stealing at 90. That is both the APB and world record for most times caught in a season. Despite his many successes, Sanchez would retire having been caught stealing 1227 times, the most of any player in the world.

APB’s 36^th Perfect Game came on September 3 as Surabaya’s Ahmad Abdul Majid struck out seven against Johor Bahru. Taipei’s Metta Adam set the APB single-season saves record with 53. Adam and Rajwant Arhana both had the previous high of 50. LF Chang-Fa Lin won his ninth Gold Glove and RF Troy Ferra won his seventh. OF Ching-Hui Lin and 3B Nicky Abizar won their seventh Silver Sluggers.