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

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 12-07-2024, 05:03 PM

2020 in SAB

Only four wins separated the three division champions in the Indian League in 2020. Defending South Asia Baseball champ Pune, a wild card last year, earned the #1 seed at 96-66. This was their first time atop the West Division standings since 2010. Last year’s #1 seed Nagpur was the #2 seed, winning the South Division again at 94-68. The Patriots picked up their third consecutive playoff berth.

Delhi secured the Central Division at 92-70 to end a six-year playoff drought. The Drillers also snagged their first division title since 2003. No team in the division had a losing record, but Delhi still took the title by eight games over Kanpur. Ahmedabad at 88-74 was eight away from Pune in the West, but took the wild card to earn repeat playoff berths. The Animals were four games better than both Hyderabad and Kanpur and six ahead of Jaipur and Lucknow.

Ahmedabad’s Abhiji Srivas won his third consecutive Indian League MVP. The 25-year old Indian continued to switch positions, playing LF in 2018, 1B in 2019, and 2B in 2020. Srivas led in runs (122), and WAR (8.4) while adding 41 home runs, 112 RBI, a 1.010 slash, and 189 wRC+. The Animals locked him up for the long haul in July with an eight-year, $89,600,000 extension.

Veteran Tamin Hasan won Pitcher of the Year with Nagpur. The 33-year old Bangladeshi righty was in his fifth year with the Patriots and finally won the top honor after being the runner-up the prior two years. Hasan led in wins (22-5) and WAR (7.7) and posted a 2.44 ERA over 236 innings, 298 strikeouts, and 154 ERA+. He inked a four-year, $42,600,000 extension the prior spring.

Pune swept their division rival Ahmedabad in the first round and Nagpur topped Delhi 3-1. The Purple Knights had a chance to repeat in the Indian League Championship Series, while this was the first time the Patriots had made it since joining in the 2004 expansion. The series went all seven games with Nagpur ousting the defending champ Pune, becoming the first SAB expansion team with a pennant.

Da Nang surprised the field by posting the Southeast Asia League’s top record at 105-57. The Nailers’ only other playoff appearance was their inaugural 2004 season and since that time, they had only been above .500 twice. Da Nang’s best effort in the prior four years was 76 wins. They pulled away in a strong South Division that had three teams fighting beneath them for the two wild card spots.

Vientiane (93-69) and Yangon (92-70) narrowly took the spots to extend their playoff streaks, while Ho Chi Minh City (91-71) just missed. The Green Dragons’ world record playoff streak grew to 26 seasons, although it was their lowest record and only their second wild card of the last decade. The Vampires’ streak grew to five with eight berths in nine years. The Hedgehogs still posted their first winning season since 2011, struggling generally since their dynasty run ended.

The North Division champ was Hai Phong by a 12-game margin. At 97-65, the Prowlers earned their first-ever playoff berth since joining as a 2008 expansion team. Mandalay’s playoff streak ended at three years as they were a distant second at 85-77. The Mammoths were also seven games away from the second wild card.

Yangon signed DH Duc Son to a seven-year, $80,500,000 free agent deal after his nine-year run with Lucknow. The 29-year old Vietnamese righty earned SEAL MVP in his Green Dragons debut, leading in homers (62), RBI (141), runs (123), total bases (429), slugging (.658), OPS (1.011), and wRC+ (170). Son added 7.5 WAR, 202 hits, 41 doubles, and a .310 average.

Ho Chi Minh City’s Ajay Niroula was Pitcher of the Year in his fourth season. The 26-year old Nepali lefty led in ERA (1.60), wins (21-3), WHIP (0.87), and FIP- (56). Niroula saw 261 strikeouts, 7.2 WAR, and a 248 ERA+ over 197.1 innings. Also of note, Columbo’s Akopa Pavi won his third consecutive Reliever of the Year, although it was his weakest season of the bunch by all metrics.

Despite Da Nang’s impressive record, the top seed was swept by Yangon in the first round. Hai Phong didn’t squander their home field advantage as they swept Vientiane. The Prowlers earned their first-ever Southeast Asia League Championship appearance. The perennial power prevailed though with a Green Dragons sweep over Hai Phong. Yangon got their fifth pennant of the decade and their eighth of the playoff streak. The Green Dragons have 11 SEAL titles overall.

The 41^st South Asia Baseball Championship went the distance with Nagpur outlasting Yangon 4-3. The Patriots became the 13^th franchise to win it all in SAB and the first expansion team to do it. The Green Dragons fell to 4-7 all-time in their finals tries. Earning finals MVP was CF Sreymongkol Thit in his eighth season for Nagpur. The 28-year old Cambodian in 18 playoff starts saw 23 hits, 11 runs, 2 doubles, 1 triple, 4 homers, 14 RBI, and 9 stolen bases.

Other notes: Ratan Canduri became the third player in world baseball history with 1000 career home runs. The 43-year old slugger finished the year with 1027, behind ALB legend Nordine Soule (1073) and fellow SAB slugger Majed Darwish (1036). Canduri became the second SAB player to 3500 career hits with his 3633 sitting 264 short of Manju Abbas’ SAB record 3897.

Canduri also at this point led SAB in career runs (2253) and was 121 away from Prometheo Garcia’s world record 2374. Additionally, Canduri finished 2020 with 1667 walks, passing K.C. Choudhury’s 1647 for the SAB record. Darwish had a career low 25 homers in 2020 at age 37 as he missed three months to torn ankle ligaments. He now had 2459 RBI, sitting 159 short of Garcia’s world record of 2618. Darwish was only 43 ahead of Canduri for the SAB RBI and was within striking distance of Canduri’s runs scored at 2164. In other hitting milestones, Lwin Swe Ko became the 22^nd to reach 2500 hits and the 15^th to 1500 runs scored.

In pitching milestones, SAB strikeout king Jay Singh finished his final season with exactly 5000 career Ks. He remains the SAB record holder as of 2037 and is one of 44 pitchers in world history with 5000 strikeouts. Singh retired with 249 wins, third behind Arvind Lal (259) and Zainal bin Aziz (255). He ranks second in pitching WAR at 102.29 behind bin Aziz’s 131.96. Both Qamar Maududi and Tamin Hasan joined the 200 win club in 2020, making seven pitchers to do so. Shafiq Khaimi became the 12^th pitcher to earn 3500 Ks.

Delhi’s offense had 373 doubles, setting a new SAB single-season record that held until 2029. Hai Phong’s Hamidul Rahman posted SAB’s seventh-ever four home run performance, doing it on 8/31 against Mandalay. It was the third consecutive season without a single no-hitter. RF Bobby Pacubas won his eighth straight Gold Glove.

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 12-08-2024, 04:52 AM

2020 in WAB

Last year’s Western League runner-up Conakry took the top seed at 107-55 for their third straight playoff berth. They set a franchise best and finished first for the first time since 1990. The Coyotes pitching also set West African Baseball team records for strikeouts (1885) and K/9 (11.69). This mark would only get passed once in 2031. Conakry allowed the fewest runs of all WAB teams in 2020 at 614.

Defending WL champ Bamako and Nouakchott both finished 96-66 with the Night Riders getting the tiebreaker for second place. The Bullfrogs grew their playoff streak to six seasons while Nouakchott had their third wild card in four years. Bouake was a close fourth at 94-68, bouncing back from a last place 2019 finish. The Blood Hawks posted only their second-ever winning season or playoff berth (2013) since joining in the 2009 expansion. There was a ten game drop to fifth place Banjul. Abidjan, who won 100+ in the prior two seasons, dropped to eighth place at 78-84.

Cape Verde was sixth at 83-79, which was their first winning season since 2010. Leading their turnaround was Western League MVP Okoro Yusef in his fifth season. The 23-year old Nigerian third baseman led in runs (124), total bases (404), OBP (.454), slugging (.693), OPS (1.147), wRC+ (194), and WAR (9.6). Yusef added 221 hits, 44 home runs, 132 RBI, and a .379 average. The Vulcans would extend him for the long haul in June 2021 on an eight-year, $113,500,000 deal.

For the second time in three years, Conakry’s Gregory Asso was Pitcher of the Year. He led in strikeouts (346), WHIP (0.96), K/BB (11.2), quality starts (21), FIP- (51), and WAR (8.6). Asso added an 18-4 record, 2.75 ERA, and 160 ERA+ over 206.1 innings. He had a 15.09 K/9, setting a new WAB single-season record that still holds in 2037. This was Asso’s final full season, as he’d be derailed by multiple labrum tears and only would make 40 starts over the next four seasons, retiring at age 31.

Defending WL champ Bamako swept Bouake 2-0 in the first round, then lost 2-1 in round two to Nouakchott. The Night Riders earned their first Western League Championship Series since 2007, while Conakry was making repeat appearances. The top-seeded Coyotes defeated Nouakchott 3-1 to earn their third-ever pennant (1989, 1990, 2020).

Ouagadougou finished atop the Eastern League standings for the first time since 2012, finishing 104-58. The Osprey also guaranteed their first ELCS since 2012 and had their third straight playoff berth. There was a tight battle for second with Yaounde (99-63) edging out Kano (96-66). The Yellow Birds had their third straight playoff berth and the defending West African Champion Kano grew their playoff streak to five. The fourth and final playoff spot went to Libreville at 88-74 for their second-ever berth (2016). Cotonou was the next closest at 83-79.

Osprey DH Donatien Nda won Eastern League MVP in his fifth season. The Ivorian switch hitter led in walks drawn (71) and added 135 runs, 41 doubles, 54 home runs, 140 RBI, a 1.109 OPS, 168 wRC+, and 7.4 WAR. Nda stayed two more years with Ouagadougou, then left and signed a five-year deal with Niamey. He managed to deny Yaounde’s Fared Belaid’s bid for a sixth straight MVP despite a record breaking effort.

The 31-year old Tunisian Belaid had the world record for hits in a season, getting 268 in both 2015 and 2016. He shattered his own mark in 2020 with 282 hits, which remains the world record as of 2037. Belaid had a .401 batting average, becoming the first player in world history to hit above .400 thrice. He also led in 2020 in runs (144), doubles (62), total bases (446), and WAR (8.1).

Led by Belaid’s efforts, Yaounde set multiple single-season team records for offensive excellence. They had a .315 batting average, 1867 hits, and 409 doubles. These were not only WAB team records, but world records in any league. The Yellow Birds’ marks held as the top standard until 2033. Yaounde scored 997 runs, falling shy of Cotonou’s WAB record 1012 from 2014. They also had a .530 slugging percentage, which was the second-best WAB effort to that point.

The EL had its seventh different Pitcher of the Year winner in as many years. This time it went to Ouagadougou’s Kelechi Nonso in his fourth season in the rotation. The 26-year old Nigerian righty led in wins at 17-8 and added a 2.99 ERA over 228.2 innings, 251 strikeouts, 156 ERA+, and 6.0 WAR. The Osprey gave him a four-year, $20,160,000 extension in the offseason.

Libreville upset defending champ Kano 2-1 in the first round, but got swept 2-0 by Yaounde in round two. The Yellow Birds got their third straight Eastern League Championship Series. They went on the road and upset top seed Ouagadougou 3-2, giving Yaounde their second pennant in three years. The Osprey remained one of three original WAB teams without a single pennant, going 0-5 in their ELCS outings. This was the fourth time they lost despite having the #1 seed.

In the 46^th West African Championship, Conakry clobbered Yaounde for the first finals sweep since 2013. The Coyotes became two-time WAB champs, having beaten Port Harcourt back in 1990. Conakry CF Toufiq Boukari was the playoff star, winning MVP of the finals and the WLCS. In 8 starts, the 24-year old Nigerian had 14 hits, 7 runs, 2 doubles, 1 triple, 2 homers, and 7 RBI.

Other notes: Ouagadougou’s Rio Ogbonna had 63 home runs and 167 RBI. He fell three short of WAB’s home run record (66 by Shahnawaz Ikram in 2006) and had the fourth-highest RBI mark. Abidjan’s Mokhtar Abdoulaye had a 35-game hitting streak, tied for the third-longest in WAB to this point. WAB didn’t see a single no-hitter for the sixth straight year, the longest-ever streak in any world league.

Lawrence Nassif became the second member of the 3000 hit club, finishing the season with 3175. This put him in striking distance of Darwin Morris’s top mark of 3288. Nassif also became the third to 600 home runs, but still was a good distance from Morris’ 806. Dieudonne Naba became the eighth to 1500 RBI. Kevin Ge was the 16^th to reach 2500 hits. Kadir Onyeali was the 18^th pitcher to 3000 strikeouts.

LF Julius Ayuba won his 13^th Gold Glove, becoming the first (and only as of 2037) 13-time winner in WAB. 3B Seidath Boni won his ninth straight Gold Glove and 1B Edmilson Monteiro won his seventh. SS Godswill Parsons won his seventh Silver Slugger.

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 12-08-2024, 11:52 AM

2020 in CLB

The Northern League was incredibly competitive in 2020 with only nine games separating first place from eighth place. Only four games separated the #1 seed from the first team out of the playoffs. The only team from the 2019 playoff field to make it back in 2020 was first place Shenyang at 92-70. The Swans grew their playoff streak to four seasons, but they had never finished first in the standings in Chinese League Baseball’s 51 year history. Shenyang allowed the fewest runs in CLB at 424.

Tying for second place one game back at 91-71 were both Nanjing and Xi’an. The Nuggets got their second playoff berth in three years, while the Attack ended a four-year drought. The fourth and final spot went to 89-73 Hangzhou, ending a five-year skid. Tianjin fell one game shy in fifth place, although the Jackrabbits’ 88-74 was their first winning season since 2012.

Just missing the cut was defending NL champ Changchun and last year’s first place squad Shijiazhuang both at 84-78 and Qingdao at 83-79. The Devils missed out despite being the top scoring team in CLB at 609 runs. The biggest drop was Harbin, who went from back-to-back wild cards to an abysmal 65-97, tied for last with Urumqi.

Two-way star Chuchuan Cao led the way yet again for Shenyang, earning his fourth Northern League MVP and his fifth Pitcher of the Year. The 31-year old lefty led in pitching WAR (9.6) for the seventh time and for the sixth consecutive year. Cao also led in WHIP (0.77), and shutouts (6). He added a 1.80 ERA over 255 innings, 151 ERA+, 334 strikeouts, and 17-10 record.

In the field (primarily LF), Cao had 133 games and 118 starts with 138 hits, 55 runs, a .786 OPS, 150 wRC+, and 4.9 WAR. He had a combined 14.5 WAR, which amazingly ranked seventh best of his nine pro seasons to date. As of 2037, Cao’s 2020 WAR total is the 65^th-best single season by any player in any world league. He holds three of the top seven spots and six of the top 26.

2020 was also special for Cao as he threw CLB’s 52^nd perfect game, striking out 12 against Jinan on June 26. He joined Bin Zhan and Guodong Lin as the CLB pitchers with two perfectos, as Cao tossed one back in 2016. Cao also joined Zhan, Lin, and four others in having three or more no-hitters, as Cao had a regular no-no in 2015. To this point, he had 87.3 pitching WAR and 55.0 offensive WAR. Cao’s combined 142.3 WAR ranked him second in CLB history behind only Junjie Hsiung’s 152.6.

Xi’an was the top team in the Northern League’s Round Robin at 5-1, sending them to the semifinal for the first time since winning it all in 2015. Shenyang and Nanjing tied for second at 3-3 while Hangzhou was 1-5. The Swans advanced over the Nuggets on the tiebreaker, earning a fourth straight semifinal trip. After losing three straight years, Shenyang finally broke through by defeating the Attack in a seven game classic. The Swans earned their third-ever trip to the China Series (1998, 2002).

Foshan secured the Southern League’s top record at 97-65. Although the Flyers have been a semifinalist in the prior two seasons, they had only finished atop the standings twice before (1980, 1996). Reigning China Series champ and two-time defending SL champ Hong Kong finished second at 93-69. The Champions saw impressive fan support, setting a new season attendance record of 1,990,028. While higher marks would happen in the NL, this remains the SL high as of 2037.

Close behind were Shantou (92-70) and Macau (91-71) for the third and fourth place spots. The Scorpions grew their playoff streak to five years while the Magicians ended a decade-long postseason drought. Macau had finished below 70 wins in each of the prior four seasons. Missing the playoff cut were Changsha and Nanning at 86-76, Wuhan at 85-77, Wenzhou at 84-78, and both Chongqing and Dongguan at 83-79. Notable was Kunming setting an all-time franchise worst at 55-107. The Muscle had been SL champ only four years earlier and hadn’t won fewer than 80 games in the prior seven years.

Veteran Foshan CF Zhen Zhang became a three-time Southern League MVP, having previously won it in 2015 and 2018. The 32-year old righty led in runs (99), total bases (369), slugging (.625), OPS (.979), wRC+ (223), and WAR (12.9). Zhang added 46 home runs, 109 RBI, and a .305 batting average. This was his sixth season with double-digit WAR and his fourth above 12.

Hong Kong’s Dalong Li earned Pitcher of the Year honors, leading in both ERA (1.49) and WHIP (0.77). The 28-year old righty had a 15-7 record, 236.1 innings, 233 strikeouts, 183 ERA+, and 7.0 WAR. The Champions would give him a four-year, $44,700,000 extension after the 2021 season.

Top seed Foshan had the top mark at 4-2 in the Round Robin with both Hong Kong and Macau at 3-3 and Shantou at 2-4. The Magicians had the tiebreaker to end the Champions’ hope at a third straight finals berth. Macau then upset Foshan 4-1 in the semifinal to earn their first China Series trip since 2010. The Flyers fell in the semi for the third straight year and have gone 1-6 all-time in the semifinal.

The 51^st China Series was guaranteed to crown the 20^th unique franchise as a first-time champ. Shenyang rolled 4-1 over Macau, finally giving Chuchuan Cao a championship ring along with his other accolades. Meanwhile the Magicians were now 0-6 all-time in their championship appearances with more runner-up finishes than any other CLB team. Second year pitcher Haiwei Kang was finals MVP, posting a 2.15 ERA over 37.2 playoff innings with 32 strikeouts.

Other notes: Boyu Long, Cheng Kang, and Youzu Linn each joined the 400 home run club, making nine members in CLB. Kang won his ninth consecutive Silver Slugger and his seventh in left field. Chuchuan Cao won his eighth Slugger as a pitcher.

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 12-08-2024, 05:22 PM

2020 in APB

Starting in 2020, Austronesia Professional Baseball increased the service time requirements for free agency from seven years to eight years. APB began at seven years, bumped up to eight for 1977, then dropped back down to seven in 2000. This is still in the middle relative to other world leagues, but more restrictive. As of 2037, APB’s standard remains eight years.

For the first time in 20 years, Manila took the top spot in the Philippine League. The Manatees finished 96-66, taking the title by 12 games and the #1 seed in the Taiwan-Philippine Association by eight games. Cagayan de Oro was a distant second at 84-78 with Zamboanga at 83-79. This was only the second time in eight years that the Zebras weren’t on top, although their streak of winning seasons grew to nine.

Taipei’s reign atop the Taiwan Division continued on, finishing first for the ninth consecutive season and the 11^thtime in 12 years. The Tigercats finished 88-74, which was their worst record of their APB-record playoff streak. Taipei had won 97 or more games each year since 2009. Kaohsiung (84-78) was their closest competitor. Hsinchu at 77-85 was notable as they underperformed their expected win/loss by 11 games.

The Sweathogs were led by young DH Binh Tang, who won his first of what would be many Taiwan-Philippine Association MVPs. The 20-year old Vietnamese lefty was in his second season as a full-time starter and would soon earn the nickname “The King.” This would be incredibly fitting for Tang, who would soon go onto be APB’s undisputed greatest hitter of all time in the coming years.

Tang was the first Triple Crown hitter in APB since 1990 and had only the ninth-ever batting TC in APB. He led in home runs (47), RBI (109), average (.312), total bases (373), hits (192), runs (96), slugging (.606), OPS (.966), wRC+ (203), and WAR (10.0).

Although Zamboanga fell off, Ching-Chen Yao didn’t as he won his APB-record setting eight Pitcher of the Year. It was the sixth consecutive for Yao, who was one of only six pitches in world history to that point with 8+ POTYs. The 32-year old Taiwanese lefty led in strikeouts (398), WHIP (0.56), K/BB (23.4), FIP- (23), and WAR (13.6). Yao had a 1.46 ERA and 190 ERA+ over 246.1 innings with a 17-6 record.

For Yao, this was his eighth time leading in both strikeouts and WAR, as well as his ninth year in a row leading in WHIP. It was his third-best WHIP of his career, but the 0.56 mark in 2020 ranks as the sixth-lowest qualifying season in all of pro baseball history. As of 2037, a WHIP below 0.60 has only happened 15 times; Yao would have six of these seasons. He also became the 31^st APB pitcher to reach 3500 career strikeouts. Also of note, Tainan’s Achmad Albaar became a three-time Reliever of the Year winner.

Defending APB champ Palembang won the Java Sea League for the third year running and took the top seed in the Sundaland Association. At 94-68, the Panthers were 11 games ahead of their nearest foe Surabaya. Palembang allowed 409 runs, the fewest of any APB teams.

The Malacca League had an intense four-team battle. Medan (90-72) narrowly took the title, ending a six-year playoff drought. The Marlins edged Batam by one game, Kuala Lumpur by three, and Johor Bahru by four. Last year’s ML champ Singapore fell to fifth at 77-83 despite leading in runs scored at 574. They underperformed their expected W/L by nine games.

In his first full season, Batam’s Kuan-Jen Lai earned Sundaland Association MVP. The 22-year old Taiwanese first baseman led in hits (180), RBI (101), total bases (331), triple slash (.322/.391/.592 slash), OPS (.983), wRC+ (224), and WAR (10.3). Lai’s 40 home runs fell one short of a Triple Crown season. Singapore’s Wil Tabaldo had 41 homers, leading the league for the tenth consecutive season.

Pitcher of the Year was Medan’s Purnadi Supriatna. The 25-year old Indonesian lefty in his fourth season led in wins (20-4), ERA (1.32), WHIP (0.72), FIP- (41), and WAR (9.0). Supriatna struck out 298 over 219 innings with a 207 ERA+. Also of note, Kuala Lumpur’s Syanhaz Noor won his third consecutive Reliever of the Year.

In the Taiwan-Philippine Association Championship, Taipei outlasted Manila 4-3 to earn back-to-back pennants. The Tigercats won their third in five years and seventh overall. The Sundaland Association Championship also was a seven game classic with Palembang hanging on over Medan to also repeat. The Panthers became six-time SA champs.

The 56^th Austronesia Championship was the second repeat battle in four years. Zamboanga and Johor Bahru had gone back-to-back in 2017-18, and now it was Taipei and Palembang battling again. The series would be a seven game classic, marking only the second time in APB history (1987) that each playoff series went the distance.

After failing to win it all repeatedly despite their Taiwan League dominance of the last decade, Taipei finally took the top honor by getting revenge over Palembang 4-3. The Tigercats earned their third APB title with prior wins in 1968 and 1988. SP Anto Astuti was finals MVP in his tenth season for Taipei. In four playoff starts, Astuti had a 3-0 record with a 1.42 ERA over 31.2 innings and 33 strikeouts.

Other notes: Singapore’s Wil Tabaldo became APB’s home run king as the 33-year old Filipino finished the season at 621. He became the third member of the 600 home run club, passing Chun-Chia Lan’s 619 and Abracham Gumelar’s 604 for the top mark. Tabaldo finished the season at 1343 RBI, sitting 83 away from Gumelar’s record. Tabaldo also passed 100 career WAR and 2000 hits in 2020. Iqbal Safari was also in striking distance of Gumelar’s RBI record, ending his age 40 season at 1329.

Rahmat Hasjim became the 18^th pitcher to earn 4000 career strikeouts. Yu-Ren Lin was the 24^th member of the 200 win club. RF Shih-Chieh Tseng won his 12^th Gold Glove, joining 1Bs Kent Wang (15) and Akbar Fatchurohman (13) as the only 12+ GG winners in APB history. 1B Widodo Megawati won his tenth consecutive Gold Glove.

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 12-09-2024, 05:22 AM

2020 in OBA

Christchurch returned to the Australasia League’s top spot after a three-year break, finishing 106-56. This gave the Chinooks their fifth pennant in eight years, leading the way with an AL-best 815 runs. Christchurch earned its 13^th AL title, which is second most behind only Melbourne.

The two-time defending Oceania Champion Sydney finished second at 96-66 and Perth was third at 93-69. Despite falling short, the Snakes had the second-most hits (1611) and third-best team batting average (.287) in AL history. Also notable was Melbourne at 82-80, back above .500 after a four year run of losing seasons. The Mets joined Auckland and Canberra at 82-80 while Brisbane was 83-79.

Australasia League MVP went to veteran Sydney left fielder William Buchholz. Nicknamed “Butch,” the 31-year old New Zealander led in hits (202), doubles (41), total bases (369), average (.345), slugging (.630), OPS (1.006), wRC+ (164), and WAR (7.2). Buchholz added 21 triples, 28 home runs, and 114 RBI. He had been with Sydney since a 2012 trade with Hobart and would spent another six seasons yet with the Snakes.

Christchurch righty Jarrod Hutchinson won Pitcher of the Year in his tenth season overall and sixth with the Chinooks. The 31-year old Australian led in wins (29-7), strikeouts (363), WHIP (0.94), K/BB (11.0), quality starts (27), shutouts (5), FIP- (64), and WAR (9.4). Hutchinson pitched 285.2 innings with a 2.87 ERA and 144 ERA+. He fell only three points short of a Triple Crown season. Hutchinson also posted the eighth 29+ win season in world history. Six of the eight came from the four-man rotation OBA.

Guam was back atop the Pacific League standings at 97-65 for their third pennant in five years. The Golden Eagles became 17-time PL champs, leading all teams. Guam led the PL narrowly in both runs scored (707) and fewest runs allowed. Vanuatu was a competitive second at 93-69, the closest the Wizards had come to the title since joining in the 2006 expansion.

Next were Guadalcanal (88-74) and Fiji (86-76). The Green Jackets had their 12^th straight winning season, although their pennant drought grew to seven seasons. Last year’s PL champ Honolulu was fifth place at 83-79. Samoa, PL champs two years prior, tied for last at 66-96 with Tahiti. That was also the first time since 1995 that the Tropics won fewer than 70 games.

Parity continued for the Pacific League’s MVP with the tenth different award winner in as many years. Honolulu RF Joey Eason got it in his tenth season and fourth with the Honu, leading in batting average (.330), OBP (.381), and WAR (8.0). The 31-year old Australian switch hitter added 104 runs, 37 home runs, 92 RBI, a .980 OPS, and 173 wRC+. He would post a decent 2021, but steeply decline with only negative WAR seasons in three additional years.

Pitcher of the Year didn’t have parity though as Fiji’s Akira Brady won it for the eighth time and for the third straight year. He was only the sixth pitcher in any world league to win the award eight times to that point. Brady broke Luther Greene’s 2004 record (352) for the most innings pitched in all of pro baseball history at 358. That remains the OBA record as of 2037.

The 33-year old New Zealander led in wins (29-9), strikeouts (457), WHIP (0.74), K/BB (13.4), quality starts (31), complete games (29), shutouts (8), FIP- (51), and WAR (15.0). This was Brady’s third consecutive 15+ WAR season, becoming only the fifth player in all of pro baseball history to breach the mark three or more times. As of 2037, Brady’s 2020 ranks as the 46^th best single season WAR among all players, the 21^st best among just pitchers, and the fifth best among OBA pitching seasons.

Brady also had a 2.16 ERA and 168 ERA+. He missed the Triple Crown by a rounding error at 2.160, while Guam’s Nathan Henderson finished at 2.157. Like his AL counterpart Jarrod Hutchinson, Brady posted the eighth-ever 29+ win season in world history. It was his 11^th straight year as the strikeout leader and his eighth time above 450. Only world strikeout king Mohamed Ramos has more 450+ seasons with ten. Brady also had a 12 strikeout, 1 walk no-hitter against Guadalcanal on May 8, making him the only OBA pitcher with four career no-nos.

This effort also gave Brady a second place finish in MVP voting. Brady became OBA’s all-time WARlord at 155, just passing Tarzan Rao’s 154.9 for the top mark. As of 2037, Brady is one of 51 players in world history above 150 career WAR. He finished the year at 301 wins, third in OBA history to Rao (314) and Nigel Chalmers (313). Brady also got to 5653 strikeouts to pass Rao (5650) for second in OBA history. He’s within striking distance of Timothy Manglona’s record 5771.

The 61^st Oceania Championship was the fifth finals meeting between Guam and Christchurch. The Golden Eagles entered 4-0 in the series, winning in 1980, 1992, 1999, and 2016. Guam continued their dominance by winning 4-1 over the Chinooks, earning their third title in five years. 2B Rich Parker was finals MVP, going 9-18 with 5 runs, 3 homers, and 6 RBI.

The Golden Eagles became nine-time champs, passing Melbourne for the most in OBA history. Guam became the sixth franchise in world history with 9+ overall titles, joining EPB’s Minsk (13), WAB’s Kano (12), SAB’s Ahmedabad (12) CABA’s Mexico City (10), and EAB’s Pyongyang (9). Christchurch fell to 3-10 in their finals tries, which tied them with CABA’s Juarez and Monterrey for the most runner-up finishes in world history

Other notes: Fiji’s Cody Ada tossed OBA’s 15^th Perfect Game, striking out nine versus New Caledonia on August 27. Sydney’s Molea Aisa stole 111 bases, falling four short of OBA’s single-season record. Canberra’s Jordy Vincent had a four home run game against Hobart, becoming the sixth OBA player to sock four dingers in a game.

Clifford James and Roe Kaupa became the ninth and tenth members of the 600 home run club. Kaupa won his tenth Silver Slugger and his fourth at first base (the other six are at DH). He became the eighth at any position with 10+ Sluggers in OBA. August Lantz was the 11^th pitcher to 4000 strikeouts. Christian Valenzuela, Ethan Juuderbiddil, and Nathan Henderson made it 27 pitchers with 200 wins. Jayden Owens became the second reliever to 300 career saves.

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 12-09-2024, 09:42 AM

2020 EPB Expansion

Eurasian Professional Baseball had been trying to rebuild its ranks since the great exodus of 2000 that saw 20 of its original 32 teams depart to either the European Baseball Federation or Asian Baseball Federation. EPB had an emergency four-team expansion in 2000 to have 16 teams for the season, then grew to 20 in 2008. Officials knew having a larger league was required to reclaim some of the lost prestige, as EPB had been comparable to EBF at its peak. At this point though, EPB was consistently ranked towards the bottom of the world leagues.

EPB’s next expansion would occur with the 2020 season. Since the exodus though, they had exclusively added more Russian teams. Russia’s massive landmass did lead to many geographically isolated cities. From the 2000 departures, the only non-Russian teams were Minsk (Belarus) and Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia). To regain market share, EPB wanted to expand back into nearby countries. The 2020 expansion would end up adding three teams from outside of Russia into the ranks.

The expansion did also lead to realignment. Since the exodus, both the European and Asian Leagues hadn’t used divisions. With both growing to 12 teams, the teams would be split into two divisions of six teams with each division getting one expansion team. The playoffs also expanded to have three rounds for the first time since the exodus with the two division champs and two wild cards advancing. The first round would be best-of-five, followed by the best-of-seven League Championship Series and best-of-seven EPB Championship.

Minsk’s dominance had made the game quite popular in Belarus and ripe for a second team. The Miners were somewhat reluctant, as they had enjoyed claiming the entire country as their market. However, officials settled on expanding to the country’s second largest city Gomel, located about 300 kilometers southeast of Minsk. The Gomel Griffins joined Minsk, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, and Kazan in the EL’s new North Division.

For the South Division, it would be have Krasnodar, Rostov, Samara, Volgograd, Voronezh, and the new Tel Aviv Aeros. Tel Aviv had the largest metro area in Israel and was one of the most advanced major cities without a pro team to that point. Political conflicts made joining the nearby ABF or Arab League impossible. Tel Aviv had reached out to the EBF about expansion, but didn’t want to have to start out in the European Second League. With the already spread out geographic nature of EPB, officials were happy to work with Tel Aviv to add them into the fold.

In the Asian League, EPB really wanted to get a foothold back into Kazakhstan. The capital Astana was much further north than most of the country’s population and away from the other Central Asian teams in the ABF. Astana was a closer flight to some of the existing EPB teams versus even Kazakhstan’s largest city Almaty. ABF also expanded in 2020 and had looked at both Astana and the more southerly Shymkent as options.

With the aggressive pursuit, Astana decided to go with the EPB while Shymkent took the ABF slot, giving Kazakhstan three major teams. Astana had just changed the city name the year prior to Nur-Sultan after the nation’s long-ruling president. Although the name reverted back to Astana shortly after, the team kept the name Nur-Sultan Setters into the mid 2030s. Nur-Sultan joined Omsk, Chelyabinsk, Yekaterinburg, Ufa, and Perm in the Asian League’s West Division.

The East Division would see Krasnoyarsk, Ulaanbaatar, Irkutsk, Novosibirsk, and Vladivostok as the returning teams. Options outside of Russia were very limited in this era. They considered a North Korean team, but DPRK officials didn’t want to upset their uneasy relationship with East Asia Baseball and also expected EAB expansion in the near future. EPB also briefly looked at China, but CLB officials quickly shut that down. Thus, the fourth expansion team would be the Khabarovsk Rockets, joining Vladivostok as EPB’s teams from the Russian Far East.

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 12-09-2024, 07:07 PM

2020 in EPB

The European League’s South Division had an intense battle between Voronezh and Volgograd for the EL’s top seed. The Zephyrs took it at 107-55, one game better than 106-56 Volgograd. Voronezh had the EL’s top record for the third time in four years. For the Voyagers, the expanded playoff meant they easily got the first wild card, although would have to play on the road. It was Volgograd’s second playoff berth (2007) since joining EPB in 2000. They were the top scoring teams in the EL by 100+ with Voronezh at 769 runs and Volgograd at 752.

Defending EL champ Moscow at 95-67 won the new North Division by 11 games, extending their playoff streak to three years. The Mules earned their sixth berth in seven years and allowed the fewest runs by a healthy margin at 483. For the second wild card, Minsk (84-78) narrowly edged out 83-79 efforts by St. Petersburg and Krasnodar. The Miners ended an eight-year playoff drought. Prior to that skid, Minsk had missed the playoffs only seven times total from 1955-2011.

Volgograd swept the top awards, led by European League MVP Roman Sheshukov. The 27-year old Russian center fielder was the WARlord (10.8) and won a Gold Glove. Sheshukov had a 1.005 OPS, 186 wRC+, 36 home runs, and 107 RBI. The Voyagers wisely gave him an eight-year, $56,600,000 extension prior to the 2020 season.

Sheshukov took the top honor despite the efforts of Voronezh 1B Zygmunt Socha, who posted the 11^th ever Triple Crown season by an EPB batter. The 28-year old Polish lefty had 49 home runs, 137 RBI, and a .334 average. Socha also led in OPS (1.017), wRC+ (190), runs (114), hits (199), and total bases (375). It was Sheshukov’s defense in CF and higher WAR (10.8 to 8.8) which got him MVP despite Socha’s impressive bat. Socha stayed one more year with the Zephyrs before leaving for MLB.

Repeating as Pitcher of the Year was Volgograd righty Svyatoslav Tyahnybok. The 26-year old Ukrainian righty led in wins with a 22-7 record. In his fifth season, Tyahnybok posted a 2.39 ERA over 271.1 innings, 336 strikeouts, 142 ERA+, and 8.8 WAR.

Voronezh swept Minsk in the first round and Volgograd survived 3-2 over Moscow on the road. The two South Division powers had a highly anticipated matchup in the European League Championship Series, considering one win separated them in the regular season. The ELCS was a dud though as the Voyagers crushed the Zephyrs in a road sweep to win their first-ever pennant. Volgograd became the first of the 2000 expansion teams with a pennant.

Krasnoyarsk exploded for a 116-46 record atop the Asian League, which was tied for the third-best record in AL history behind only 1966 Omsk (120-42) and the same year’s Bishkek (119-43). The Cossacks earned a third consecutive playoff berth and their fourth in five years. The East Division champs led all EPB teams in fewest runs allowed (432) and led the AL in scoring (713).

The West Division was also top heavy with Perm on top at 106-56 for their first-ever playoff berth since joining in the 2008 expansion. Defending EPB champ Chelyabinsk was second at 99-63, easily taking the first wild card. There was an 11-game gap to the second wild card at Ulaanbaatar at 88-74 with no other teams above .500. The Boars earned their second wild card in four years.

Asian League MVP went to Ulaanbaatar RF Afzal Koveshnikov, who previously took the top honor back in 2015. In his ninth year for the Boars, the 29-year old Russian lefty led in the triple slash (.338/.378/.621), OPS (.999), wRC+ (188), WAR (9.1), total bases (373), and RBI (126). Koveshnikov added 41 homers and 96 runs.

Krasnoyarsk’s Yevgeni Lyubimov won Pitcher of the Year and posted the 13^th pitching Triple Crown season in EPB history. The 26-year old Belarusian lefty had a 22-6 record, 1.46 ERA, and 355 strikeouts over 265.1 innings. Lyubimov also led in WHIP (0.79), quality starts (28), shutouts (5), ERA+ (228), FIP- (46), and WAR (11.6). As of 2037, his ERA is the 24^th-best qualifying season in EPB history.

In the first round, Krasnoyarsk defeated Ulaanbaatar 3-1 while Chelyabinsk upset Perm 3-1. This set up a rematch in the Asian League Championship Series with the Cossacks again having home field advantage. Despite the 17-win difference, the Cadets again earned the road win and defeated Krasnoyarsk 4-1. The repeat gave Chelyabinsk their fifth AL pennant (1962, 1978, 1991, 2019, 2020).

Chelyabinsk became the first team to repeat as EPB champ since Yekaterinburg in 2007-08. The Cadets defeated Volgograd 4-2 in the 66^th Eurasian Professional Baseball Championship, becoming three-time champs (1978, 2019, 2020). 2B Anatoliy Dmitrenko had an impressive postseason, winning MVP in all three rounds. The 27-year old Belarusian had 15 playoff starts with 25 hits, 10 runs, 4 doubles, 2 homers, 8 RBI, 7 walks, and an 1.173 OPS.

Other notes: Adam Dyzymala had a 28-game hitting streak for Minsk, which was five away from Wolfgang Lind’s EPB record 33 from 2006. Gaspar Osvath became the 18^th member of the 500 home run club. Gergely Teller became the 17^th reliever to 300 saves. 1B Artur Sagdutullin won his 11^th consecutive Gold Glove, extending his position record. RF Elbeyi Shevchenko won his 11^th Gold Glove. 3B Vladyslav Chychykov won his tenth Silver Slugger. LF Yuriy Isakov won his seventh Slugger.

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 12-10-2024, 06:07 AM

2020 EBF Realignment

Since adding the Eurasian Professional Baseball defectors and four expansion teams in 2000, the European Baseball Federation had maintained two 24-team conferences. Each conference kept a four division, six team format. With the European Second League formed in 2005, EBF was able to expand its footprint significantly without having to adjust the Elite tier’s format.

The promotion/relegation system made for constant shifts in which teams were in what division. Because the amount of relegated teams could vary based on how many teams lost 100+ games, this meant many years had significant shuffling. Officials had tried to maintain longstanding rivalries and keep things geographically kosher as best they could. However, some of the shakeups had made for some odd pairings and by 2020, many teams had gotten annoyed with this.

Possibilities to remedy this varied from changing the promotion/relegation rules, restructuring the divisions, or even adding/removing teams from the top tier. EBF ended up settling on a realignment that went into effect for the 2020 season. Both conferences kept their 24 teams, however instead of the 4x6 divisional format, the switch was made to a 3x8 format.

The hope was that the larger divisions would more effectively maintain rivalries and negate some of the shuffling required each year. Both the Northern and Southern Conference would be divided into an eight-team West, Central, and East Division. The promotion/relegation system remained the same with the worst team in each conference getting demoted along with any additional teams that lost 100+ games.

The postseason continued its same format of six teams per conference and four total rounds. The only difference was you would now have three division champs and three wild cards, as opposed to four division champs and two wild cards. Some teams also thought this change would help protect good teams that were stuck in loaded divisions. This format remained in place through the 2028 season with an expansion and realignment to come after that.

Below is how the teams were realigned between the 2019 season and the 2020 season:

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 12-10-2024, 12:10 PM

2020 in EBF

The realigned Northern Conference was top heavy with four teams winning 100+ games. Defending European Champion Hamburg set a franchise record at 115-47 atop the East Division. They were the first EBF team to win 115 games since Dublin won it all in 2013. The Hammers earned a fourth consecutive division title and their fifth in six years. Hamburg’s 884 runs scored were the most in the European Baseball Federation by a healthy margin.

The only other team to score 800+ was Dublin with 819. The Dinos took the #2 seed at 109-53 atop the West Division. Dublin allowed the fewest runs in the conference at 575 with Hamburg next at 591. Both the Hammers and the Dinos won their divisions by 16+ games. Dublin got their second playoff berth in three years and their first division title since their eight-year streak from 2008-2015.

The weakest division winner was still at an impressive 105-57 in the Central. This was a new franchise best for Frankfurt, who earned a third straight division title. Theirs was the only competitive division with a strong Amsterdam giving chase. The Anacondas secured the first wild card at 100-62. Amsterdam has made the playoffs seven times in the last eight years; all as wild cards despite thrice winning 100+.

Warsaw was 16 games behind Hamburg in the East Division, but their 99-63 was still plenty to take the second wild card and earn repeat playoff berths. The third and final wild card had Manchester (92-70) narrowly beat Rotterdam (91-71). It was their third-ever EBF Elite playoff berth (2007, 2009) with the Crushers just getting promoted back from the European Second League the prior season. The next closest teams were Cologne (85-77) and Prague (84-78).

Getting relegated from the Northern Conference was Copenhagen at 54-108. Despite how top-heavy the NC was, no one else was an 100 game loser. Paris (66-96), Kharkiv (66-96) and Hanover (67-95) were the closest to doom. The Corsairs had won back-to-back titles in 2004-05, but hadn’t seen a winning season since 2007. Copenhagen had narrowly avoided its first relegation until now, winning less than 70 games in four of the last five seasons.

Despite the Lumberjacks’ 72-90 season, Northern Conference MVP went to Leipzig left fielder Dieter Wilhelms, the 2018 Rookie of the Year. He lost half of his sophomore season to torn ankle ligaments, but bounced back expertly in 2020. The 25-year old German led in home runs (57), RBI (126), total bases (422), slugging (.731), OPS (1.131), and wRC+ (209). Wilhelms was fifth in batting average (.355), and second in WAR (9.6).

Rory Moriarty of Warsaw won his second Pitcher of the Year, having previously done it in 2016. The 6’6’’ Englishman led in strikeouts (328) and WHIP (0.90). The 26-year old righty had a 17-8 record over 226.1 innings, 2.43 ERA, 7.5 WAR, and 155 ERA+. Prior to the season, the Wildcats gave Moriarty a seven-year, $92,200,000 extension.

Frankfort swept Manchester in the first round while Amsterdam outlasted Warsaw 2-1. The Anacondas then stunned top seed and reigning champ Hamburg 3-2 in the second round. This sent Amsterdam to the Northern Conference Championship for the first time since their 2016 pennant. Dublin fended off a fierce Frankfurt 3-2, giving the Dinos their first NCC try since 2014.

Dublin would clobber the Anacondas with a surprising sweep for their first pennant since their dynasty run from 2010-13. This was the eighth pennant for the Dinos (1962, 1967, 1968, 1995, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2020). Amsterdam is the only team in the conference with more at nine.

Only two years prior, Naples was playing in the Second League. They escaped and earned an EBF Elite wild card in 2019. In 2020, the Nobles had the Southern Conference’s top record at 106-56 atop the Central Division. They hadn’t won a division title in the top tier since 1999. It wasn’t easy either with Zagreb close behind at 102-60. The Gulls easily had the first wild card to end a 22-year playoff drought. This was a franchise record for Zagreb and their first 100+ win effort since 1974.

Defending conference champ Zurich earned the #2 seed and the second bye, winning the West Division at 103-59. This grew their playoff streak to five seasons, the longest active one in EBF. The Mountaineers also had a competitive fight with Munich at 99-63. The Mavericks got the second wild card for their second playoff berth in three years. Munich scored the most runs in the SC (792) while Zurich allowed the fewest (537).

The East Division was a three team battle with Cluj-Napoca narrowly taking first at 94-68 over Bucharest (93-69) and Budapest (92-70). The Paladins were the prior year’s E2L champ, making an impressive showing in their second shot at the top tier. C-N’s only prior EBF Elite season was an abysmal 42-120 showing in 2008.

Bucharest’s 93-69 narrowly gave them the final wild card by one over Budapest, three over Palermo, and five over Lisbon. The Broncos got their third playoff berth in five years. All four division champs from the prior year missed the playoffs with the Priests faring the best. Thessaloniki (82-80), Belgrade (78-84), and Madrid (71-91) each had their issues. The Tritons saw a three-year playoff streak snapped.

The Southern Conference was bottom heavy with four teams finishing with 100+ wins and suffering demotion. Bratislava fared the worst at 49-113 having just escaped E2L the prior year after seven seasons. Zaragoza (55-107), Varna (58-104), and Chisinau (60-102) also suffered doom. Rome (65-97) and Malta (66-96) both narrowly escaped their own relegations.

The Gold Hawks were the biggest shock, considering they made their EBF Elite debut with a conference title in 2013. The prior year was their first-ever losing season at 72-90, but the further plummet ended Zaragoza’s run at eight years. The Counts came up in 2012 and had a 2016 playoff berth, but hadn’t finished above .500 otherwise. The Vigilantes made it five seasons in the top tier and peaked at only 70 wins.

Zagreb swept the Southern Conference’s top awards with 1B Aleksandr Parts taking MVP honors. The 26-year old stocky Estonian led in hits (225), runs (126), total bases (393), stolen bases (117), triple slash (.372/.440/.650), OPS (1.090), wRC+ (201), and WAR (10.7). Parts had the top power numbers despite only 24 home runs, thanks to his 38 doubles and 29 triples. The Gulls rewarded Parts handsomely in the offseason with an eight-year, $119,700,000 extension.

His Zagreb teammate A.J. Magee won his fourth Pitcher of the Year with previous wins in 2014, 2017, and 2018. He was only the sixth in EBF history to win POTY 4+ times. The 30-year old lefty from Northern Ireland led in wins (25-5), innings (283), quality starts (29), and complete games (13). Magee added a 2.10 ERA, 274 strikeouts, 183 ERA+, and 8.3 WAR. In the spring of 2021, the Gulls also opened their pocketbook for Magee on a six-year, $106,800,000 extension.

Despite their award winners, Zagreb was bounced 2-0 by Munich in the first round. Cluj-Napoca ousted their fellow Romanian squad Bucharest 2-1 on the other side. Zurich held home field over the Paladins 3-1 in the second round to keep their repeat bid intact. Meanwhile the Mavericks upset top seed Naples 3-1, giving Munich a chance at its second pennant in three years.

The Mavericks kept rolling and ousted the defending champ Mountaineers 4-1 in the Southern Conference Championship. Munich became eight-time conference champs (1951, 1952, 1971, 1988, 1991, 2001, 2018, 2020). That is tied for fourth most Vienna while Zurich (11), Barcelona (10), and Madrid (9) are ahead.

The 71^st European Championship was the first finals encounter between Dublin and Munich despite both teams’ relative successes. The Mavericks prevailed 4-2 over the Dinos to become three-time EBF champs (1952, 1988, 2020). They were the ninth different champion in as many years and the third different German team to win it all in that stretch. Despite being on the losing side, Dublin LF Theofilos Psarras was the finals MVP. In 15 playoff games, the 27-year old Greek lefty had 25 hits, 15 runs, 2 doubles, 2 triples, 5 homers, 9 RBI, and 12 stolen bases.

Other notes: Jiri Lebr became EBF’s all-time hit king and finished the season at 3791, passing Francisco Cruz’s 3720. Cruz managed to hold the top spot for all of two years. The 39-year old Lebr broke it with Warsaw, joining after a 17-year run with Budapest. Munich’s Domas Mickus had a 35-game hitting streak, the ninth-longest in EBF history. Thessaloniki’s Giacomo Farina also posted a 30-game hit streak in 2020. Antwerp’s offense drew only 248 walks all season, a new Northern Conference low.

Harvey Coyle and Blazej Swierczewski became the 7^th and 8^th members of the 700 home run club. Injuries kept Coyle out for two months and ended his 12-year streak of Gold Gloves at shortstop. Jean-Luc Tapie joined them and 15 others with 600 home runs. Tapie also picked up his seventh Silver Slugger and his fourth in right field. Gianfranco Marinis was the 25^th pitcher with 3500 strikeouts and Sokratis Sfirakis was the 37^th to 200 wins. Ivan Marchenko won his seventh Gold Glove and his second as a shortstop. The other five were at second base.

Promotion/Relegation: Five teams lost 100+ games and thus were relegated, immediately forcing a notable shift right after realignment. Copenhagen, Bratislava, Zaragoza, Chisinau, and Varna were the teams to be demoted. Getting promoted were E2L finalists Reykjavik and Skopje, semifinalists Toulouse and Helsinki, and the next best record team Wroclaw.

The unique alignment of the teams involved forced a number of shifts, much to the dismay of the teams who wanted the realignment to partially avoid this issue. See the image below for the changes that were made.

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 12-10-2024, 07:35 PM

2020 in BSA

Caracas again clobbered the Bolivar League competition, although they did drop from their 117 wins in 2019 to a still awesome 110-52. 2020 did see a larger gap between the #1 and #2 seeds as the Colts were 17 games better than second place. Caracas had their fourth consecutive Venezuela Division title and fourth 100+ win season in a row. The Colts allowed the fewest runs in Beisbol Sudamerica at 574 and had the third-lowest BB/9 in BSA history at 1.23.

Only two games separated the other four playoff teams. Defending BL champ Trujillo at 93-69 was again the #2 seed, although by a much thinner margin than with their 102-win effort the prior year. The Thoroughbreds repeated as Peru-Bolivia Division champ and got their third straight playoff berth. Trujillo was the top scoring team in BSA at 854 runs. Santa Cruz was only one game back the division at 92-70, ending a five-year playoff drought as one of the wild cards.

The Venezuela Division’s Ciudad Guayana was also 92-70 and got a wild card for their fourth berth in six years. With division winners not getting seeding preference in BSA, the Crawfish ended up with the #3 seed as the first wild card. This left the Giants as the #4 seed to host their first round series with Quito. At 91-71, the Thunderbolts won the Colombia-Ecuador Division, but had the weakest record of the playoff teams.

Quito earned repeat playoff berths, but it was their first division title since 2005. Medellin was second at 87-75 and the first team out, followed by Maturin (84-78) and Bogota (83-79). This ended the nine-year playoff streak by the Mutiny, a run that included eight division titles and two pennants. The Makos also were denied a third consecutive playoff berth.

Trujillo LF Rico Ortega won his second Bolivar League MVP, having also won way back in 2012. In his 12^th year with his hometown team, the 34-year old Peruvian led in slugging (.699), OPS (1.090), and wRC+ (182). Ortega added 7.2 WAR, a .349 average, 45 home runs, 117 RBI, and 108 runs. Ortega would play four more years for the Thoroughbreds, although this was his last great season.

Caracas ace Julio Arias repeated as Pitcher of the Year and became a three-time winner. The 27-year old Colombian righty led in wins (21-5), ERA (2.06), and quality starts (26). Arias struck out 210 over 227 innings with a 197 ERA+ and 6.4 WAR. The Colts gave him a five-year, $42,500,000 extension after the 2021 campaign.

Ciudad Guayana swept Quito 2-0 in the first round. The Giants then shocked their divisional rival Caracas 3-1 in the divisional series. Despite four straight 100+ win seasons, the Colts were yet again denied the pennant and went one-and-done for the second time. Ciudad Guayana got its first Bolivar League Championship Series try since their improbable 2017 Copa Sudamerica run.

On the other side, Santa Cruz got the 3-1 road win over Trujillo for a BLCS tossup between 92-win wild cards. The Crawfish hadn’t gotten this far since 2014. Despite an expected close series, Santa Cruz crushed CG with a sweep to earn their fourth pennant and first since the 2008-10 three-peat.

Defending Copa Sudamerica winner Recife had the Southern Cone League’s best record at 97-65. The Retrievers were 17 games better than anyone else in the North Division, extending their playoff streak to eight seasons. Recife got its 11^th playoff berth in 12 years and led the league in both runs (781) and fewest allowed (600). Fortaleza, winners of 102 games in 2020, was a distant second at 80-82 tied with Belo Horizonte.

The South Central Division had three playoff teams separated by three games. Santiago at 92-70 took the top spot, followed by Concepcion (90-72) and Salta (89-73). Last year’s top seed Asuncion was a distant fourth at 83-79. The Saints got their fifth playoff berth in six years, while the Chiefs’ streak grew to five seasons. Concepcion also got its ninth berth of the decade. The Silver Hawks posted their second-ever playoff berth since joining in the 2009 expansion (2015).

Fellow expansion team Porto Alegre won the Southeast Division at 89-73, beating Rio de Janeiro by four games. This was the second playoff berth for the Armadillos (2017). Buenos Aires, winners of the division the prior two years, dropped to 76-86.

Southern Cone League MVP went to Concepcion LF Michael Escalante in his 11^th year with the Chiefs. The 32-year old Chilean led in runs (125) and WAR (10.9). Escalante added 43 doubles, 42 homers, 117 RBI, 69 stolen bases, a 1.081 OPS, and 197 wRC+. He signed a new five-year, $84,000,000 extension in February to continue on with Concepcion.

Recife’s Yuandong Wang repeated as Pitcher of the Year and won his third in four years with the Retrievers. The 33-year old also had five POTY wins previously in Chinese League Baseball with his hometown Zhengzhou, becoming one of six in world history to win the award eight times in his career. Wang was the only ace in pro baseball history to win the award thrice in two different leagues.

In 2020, Wang led in wins (20-4), strikeouts (311), WHIP (0.89), K/BB (19.4), quality starts (28), and WAR (8.1). The lefty added a 2.30 ERA over 261.2 innings and 158 ERA+. Between the two leagues, Wang led in strikeouts for the eighth different season. He would pitch one more season for the Retrievers, then bounced around four more seasons in South America.

Porto Alegre edged Salta 2-1 in the first round, then shocked the defending champ Recife 3-2 in the divisional series. This sent the Armadillos to the Southern Cone League Championship for the first time in franchise history. Santiago topped Concepcion 3-1 on the other side. Despite the Saints having seven playoff berths in the last decade, this was their first LCS trip since 1997. Santiago cruised 4-1 over Porto Alegre to end a 48-year pennant drought back to 1971. The Saints earned their ninth pennant overall.

Santiago also ended a 48-year Copa Sudamerica drought, taking the 90^th finale 4-2 against Santa Cruz. The Saints became six-time Cup winners (1936, 1961, 1964, 1966, 1971, 2020), which despite their drought is tied for the most with Salvador, Sao Paulo, Medellin, and Buenos Aires. 1B Nuno Escalante won finals MVP in his fifth year starting for Santiago. In 15 playoff starts, the Chilean lefty had 23 hits, 14 runs, 5 doubles, 4 homers, and 15 RBI.

Other notes: Concepcion had 296 doubles as a team, the second-most in Southern Cone League history behind their own 302 from 2014. Manuel Marquez became the 22^nd member of the 600 home run club. Marquez, Niccolo Coelho, and Antonio Arceo each passed 1500 runs scored; a mark met by 20 BSA players. Arceo and Marquez also both got to 2500 hits, making 67 batters to do so. Homer Torres became the 31^st to 1500 career RBI.

C Cicero Lugo won his 13^th consecutive Silver Slugger, setting a world record for any catcher. Lugo is the fourth in BSA history with 13+ Sluggers at any position. Coleho became an 11-time winner at third base. Luis Bustos became the eighth to reach 400 saves. Both Luciano Lozano and Bobby Santos reached 300 saves, making 33 closers to do so. Benicio Palacio became the 63^rd pitcher to 200 wins. SP Adrian Chacon won his seventh Gold Glove.

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 12-11-2024, 06:36 AM

EAB 100 Years Team

2020 marked the 100^th season of East Asia Baseball, joining MLB and CABA as the pro leagues with a century’s worth of history. Like the other two, EAB celebrated its centennial by announcing the EAB Centennial Team. It was a difficult task of building a 25-player roster considering how many great players had come and gone over 100 years. Below is the selected roster:

Starting Lineup

Catcher – Sang-Sik Bom – Nagoya Nightowls (1929-1941, 1949-1951) – 11x Silver Slugger – 13x All-Star - 3x EAB Champion – 2x LCS MVP – 1980 games, 1898 hits, 293 doubles, 24 triples, 368 home runs, 1058 RBI, 576 walks, .278/.334/.489, 160 wRC+, 89.2 WAR.

First Base – Man-Hee Cho – Kobe Blaze (1954-1972) – 1x MVP – 10x All-Star – 1x EAB Champion – 2x LCS MVP – 1x Batting Title – 1x WARlord – 3x OPS Leader - 2943 games, 3232 hits, 1618 runs, 581 doubles, 643 home runs, 1833 RBI, 952 walks, .298/.355/.541, 165 wRC+, 117.0 WAR.

Second Base – Min-Hyeok “Fox” Shin – Seoul Seahawks (1958-1973) – 3x MVP – 13x Silver Slugger – 12x All-Star – Rookie of the Year – 2x HR Leader – 2x Batting Title – 4x WARlord – 6x OPS Leader – 1x Triple Crown - 2233 games, 2699 hits, 1445 runs, 414 doubles, 657 home runs, 1732 RBI, 850 walks, .329/.392/.631 slash, 176 wRC+, 124.8 WAR.

Shortstop – Si-U “Clapper” Gim – Nagoya Nightowls (1934-1953) – 4x MVP - 11x Silver Slugger – 5x Gold Glove – 14x All-Star – 2x EAB Champion – 1x HR Leader – 6x WARlord – 1x OPS Leader - 2518 games, 2403 hits, 1141 runs, 373 doubles, 518 home runs, 1347 RBI, 474 walks, 155 stolen bases, .272/.309/.500, 155 wRC+, 138.8 WAR.

Third Base - Hyun-Ook “Onion” Jo – Changwon Crabs (1952-1969) – 2x MVP – 8x Silver Slugger – 4x Gold Glove – 1x EAB Champion – 2x LCS MVP – Rookie of the Year – 2090 games, 2290 hits, 1353 runs, 359 doubles, 585 home runs, 1405 RBI, 689 walks, .299/.361/.585 slash, 158 wRC+, 111.7 WAR.

Left Field – Lei “Wolf” Meng – Changwon Crabs (1953-1971) – 3x MVP – 12x Silver Slugger – 11x All-Star – 1x EAB Champion – 5x HR Leader – 3x WARlord – 1x OPS Leader - 2913 games, 3151 hits, 1909 runs, 429 doubles, 172 triples, 897 home runs, 2089 RBI, 556 walks, 506 stolen bases, .288/.332/.604, 155 wRC+, 121.9 WAR.

Center Field – Sosuke “Legend” Hoshizawa – Sapporo Swordfish (1968-1991) – 4x MVP – 6x Silver Slugger – 6x Gold Glove – 14x All-Star – 1x EAB Champion – Career WAR Leader - 1x HR Leader – 5x WARlord – 2x OPS Leader - 2563 games, 2772 hits, 1647 runs, 297 doubles, 220 triples, 718 home runs, 1746 RBI, 539 walks, 943 stolen bases, .300/.341/.613, 177 wRC+, 156.9 WAR.

Right Field – Hyeog-Jun “Jet” Wi – Hiroshima Hammerheads – (1964-1983) – 2x MVP – 6x Silver Slugger - 13x Gold Glove – 7x All-Star - Rookie of the Year – 3x EAB Champion – 2x Finals MVP – 3x LCS MVP – 2x HR Leader – 1x WARlord – 2x OPS Leader - 3088 games, 3216 hits, 1906 runs, 395 doubles, 335 triples, 873 home runs, 2097 RBI, 583 walks, 461 stolen bases, .286/.329/.615 slash, 164 wRC+, 128.2 WAR.

Designated Hitter – Byung-Oh Tan – Goyang Green Sox (1932-1953)- 5x MVP – 13x Silver Slugger – 16x All-Star – Career Hits Leader – 1x HR Leader – 4x Batting Title – 5x WARlord – 2x OPS Leader - 3274 games, 3871 hits, 2010 runs, 575 doubles, 120 triples, 718 home runs, 2023 RBI, 740 walks, 582 stolen bases, .321/.359/.567, 157 wRC+, 131.3 WAR.

Reserves

Catcher – Jung-Soo Chen – Hamhung Heat (1958-1974) – 11x Silver Slugger, 12x All-Star, 1x EAB Champion – 1x Batting Title - 1980 games, 1898 hits, 970 runs, 293 doubles, 368 home runs, 1058 RBI, 576 walks, .278/.334/.489, 160 wRC+, 89.2 WAR.

Second/First Base – Yoo “Hands” Sen – Incheon Inferno (1998-2019) – 9x Silver Slugger – 1x Gold Glove – 12x All-Star – 1x EAB Champion – Career Walks Leader – 1x WARlord - 2949 games, 2976 hits, 1788 runs, 474 doubles, 57 triples, 583 home runs, 1718 RBI, 1841 walks, 96 stolen bases, .299/.408/.533, 156 wRC+, 114.5 WAR

Shortstop – Sol Kim – Nagoya Nightowls (1971-1990) – 1x MVP – 5x Silver Slugger – 3x Gold Glove – 13x All-Star – 1x Batting Title – 3x WARlord - 2682 games, 2920 hits, 1347 runs, 517 doubles, 181 triples, 233 home runs, 1133 RBI, 600 walks, 425 stolen bases, .300/.343/.463, 136 wRC+, 130.0 WAR.

Left Field – Hitoshi “Virus” Kubota – Hiroshima Hammerheads (2001-Active) – 7x MVP – 11x Silver Slugger – 13x All-Star – 6x HR Leader – 1x Batting Title – 4x WARlord – 7x OPS Leader – 1x Triple Crown - 2702 games, 2828 hits, 1626 runs, 362 doubles, 118 triples, 751 home runs, 1750 RBI, 934 walks, 461 stolen bases, .309/.375/.621, 196 wRC+, 130.5 WAR.

Outfield – Takashi Ishihara – Fukuoka Frogs (1943-1959) – 5x MVP – 8x Silver Slugger – 13x All-Star – Rookie of the Year – 7x HR Leader – 4x WARlord – 2x OPS Leader - 2560 games, 2641 hits, 1556 runs, 436 doubles, 172 triples, 703 home runs, 1691 RBI, 567 walks, 672 stolen bases, .277/.318/.580, 180 wRC+, 133.8 WAR

Right Field – Young-Hwan Sha – Hamhung Heat (1950-1969) – 4x MVP – 15x Silver Slugger – 15x All-Star - 3x EAB Champion – 1x LCS MVP – Rookie of the Year – 3x HR Leader – 1x Batting Title – 1x Triple Crown - 4x WARlord – 6x OPS Leader - 2838 games, 3055 hits, 1950 runs, 532 doubles, 54 triples, 760 home runs, 1863 RBI, 1357 walks, 173 stolen bases, .312/.401/.611, 169 wRC+, 122.7 WAR.

Designated Hitter – Soo-Geun “Jinx” Yim – Jeonju Jethawks (1998-2018) – 5x MVP – 11x Silver Slugger – 9x All-Star – Career Home Run and RBI Leader – 7x HR Leader – 3x WARlord – 1x OPS Leader - 3084 games, 3543 hits, 1948 runs, 579 doubles, 65 triples, 921 home runs, 2279 RBI, 795 walks, 108 stolen bases, .306/.352/.605, 157 wRC+, 109.5 WAR.

Pitching Staff

Starting Pitcher – Jae-Hoon Seon – Seoul Seahawks (1960-1978) – 2x Pitcher of the Year – 10x All-Star – 2x WARlord – Career WAR Leader - 318-205, 2.99 ERA, 4902.1 innings, 4766 strikeouts, 639 walks, 422 quality starts, 176 complete games, 43 shutouts, 126 ERA+, 74 FIP-, 132.4 WAR

Starting Pitcher – Chikara Ohkubo – Hamhung Heat (1921-1934) – 4x Pitcher of the Year – 2x Gold Glove – 12x All-Star – 1x EAB Champion – 2x No-Hitter – 2x Triple Crown – 2x ERA Title – 7x Strikeout Leader – 7x WARlord - 249-114, 2.25 ERA, 3372.2 innings, 3843 strikeouts, 603 walks, 322 quality starts, 99 complete games, 34 shutouts, 155 ERA+, 56 FIP-, 126.9 WAR.

Starting Pitcher – Yu-Geon Moon – Busan Blue Jays (1930-1948) – 7x Pitcher of the Year – 13x All-Star – 3x EAB Champion – 1x Triple Crown – 7x ERA Title – 1x Strikeout Leader – 5x WARlord - 283-127, 2.41 ERA, 3745.1 innings, 4452 strikeouts, 693 walks, 374 quality starts, 47 complete games, 22 shutouts, 146 ERA+, 66 FIP-, 116.7 WAR.

Starting Pitcher – Aiya Kodama – Hiroshima Hammerheads (1979-1988, 1997) – 6x Pitcher of the Year – 1x MVP – 7x All-Star – 3x Triple Crown – 5x ERA Title – 6x Strikeout Leader – 6x WARlord - 186-86, 2.30 ERA, 2676 innings, 3206 strikeouts, 390 walks, 237 quality starts, 137 complete games, 31 shutouts, 149 ERA+, 65 FIP-, 83.5 WAR.

Starting Pitcher – Yutaka Kobayashi – Kitakyushu Kodiaks (1986-2005) – 3x Pitcher of the Year – 1x Gold Glove – 7x All-Star – 3x EAB Champion – 1x ERA Title – 5x WARlord - 302-194, 2.59 ERA, 4717.1 innings, 4610 strikeouts, 612 walks, 434 quality starts, 125 complete games, 35 shutouts, 129 ERA+, 73 FIP-, 123.8 WAR.

Starting Pitcher – Drew St. Louis – Kobe Blaze (1935-1949) – 5x Pitcher of the Year – 10x All-Star – 1x EAB Champion – 1x Perfect Game – 2x No-Hitter – 3x ERA Title – 6x Strikeout Leader – 6x WARlord - 188-114, 2.01 ERA, 2856.1 innings, 3634 strikeouts, 502 walks, 265 quality starts, 119 complete games, 46 shutouts, 148 ERA+, 65 FIP-, 85.5 WAR.

Pitcher/Left Field – Tadasumi Tanabe – Saitama Sting (1952-1965) – 3x Pitcher of the Year – 4x MVP – 8x Silver Slugger – 10x All-Star – Rookie of the Year – 2x No-Hitter – 2x WARlord - 161-105, 2.68 ERA, 2669 innings, 2571 strikeouts, 356 walks, 223 quality starts, 130 complete games, 30 shutouts, 121 ERA+, 80 FIP-, 62.4 Pitching WAR – 1225 games, 1283 hits, 557 runs, 203 doubles, 201 home runs, 601 RBI, 334 walks, .317/.368/.525, 176 wRC+, 47.4 Offensive WAR.

Pitcher/Catcher – Umi Kihara – Kitakyushu Kodiaks (1990-2006) – 1x MVP, 7x Silver Slugger, 8x All-Star, 5x EAB Champion – 1x Strikeout Leader - 197-100, 2.68 ERA, 2797 innings, 2813 strikeouts, 563 walks, 243 quality starts, 141 complete games, 24 shutouts, 123 ERA+, 83 FIP, 60.5 Pitching WAR – 1574 games, 1364 hits, 656 runs, 274 doubles, 259 home runs, 758 RBI, 424 walks, .273/.332/.493, 148 wRC+, 56.2 WAR.

Closer – Oki Tanaka – Sapporo Swordfish (1938-1952, 1954) – 5x Reliever of the Year – 6x All-Star – 3x EAB Champion – 4x Saves Leader – Career ERA Leader – Career Saves Leader - 94-75, 565 saves, 681 shutdowns, 1.77 ERA, 1059 games, 1290.1 innings, 1967 strikeouts, 324 walks, 172 ERA+, 40 FIP-, 64.9 WAR.

Manager – Fujio Hitokoto – Pyongyang Pythons (1961-1972) – 1284-661 Record, .660 Win Percentage, 6x EAB Champion, 8x Korea League Champion – 10x Playoff Appearances – 9x Manager of the Year – 10x 100+ Win Seasons

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 12-11-2024, 11:44 AM

2020 in EAB

The Japan League’s top two teams by far were Osaka and Kyoto with only one able to advance to the playoffs as the Central Division champion. The Orange Sox narrowly took it at 102-60, while the Kamikaze had to stay home at 100-62. Osaka earned a sixth consecutive division title thanks to their league-best 728 runs scored. Kyoto was the first 100+ win team to miss the playoffs since the 2000 Orange Sox.

The next best two records finished tied atop the North Division standings at 90-72. After a one-game tiebreaker, Sapporo advanced and Saitama missed the cut. The Swordfish grew their playoff streak to three seasons. Fukuoka won a competitive West Division at 89-73, beating Hiroshima by three games. The Frogs ended a decade-long playoff drought. Last year’s JLCS runner-up Kitakyushu was third at 78-84.

Chiba allowed the fewest runs in EAB at 534, which allowed them to oust defending Japan League champ Kawasaki for the Capital Division. The Comets took it at 87-75 with the Killer Whales three back at 84-78. Chiba ended a six-year postseason drought.

Two years prior, Fukuoka’s Toshikuni Naikai had a 1.05 ERA, 460 strikeout, 17.4 WAR effort. That 2018 campaign set numerous EAB pitching records and was in the conversation as possibly the greatest pitching season in world history to that point. The debate would end after Naikai’s absurd 2020 outing, which would widely be viewed as the most dominant run ever for a pitcher. The 27-year old lefty won his fourth Japan League Pitcher of the Year and also claimed MVP honors.

Over 240.0 innings, Naikai led in ERA (0.64), strikeouts (445), WHIP (0.53), K/BB (20.2), quality starts (27), shutouts (7), ERA+ (528), FIP- (0), and WAR (18.5). At 19-1, poor run support kept him a win shy of a Triple Crown. Naikai set EAB single-season records for ERA, winning percentage (.950), WHIP (0.53), H/9 (3.98), triple slash (.131/.155/.197), opponent’s OPS (.352), and WAR for any player. His strikeout tally was the third-best in EAB, but his K/9 (16.69) was a new best that would only be beaten once by Naikai himself.

But not only were many of the rate stats EAB records, but they were world records. This was especially remarkable considering those leaderboards were exclusively filled with Austronesia Professional Baseball and Chinese League Baseball pitchers. Both of those leagues regularly had league ERAs in the 2.25-2.75 range. Naikai hit his marks against a Japan League with a 3.33 ERA. The rate stats required 162 innings to qualify.

Naikai’s 0.64 ERA beat the old best of 0.71 by CLB’s Zhiyuan Lai in 1975. Ching-Chen Yao’s 0.73 from APB in 2014 was the only other sub 0.80 season and there had only been 13 qualifying seasons below one. Naikai’s 528 ERA+ was truly absurd as even the absolute best starter efforts would have trouble getting to 300. An FIP- of zero was also something only ever seen with the small sample size by elite closers.

Other world records Naikai set was in WHIP, opponent’s on-base percentage, and pitching WAR. His opponent’s batting average ranked 6^th best, slugging 3^rd best, and OPS second best (to Yao’s 0.322 in 2014). Naikai’s H/9 was third best and his K/9 sits 3^rd as of 2037. He also had two games with 21 strikeouts and a one-hitter, effectively dragging Fukuoka into the postseason.

Naikai’s 18.5 WAR broke the previous record by a pitcher of 17.94, set by world strikeout king Mohamed Ramos in the 1936 Beisbol Sudamerica season. This was the second-highest WAR season by any player in any world league ever. The only season higher was Chuchuan Cao’s two-way effort of 21.6 in the 2013 CLB season, getting 12.0 pitching and 9.6 offensively. Apart from Cao’s season, you could credibly argue Naikai’s 2020 was the greatest individual effort in the history of professional baseball.

Top seed Osaka was taken to the limit by Chiba in the first round, but survived 3-2 to earn their third Japan League Championship Series appearance in four years. Naikai’s Fukuoka edged Sapporo 3-2 for the Frogs’ first JLCS since 2009. The Orange Sox held firm 4-2 over Fukuoka to secure their third pennant in four years. Osaka was the first team to win three JL titles in four years since Niigata (2003-06). It was also the 12^th pennant for the Orange Sox, ranking second only to Sapporo’s 14 among Japanese teams.

Busan shook up the Korea League by taking the top seed and South Division at 101-61. The Blue Jays hadn’t been a playoff team in a decade. The North Division had a tie for the top spot at 95-67 between Hamhung and defending East Asia Baseball champ Seongnam. The Heat won the tiebreaker game for their second playoff berth in six years and first division title since 1990. The Spiders got the first wild card, extending their playoff streak to four. Seongnam was the only KL team to make it back from the prior postseason.

Yongin and Changwon tied for the second wild card at 92-70 with only Jeonju (86-76) also somewhat in the mix. Tiebreaker games weren’t used for the wild card and the Gold Sox advanced on the formula and ended a nine-year drought. The Crabs’ streak ended a four years despite leading EAB at 828 runs scored. The Jethawks allowed the fewest runs at 558. Goyang and Seoul, who had the runner-up spots in the last four KLCS, both finished 72-90.

Korea League MVP went to Yongin 2B Soo Kang, who led in slugging (.688), OPS (1.078), wRC+ (195), and WAR (9.8). The 25-year old switch hitter had 97 runs, 39 home runs, 111 RBI, and a.370 average. It was his fifth and final season with the Gold Sox, as he left for Major League Baseball in the winter and signed an eight-year, $162,200,000 deal with Los Angeles.

Seongnam’s Yun-Jae Paek picked up Pitcher of the Year in his eighth season with the Spiders. The 29-year old righty led in wins at 21-10 and added a 2.63 ERA over 256.2 innings, 260 strikeouts, 143 ERA+, and 7.8 WAR. This effort got Paek paid, inking a six-year, $115,800,000 extension with Seongnam in the winter.

Yongin upset top seed Busan 3-1 in the first round, giving the Gold Sox their first Korea League Championship Series try since their 2010 pennant. Home field helped Hamhung survive 3-2 over division foe Seongnam, denying the Spiders’ three-peat bid. The Heat hadn’t been in the KLCS since 1976.

In a seven game classic, Hamhung outlasted Yongin 4-3 to end a 59-year pennant drought. It was the ninth title for the Heat, who had been a regular contender in EAB’s first 40 seasons. The two North Korean teams (Hamhung and Pyongyang) had been powerhouses in EAB’s earliest years, but neither had been to the final since the Pythons’ 1977 championship season.

In the 100^th East Asian Championship, Osaka and Hamhung were meeting for the third time in the finals. The Heat had won prior meetings in 1946 and in 1958, which was their most recent title. The Orange Sox would extend Hamhung’s title drought, taking the series 4-1 for their second title in three years. Osaka won its seventh EAB ring (1923, 1925, 1943, 1985, 1989, 2018, 2020), which was second most among all EAB teams behind only Pyongyang’s nine.

SS Tadashi Kawakita was the star of the postseason, winning both JLCS and finals MVP. The 28-year old joined Osaka in an offseason trade from Niigata and spent only 2020 with the Orange Sox. Kawakita made an impression in 16 playoff games with 18 hits, 8 runs, 3 doubles, 4 triples, 3 home runs, and 14 RBI. This effort earned Kawakita an eight-year, $96 million deal with Nagoya. That deal would ultimately be a bust, putting up only 2.2 total WAR with the Nightowls.

Other notes: Sadaharu Chiba won his third Japan League Reliever of the Year award, the first to hit that mark since 2008. Daejeon’s Gang-Min Chung had 57 doubles, falling two short of Hoten Furukawa’s 2005 record. Seoul’s Do-Kyun Lee had a 21 strikeout game, the third of his career. Si-Hun Choi and Takeo Nagai became the 59^th and 60^th pitchers to reach 200 career wins. Geon-U Kang was the 31^st closer to earn 300 saves.

Togai Kobayashi became the 44^th hitter to 1500 RBI and the 67^th to 500 home runs. Chul Park became the 33^rd to score 1500 runs. Jae-A Choi and Hyogo Murayama both got to 2500 hits, a mark achieved by 91 EAB batters. LF Hitoshi Kubota won his 11^th Silver Slugger.

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 12-11-2024, 06:20 PM

2020 EAB After 100 Years

With 2020 complete, East Asia Baseball joined MLB and CABA as the professional leagues with 100 or more seasons. EAB had managed to maintain pretty solid parity over a century, although there were notable standouts.

In the Japan League, Sapporo had by far the most playoff appearances of any team at 39. The Swordfish also had the best average win tally (85.5), the most LCS appearances (28), and was tied for the most pennants (14) of all EAB teams. Hiroshima had the second most playoff berths at 30. Nagoya had the second-highest average win tally in the JL (84.2), but ranked sixth in playoff appearances. Osaka (7) had most EAB titles followed by Sapporo (6).

Of the non-expansion teams, Fukuoka had the fewest playoff berths (7) and lowest average win total (77.5). However, the Frogs did have two EAB titles. Saitama was the only original JL team without an EAB title and only had one JL pennant. Expansion Kumamoto was the only JL team without at least one pennant.

The Korea League’s Pyongyang used their early dynasties for the best average win total at 85.2 and the most EAB titles at 9. Hamhung and Yongin had the most playoff berths (26), followed by Daegu (25), Pyongyang (24), and Busan (23). The Diamondbacks had the most KL pennants at 14, followed by the Pythons’ 13 and Blue Jays’ 11. Hamhung and Daegu both had 6 EAB titles to their name.

Daejeon was the only original EAB team without a pennant, as even the expansion KL teams had at least one. The Ducks had the lowest average wins (76.7) of non-expansion teams. Daejeon and Suwon both were original teams without an EAB title. Expansion Bucheon also didn’t have a ring yet, making five teams in EAB total without a ring.

The leagues were almost exactly dead even in terms of the EAB Championship. After 100 years, the Korea League champ has won it all 51 times and the Japan League champ has won 49.

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 12-12-2024, 05:29 AM

2020 in CABA

The Mexican League was top-heavy in 2020 with the four playoff teams each getting to 100 wins. Juarez had the #1 seed for an impressive sixth consecutive season and posted a franchise-record at 112-50. The Jesters’ playoff streak grew to seven seasons. Juarez also had its ninth playoff berth in a decade and their seventh North Division title of that run. They were the first CABA team to reach 112+ wins since Ecatepec in 2002. The Jesters allowed the fewest runs in CABA (566) and scored the second most (803).

The top scoring team was Leon at 811, leading them to the South Division title at 105-57. This was the second division title in three years and the fifth in seven years by the Lions. Ecatepec was six behind in the division race with a steep drop to Puebla in third place. The defending champion Pumas were a non-factor at 84-78. Merida, a wild card last year, limped to 71-91.

In a three-team wild card race, Hermosillo took the first spot at 103-59 to extend their playoff streak to three years. The Explosion and Tijuana tied for the second spot at 99-63, requiring a one-game tiebreaker. The Toros prevailed for their second wild card in four years, while Ecatepec missed the postseason for the eighth straight year. That is the longest drought for the storied Explosion since the early 1960s. Torreon at 89-73 missed for the third straight year despite a fine season, growing their streak of winning seasons to 21; the longest active streak in Mexico.

Leading Juarez with his second straight Mexican League MVP was RF Loyd Wayne. The 26-year old Jamaican led in runs (141), walks (104), total bases (404), OBP (.462), OPS (1.185), and WAR (12.2). Wayne added 53 home runs, 146 RBI, 50 stolen bases, a .361 average, and 218 wRC+. Wayne had only the sixth-ever 140+ run season in CABA history and the 24^th-best WAR effort by a position player. He also became the third CABA player to draw 100+ walks in three seasons.

In his second season, Tijuana’s Richard Wright won Pitcher of the Year. The 22-year old Jamaican lefty led in ERA (2.31), WHIP (0.90), and shutouts (5). Wright had a 14-8 record, 210 innings, 224 strikeouts, 167 ERA+, and 5.5 WAR. It was the lowest WAR for a ML POTY winner since 1994. However, this was just the beginning for Wright, who would own the Pitcher of the Year trophy almost exclusively in the 2020s.

Both first round playoff series went all five games. Juarez survived a fierce challenge from Tijuana, while Hermosillo got the road upset over Leon. The Jesters earned their sixth Mexican League Championship Series appearance in eight years, while the Hyenas got their second in three years. Hermosillo had upset a 110-win Juarez back in the 2018 first round.

The Jesters’ got their revenge in the 2020 meeting, but it went down to the final inning. In game seven, 2B P.J. Aguayo hit a walk-off RBI double to win the game 8-7 and the series 4-3. The 37-year old Puerto Rican had only played 61 games and started 2 in the regular season, but stepped up in the clutch moment. Juarez earned their fourth pennant in six years and seventh since 2005. The Jesters became 16-time Mexican champs, second-most behind Monterrey (18).

While the Mexican League was top-heavy, the Caribbean League had only one team above 90 wins with about half of the league realistically in the playoff mix still in mid-September. For the first-time since joining in the 2003 expansion, Suriname was Continental Division champ. Their debut season had been their only playoff berth in franchise history before 2020. The Silverbacks had the top seed at 93-69. Guyana was four behind at 89-73, which earned the first wild card and a third consecutive playoff berth for the Golden Knights.

It was a mess sorting out the Island Division and the final wild card slot. Finishing at 88-74 atop the Island Division were both defending CABA champion Havana and Trinidad, while Santo Domingo was 87-75 and Haiti was 86-76. Adding to the wild card mix was 88-74 Costa Rica, 88-76 Panama, and 85-77 Guatemala. Ultimately, it was three teams tied for two playoff spots, requiring two tiebreaker games to settle things.

First, Trinidad defeated Havana to earn the Island Division title, ending a 26-year playoff drought for the Trail Blazers. The reigning champ Hurricanes then fell to Costa Rica, giving the Rays back-to-back wild cards and ending Havana’s playoff streak at four seasons. Jamaica’s six-year playoff streak also ended with the Jazz finishing 78-84. Havana led the CL in scoring (787) and Guatemala allowed the fewest runs (653), but neither advanced.

Guatemala had the Caribbean League’s MVP in RF James Figueroa. The 26-year old Salvadoran led in runs (118), home runs (49), RBI (134), total bases (424), slugging (.684), OPS (1.075), wRC+ (185), and WAR (10.5). His .368 batting average was second, but Haiti’s Fabino Salasar was well ahead at .393 to prevent the Triple Crown. Figueroa also secured his third Gold Glove.

Guyana had the top three pitchers in WAR, but Jhon Banuelos was the best by a healthy margin. The 27-year old Cuban repeated as Pitcher of the Year, leading in wins (24-6), ERA (2.59), K/BB (10.2), quality starts (24), shutouts (4), FIP- (54), and WAR (10.5). Banuelos struck out 326 over 260.2 innings, missing the Triple Crown by 29 Ks. He would leave for MLB in the offseason, signing a five-year, $88,000,000 deal with expansion Tulsa.

Costa Rica upset top seed Suriname 3-1 in the first round while Trinidad bested Guyana 3-1. Both teams hadn’t been in the Caribbean League Championship Series in the 21^st Century. The Trail Blazers’ last did it in 1993, while the Rays were further back to 1987. Trinidad took care of business 4-2 over Costa Rica to win their fourth Caribbean pennant (1972, 1988, 1992, 2020).

Juarez was the heavy favorite for the 110th Central American Baseball Association Championship and seemed well on their way, winning the first three games over Trinidad. The Trail Blazers rallied by winning the next three, but the Jesters avoided calamity by taking the title in game seven. Juarez earned its third CABA title in five years and their sixth overall (1977, 1978, 1981, 2016, 2017, 2020). They’re the first franchise to win three in five years since Salvador in the 1990s.

Veteran LF Matias Esquilin was the finals MVP in his ninth year with Juarez. The 36-year old Puerto Rican in 18 playoff starts had 22 hits, 13 runs, 5 doubles, 9 home runs, and 13 RBI. Meanwhile, Jesters teammate Loyd Wayne set a CABA playoff record with 59 total bases.

Other notes: Trinidad’s Paco Castro joined the short list of pitchers with two shutouts in a playoff run. Despite that, he actually had -0.1 WAR and a 4.24 ERA over his 34 playoff innings. Juarez’s Luis Ruiz set a bad playoff record with 46 hits allowed, although this was a function of innings. He was still solid with a 2.76 ERA over 42.1 innings. Queretaro’s pitching staff allowed 589 walks with a 3.66 BB/9, the worst in Mexican League history. The only worse season in CABA was Honduras with 596 walks and a 3.74 BB/9 way back in 1913.

Torreon’s Noah Breton had 163 RBI, falling one short of CABA’s single-season record. He had his sixth 50+ homer season with 61, second in 2020 to Raul Ibarra. Breton and five others joined the 500 home run club in 2020, making that group 54 sluggers strong.

Finals MVP Matias Esquilin became the 13^th CABA player to 3000 hits and the 28^th to 1500 RBI. Wes Vargas became the fourth reliever to 400 career saves. He pitched three more years but ended at 410 saves, tied for second-most behind Feliz Fuentes’ 430. 2B Timmy Asher won his ninth consecutive Silver Slugger.

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 12-12-2024, 12:52 PM

2020 in MLB

Prior to the 2020 season, Major League Baseball increased the service time requirement for free agency from seven to eight years. MLB had used the seven year standard since the 2001 season, but had seen eight years in use for the two decades prior. Owners wanted to maintain homegrown talent slightly longer, especially with forthcoming expansion. Players were disappointed, but the new jobs from the 2021 expansion and an active roster increase placated their concerns.

The first round byes in the National Association went to Quebec City and Chicago, who won their respective divisions by double-digits. The Nordiques earned the top seed at 103-59 for back-to-back playoff berths, although it was their first Northeast Division title since 2006. Boston’s run at the top ended with a fall to 76-86, ending a three-year playoff streak and seven-year run of winning seasons. Hartford and Ottawa were QC’s closest foes, both 14 games back at 89-73.

The Cubs won the Upper Midwest at 100-62 to end a three-year drought, while three-time defending division champ Detroit dropped to 81-81. Winnipeg was the Cubs’ nearest competitor at 87-75 with Cleveland at 85-77. Meanwhile, the Lower Midwest division had three teams within four games of the title. These three also had a shot at a bye as well for most of the year.

Cincinnati came out on top at 98-64 for their second berth in three years, but first division title since 2009. Two-time defending National Association champ Kansas City was next at 96-66 and St. Louis went 94-68. The Cougars’ playoff streak grew to five seasons with the first wild card, while the Cardinals ended a three-year drought. KC led the NA in runs scored (721) while St. Louis allowed the fewest (540).

Someone had to advance out of a terrible East Division with only one team above .500. New York got it at 82-80, ending a 17-year playoff drought. This was the worst record by a playoff team in MLB’s 120 year history. The entire division was within eight games of the Yankees while four teams were within three. Baltimore was one back at 81-81, Pittsburgh and Virginia Beach were two away, and Washington was three way. At 76-86, Philadelphia had its first losing campaign since 2006.

Cincinnati swept the National Association’s top awards, led by a historic effort by MVP Mike Rojas. The 25-year old first baseman posted only the eighth-ever Triple Crown season by an MLB hitter with 59 home runs, 139 RBI, and a .352 batting average. As of 2037, no one else has earned a Triple Crown. The Harrison, Michigan native also led in total bases (423), OBP (.418), slugging (.709), OPS (1.126), wRC+ (238), and WAR (11.7).

Rojas’ effort was only the 19^th time in MLB that a position player topped 11+ WAR. His WAR ranks as the 13^th-best season as of 2037 and his OPS ranks 26^th. The third overall pick in the 2015 MLB Draft by the Reds, Rojas would sign an eight-year, $161,700,000 extension in April 2021 to remain with Cincinnati.

Pitcher of the Year went to Riley Morales in his third season for the Reds. The 23-year old righty from Shorewood, Minnesota had a 2.27 ERA over 242 innings, 16-10 record, 203 strikeouts, 154 ERA+, and 6.3 WAR. With this young core, Cincinnati hoped to be a regular contender for the 2020s.

The Reds took their first step in the opening round by sweeping St. Louis 2-0, while Kansas City swept New York. Both kept the momentum going with Cincinnati edging Chicago 3-2 in the second round and the Cougars sweeping top seed Quebec City. KC’s three-peat hopes remained alive as they advanced to their fifth National Association Championship Series in seven years.

For Cincinnati, this was their first NACS since earning repeat pennants in 2008-09. The Reds had home field advantage over the Cougars and rolled 4-1 to dethrone Kansas City. This was Cincy’s fourth-ever National Association pennant (1919, 2008, 2009, 2020). It was also the first pennant for an Ohio team since the Reds’ 2009 win.

Denver’s regular season dominance continued as they were the American Association’s top seed for the third straight season. At 11 seasons, the Dragons now had MLB’s longest-ever playoff streak. Each season included the Northwest Division title and they won 100+ games for the sixth time in the run. Denver finished 114-48 and allowed 526 runs, the third-fewest in AA history. The Dragons also led MLB in 2020 with 822 runs scored.

Las Vegas repeated as the #2 seed and as Southwest Division champ at 101-61. The Vipers grew their playoff streak to four years, fending off Phoenix by five games. The 96-66 Firebirds earned the first wild card to end a three-year playoff drought. Over in the Southeast Division, 96-66 Atlanta ended a 12-year postseason skid, beating Jacksonville by eight games. Nashville, who had won back-to-back division titles, dropped to 79-83.

The fight for the second wild card was intense with seven teams within four games of the slot. Salt Lake City and Oakland finished tied at 92-70, while San Francisco was 91-71, Portland, Seattle, and Los Angeles were each 90-72, and Jacksonville was 88-74. The Loons defeated the Owls in the one-game tiebreaker to give SLC its third straight wild card. For Oakland, the heartbreaking loss grew their playoff drought to 24 seasons.

The weakest playoff team came out of the South Central Division with New Orleans at 86-66. The Mudcats were four games ahead of Austin and five ahead of defending World Series champion Houston. Since 2000, this was the seventh time that the MLB champ missed the playoffs in the following season. For New Orleans, they won their third division crown in five years.

San Diego designated hitter Jason Perazzo was named American Association MVP. The 25-year old lefty from Los Angeles led in hits (206), total bases (420), slugging (.669), wRC+ (183), and WAR (8.8). Perazzo added 116 runs, 56 homers, 114 RBI, a .328 average, and 1.043 OPS. He would become a long-term piece for the Seals, eventually inking a seven-year, $276,500,000 extension in spring 2024.

Las Vegas righty Daniel Newqvist repeated as Pitcher of the Year. In only his second year in America, the 31-year old Swede led in wins (22-8) and innings (283.1). Newqvist had a 2.29 ERA, 273 strikeouts, 168 ERA+, 61 FIP-, and 10.0 WAR. As of 2037, this is one of only 78 times in MLB where a pitcher had a double-digit WAR.

New Orleans surprised Phoenix 2-0 in the first round and Salt Lake City swept Atlanta. Unlike in the National Association, the top seeds held in round two with Denver sweeping the Loons and Las Vegas surviving in five over the Mudcats. This was the sixth time in their playoff streak that the Dragons advanced to the American Association Championship Series. For the Vipers, this was their second AACS in three years, having won the pennant in 2018.

Denver had seen recent playoff woes, going one-and-done the prior two years despite the #1 seed. The Dragons ended that skid with an emphatic sweep of Las Vegas, taking their third pennant of the playoff streak (2013, 2015, 2020). The Dragons won their ninth pennant overall, tied with Los Angeles for the third most. Phoenix (13) and Houston (10) hold the most American Association titles.

The 120^th World Series was a competitive one, but Denver defeated Cincinnati 4-2 for their third title of the decade and eighth overall (1925, 1938, 1962, 1989, 1995, 2013, 2015, 2020). This tied the Dragons with Houston and Philadelphia for the most rings overall. 1B Juliano Dotello was finals MVP in his fourth season with Denver and ninth in MLB. The 38-year old Dominican in 13 playoff starts had 8 hits, 8 runs, 4 home runs, 12 RBI, and 9 walks.

At 114-48, the 2020 Dragons have a claim for MLB’s best-ever team. While a few teams won more regular season games, each of those teams had failed to win the Fall Classic. Denver matched the 1907 Phoenix Firebirds for the most wins by a World Series winner. The only other team to win it all with 110+ wins was 1956 San Diego (112-50).

Other notes: 2020 marked the crowning of a new career home run king in MLB. Elijah Cashman’s 750 had stood firm since the 1930s, by Cody Lim caught him. The 36-year old Malaysian broke it with 35 homers for Washington in 2020, putting him at 757. He hit only one more the next year, finishing his career at 758. Lim had quietly climbed up the ranks playing for 15 years with Oklahoma City. Rising power stats in later years meant Lim’s hold on the top spot would be ended later in the decade.

Another home run mark breached in 2020 was by 42-year old South Korean slugger Ju-Won Yoo, becoming only the 11^th in all of pro baseball history with 900 career dingers. Yoo had his first 224 homers in East Asia Baseball with Bucheon, then had put up 679 in 15 MLB seasons between San Diego, Nashville, and Brooklyn. Yoo also had crossed 2000 combined runs scored the prior year, a mark only 32 others have reached as of 2037. After the 2020 campaign, Yoo also had a combined 3808 hits and 2453 RBI.

Killian Fruechte and Isaac Cox both joined the 600 home run club, a mark reached by 28 MLB sluggers. Joran Mallery became the 63^rd to reach 3000 career hits and the 109^th to 1500 runs scored; hitting the marks on back-to-back days. CF Clark Patushi won his seventh Gold Glove. SS Fritz Louissi won his ninth consecutive Silver Slugger.

MLB’s 32^nd perfect game was thrown by Miami’s Richie Gendron with 11 strikeouts versus Austin on August 2. Mike Harris became the 43^rd pitcher to earn 250 wins. Harris and Trevor Ford both reached 3500 strikeouts, a mark achieved by 25 MLB pitchers. Sunny Williams became the 83^rd to 3000 strikeouts.

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

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