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

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2025 in ALB

---

Two-time defending Arab League Baseball champion Amman had their best record yet of their four-year Levant Division streak. The Aviators again grabbed the Western Conference’s top seed at 110-52, scoring the second-most runs in conference history at 929. Amman also allowed 600 runs, the best in ALB for 2025. Jerusalem was a very distant second place in the division, but their 96-66 was plenty good to take the first wild card. The Jets secured repeat wild card berths.

Algiers took the #2 seed at 101-61 and handily won a third consecutive Mediterranean Division title. Cairo’s Nile Division streak grew to nine years, the third-longest in ALB history. The Pharaohs were 94-68, besting Alexandria by six games. The Astronauts at 88-74 earned the second wild card, topping both Casablanca and Tunis by five. Alexandria ended a nine-year playoff drought.

In his second year as a full-time starter, Cairo DH Abbas Hegazy won Western Conference MVP. The 28-year old Lebanese righty had a .344/.407.728 slash, 1.135 OPS, 186 wRC+, 7.9 WAR, 62 home runs, 128 RBI, 206 hits, and 120 runs. Hegazy got the around despite some high powered competition with Algiers’ LF Wissam Magdy smacking 76 home runs and Tripoli 3B Malk Zouaoui socking 73 dingers. Magdy’s mark was tied for the second-most in ALB history and was just short of Mohamed Ali Mansour’s record 82 from 2023.

Algiers righty Hussein Abusha’alah won Pitcher of the Year with an ERA title (2.73) and the best WHIP (0.88), FIP- (57), and WAR (8.1). The 26-year old Algerian added 321 strikeouts in 211.1 innings with a 17-8 record. Unfortunately, Abusha’alah would miss all of the next season to a damaged elbow ligament. Although he pitched in another eight seasons for the Arsenal, he was never the same after the injury. Also worth a mention was Jerusalem’s Aaron Buber winning his third Reliever of the Year in four years.

Jerusalem swept Alexandria 2-0 in the wild card round, then promptly was swept 2-0 by top seed Amman. Algiers swept Cairo on the other side to set up a third straight Western Conference Final meeting between the Arsenal and Aviators. The WCF went all five games for the first time since 2017 and ended in a walkoff finale. Amman won game five 6-5 to complete the conference’s second-ever pennant three-peat (Casablanca 1993-95). The Aviators now had six conference titles overall.



Riyadh at 100-62 won the Arabia Division and barely beat out Mesopotamia Division champ Basra (99-63) for the top seed in the Eastern Conference. The Rats led the conference in both runs scored (925) and fewest allowed (671), ending a 22-year playoff drought. Riyadh’s only prior playoff berths were back in 2000 and 2002. For the Bulldogs, their division streak grew to eight seasons. Reigning conference champ Kuwait was a close second at 95-67, repeating as a wild card.

Muscat secured the Gulf Division at 90-72 for their second-ever playoff berth (2021). Abu Dhabi had won the division the prior three years, but fell six short at 84-78. The Destroyers were also two away for the second wild card claimed by 86-76 Medina. The Mastodons ended their own 14-year playoff drought to advance. Jeddah (83-79), Mecca (82-80), and Bahrain (81-81) were also in the hunt. For the Jackals, this ended their ALB-record playoff streak at 14 seasons.

Abu Dhabi 3B Khali Allawi was Eastern Conference MVP in his fourth full season. The 24-year old Yemeni lefty led in RBI (148), total bases (439), triple slash (.371/.420/.737), OPS (1.156), wRC+ (199), and WAR (9.7). Allawi added 56 home runs, 124 runs, 221 hits, and 46 doubles. He finished three homers shy of a Triple Crown. After the season, the Destroyers secured Allawi on an eight-year, $107,200,000 deal.

Basra’s Ahmed Hussain won his fifth Pitcher of the Year (2018, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025), joining Rashid Tariq and Abdullah Al-Tamtami as ALB’s only five-time winners. Hussain had actually finished tied for the award the prior year with Bakr Mahdi. The 33-year old Qatari lefty led in wins (20-5), innings (245.2), WHIP (0.92), K/BB (15.7), and quality starts (24).

Hussain added a 2.78 ERA, 298 strikeouts, 158 ERA+, and 9.2 WAR. He had signed a five-year, $121 million extension before the season with the Bulldogs. Nasser Al-Jarrah for Riyadh also won his fourth Reliever of the Year, becoming only the third to do it in ALB. Al-Jarrah returned to ALB in 2024 with Sanaa after a failed four-year MLB excursion.

Medina upset Kuwait 2-1 in the wild card and continued their hot streak in round two, upsetting division rival Riyadh 2-0. The Mastodons hadn’t been in the Eastern Conference Final since their six-year streak from 2003-08. Basra meanwhile rolled 2-0 over Muscat for a seventh straight conference final trip. The Bulldogs had gone 1-5 in that run with the only pennant in 2020. Medina stayed hot, but Basra survived 3-2 to become seven-time Eastern Conference kings.



Basra and Amman had met once before in the Arab League Championship with the 116-46 Aviators beating the Bulldogs in the 2010 final. Amman was shooting for the three-peat, which had eluded ALB’s other great dynasties. The Bulldogs denied them that history by winning a seven-game classic. With the win, Basra became five-time Arab League champs (2006, 2008, 2011, 2020, 2025), second only to Casablanca’s six.

It was a historic postseason run for veteran LF Mohamed Hassan, who won MVP of the ECF and the ALB Championship. The 34-year old Egyptian set ALB playoff records for total bases (51) and tied the runs record (19). In 14 starts, Hassan had 26 hits, 7 doubles, 6 home runs, 19 RBI, 1.451 OPS, 261 wRC+, and 1.5 WAR. The 26 hits would’ve been a new playoff record if not for teammate Dei Barrie, who had 27. Barrie also set playoff records for singles (21) and times caught stealing (8). The 33-year old Sierra Leonean journeyman added 16 runs, 4 doubles, and 11 steals with 1.151 OPS.



Other notes: 2025 was the final year for 1B Yahya bin Hakam, who crossed numerous impressive milestones at age 41. Although he had -0.4 WAR for the season with Tripoli, bin Hakam became the 3^rd to 3000 hits, the 2^nd to 2000 runs scored, the 2^nd to 2000 RBI, and the 2^nd to 900 home runs. Nordine Soule had the top spot in each stat while Farouk Adam had also gotten 3000 hits.

For bin Hakam, he finished with 3059 hits, 2025 runs, 564 doubles, 905 homers, 2095 RBI, 1595 walks, 2258 strikeouts, .303/.407/.637 slash, 1.044 OPS, 173 wRC+, and 127.2 WAR. As of 2037, bin Hakam is ALB’s all-time walks leader and ranks third in WAR among position players. In world history, bin Hakam ranks 27^th in runs, 23^rd in homers, 42^nd in RBI, and 26^th in walks.

Another milestone in went to 2B Antonio Arceo, who had been a three-time MVP in Beisbol Sudamerica with Fortaleza. He came to the Arab League with Giza from 2022-24 and joined Basra for 2025. At age 40, Arceo hit 37 home runs to give him 1000+ dingers for his combined pro career. He became only the fifth in pro baseball history with a combined 1000 home runs.

Arceo struggled in two more seasons for Basra, retiring with a combined 3473 hits, 2010 runs, 545 doubles, 1043 home runs, 2497 RBI, .301/.336/.628 slash, 160 wRC+, and 135.1 WAR. As of 2037, Arceo ranks 6^th among all pros in both home runs and RBI and ranks 32^nd in runs scored.

In other hitting milestones, Khaled Mohamed became the 10^th in ALB with 1500 runs scored and Osama Ahmed became the 28^th to 500 home runs. Khamis Sheik and Atef Abdelhakim became the 7^th and 8^th pitchers with 3500 strikeouts. 2B Mohamed Ali Bushra won his 7^th Gold Glove. SS Ayoub El Taib won his 10^th Silver Slugger, tying the position record set by Mohammed Mohamed.

Riyadh’s Demario Williams had a 30-game hitting streak, posting only the 5^th 30+ streak in ALB history. The high was 36 by Alaa Dinari the prior year. In team records, Riyadh set a new ALB best with 101 triples. The Damascus pitching staff had all-time worsts in hits allowed (1718) and H/9 (10.76).

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2025 in ABF



The fight for the East League’s top seed was centered in the South Division. Hyderabad secured it at 105-57 by allowing the fewest runs in the entire Asian Baseball Federation at 521. Karachi was a competitive second at 100-62 and easily got the first wild card. The Horned Frogs earned repeat playoff berths, but it was their first division title since 2016. For the Carp, they snapped a 13-year playoff drought. Faisalabad had won the division six straight seasons, but their run ended with a fall to 78-84 in 2025.

Over in the North Division, Dushanbe (96-66) edged out defending EL champ Almaty (93-69). The Dynamo are back in the playoffs after back-to-back misses ended a decade-long postseason streak. Dushanbe was the EL’s top scoring team with 746 runs. As the second wild card, the Assassins grew their playoff streak to six seasons.

The only other team within reach in the wild card race was 88-74 Lahore. Bishkek notably fell to 80-82 for only their second losing season since joining ABF in 2000. Also after getting their first-ever playoff berth last year, expansion Shymkent regressed hard down to 68-94. Multan also notably collapsed to 51-111 after posting winning seasons from 2019-24.

East League MVP went to Hyderabad RF Emir Han in his second year as a starter. The 25-year old Turk led in total bases (386) with 9.1 WAR, 196 wRC+, .981 OPS, 52 home runs, 122 RBI, 194 hits, and 109 runs. Han managed to beat out Horned Frogs teammate Khalid Bekzat for the top honor despite Bekzat’s league-best 61 homers and 125 RBI.

Hyderabad also had the Pitcher of the Year Arshia Hushyar in his third-year with the squad. The 13^th year lefty from Iran won his first ERA title at 1.96 after mostly being an above average to good pitcher in his run. Hushyar posted 251 strikeouts over 234.2 innings, 16-11 record, 178 ERA+, and 5.6 WAR. He joined the Horned Frogs in 2023 on a five-year, $31,660,000 free agent deal.

Both wild cards pulled off 3-1 first round upsets with Almaty over Hyderabad and Karachi over Dushanbe. The Assassins had a chance to repeat while the Carp hadn’t been in the East League Championship Series since their 2008-09 repeat. Karachi dethroned Almaty 4-1 to become six-time league champs (1985, 1995, 1996, 2008, 2009, 2025).



Mashhad had ABF’s best overall record at 108-54 for the top seed in the West League and a Central Division title. The Mercury grew their playoff streak to five seasons and allowed the WL’s fewest runs at 577. Gaziantep and defending ABF champ Baku tied for the West Division at 100-62. With no tiebreaker games in ABF, the formula favored the Gorillas for their third-ever division title (2010, 2012). The Blackbirds’ playoff streak grew to four seasons. Gaziantep was the top scoring team in the WL at 823 runs.

For the second wild card, Bursa and Tabriz tied at 94-68 with no other teams above .500. The tiebreaker formula favored the Blue Claws for a third consecutive playoff berth. This also ended the Tiger Sharks’ playoff streak at nine years, one short of Dushanbe’s record of 10 from 2013-22. For Bursa, they tied the ABF team record with 95 triples, a mark previously hit by Isfahan in 2021.

Istanbul was a non-factor at 78-84, but they had the West League MVP in 1B Ismayil Kostenko The 30-year old Kyrgyz righty had joined the Ironmen the prior year after a seven-year run starting for Izmir. Kostenko led in hits (224), total bases (379), and OBP (.410). He added 108 runs, 38 homers, 119 RBI, .362 average, 1.023 OPS, 172 wRC+, and 7.8 WAR.

Third-year Baku lefty Agshin Jumayev won Pitcher of the Year with league bests in wins (22-9), innings (275.2), strikeouts (410), WHIP (0.87), quality starts (28), and WAR (8.0). The 24-year old Tajik’s strikeouts were the ninth-most in an ABF season to that point. His 2.51 ERA was also only six points away from a Triple Crown. This was just the beginning for what would become one of ABF’s all-time great pitching careers.

The division champs escaped with 3-2 series wins in the first round with Mashhad over Bursa and Gaziantep over defending champ Baku. The Mercury earned their first West League Championship Series trip since 2021, while it was the second-ever for the Gorilla (2012). Mashhad showed why they were the top seed, cruising to a sweep of Gaziantep to end a ten-year pennant drought. The Mercury became five-time WL champs (1990, 1992, 1994, 2014, 2025).



In the 41^st Asian Baseball Federation Championship. Mashhad defeated Karachi 4-2 to become three-time ABF champs (1990, 1994, 2025). Finals MVP was CF Alireza Naser in his ninth year with the Mercury. He had been historically a great defender but subpar hitter, but in 15 playoff starts Naser had 17 hits, 6 runs, 4 doubles, 2 homers, and 5 RBI.



Other notes: Both Rafkat Kudaybergenov and Emmanouil Karakostas reached 3000 hits, a mark previously only met by Mehmet Fatih Canaydin. 2025 was the final year for Kudaybergenov, who finished at 3065 hits. Karakostas would get to 3273 in 2027, still falling short of Canaydin’s record 3696. He also joined Canaydin as the only players with 1500 runs scored, but his 1638 would fall short of Canaydin’s 1880. Karakostas notably retired as ABF’s career triples leader with 266, passing Wafiq Rasool’s 248 in 2026.

Tabriz’s Habib Saquib became the 6^th in ABF to record a four home run game, going it against Isfahan on June 29. Saquib also became the 5^th to 1500 career RBI.Bursa’s Qasim Muqtadir had a 31-game hitting streak, tied for the fifth-longest in ABF history. Nizami Aghazade and Ramin Abilov joined the 500 home run club, making 15 to do so in ABF. Aghazade won his 12^th Silver Slugger split evenly between SS/2B, the most by anyone in ABF at any position. For the 11^th time in 2025, Aghazade was the WARlord with a 10+ WAR effort, growing his career mark to 163.5.

RF Hana Zuhair won his 13^th Gold Glove, joining 3B Eser Haspolatli (14) as the only ABF players to reach that mark. In pitching milestones, Sijad Khaleel was the 10^th to 4000 strikeouts. Khaleel and Mustafa Jumah both reached 200 wins, a mark met by 13. Jumah and Ali Mehrjui became the 16^th and 17^th to 3500 Ks.

Izmir at 73-89 wasn’t the worst team in the West League despite historically bad pitching. The Ice Caps allowed 802 earned runs with a 5.03 team ERA, both ABF all-time worsts to that point. Izmir’s Goran Duvnjak allowed 318 hits, setting a new ABF all-time worst. Another bad record was set by Baku’s Tamaz Rogava, caught stealing 64 times.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2025 SAB Expansion

Between 1975 and 2010, India’s population doubled to more than one billion and by the 2020s, India had passed China as the most populous country in the world. Baseball’s popularity had grown significantly in the region since the last expansions for South Asia Baseball in the 2000s. The Indian League’s last expansion came specifically in 2004 and officials felt they were due for another one.

At this point, both the IL and Southeast Asia League had 14 teams, although they were organized differently with the IL in three divisions and SEAL in two. SEAL officials also had hoped to expand relatively soon, but there weren’t quite as many viable cities available. SAB officials also didn’t want to do too much too quickly to dilute the talent pool. By the early 2020s, it was eventually decided to expand the Indian League by four teams.

Since 2004, the IL had two divisions with five teams and one with four. The expansion would bring all three divisions to an even six apiece. No teams would be shifted out of their existing divisions. Filling the two spots in the West Division would be the Indore Razorbacks and the Vadodara RedHawks. The Madurai Rams occupied the South Division opening and the Patna Pointers picked up the slot in the Central Division.



The playoff structure remained unchanged with only the three division winners and one wild card advancing. SEAL would remain unchanged until they opted to add their own four new teams for the 2030 season.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2025 in SAB



Two-time defending South Asia Baseball champ Visakhapatnam and Kolkata raced each other for the top seed in the Indian League. The Volts ended up taking it and their third straight South Division crown at 107-55, besting the Cosmos by one game. Kolkata’s playoff streak grew to five seasons with their third division title of the run. The Cosmos were the IL’s top scoring team with 758 runs while Visakhapatnam allowed the fewest with 500 runs.

Both had solid competition in their divisions. The Volts had to contend with a 102-60 Hyderabad, while Kolkata had to deal with Jaipur (97-65) and Delhi (93-69). The Hippos took the wild card for their second berth in four years. Meanwhile Pune was the only team above .500 in the West Division at 95-67. The Purple Knights earned their fourth division title in six years. Last year’s division winner and ILCS finalist Ahmedabad dropped to 73-89.

Indian League MVP went to Kolkata 1B Duong Nguyen, who led in home runs (53), and RBI (119). The three-true outcomes righty also had 220 strikeouts and 75 walks for a .273/.362/.612 slash. The 28-year old from Vietnam had 110 runs, 191 wRC+, and 8.4 WAR. Nguyen also won his second Gold Glove at first base. Before the season, the Cosmos gave Nguyen a five-year, $35,360,000 extension.

Hyderabad righty E.J. Dhananjay won Pitcher of the Year with the first Triple Crown pitching season in SAB since 2009. It was the eighth pitching Triple Crown with a 19-4 record, 1.71 ERA, and 335 strikeouts over 231.1 innings. Dhananjay also led in WAR (9.0), FIP- (51), and ERA+ (207) with four shutouts. It would the final year with the Hippos for the 27-year old Indian, as he’d leave for free agency and sign a seven-year mega deal with Visakhapatnam worth $114,100,000.

To add insult to injury for Hyderabad, they were swept by their division rival Volts in the first round. Pune upset Kolkata 3-2 on the other side, giving the Purple Knights their first Indian League Championship Series trip since 2020. Visakhapatnam popped Pune 4-2 to earn the only IL pennant three-peat outside of Ahmedabad’s historic dynasty run. The Volts became five-time Indian League champs (2012, 13, 23, 24, 25).



The top record in the Southeast Asia League went to Dhaka at 101-61, winning the North Division for the third consecutive season. The Dobermans’ playoff streak grew to five seasons as they led in scoring with 844 runs. Bangkok (94-68) edged Yangon (93-69) to take back-to-back South Division titles. The Green Dragons were the first wild card and bounced back after having their world record playoff streak snapped in 2024 at 29 seasons.

The second wild card went to Khulna at 88-74, who allowed SEAL’s fewest runs at 607. The Claws fended off defending SEAL champ Ho Chi Minh City (85-77), Hai Phong (85-77), Hanoi (84-78), Da Nang (83-79), and Mandalay (83-79) in a very competitive race. It was the first-ever playoff berth for Khulna, who joined SEAL in the 2008 expansion. The Claws were the only SAB team that hadn’t yet made the playoffs to that point apart from the brand new expansion teams.

Chittagong was at .500 and notably set a new SAB team record with 498 stolen bases. 48 of those came from their designated hitter Cao An Ngo, who impressively was only caught once. The 27-year old Vietnamese righty led in WAR (8.4), OPS (1.041), and wRC+ (165) while adding 51 homers, 142 RBI, and 117 runs. It was his final season with the Commandos, as he’d join Hyderabad as a free agent on an eight-year, $131,300,000 deal.

Veteran righty Ravi Cittabhoga won Pitcher of the Year in his debut with Dhaka, having previously won the award in 2021 for Lucknow. The 35-year old Indian took the ERA title (2.80) and led in quality starts (23), FIP- (56), and WAR (8.8). Cittabhonga posted 269 strikeouts in 231.2 innings with a 17-9 record and 147 ERA+. He joined the Dobermans on a four-year deal, but unfortunately ruptured his UCL the next season.

Bangkok outlasted division rival Yangon 3-2 in the first round and Khulna upset top seed Dhaka 3-2. This guaranteed a first-time winner in the Southeast Asia League Championship. The Bobcats had lost in their only trips in 1987 and 2024, while the Claws had never gotten this far. Khulna continued its magical run, upsetting Bangkok 4-2 for their first title.



The magic abruptly ended for Khulna as Visakhapatnam swept them in the 46^th SAB Championship to complete the three-peat. The Volts joined Ahmedabad (1989-92 four-peat & 1994-96) and Ho Chi Minh City (2003-05) as the only teams to win three straight SAB titles. After those early dynasty runs ended and the talent diversified in SAB, some thought a three-peat would be unachievable. It was the first finals sweep since 2017, cementing the legacy of this Visakhapatnam crew.

In his first full season, 1B Dik**** Dariyanani was finals MVP. In 13 playoff starts, he had 13 hits, 7 runs, 4 homers, 12 RBI, and .865 OPS. Manager Do-Geon Yum became the fifth in SAB to win 3+ championships. It was an impressive brief career for the tall South Korean, who only coached from 2022-26. Three titles and a 502-308 record is a pretty solid haul.



Other notes: 2025 was the final season for the legendary slugger Majed Darwish, who completely incinerated the world record books over a 23-year run between Hanoi, Da Nang, and Dhaka. In his final season at age 42 for the Dobermans, Darwish still posted 46 home runs and 3061 RBI with 2.1 WAR.

The Bahraini switch-hitter retired as the pro baseball leader in home runs (1271), RBI (3061), total bases (8405), and runs scored (2664). Dawish also retired as SAB’s WARlord (174.15) and leader in slugging (.680). He’s surprisingly in slugging among world Hall of Famers behind EBF legend Jacob Ronnberg’s .686. Darwish’s 1.063 OPS is 6^th among world HOFers as of 2037 and is 12^th among all players in WAR, losing some ground having played much of his run at DH.

Darwish also retired with 3364 games, 712 doubles, 3782 hits, and 1506 walks. He’s 2^nd in the SAB leaderboard for 2Bs and hits only behind Manju Abbas while ranking third in games and fourth in walks. On the world charts, Darwish is 15^th in doubles, 16^th in hits, 17^th in games, and 41^st in walks. He did also strike out 2721 times, 7^th-most in SAB. The eight-time MVP and 14-time Silver Slugger winner certainly goes down as a truly one-of-a-kind slugger whose home run and RBI stats will almost certainly never be matched.

Delhi’s Amir Kapur struck out 20 against Lucknow over 8.1 innings on September 4, becoming the eighth SAB pitcher with a 20+ K game. Arjay Mohan, Quang Thinh Phan, and Van Phuong Tran each reached 3000 career strikeouts, a 39-player club. Tran and Franklin Tung both reached 200 career wins, a mark met by ten SAB aces. 2B Rufus Ko won his 7^th Gold Glove and 2B Agnisika Dhavita won his 7^th Silver Slugger.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2025 in WAB

---

The top four teams in WAB’s Western League were double-digit wins ahead of everyone else. While it was obvious they were the four playoff teams, who placed where was in question into the final week. After a wild card the prior year, Dakar earned the top seed in 2025 at 99-63, allowing the fewest runs at 647. The last time the Dukes took first place was their 2016 West African Championship win.

Defending WL champ Freetown and Abidjan both finished 97-65. The tiebreaker went to the Foresters, giving them the #2 seed and a bye to round two in the stepladder format. The Athletes were the top scoring team with 894 runs while posting an 11.50 K/9 as a pitching staff, the fourth-best in WAB history. Abidjan’s playoff streak grew to five years and Freetown’s grew to four. Two games back in the fourth and final playoff spot was Accra at 95-67, ending WAB’s longest active playoff drought at 23 seasons. Last year’s #4 seed Bouake fell to 69-93.

For the fifth time in six years, Cape Verde’s Okoro Yusuf was Western League MVP despite the Vulcans’ 77-85 mark in 2025. He joined Darwin Morris and Fares Belaid as the only WAB players with 5+ MVP wins. Still only 28-years old, the Nigerian corner infielder led in hits (225), OBP (.451), OPS (1.153), wRC+ (196), and WAR (9.6). Yusef added 113 runs, 49 homers, 130 RBI, and a .387 average. It was his sixth straight year leading in OPS, wRC+, and WAR.

Dakar’s Chidozie Iyakson repeated as Pitcher of the Year in only his second season, again leading in ERA (2.42), and WAR (8.5). The 24-year old Nigerian also led with 25 quality starts, striking out 310 over 234.1 innings with a 16-12 record and 182 ERA+. Iyakson also had a no-hitter on July 6 against Monrovia with 12 Ks and two walks.

Abidjan swept Accra in the first round, then got swept by Freetown in round two. The Foresters earned a shot to repeat in the Western League Championship Series, but Dakar denied that in a 3-2 battle. The Dukes ended an eight-year pennant drought and won their fifth Western League crown (1988, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2025).



Niamey had West African Baseball’s best record in 2025 atop the Eastern League at 105-57. The Atomics were the top scoring team with 936 runs for their third playoff trip in four years. 11 games back was second place Ibadan who earned a fourth straight wild card.

Reigning WAB champ Port Harcourt was third at 93-69 for their third straight playoff trip. The Hillcats allowed the fewest runs (595) and posted a 11.55 K/9, second-best in EL history. Their 1853 total strikeouts was the third-best. Yaounde at 90-72 narrowly grabbed the fourth and final spot, holding off Ouagadougou (89-73), Cotonou (85-77), and Lagos (85-77). The Yellow Birds picked up their sixth playoff appearance since 2018.

Eastern League MVP went to Yaounde LF Nuno Valente, who led with 8.0 WAR. The 26-year old from Guinea-Bissau had 201 hits, 118 runs, 60 doubles, 14 triples, 39 home runs, 128 RBI, 1.106 OPS, and 177 wRC+. Valente beat out Lagos DH Desmond Jaiyeola for the honor despite another incredible power season for Jaiyeola. He smacked 76 home runs with 150 RBI, falling two dingers short of the record 78 he set in his 2024 MVP campaign.

Port Harcourt’s Jacques Ahouansou won his second Pitcher of the Year in three seasons, leading in strikeouts (364), FIP- (57), and WAR (9.8). The 26-year old lefty from Benin finished second in both ERA (2.87) and wins (17-10), tossing 254.1 innings with a 160 ERA+.

The Hillcats outlasted the Yellow Birds 2-1 in the first round, but promptly got swept by Ibadan in round two. The Iguanas earned their third Eastern League Championship Series trip in four years. Top seed Niamey’s last trip was a victory over Ibadan in 2022. The Iguanas got revenge with the upset win 3-2 for their first pennant in 15 years. Ibadan became five-time Eastern League champs (1993, 1994, 1996, 2009, 2025).



Dakar dominated Ibadan 4-1 to win the 51^st West African Championship. It was the Dukes’ second overall title, joining their 2016 ring. 2024 MVP Junior Jose was the finals MVP in only his third season. The 25-year old Mozambican third baseman had 10 playoff starts with 13 hits, 9 runs, 2 doubles, 4 homers, and 10 RBI.



Other notes: WAB hit king Fares Belaid became only the fifth player in all of world baseball history to record 4000 career hits. The 36-yer old Tunisian finished the season at 4183, passing MLB’s Stan Provost (4133) for the #3 spot. He still had some work to do to catch Prometheo Garcia (4917) and Jiri Lebr (4651), but he gotten 215+ hits in 16 consecutive seasons.

Belaid ended the season with 2154 runs, putting him in striking distance of the WAB record of 2234 held by Darwin Morris. He also had 772 doubles, which placed the world record 816 by SAB’s Manju Abbas within his sights. Belaid had 398 career triples as well with only six players in world history occupying the 400 club.

Abidjan’s Hassan Amara had a .404 batting average, posting the fifth-best mark in WAB history to that point. In other milestones, Desmon Jaiyeola became the 15^th member of WAB’s 500 home run club. Jonah Moiseiwitsch became the 24^th to reach 2500 hits. Dagobert Mekongo became the 8^th pitcher to strike out 3500 batters. SS Jean-Francois Ouedraogo won his 8^th Gold Glove.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2025 in CLB

---

After posting three consecutive losing seasons, Shenyang bounced back in 2025 and took first in the Northern League at 96-66. Last year’s NL runner-up Nanjing was second at 92-70 for their sixth playoff trip in eight years. Third went to Jinan at 90-72, ending an eight-year playoff drought for the Jumbos. Jinan led all of Chinese League Baseball with 607 runs scored.

The fourth and final playoff spot had a tie at 86-76 between Hangzhou and Tianjin. The Hens won the tiebreaker game to snap a four-year playoff drought and end the Jackrabbits’ three-year streak. 2024’s first place squad Dalian was sixth at 84-78, followed by Xi’an (83-79), and Harbin (82-80). Changchun at 81-81 allowed the NL’s fewest runs at 482. Reigning CLB champion Urumqi fell to tenth place at 78-84.

Nanjing 2B Kenny Sang became the fifth player in CLB history to win four MVPs. The 31-year old Hongkonger took the Northern League’s top honor again after previously winning in 2018, 19, and 22. In 2025, Sang led in home runs (52), runs (103), total bases (366), and slugging (.616). He added 181 hits, 97 RBI, .952 OPS, 213 wRC+ and 9.9 WAR. Sang also became the 12^th member of CLB’s 400 home run club and won his ninth consecutive Silver Slugger.

Jinan righty Boxuan Liu picked up Pitcher of the Year in his fourth season. The 26-year old led in complete games (18) and posted a 2.11 ERA over 273 innings, 16-11 record, 270 strikeouts, 136 ERA+, and 5.5 WAR. Liu had been drafted #1 overall by the Jumbos in the 2021 CLB Draft and was seemingly starting to hit his potential.

Nanjing fared best in the Round Robin at 4-2, earning repeat semifinal trips and their fourth in five years. Shenyang and Jinan were both 3-3 and Hangzhou was 2-4. The Swans advanced on the tiebreaker for their first semifinal appearance since 2021; which featured a loss to the Nuggets. Nanjing also bested Shenyang back in the 2018 semifinal. The Swans had home field advantage, but the Nuggets remained their kryptonite with Nanjing taking the semifinal 4-3. Nanjing secured their sixth trip to the China Series (1970, 1982, 1996, 2018, 2021, 2025).



The Southern League had a shake up as the top three teams all ended notable playoff droughts. Wuhan took first at 98-64 to end a six-year skid, leading the SL in scoring with 591 runs. Tying for second at 91-71 was Chongqing and Kunming. The Cavaliers snapped a decade-long drought while the Muscle ended a three-year one.

There was a three-way tie for the fourth and final spot at 87-75 between reigning SL champ Shantou, Xiamen, and Nanning. The Mutts won tiebreaker games against both to advance for the third straight year. Wenzhou (84-78), Shenzhen (83-79), and Macau (82-80) were each in the hunt as well. The Wild had the fewest runs allowed at 448. Guangzhou notably collapsed, going from back-to-back 90+ win seasons to a last place 66-96 in 2025.

Shenzhen 3B Faqing Zhang scored Southern League MVP honors in his fourth season, leading in WAR (12.5) and runs scored (98). The 26-year old righty had 34 homers, 90 RBI, 27 doubles, 19 triples, 48 stolen bases, .299/.347/.585 slash, and 206 wRC+. Zhang also hit for the cycle on September 25 against Guangzhou. He had been the #2 overall pick in the 2021 CLB Draft by the Spartans.

Repeating as Pitcher of the Year was Chengdu righty Zhiyang Zhuang. Still in only his third season, the 24-year old led in FIP- (50) and posted a 2.01 ERA over 228 innings, 15-10 record, 10 saves, 314 strikeouts, 135 ERA+, and 8.1 WAR. Zhuang notably tossed a no-hitter on May 23 against Dongguan with 11 strikeouts and one walk. Also worth a mention was Wenzhou’s Ying Flors winning his third Reliever of the Year, having previously won it in 2018 and 2020 for Wuhan.

The round robin was a deadlock with all four teams going 3-3. After sorting out tiebreakers, Chongqing and Xiamen advanced to the semifinal. The Mutts earned their third straight trip while the Cavaliers last made it in 2014. Xiamen was denied for the third consecutive year as Chongqing prevailed in a seven-game classic. The Cavaliers set the CLB record for longest gap between finals berths at 39 years, having taken runner-up back in 1983 and 1985.



The 56^th China Series saw Nanjing cruise to a 4-1 victory over Chongqing to become four-time champions (1996, 2018, 2021, 2025). The Nuggets became the fourth CLB franchise to win three titles over an eight year stretch. 2024 NL MVP Houzhi Ding was the star of the postseason, earning finals and semifinals MVP. In 18 playoff starts, the 27-year old first baseman had 24 hits, 12 runs, 3 doubles, 8 home runs, 16 RBI, 10 walks, 1.234 OPS, 266 wRC+, and 1.8 WAR.



Other notes: CLB’s 54^th and 55^th Perfect Games were thrown in 2025. On July 1, Kunming’s Zihao Sipaseuth did it with six strikeouts versus Nanning. Then on August 27, Xiamen’s Gelsomino Marciano fanned nine versus Shenzhen. Wenzhou’s Xueyu He struck out 20 in a no-hitter against Chongqing. This tied the record for Ks in a no-no (Jinlong Han also did it in 1997) and was the tenth 20+ K game in CLB history. Shijiazhuang’s offense drew only 235 walks all season, the second-worst in CLB history. 2B Yusheng Cai won his eighth Gold Glove.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2025 in APB

---

For the first time in 13 years, Cebu was the Philippine League champion. The Crows had the Taiwan-Philippine Association’s top record at 105-57, well ahead of second place Zamboanga’s 88-74. Although the Zebras failed at a third straight playoff berth, their streak of winning seasons grew to 14 seasons. Cebu was second in scoring (600) and fewest runs allowed (420) in the TPA. Zamboanga had allowed the least runs at 415.

At 95-67, Hsinchu won a competitive Taiwan League over defending TPA champ Kaohsiung (92-70) and Taichung (91-71). The Sweathogs picked up their third TL crown in five years. 82-80 Taoyuan was the TPA’s top scoring team at 610 runs, but also allowed the most runs at 600.

“The King” Binh Tang continued his dominance for Hsinchu with his sixth consecutive Taiwan-Philippine Association MVP. He joined Nerius Senaen as the only six-time winners in Austronesia Professional Baseball history. Tang also joined all time world greats Jimmy Caliw, Darwin Morris, and Harvey Coyle as the only players to win six consecutive MVPs. That was incredibly elite company since those three guys were among the top five in WAR for all of baseball history. Tang secured his third Triple Crown to become the only APB batter with three.

Still only 25-years old, the Vietnamese first baseman led in runs (107), home runs (52), RBI (118), total bases (393), triple slash (.350/.401/.683), OPS (1.084), wRC+ (239), and WAR (13.7). Tang broke his own WAR best from the prior year with the second-highest mark ever by an APB position player behind only Gavin Loh’s 14.02 from 1996. He also broke his own APB total bases single-season record by nine and won his second Gold Glove.

Tang also narrowly missed the APB all-time OBP record of .404 by Eli Cheng from 1986 and the batting average record of .352 by Francis Pung from 1972. His slugging and OPS were the second-best behind his own .702 and 1.100 from the prior year. By many measures, 2024 and 2025 would be the two best years of Tang’s career, although he was far done from rewriting APB’s record books.

Pitcher of the Year was Davao’s Jah Manorek at only age 21. He had debuted in 2023 at only age 19, but missed all of 2024 to a labrum tear. The Indonesian righty bounced back for an association-best 8.3 WAR, 12 complete games, 5 shutouts, and 54 FIP-. Manorek had an 18-6 record, 1.57 ERA, 178 ERA+, and 320 strikeouts over 234.2 innings. Unfortunately, big injuries would be a recurring theme from Manorek, who would lose most of 2026 to a torn rotator cuff. The Devil Rays still gave him a seven-year, $72,700,000 extension that winter in hopes that he could stay healthy.



The Sundaland Association was very competitive in 2025 with the best record being a mere 92-70. That went to Jakarta, who needed every bit of it to hold off 91-71 Depok for the Java Sea League title. It was the second in three years for the Jaguars. Surabaya was also in the mix for a bit at 84-78, while reigning Austronesia Champion Bandung fell to fourth at 81-81.

The Malacca League had Johor Bahru on top at 89-73, fighting off 86-76 Kuala Lumpur and defending ML winner Pekanbaru at 84-78. The Blue Wings ended a six-year playoff drought back to their 2017 pennant. JB was the association’s top scoring team with 564 runs while Surabaya allowed the fewest with 414. Medan, the Sundaland Association champ in 2022 and 2023, dropped noticeably down to 70-92.

The top awards had repeat winners with Pekanbaru LF James Yuwono again taking MVP honors. The 26-year old Indonesian lefty led in homers (49), RBI (91), total bases (331), slugging (.597), OPS (.940), wRC+ (231), and WAR (10.1). Yuwono added 76 runs, 58 steals, and a .276 average. Prior to the season, he committed to the Palms on an eight-year, $100,060,000 extension.

Surabaya’s Rahman Omar was again Pitcher of the Year in his ninth season with the Sunbirds. He won his first ERA title (1.50) and led in strikeouts (346), WHIP (0.68), K/BB (13.8), complete games (19), shutouts (7), and WAR (9.3). Omar had a 12-12 record, 10 saves, and 165 ERA+ in 240.2 innings. He also picked up his lone Gold Glove. Omar stayed one more year with Surabaya, then cashed in on MLB money with a six-year, $153,600,000 deal with San Diego.

Cebu rolled Hsinchu 4-1 in the Taiwan-Philippine Association Championship to end a 12-yaer pennant drought. The Crows became five-time TPA champs (1990, 1991, 1992, 2012, 2025). Jakarta downed Johor Bahru 4-2 for the Sundaland Association Championship to end their own 20-year pennant drought. The Jaguars became ten-time champs (1968-70, 82, 85, 86, 92, 93, 2004, 25), tied for the most with Medan.



In their previous finals meeting back in 1992, Jakarta defeated Cebu to deny the Crows’ repeat bid. The 61^st Austronesia Championship needed all seven games for the fourth consecutive year. The Jaguars were again victorious over the Crows to become seven-time APB champs (1969, 1970, 1985, 1992, 1993, 2004, 2025), which leads all teams despite the two decade gap between wins.

Finals MVP was CF Mustari Reumbekwan in his eighth season with Jakarta. The 31-year old in 13 playoff starts had 14 hits, 3 runs, 1 triple, and 5 RBI. It was his final APB season, as he finished out his career with OBA’s Vanuatu. With the Jaguars’ title, APB has had six different champs in six years with each league represented. There have been nine different champs in the last decade with Palembang as the only repeat.


Other notes: APB’s 50^th perfect game came on April 11 by Cagayan de Oro’s Yuri Jesus with eight strikeouts against Manila. Jesus also tossed another no-hitter on September 28 with six Ks against Davao, giving him three no-no’s for his career. He was the first in APB history to have multiple no-hitters in a season with one of them as a perfect game.

Cebu’s Davey Ong set an APB postseason record with seven triples. In milestones, Liu Hu became the 10^th member of the 500 home run club. Aru Haj was the 34^th pitcher to reach 3500 strikeouts. 1B Widodo Megawati won his 15^th and final Gold Glove. He matched fellow 1B Kent Wang for the APB record and became the eighth in pro baseball history with 15+ Gold Gloves and the fourth at first base specifically. C Yi-Hsiang Chang won his eighth Silver Slugger.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2025 in OBA

---

Sydney repeated as Australasia League champion, winning the title for the third time in four years and the fifth time since 2018. The Snakes finished 101-61 and led the AL in runs scored (775) and fewest allowed (594). Still, Sydney was only two ahead of 99-63 Canberra. The 2006 expansion Centurions again broke their franchise wins record, but still hasn’t taken that elusive first pennant despite four straight 90+ win seasons.

Melbourne (91-71), Gold Coast (89-73), and Christchurch (89-73) were also competitive. The Chinooks notably posted their 15^th consecutive winning season. Also notable was Auckland’s collapse from 90-72 in 2024 to an abysmal 59-103 in 2025.

Australasia League MVP was Melbourne LF Dakota Rasmussen, who led in slugging (.645), OPS (1.030), wRC+ (186), and WAR (7.6). The 26-year old Australian added 39 home runs, 112 RBI, 39 doubles, 11 runs, and a .338 average. Rasmussen would get traded at the deadline in 2026 to Canberra, then spent the next decade with Brisbane.

In his first complete season for Christchurch, Paul Yidi won Pitcher of the Year. The 26-year old New Caledonian had seen limited use the prior three years and also missed two months in 2025 to a strained abdominal. Still, Yidi led in WAR (8.5) and K/BB (8.8). He added a 16-9 record, 2.07 ERA, 230.1 innings, 263 strikeouts, and 184 ERA+. The following spring, the Chinooks signed Yidi to a five-year, $48,700,000 extension.



Two-time defending Oceania Baseball Association champ Port Moresby secured a third consecutive Pacific League title with a franchise-best 108-54 record. The Mud Hens won their fifth pennant and became the first to three-peat in the PL since Tahiti (2003-05). The Tropics were a distant second at 93-67, followed by Samoa at 90-72. PM allowed the fewest runs at 580 while the Sun Sox scored the most at 829. Vanuatu dropped from 97 wins down to fourth at 83-79.

For the third time in five years, Port Moresby CF Stanley Yeo claimed Pacific League MVP. The 29-year old hometown hero led in runs (121), homers (45), RBI (111), total bases (374), stolen bases (87), slugging (.647), OPS (1.013), wRC+ (178), and WAR (11.1). Yao was the WARlord for the fourth time in five years with each season above 10+.

His Mud Hens teammate Colton Stark won his fourth consecutive Pitcher of the Year with his fourth straight ERA title at 2.29. The 32-year old Australian also led in wins (27-3), WHIP (0.89), K/BB (12.0), quality starts (29), FIP- (54), and WAR (10.6). He struck out 289 over 271.1 innings with a 164 ERA+. Stark became the seventh OBA ace to win POTY four times and joined Akira Brady as the only ones to do it consecutively.



The 66^th Oceania Championship was a finals rematch from the prior year with the opposite result. This time Sydney defeated Port Moresby 4-2, giving the Snakes four OBA titles (2018, 2019, 2022, 2025). It was especially impressive to see four titles in eight years from Sydney since they hadn’t made the playoffs once in their first 58 seasons of existence. The Mud Hens were denied the three-peat, which had only previously been done in OBA by Melbourne (2004-07) and Honolulu (1982-84 & 1988-90).

Veteran LF William Buchholz was finals MVP for the second time, having also done it with their 2019 title. In his 14^th season for the Snakes, the 36-year old New Zealander went 12-25 with 7 runs, 3 doubles, 6 RBI, and 8 stolen bases. Buchholz tied the OBA playoff record for steals.



Other notes: OBA home run and runs scored leader Roe Kaupa also became the RBI leader in 2025, passing Junia Lava’s 1989 and Adrian Kali’s 1979 for the top spot. Kaupa ended his age 38 season for Vanuatu with 1998 RBI. Kaupa also passed Kali to become OBA’s leader in total bases, ending the year at 6396. He won his 15^th Silver Slugger with nine at first base and six as a designated hitter. Kaupa became the first with 15+ Sluggers within OBA and the 11^th in world history to have 15+ across their pro career.

Canberra’s L.J. Carvalho tossed OBA’s 16^th perfect game on September 4 with nine strikeouts against Brisbane. John Skeffington of Honolulu had a .3702 batting average, the 4^th-best single season in OBA history. Finals MVP William Buchholz became the 7^th to reach 1500 runs scored. Stef Page was the 23^rd pitcher to record 3500 strikeouts. Nathan Bouye was the 4^th closer to 400 saves. CF Pouvalu Manu won his 11^th consecutive Gold Glove. 2B Trey Cruz won his 9^th Silver Slugger.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2025 in EPB

---

Only five wins separated the top seed from the two wild cards in the European League for 2025. St. Petersburg took the top seed at 93-69 and repeated as North Division champs. Moscow was second at 88-74, getting one of the wild cards for their ninth playoff berth since 2014. Last year’s EL champ Nizhny Novgorod was a non-factor as they fell to 73-89. The Ninjas allowed the fewest runs in the EL at 484, but also scored the fewest at 490. Minsk also had a surprise losing season at 74-88.

For the fifth straight year, Volgograd won the South Division at 89-73, growing their playoff streak to six. The Voyagers barely repeated with Tel Aviv right behind at 88-74. The Aeros earned a wild card in their sixth season, becoming the first of the 2020 expansion teams to make the postseason. Voronezh and Kazan were the closest wild card competitors at 83-79. Last year’s ELCS runner-up Samara dropped to 77-85. The Zephyrs were the highest scoring team in the EL at 617 runs.

For the second time in four years, the European League’s MVP was also the Pitcher of the Year. St. Petersburg’s Warren Hunter took the honors in 2025 in his EPB debut. The 30-year old Quebecois righty had spent his first nine pro seasons in MLB’s Ottawa with average results. Hunter came from Canada to Russia on a seven-year, $67,400,000 deal and delivered out of the gate.

Hunter led the EL in wins (21-9), ERA (1.70), innings (290.1), and complete games (24). He added 298 strikeouts, 176 ERA+, and 7.0 WAR. While a fine season, it surprised many that he won both awards since Hunter was only fourth in WAR among pitchers. Being the ace on the team with the best record goes a long way with traditionalist voters.

Also of note was Oleh Khmelovskyi winning his sixth Reliever of the Year, the only closer in Eurasian Professional Baseball to achieve the feat. It was his lone year with Voronezh after nine seasons with Kazan, posting a career-best 0.74 ERA. Khmelovskyi would leave for MLB for two years, then was briefly back in EPB for 2028 before retiring at age 36. He became the sixth pitcher in all of baseball history to win six Reliever of the Year trophies.

St. Petersburg cruised to a first round sweep of Tel Aviv while Moscow edged Volgograd 3-2. The Polar Bears had their first European League Championship Series trip since 2022 and the Mules had their first since 2021. Russia’s two largest cities hadn’t met for the pennant since 2006. Moscow rolled to a 4-1 upset of St. Petersburg for their fifth pennant in 11 years. The Russian capital now had 13 European League titles.



Krasnoyarsk was the clear top seed in the Asian League at 101-61, wining their seventh consecutive East Division title. The Cossacks’ playoff streak grew to eight seasons as they led in scoring with 709 runs. Ulaanbaatar was a distant second in the division at 88-74, but that was enough for the first wild card slot. The Boars ended a three-year playoff drought.

A competitive West Division saw Perm first at 90-72 with Chelyabinsk getting the second wild card at 85-77. Ufa (83-79) and defending EPB champ Yekaterinburg (82-80) missed the cut. The Pitbulls earned their fifth division title in six years. For the Cadets, their playoff streak grew to seven seasons, all wild cards. The Yaks fell short despite allowing the fewest runs at 465, under-performing their expected W/L by eight games.

Krasnoyarsk DH Timofei Kalinin won Asian League MVP for the second time in three years. The 28-year old Russian lefty had 46 home runs, 119 RBI, .290/.347/.570 slash, 169 wRC+, and 6.6 WAR. In April, the Cossacks gave their slugger a five-year, $53,800,000 extension.

Chelyabinsk’s Aleksandr Taptykov picked up Pitcher of the Year. It was the third year starting for the 30-year old Russian after spending his first six seasons in relief for the Cadets. Taptykov led in wins (22-9) and posted a 2.09 ERA over 267 innings, 212 strikeouts, 152 ERA+, and 4.1 WAR. He notably had the lowest-ever WAR total by an EPB POTY winner.

Krasnoyarsk cruised to a first round sweep of Chelyabinsk and Perm topped Ulaanbaatar 3-1. Despite both teams’ recent success, they had never met in the Asian League Championship Series before. It was the fourth straight ALCS for the Cossacks and their seventh in eight years. The Pitbulls’ lone trip was their 2021 championship season. In six games, Krasnoyarsk prevailed over Perm for their second pennant in three years and third in eight years. The Cossacks became eight-time Asian League champs overall.



Moscow and Krasnoyarsk had become familiar foes in the EPB Championship. The first battle came in 1974, a 4-1 Mules win. Then in 2005, the Cossacks earned their own 4-1 series win. Round three in 2009 was a 4-2 Moscow victory. The 71^st EPB Championship was the fourth encounter and the least competitive as Krasnoyarsk evened the series with a sweep.

The Cossacks are now a four-time champ, having also won in 1982 and 2018. Third-year CF Giordano Fanucchi was finals MVP. The 28-year old Italian started 13 playoff games with 11 hits, 3 runs, 2 doubles, 1 homer, and 2 RBI. Krasnoyarsk were the sixth different team to win the EPB title in six years.



Other notes: Igor Gorbatyuk finished the season with 1655 runs scored, passing Zaur Kadirov’s 1619 to become EPB’s all-time leader. The three-time MVP played one more partial season with Moscow, finishing with 1669 runs, 2810 hits, 390 doubles, 169 triples, 501 homers, 1537 RBI, 1348 walks, 1033 stolen bases, and 102.9 WAR. At retirement, Gorbatyuk was also a top ten player with the 3^rd-most walks and ninth-most hits. He also held a bad #1 spot, getting caught stealing 890 times.

Prior to 2025, Igor Urban was the only player in EPB in the 3000 hit club with 3044. In 2025, he was joined by both Evgeny Kiselev (3013) and Tayyar Abdualiyev (3002). It was the final season for both, keeping Urban’s top mark narrowly intact.

Nikolay Kargopolcev became the 3^rd member of the 700 home run club, finishing his age 38 season with 724 dingers and 1713 RBI. He was in striking distance of Konrad Mazur’s HR record of 740 and Ivan Mushailov’s RBI record of 1755.

Sergei Stoev became the 11^th member of the 600 home run club and Kaysar Alkhasov was the 11^th pitcher to 250 wins. LF Brandon Chunchignorov won his 10^th Gold Glove and RF Jaraslau Lyashenko won his 8^th. RF Timofei Averkin won his 7^th Silver Slugger as did Bakhityar Dolukhanov. It was Dolukhanov’s first at second base after winning six times at shortstop.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2025 in EBF

---

The top two records in the Northern Conference came from the Central Division with Rotterdam (106-56) outracing Hanover (100-62) for the top spot. The Ravens earned their fifth consecutive division title while the Hitmen were a wild card for the third year running. It was the fourth straight 100+ win season for Rotterdam, who led all of the European Baseball Federation in runs scored (844) and led the conference in fewest allowed (566).

The West and East Division races were both intense for the #2 seed, division titles, and wild card slot. Stockholm at 98-64 won the East in a triumphant return to the Elite Tier, as the Swordsmen were the European Second League’s runner-up in 2024. This was the first playoff berth in the top flight for the Swedish capital since 1993. They finished four games ahead of Berlin and 4.5 ahead of Kharkiv for the division.

Reigning Baseball Grand Champion and three-time defending conference champ Dublin kept their West Division title streak alive at six seasons, albeit narrowly at 97-65. It was a drop from their three straight 110+ win campaigns, finishing 4.5 games ahead of Birmingham and five better than Glasgow. Both teams were right in the mix for the remaining two wild cards along with numerous other squads.

Berlin at 94-68 got the second spot for their second wild card in three years. The final spot had a tie at 93-69 between Kharkiv and Birmingham, which falling just short were Glasgow (92-70), Amsterdam (91-71), Hamburg (89-73), and Frankfurt (88-74). The Killer Bees beat the regular Bees in the tiebreaker game to give Kharkiv repeat playoff trips.

Three teams breached the 100+ loss threshold to suffer relegation in 2025. Riga was the clear bottom team at 53-109, while Nottingham (61-101) and Edinburgh (62-100) both narrowly suffered demotion. Tallinn (63-99), Antwerp (66-96), and Manchester (66-96) each struggled also, but escaped relegation. The Roosters and North Stars both only lasted two years in their EBF Elite stints. The Enforcers’ run lasted a solid 16 seasons with three playoff trips, although they had generally been a mid-level team.

Northern Conference MVP went to Rotterdam CF Kamil Bufka, who also won his third Gold Glove. The 26-year old Czech lefty led in runs (129), home runs (56), total bases (434), slugging (.716), OPS (1.103), wRC+ (198), and WAR (11.1). Bufka added 199 hits, 25 doubles, 21 triples, 125 RBI, and 61 stolen bases. The Ravens would lock him up to be their long-term star in July 2027 at eight years and $222,200,000.

Fourth-year Glasgow lefty Todd McBride snagged Pitcher of the Year. The 25-year old Englishman led in WHIP (0.92) and shutouts (6). McBride had a 20-6 record, 2.54 ERA, 223.1 innings, 233 strikeouts, 153 ERA+, and 7.1 WAR.

Dublin’s reign atop the Northern Conference ended as Kharkiv swept the Dinos in the first round. Berlin swept Hanover on the other side, but the top seeds held in round two. Rotterdam outlasted the Killer Bees 3-2 and Stockholm bested the Barons 3-1. It was the third straight Northern Conference Championship trip for the Ravens, but they hadn’t won the pennant since 1992. The Swordsmen had last made the conference final in 1993 and last won it in 1982.

Rotterdam stopped Stockholm 4-2 to get the Ravens over the hump, becoming six-time Northern Conference champ (1969, 1972, 1977, 1980, 1992, 2025). They also were the first Dutch finalist since Amsterdam in 2016. While Stockholm fell short, they had plenty of momentum to success after returning to the EBF Elite for the first time in eight years.



The Southern Conference runner-up the past two seasons Zagreb took the top seed at 108-54 in 2025. The Gulls’ playoff streak grew to six with their third division title and fifth 100+ win season of that run. Zagreb was the conference leader in runs scored with 808. Naples was ten back in the Central Division at 98-64, but that was enough to get the second wild card. The Nobles have earned four playoff trips since returning to the EBF Elite in 2019.

In a strong West Division, Munich (100-62) narrowly held off Zurich (99-63) to give the Mavericks five straight division titles. It was Munich’s sixth straight playoff trip as well. The Mountaineers were the first wild card for their third consecutive postseason berth and their ninth in ten years. Defending European Champion Chisinau earned their third straight East Division title at 94-68. The Counts were nine games ahead of second place Odesa, but 85-77 was a solid debut season as the Drifters were last year’s E2L champ.

Seville was third in the West at 93-69, picking up the final wild card over Zaragoza (90-72), and Malta (89-73). The Stingrays earned their second wild card in three years. For the historically inept Marvels, 89 wins set a new franchise record. They were still the only original EBF team to never make the playoffs in the league’s 76 year history. The Gold Hawks notably allowed the fewest runs in EBF at 547.

The Southern Conference also had multiple relegated teams with Thessaloniki (60-102) and Bucharest (62-100) both losing triple-digits. Tirana was the next closest at 66-96, but survived. The Tritons had been a success story amongst the E2L originals and won the pennant in 2017. They got relegated for 2023, but got right back after one year. The return sadly lasted only two years for Thessaloniki. Meanwhile, this was the first relegation for the Broncos since leaving Eurasian Professional Baseball, who had generally hovered around the mid-tier with 79.9 wins per season in EBF.

Leading Zagreb’s efforts was Southern League MVP Ludevit Dano. The 36-year old Slovak third baseman was in his second year with the Gulls, having played previously 12 years for Zurich. Dano led in runs (124), homers (55), and WAR (8.5). He added 183 hits, .965 OPS, and 172 wRC+.

Madrid was a forgettable 77-85, but they had the Pitcher of the Year Griffin Arnall. The 30-year old Irish lefty signed for six years and $98,600,000 with the Conquistadors in 2024 after eight seasons with Lisbon. Arnall led in ERA (2.21), and quality starts (24). He added an 18-6 record and 270 strikeouts over 232.1 innings with 169 ERA+ and 6.6 WAR.

Zurich topped Naples 2-0 and Chisinau downed Seville 2-0 in the first round. The Mountaineers then stunned top seed Zagreb 3-1 in round two to earn their first Southern Conference Championship trip since 2020. The bad postseason results continued for the Gulls, who had no pennants in the last six years despite five 100+ win seasons. Munich held firm 3-1 against defending EBF champ Chisinau, sending the Mavericks to their fifth conference final in six years.

The Mavericks seemed well on their way by starting the series up 3-0, but Zurich rallied to take the series in seven. It was the third rally from down 3-0 in Southern Conference Championship history, joining 1961 and 1967. The Mountaineers earned their third pennant in a decade (2016, 2019, 2025) and their 12^th overall, which leads all EBF teams.



The 76^th European Championship was the second finals meeting between Rotterdam and Zurich with the Ravens winning back in 1980. Both teams’ historic finals results continued on a similar path Rotterdam rolled the Mountaineers with a sweep. The Ravens were now 6-0 all-time in the finals and ended a 32-year title drought. For Zurich, they fell to 3-9 in the European Championship.

Finals MVP was 3B Jyriki Vartiainen, best known for his Gold Glove defense and not his bat. The 27-year old from Finland started 15 playoff games with 15 hits, 10 runs, 6 doubles, and 5 RBI. Rotterdam now had the second-most EBF rings behind only Dublin’s seven. The Ravens were the only franchise in all of pro baseball to be unbeaten in the championship and have six titles. The cup returned to Amsterdam for the first time since Rotterdam’s 1992 title.



Other notes: The incredible Harvey Coyle played his 20^th and final season with Oslo, finishing the season with an absurd 205.4 career WAR. He became only the 3^rd in all of pro baseball history with 200+ WAR, passing world strikeout king Mohamed Ramos (205.1) of Besibol Sudamerica for 2nd. The only player still in front of him was OBA/MLB legend Jimmy Caliw at 214. Like Coyle, Caliw combined excellent batting at shortstop with tremendous defense.

Coyle finished his age 38 season with an EBF-best 951 home runs, along with 1844 runs, 3134 hits, and 2152 RBI. He passed Jack Kennedy’s 2017 for third on the RBI list and now ranked 7^th in runs and 10^th in hits in EBF. After an incredible run as the face of Oslo (and European baseball generally), Coyle would be traded in the offseason to Birmingham for prospects.

EBF hit king Jiri Lebr played his final season at age 44 with Thessaloniki. He was best known for a 17-year run with Budapest before bouncing between five teams in his final six seasons. He also had a one-year stint in MLB in there for Washington. Lebr left as EBF’s leader in hits (4494), singles (3198), games (3426), at-bats (13,238), and RBI (2346); marks he still holds as of 2037.

Counting his one MLB season, Lebr retired with 4651 professional hits, second in world history behind only Prometheo Garcia’s 4917 between CABA/MLB. Lebr was also just behind Garcia in at-bats, 6^th in games played, and 7^th in RBI. He showed the value of consistency and ironman durability, as Lebr won only two Silver Sluggers and was only an MVP finalist twice. His 123.19 WAR ranks 15^th among EBF position players as of 2037.

In other milestones, Omer Kadri Nesin was the 22^nd to reach 1500 runs scored and the 41^st to 2500 hits. Nico Tofani became the 29^th to 1500 RBI. Ludevit Dano was the 38^th member of the 500 home run club and Forest Campbell was the 40^th pitcher to 200 wins. OF Theofilos Psarras won his 10^th Silver Slugger. Riga’s Ales Dabrowski on June 4 went 7-9 against Nottingham, becoming only the third in EBF history to post a seven-hit game. Across all world leagues to that point, it was only the 14^th seven-hit game.

Promotion/Relegation: Things would be a mess as Bucharest, Thessaloniki, Riga, Edinburgh, and Nottingham were each relegated to the European Second League after losing 100+ games. Earning promotion was E2L champ Luxembourg, runner-up Sofia, semifinalists Marseille and Kyiv, and the top record holding Tbilisi. See the image below for the realignment prompted by 2025’s results.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2025 in BSA

Beisbol Sudamerica had used a 26-player active roster size since 1995, the largest of any of the world leagues. However, they announced the lowering of the roster to 25 beginning with the 2025 season. Several leagues were at 25 with a few even lower. Most leagues still had very large reserve rosters at their disposal to quickly swap players around.



Barranquilla took the Bolivar League’s top seed at 107-55 with a franchise record season. The Blues’ playoff streak grew to four with their third Colombia-Ecuador Division title in that run. Santa Cruz repeated as Peru-Bolivia Division champ at 103-59 and led the league in scoring with 829 runs. After seeing their Venezuela Division title streak end at seven seasons in 2024, Caracas returned to the top spot at 91-71. All three division champs took first by double-digit wins.

Four teams fought over the two wild card spots. Guayaquil got the first one at 92-70 to end a three-year playoff drought. Defending Copa Sudamerica winner Quito and La Paz tied for the second spot at 91-71 while Arequipa just missed at 88-74. The Thunderbolts defeated the Pump Jacks in the tiebreaker game to keep their repeat hopes intact. Despite missing the cut, the Arrows allowed the fewest runs at 597. La Paz notably set a new BSA team record with 521 stolen bases. Cali’s three-year playoff steak also ended with the Cyclones falling to 71-91.

Arequipa 1B Paco Amorim earned Bolivar League MVP, leading the league in runs (116), walks (96), on-base percentage (.452), OPS (1.115), wRC+ (190), and WAR (9.3). The 25-year old Brazilian added 203 hits, 45 home runs, 97 RBI, and 30 doubles. Amorim was already in his seventh season with the Arrows and had finished second in MVP voting in both 2023 and 2024.

Santa Cruz’s Bartolo Flores repeated as Pitcher of the Year, becoming a three-time winner. He posted the 13^th Triple Crown pitching season in BSA history and only the third of the 21^st Century with a 22-6 record, 2.31 ERA, and 359 strikeouts. It was the fifth straight year that Flores led in strikeouts. The 27-year old Ecuadoran also led in WHIP (0.92) and quality starts (26) for 8.1 WAR and 175 ERA+ over 256.2 innings.

Quito edged Caracas 2-1 in the first round, then had their repeat bid snuffed out in the divisional series 3-1 by top seed Barranquilla. The Thunderbolts had ousted the Blues the prior year in what was Barranquilla’s first-ever trip to the Bolivar League Championship Series. Guayaquil upset Santa Cruz 3-1 on the other side of the bracket, giving the Golds their first BLCS trip since 2017.

The series was a seven game classic with the top-seeded Blues surviving a feisty challenge by Guayaquil. Barranquilla was the first Colombian team to win the Bolivar League since Medellin in 2014, which was the longest drought the country had ever seen. With the Blues’ first title, all three BL expansion teams from 2009 have now won a pennant.



The Southern Cone League had a tight field as the top four playoff teams were separated by only four wins. The top two records both came out of the South Central Division with Santiago at 99-63 and Concepcion at 97-65. The Saints division title streak grew to six seasons with their tenth playoff berth in 11 years. The Chiefs’ playoff streak grew to four with their ninth berth in a decade. Concepcion allowed the fewest runs in all of BSA at 531. Santiago has now posted 17 consecutive winning seasons and the Chiefs have posted 15.

Fortaleza won the North Division at 96-66 to extend their playoff streak to five with their third division title of the run. In the Southeast Division, defending league champ Sao Paulo was the only winning team at 95-67. The Padres picked up their third division title in four seasons.

For the second wild card, Asuncion (89-73) edged out Belo Horizonte (86-76) and Manaus (86-76). The Archers were the only team in the Southern Cone League playoff field who wasn’t in it the prior year, ending a five-year drought. Asuncion was the league’s top scoring team with 783 runs.

In only his second season, Santiago two-way player Will Arocha earned Southern Cone League MVP. On the mound, the 24-year old Chilean righty led in wins (19-6), innings (256.1), and complete games (15). He posted a 2.95 ERA, 251 strikeouts, 126 ERA+, and 6.6 WAR.

Arocha also played 88 games at second base and posted 4.5 WAR offensively over 126 total games, leading the league with 23 triples. He’s likely the only player in world history to lead in pitching wins and triples in the same season. Arocha had .928 OPS, 161 wRC+, 80 runs, 18 homers, and 48 stolen bases. The Saints had gotten a steal by picking him 40^th overall in the 2023 BSA Draft.

Concepcion righty Agostino Cortez won his second Pitcher of the Year, having previously done it in 2018. It was an impressive bounce-back for the 31-year old Chilean, as he missed all of 2024 to elbow ligament reconstruction surgery. For 2025, Cortez led in ERA (2.25), wins (19-9), complete games (15), shutouts (4), and FIP- (65). He struck out 227 over 231.2 innings for 164 ERA+ and 7.1 WAR.

Sao Paulo beat Asuncion 2-0 in the first round, then upset top seed Santiago 3-2 in the divisional series to keep their repeat hopes intact. The Saints’ general poor playoff luck continued as they’ve made the playoffs 12 times since 2011, but only thrice gotten beyond the divisional series with only one title in 2020. Fortaleza defeated Conception 3-1 to set up a Southern Cone League Championship rematch.

The Foxes got revenge for their 2024 defeat, stopping Sao Paulo 4-2 to win their third pennant in five years. It was Fortaleza’s 13^th pennant overall and their sixth of the 21^st Century, leading all teams. Despite the defeat, the Padres still have the most Southern Cone crowns at 15.



Fortaleza still couldn’t get over the final hump, losing in Copa Sudamerica for the fourth straight appearance. The 95^th finale went to first-time champ Barranquilla 4-1, becoming the 27^th different franchise to win the cup and the first of the 2009 expansion teams. The Foxes are now 4-9 all-time in their finals trips, tying them with Caracas and Sao Paulo for the most runner-up finishes.

LF Emerson Acosta was the star of the playoffs, winning BLCS and finals MVP for Barranquilla. The 30-year old Colombian in 16 playoff starts had 26 hits, 12 runs, 5 doubles, 3 triples, 3 homers, 10 RBI, 1.069 OPS, and 1.0 WAR. With the result, the last five cup wins have gone to Bolivar League teams, although the Blues were the first winner from Colombia since Medellin in 2014.



Other notes: Niccolo Coelho became the all-time leader in runs scored in BSA and the first to crack 2000, passing Milton Becker’s record 1980 runs. As of 2037, Coelho is one of 33 in all of world history with 2000+ runs. He also in 2025 became the 3^rd in Beisbol Sudamerica to reach 3500 hits. At age 42, he was still worth 5.3 WAR in his 20^th season for Recife, finishing the season at 3564 hits, 2030 runs, 878 home runs, 2140 RBI, and 163 WAR.

Coelho was already the WAR leader among BSA position players and was only 376 hits, 86 RBI, and 63 homers away from the top spots. Coelho passed Valor Melo’s 870 homers to move into the #2 slot behind Becker’s 941. Only Becker had more RBI (2226) while Owen Arcia (3940) and Javier Herrera (3597) remained ahead in hits. Coelho became the ninth with 3000+ games played in BSA in 2025 and planned on returning for 2026.

Ciudad Guayana’s Juan Rizo went 7-7 against Maturin on June 1, joining Mateo Salinas as the only players with a seven-hit game in BSA history. Through 2025, there have been only 14 seven-hit games in pro baseball history. Michael Escalante was the 22^nd to score 1500 career runs. He and three others got to 2500 hits, a mark now achieved by 76 BSA batters. Cicero Lugo became the 15^th BSA player to 3000 hits and the first catcher in all of baseball history to reach the mark. Ivan Sandoval was the 15^th pitcher to 250 wins and the 52^nd to 3500 strikeouts. Lope Martinez was the 67^th pitcher to 200 wins.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2025 EAB Expansion

As baseball’s popularity continued to grow worldwide, it had also continued to grow in the already strong hotbeds of Japan and Korea. East Asia Baseball had once expanded back in 1978 and close to 50 years later felt the time was right to expand again. Some worried that the densely populated countries would have a tough time finding pockets that didn’t already have an existing fan base. Some franchises were also concerned about losing some market share, but most agreed that expansion almost certainly meant more money for all.

The Japan League and Korea League were both looking at growth, but had different ideas for the best way to do it. Both eventually settled on the idea of bringing four teams into the fold, but officially didn’t want to do it all at once. Adding eight teams so quickly had the potential to dilute the talent pool and disrupt the competitive balance. As plans continued into the 2010s and 2020s, it was clear that Japan had more ready-made markets for expansion than the Koreas. Thus, the plan was made to expand the JL by four teams with a KL expansion later down the line.



The two leagues had different alignments at that point with the Japan League favoring four divisions of four teams and the Korea League with two divisions of eight. Adding four teams to the JL made a logical move to four divisions of five teams. For the sake of geographic balance, they didn’t simply add one new team to each division. Part of that was due to the less-populated northern region of Honshu receiving two of the four new franchises.

With that, Saitama was moved out of the North Division and joined the Capital Division. The expansion Utsuomiya Undertakers and Maebashi Bunnies entered the North Division, the Hamamatsu Chickenhawks were added to the Central Division, and the Okayama Ocelots joined the West Division.



The expansion talks also prompted discussions of expanding the postseason. Previously both teams sent four teams into the playoffs. For the Japan League, it was just the four division winners, while the Korea League sent its two division winners and wild cards. Especially in Japan, some had disliked the format with some strong second place teams getting left out in favor of a weaker division champ elsewhere. Both leagues decided to change their playoff formats, but the math was different.

The Japan League opted to add two wild card teams who would face the two weakest division winners in a best-of-three wild card series hosted by the division champ. The #1 and #2 seeds would get byes into the best-of-five divisional series and face the wild card round winners.

Meanwhile as the KL didn’t expand, they opted to add only one new wild card team. The #4 would host the #5 seed in a best-of-three with the winner facing the top seed, while the #2 division winner faced the best wild card in the divisional series. The Korea League wouldn’t add a sixth playoff team until they did their own expansion ultimately in 2030.

One last change for 2025 was a win scored by the players who got EAB to lower the service time required for free agency from six to only five years. EAB had oscillated between six and seven years required through its history. The only other world league that had a five-year minimum was the Oceania Baseball Association. Eurasian Professional Baseball was the most restrictive at ten seasons with everyone else in the middle somewhere.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2025 in EAB

---

Saitama was moved from the North Division to the Capital Division in 2025 and settled in nicely to their new home. The Sting had the Japan League’s best record at 101-61 for their third playoff berth in five years. They finished six games ahead of Chiba, while last year’s division winner Tokyo dropped to 79-83. The #2 seed went to Fukuoka, who won their sixth consecutive West Division at 99-63. The Frogs were five wins better than Kumamoto.

Kobe at 98-64 barely won the Central Division and was only three games away from the top seed. The Blaze won their third consecutive division title. Osaka (97-65) and Nagoya (94-69) were both close behind the Blaze in the Central. The Orange Sox and 96-68 Chiba picked up the two wild cards, while the Nightowls and 94-69 Monsters were the first teams out. Osaka ended a four-year playoff drought and the Comets got their second berth in three years. The Orange Sox notably outperformed their expected win/loss by 11 games.

The big turnaround came from Niigata, winning the North Division at 91-71 over reigning East Asian Baseball champ Sapporo at 87-75. The Green Dragons snapped a 14-year playoff drought, which was the longest active skid in the Japan League. They hadn’t been above .500 since 2018. Kumamoto now has the longest active drought as theirs grew to 14. Niigata led the league in scoring with 709 runs and Chiba allowed the fewest at 497.

Leading Niigata’s offense was 1B To****sugu Kobayashi, who repeated as Japan League MVP. The 26-year old lefty led in hits (222), batting average (.367), on-base percentage (.427), wRC+ (222), and WAR (10.5). Kobayashi added 109 runs, 39 doubles, 28 homers, 102 RBI, and 1.020 OPS. It would be the final season in Japan for the 6’7’’ slugger, who departed for Major League Baseball in the offseason on an eight-year, $233,400,000 deal with Philadelphia.

Veteran lefty Nobuyoshi Yamauchi won his third Pitcher of the Year in his first season for Kobe. He had spent the prior 13 years with Osaka, winning the top honor way back in 2015 and 2017. Many were shocked when the Orange Sox traded him to their divisional foe Blaze in March, especially since he had still pitched respectably, including an ERA title the prior year.

Yamauchi was in the last year of his deal and Osaka wasn’t sure he’d stay. Kobe locked him up to a four-year, $96,800,000 extension after his 2025 resurgence. Yamauchi led in WHIP (0.85), quality starts (25), and shutouts (4). He posted a 2.07 ERA over 261 innings, 297 strikeouts, 20-6 record, 155 ERA+, and 7.4 WAR.

In the brand new wild card round, both division winners advanced over the wild card teams with Niigata over Osaka 2-1 and Kobe over Chiba 2-0. Top seed Saitama ousted the Green Dragons 3-1 in the divisional series while the Blaze upset Fukuoka 3-2.

Kobe hadn’t gotten to the Japan League Championship Series since all the way back in 1994 with a pennant drought back to 1984. The Sting had made it to the JLCS in 2021, but their lone title was nearly a century prior in 1930. Few were even alive to remember Saitama as Japan League champ since it happened before World War II. Incidentally, the Sting’s 1930 JCLS win came over the Blaze.

The series went all seven games for the first time since 2019. For only the second time in JLCS history (1987), all seven games were won by the home team. This allowed the top seed Saitama to defeat Kobe and end their 94-year Japan League title drought.



Two-time defending Korea League champ Busan repeated as the top seed by winning the South Division at 98-64. The Blue Jays grew their playoff streak to six with their fourth division title of the run. It wasn’t a cakewalk though as the next best two records in the KL were right behind them in the South.

Changwon (94-68) and Daegu (93-69) took the first two wild cards to continue both teams’ general recent success. The Crabs playoff streak grew to five with their ninth berth in a decade. The Diamondbacks secured their third playoff trip in four years. It was Daegu who led the league in scoring in 2025 with 790 runs.

Bucheon allowed the fewest runs (565), enabling them to win the North Division at 92-70. It was the second division title in three years for the Bolts. Hamhung was second at 88-74, which was good enough to get the new third wild card slot over Yongin (86-76), Suwon (85-77), Pyongyang (83-79), and Goyang (82-80). The Heat ended a four-year postseason drought. Last year’s North Division champ Seongnam collapsed to 68-94, their first losing season since 2013.

After earning a wild card in 2024, Gwangju fell to 72-90 in 2025. That didn’t stop 1B Han Yi from repeating as Korea League MVP. The 24-year old lefty led in hits (201), homers (58), RBI (133), total bases (409), slugging (.682), OPS (1.068), wRC+ (186), and WAR (8.9). Yi had 108 runs with a .335 average and .386 OBP.

Pitcher of the Year went to Kwang-Il Chang in his second year with Busan. He joined the Blue Jays for 2024 on a six-year, $121,200,000 following runs with Bucheon and Incheon. The 30-year old lefty led in wins (23-5), and WHIP (0.85). Chang posted a 2.36 ERA over 252 innings with 281 strikeouts, 159 ERA+, and 6.9 WAR.

Daegu edged Hamhung 2-1 in the wild card round, then carried the momentum into a shocking divisional series sweep of defending champion Busan. This gave the Diamondbacks their third Korea League Championship Series trip in four years. Bucheon outlasted Changwon 3-2 on the other side for the Bolts’ first KLCS trip since 2012. Bucheon had home field advantage as a division winner, but Daegu won the KLCS 4-2 for their second pennant in four years. The Diamondbacks lead all teams with 16 Korea League crowns to their name.



Although the 105^th East Asian Championship had a finals “regular” in Daegu, it was Saitama rolling to their first-ever championship 4-1. The Sting became the 27^th different EAB franchise to win it all. This left Suwon and Daejeon as the only of EAB’s original teams to never win it all through 105 seasons. The Snappers have at least made it to the finals thrice, while the Ducks never have.

Finals MVP was 1B Masakazu Sunagawa, who returned to Saitama in 2025 as a free agent. He had been drafted by the Sting in 2017, but was traded for 2021 to Tokyo. In 16 playoff starts, the 30-year old three-time Gold Glove winner had 16 hits, 10 runs, 1 double, 3 triples, 6 home runs, and 14 RBI. Sunagawa also hit for the cycle during the series.



Saitama matched MLB’s Seattle Grizzlies for the longest time in pro baseball history between a franchise’s founding and its first overall championship at 105 years. Right behind was CABA’s Nicaragua Navigators, who finally won it all in their 104^th season.

Other notes: 2025 was the final season for seven-time MVP Hitoshi Kubota at age 43, who struggled in 75 games for Kyoto in his 24^th season. The long-time Hiroshima LF joined Soo-Geun Yim as the only members of EAB’s 900 home run club, but his 905 fell short of Yim’s record 921.

Kubota’s 2098 RBI, 153.3 offensive WAR, and 1956 runs were each second on the leaderboard at retirement. Byung-Oh Tan remained the runs leader (2010), Yim the RBI king (2279), and Sosuke Hoshizawa the WARlord (156.9). Kubota also retied fifth in hits with 3408 and had a blistering 196 wRC+ for his career, putting himself in the conversation for EAB’s greatest ever player and for the Japanese GOAT.

In other milestones, Jae-A Choi became the 34^th to score 1500 runs. He and Yeo-San Park reached 500 home runs to make that a 73-player club. Toshikuni Naikai became the 42^nd pitcher to 3500 strikeouts. 67 pitchers were now at 200+ wins with the additions of Il-Hwan Lee, Yun-Jae Paek, Jong-Dae Om, and Hiroshi Yama****a in 2025.

RF Kunihiko Ishiguro won his 9^th Silver Slugger. SS Min-Jae Lim earned his 8^th Slugger and 2B Dae-Eui Ha got his 7^th. Saitama’s Si-Won Joon set a bad playoff record by allowing 45 hits, although part of that was a function of tossing 37.1 innings. He had a 4.10 ERA with 44 strikeouts. Gwangju’s Seung-Ho Lee tossed his second no-hitter.

[johnstone1987]

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

Imagine Japan rioting cause the Bunnies won the Series

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2025 CABA Expansion

Baseball’s popularity continued to skyrocket into the 21^st Century with an especially dedicated and passionate fan base throughout Central America and the Caribbean. The Central American Baseball Association had expanded twice in since its inception in 1911, first in 1962 and then in 2003. Some felt it might have been too soon for another round, but others wanted to strike while the iron was especially hot.

Mexico was one of the most invested major nations and certainly had a number of large cities that had only grown since the last expansion. Meanwhile, the choices for new teams in the Caribbean League wasn’t as immediately obvious. Most of the few major cities already had teams, as did the largest of the island countries. However, the appetite was so strong that many felt far smaller markets than traditionally expected could support a CABA franchise. Soon after the last expansion, officials began further exploring places that might be able to support a team.

The next question was how many teams would you add and where? Both leagues came up with the rough idea of adding four teams, but eight newcomers at once had the potential to severely disrupt competitive balance. There was also the question of potential realignments and changes to the playoff system. Since 2003, both leagues had used two divisions of eight teams. Officials were split on if they just wanted to add to the large divisions or divide up into a different setup.

Eventually the plan was set for a six team expansion that began with the 2025 season. The Mexican League would add two teams, one to each existing division. Meanwhile, the Caribbean League would see a radical shift with four teams added and a split into three divisions. With 20 teams, the CL would have two divisions of seven teams and one with six.

For the Mexican League, the Culiacan Cocks joined the North Division and the Toluca Tortugas entered the South Division. The long-term plan was to later add two more teams and realign the ML in a similar fashion to the CL. Those two additional teams would be finalized to begin play in 2030.



The Caribbean League took a bit more creative planning based on the far more limited options for new teams. Cuba had previously been represented by Havana with many arguing that the country was easily deserving of multiple teams. With the capital in the west, the easterly Santiago de Cuba, the second-largest city in the country, was an obvious option. Since there was already a team called Santiago in the league based out of the Dominican Republic, this new franchise adopted the moniker East Cuba Crawdads.

Three island nations were chosen for the other expansion squads and would be among the smallest population bases for a team. Supporters argued that the region’s baseball fanaticism, plus the successes of other CABA teams and of Pacific League teams in OBA, made this a viable option. Earning charters would be the Curacao Chaos, Barbados Bay Cats, and Guadeloupe Glory.



Three of the new teams were eastern Caribbean or Lesser Antilles region along with East Cuba. Thus, the new division structure wasn’t even in terms of having a newcomer. The East Division would feature Curacao, Barbados, and Guadeloupe as newcomers, along with Puerto Rico, Trinidad, Suriname, and Guyana. The Pelicans were the only original CABA team in that group and was leery of losing some historical rivalries, but they were the seven most easterly teams. Officials also hoped this would promote some success from some of the newer franchises.

The West Division had East Cuba as the newcomer along with Bahamas, Haiti, Jamaica, Santo Domingo, Santiago, and Havana. The one six-team division would be the Central Division and kept the original six Continental Division teams together: Honduras, Panama, Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Guatemala.



With more teams, officials also looked at expanding the postseason. Previously, both CABA leagues sent two division champs and two wild cards. The new format would send six teams from each league. As the Mexican League maintained a two division structure, the two division champs earned a bye to the second round while four wild cards met in the first round. The Caribbean League would have three division champs and three wild cards.

The first round would be officially a “best of three,” but the higher ranked team earned a one-game handicap and hosted. The higher seed just needed to win one game, while the lower seed had to win twice. The second round remained a true best-of-five with the higher seed hosting all five games. This was designed to provide extra incentives for regular season success. The LCS and CABA Championship both remained a 2-3-2 best-of-seven format. There would also be re-seeding prior to each round.