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

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2029 World Baseball Championship



The 2029 World Baseball Championship was the 83^rd edition of the event and was hosted in Conakry, Guinea. Division 1 was remarkably competitive with Chad, Chile, Italy, and Mexico each tied for first at 7-4. Australia, Cuba, and Guatemala were each right in the mix at 6-5 as well. After the tiebreakers were sorted, the Mexicans advanced to the elite eight for the 35^th time. The third place finisher last year, Mexico was one of two countries to make it back to the elite eight from the prior year.

Division 2 saw Taiwan on top at 9-2, edging out defending World Champion England at 8-3. The United States, Malaysia, and Moldova were all in the mix at 7-4. The Taiwanese earned their 10^th division title and their first since 2017. It was a rare back-to-back miss for the Americans and only their 22^nd time outside of the elite eight.

Spain (10-1) outraced France (9-2) in Division 3, giving the Spaniards their third division title in five years and 12^th overall. Japan (8-3) claimed Division 4 over 7-4 efforts by the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Panama. Ukraine and the Philippines, both division champs last year, were at 6-5 along with Tanzania and Bangladesh. The Japanese advanced for the second time in three years and for the 22^nd time overall.

Romania and the Czech Republic tied atop D5 at 8-3, while India, Azerbaijan, and Nigeria were each 7-4. The Romanians advanced with the head-to-head win for their sixth division crown and first since 2020. Division 6 had Pakistan and Scotland even at 8-3, while last year’s runner-up Poland was tied at 7-4 with Mozambique and South Korea. Pakistan moved forward on the tiebreaker for the eighth time and first time since 2021.

North Korea claimed Division 7 at 9-2 with Colombia, Germany, and Turkey the closest foes at 7-4. The North Koreans got their seventh division crown, their first in 54 years going back to 1975. Lastly, Indonesia (10-1) held off Puerto Rico (9-2) to claim Division 8. The Indonesians earned back-to-back Round Robin trips and advanced for the 27^th time.

Advancing from Round Robin Group A were 5-1 Taiwan and 4-2 Pakistan, while 3-3 Spain and 0-6 Mexico were ousted. It was the ninth semifinal trip for the Taiwanese, who last did it with their runner-up 2004 campaign. It was the sixth for the Pakistanis, who had taken second in 2021.

Group B had Indonesia on top at 4-2, sending them to the final four for the 13th time. The Indonesians hadn’t gotten that far though since their runner-up 2014 season. Japan and North Korea were both 3-3 and Romania went 2-4. The tiebreaker sent the Japanese forward for the first time since taking third in 2019. It was Japan’s 12^th semifinal berth.

Recent years had seen European teams in the top spot, taking the last five world titles. 2029 was notably the first time ever that the final four were all Asian teams. It also guaranteed the second-ever finals matchup between two Asian teams, joining China’s 1993 win over India. It was the first time since 2010 without at least one European team in the final four.

Taiwan edged Japan in a 3-2 semifinal classic to earn their fourth finals trip (1980, 2001, 2004, 2029). Pakistan ousted Indonesia 3-1 on the other side for their second finals trip (2021, 2029). This guaranteed the 22^nd first-time champion, as the Taiwanese were 0-3 previously and the Pakistanis lost in 2021. Japan was officially third and Indonesia was fourth. The Japanese have taken third seven times.



The 83^rd World Championship saw back-to-back sweeps as Pakistan rolled Taiwan 4-0. They were the first Asian champ since China in 2016 and the seventh Asian country to win the title. The top performers from Pakistan included LF Youssouf Raza, who led all players with 10 home runs. SS Nawaz Kurnaz was the top scorer with 20 runs and SP Ebrahim Abrami struck out the most batters at 66.



Taiwan now has the most runner-up finishes (4) without having won at least once. They had the Tournament MVP in 1B Wei-Yin Wang, who won Taiwan-Philippine League MVP in 2026 for Taoyuan. In 26 tournament starts, Wang had 34 hits, 14 runs, 6 doubles, 7 homers, 18 RBI, 1.121 OPS, and 1.9 WAR. England’s Lucas Oldham was named Best Pitcher. A 24-year old closer for MLB’s Ottawa Elks, Oldham tossed 12.1 scoreless innings with 28 strikeouts,, 4 hits allowed, and two walks.

Other notes: Indonesia’s Arif Wirawan tossed a no-hitter with nine strikeouts and two walks against Bulgaria on January 18. The 2020s had ten different champs over the decade, a remarkable run of parity. Below are the updated all-time tournament stats:

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2029 EBF Expansion

2005 had been the last major expansion with the European Baseball Federation with the introduction of the European Second League and the promotion/relegation system. It had been a tremendous success and the sport had grown tremendously across the continent since. As the 2020s dawned, it became clear that the appetite was there for more baseball. Many cities were itching to get involved, both from the large countries that already had numerous teams and from the smaller states that had either one or zero major pro teams.

It was difficult though to figure out how to set things up. Since the 2000 expansion and exodus of teams from Eurasian Professional Baseball to EBF, the EBF Elite Tier had used two conferences with 24 teams each. This had already made EBF the second-largest major organization behind only Major League Baseball, who grew to 64 total teams with their 2021 expansion.

There were another 32 teams split between the E2L conferences already. Any new teams though couldn’t jump straight to the top tier, so officials pondered a massive growth for E2L. Others wanted the Elite Tier to grow and some realized that there were more interested markets than the E2L could handle. By the end of the decade, the new plan was designed to support the huge appetite for baseball in Europe.

The expansion/relegation would be extended to a three-tier system with the introduction of European Tier Three. This new bottom rung would feature 20 teams playing without any divisions. The initial 2029 pilot season would not see any promotion/relegation involving ET3 to establish the new franchises. From 2030 onward, the top two placing teams would earn promotion to E2L, while the last place finishers in both E2L conferences would be relegated.

One challenge for the ET3 teams was they weren’t included into the shared draft structure of EBF/E2L. These teams would be reliant on scouting discoveries into their academies along with any available free agent castoffs. 14 countries would be represented in the new league. Three teams would be the first for their respective countries with the Cyprus Crush, Montenegro Mountain Goats, and Kosovo Slayers.

Joining them would be the Bilbao Beasts (Spain), Bordeaux Blue Angels (France), Donetsk Dozers (Ukraine), Dresden Diesel (Germany), Florence Fireflies (Italy), Gdansk Gunners (Poland), Geneva Gold Tigers (Switzerland), The Hague Hackers (Netherlands), Katowice Whitehawks (Poland), Leeds Lagers (England), Lille Liberty (France), Newcastle Night Train (England), Nuremberg Nightmares (Germany), Ostrava Torpedoes (Czech Republic), Porto Men-O-War (Portugal), Ruhr Railhawks (Germany), and Venice Visigoths (Italy).



Additionally, it was decided to expand the EBF Elite Tier from 48 total teams to 52, adding two to each conference. These four teams were the semifinalists from the 2028 E2L season with no relegations for the bottom EBF teams from 2028. The E2L maintained its two conference structure, but continued with 14 teams per conference instead of 16.

This also led to a change in the EBF Elite structure, going from three divisions of eight teams to two large divisions each with 13 teams. The playoff structure continued to have six teams per conference, but now the two division champs earned guaranteed byes to the best-of-five second round while the four wild cards met in the best-of-three first round. Here are the new alignments for the 2029 season.



The promotion/relegation criteria was also simplified from the previous variable setup. From now on, there would always be four moving up and four moving down between EBF/E2L. The last place finisher in each EBF Elite division would be demoted, while the four E2L semifinalists would move up. E2L’s playoff format remained the same with the top four in the standings advancing to a double round robin, followed by a best-of-seven conference championship for the top two.

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2029 E2L and ET3

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Copenhagen claimed the top record in the European Second League’s Western Conference at 100-62, which was the first playoff berth for the once proud Corsairs since joining E2L in 2021. Paris (97-65) was second for back-to-back round robin trips.

Toulouse (92-70) and Oslo (91-71) earned the other playoff spots. It was the first for the Toads since falling back to E2L for 2025. For the Octopi, this was only their second E2L season. The first teams out were Liverpool (88-74), Cardiff (84-78), and Reykjavik (83-79). Belfast notably dropped to 75-87 after winning 96 games in 2028.

In the Double Round Robin, Paris was the top team at 4-2, sending the French capital back to the European Baseball Federation Elite Tier after a five-year E2L stint. Copenhagen and Oslo tied at 3-3 and Toulouse was 2-4. The Corsairs had the tiebreaker over the Octopi to escape E2L after nine years. In the Western Conference Championship, Copenhagen defeated Paris 4-2.



Three teams were within one game of first in the Eastern Conference. Cluj-Napoca and Thessaloniki tied for the top spot at 99-63 with Kyiv third at 98-64. The Tritons officially took first place, their first playoff berth since returning to E2L in 2026. It was back-to-back playoff appearances for the Paladins.

The Kings had been on a rollercoaster ride with a promotion in 2025, EBF playoff spot in 2026, then relegation for 2027. The fourth and final playoff spot was Belgrade at 93-69, who fended off Sarajevo (91-71) and Malta (87-75). The Bruisers were in their second E2L season.

Cluj-Napoca was the best in the round robin at 4-2, while Belgrade and Kyiv tied at 3-3 and Thessaloniki was 2-4. The Paladins guaranteed promotion for the third time, ending a six-year E2L stint. The tiebreaker sent the Kings forward and thwarted the Bruisers, continuing Kyiv’s bouncing back and forth. Cluj-Napoca prevailed 4-1 in the Eastern Conference Championship. In the Second League Championship, Copenhagen claimed a seven-game classic against the Paladins.





Other notes: Stuttgart’s Alexander Hamann became the first five-time Pitcher of the Year winner in E2L. Cluj-Napoca’s Bogdan Zientara tied the E2L pitching wins record with 22.



2029 was the pilot season for European Tier Three, although promotion/relegation wouldn’t start until 2030 for the new teams. Ostrava led the standings in the debut season at 101-61, advancing to the championship along with 93-69 Cyprus. Gdansk and Montenegro were next at 91-71. The Torpedoes beat the Crush 4-1 to claim the inaugural Third League Championship.

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2029 AAB Expansion

Like in Europe, baseball’s popularity had continued to grow rapidly throughout Africa. The African Association of Baseball had introduced 16 new teams in 2018 for the African Second League. More markets had emerged as franchise ready and AAB officials weighed the best way to grow the game.

Since the 1995 inception, AAB had used two conferences with 10 teams each. Officials decided to grow that starting in 2029 to 12 teams per conference for 24 teams total. The top two teams from the prior year’s A2L season moved up (Windhoek, Maseru, Bukavu, Pointe-Noire) while no teams from AAB were relegated. AAB’s playoff setup remained the same with the top two in the standings meeting in a best-of-seven conference championship, followed by the best-of-nine Africa Series.

As for A2L, there would be eight total expansion teams split between the two conferences. Two teams filled the void of the promoted squads, while another two grew A2L to a similar 12x2 setup to AAB. A2L’s playoff format remained the same as well and maintained the structure of having the conference championships promoted and the last place finishers in both conferences relegated.



The Southern Conference added first new countries with the eponymous Eswatini Engineers (formerly known as Swaziland) and with the island Reunion Revolution. They also added the South Africa based Bloemfontein Beagles and Pretoria Purple Rage.

The Central Conference arguably added a new country with the Hargeisa Green Eagles. That is the capital of unrecognized Somaliland, a breakaway state from Somalia. The other new teams were the Kisumu Swamp Dragons (Kenya), Kisangani Starlings (Democratic Republic of the Congo), and Zanzibar Beacons (Tanzania).

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2029 in A2L

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The African Second League’s Southern Conference was very top heavy, in part due to the struggles of the expansion franchises. Mauritius (105-57) outraced Lubango (103-59) for the top spot, while Luanda (98-64), Bulawayo (94-68), and Lilongwe (94-68) came up short. It was the first playoff trip since 2020 for the Monsoon and the first ever for the Browns.

The 105 wins by Mauritius set an A2L record. They also set a new league record with a team .419 on-base percentage. Lubango set multiple records in the ultra-high scoring league with 1311 runs, .340 average, and .590 slugging. Lilongwe meanwhile smacked a record 314 home runs. Toavina Razafintsalama led the way for the Lightning set A2L single-season records for home runs (88), slugging (.926), and OPS (1.391). Because A2L is considered below a “major” league, these marks don’t factor into world leaderboards.

The Southern Conference Championship was expected to be an intense battle, but it ended up a sweep for Mauritius. The Monsoon earned their first-ever promotion, although they had won the conference title twice (2019, 2020) prior to promotion/relegation beginning.



Bahir Dar claimed the Central Conference at 102-60 for their first-ever playoff berth. Mombasa at 99-63 barely took second ahead of Bangui (98-64) with Mbuji-Mayi (93-69) also in the mix. The Bisons upset the Baboons 4-1 in the Central Conference Championship, earning their second promotion. Mombasa had been in the African Association of Baseball’s first league from 2024-26.



In the Second League Championship, Mauritius defeated Mombasa 5-3 to earn their second A2L title.



Other notes: CF Kasao Nhantumbo won his 8^th Gold Glove and 3B Jimmy Lubowa won his 7^th.

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2029 in AAB

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Reigning Africa Series winner Cape Town clobbered the Southern Conference competition in 2029 at 106-56. Despite winning two pennants in their four-year playoff streak, this was the first time the Cowboys led the standings since 1998. Cape Town led the entire African Association of Baseball with only 657 runs allowed. They also led the conference and were second overall with 924 runs scored.

2028 African Second League champion Windhoek had an impressive AAB debut at 93-69, edging 90-72 Durban and Johannesburg for the second place spot. The White Sox became the first team that debuted in A2L to earn a playoff spot in the top tier. Last year’s first place finisher Lusaka was fifth at 87-75.

At the bottom, Comoros suffered relegation at 61-101. Dar es Salaam barely escaped demotion, finishing one better than the Chimps at 62-100. Comoros’ run in the top tier lasted only two seasons. The Sabercats fall was pronounced though, having won the pennant only two years prior.

Cape Town designated hitter Johny Kibamba repeated as Southern Conference MVP and broke AAB’s single-season record for hits. Kibamba’s 239 hits bested Regis Mugabo’s high of 234 from 2025. He also scored 147 runs, the third-best in AAB history and a top 20 season in world history. The 25-year old Congolese wtich hitter also led in triples (10) and total bases (465).

Kibamba had 59 doubles, 49 home runs, 133 RBI, 105 stolen bases, .364/.420/.709 slash, 182 wRC+, and 8.2 WAR. The total bases ranked as the fourth-best in AAB history to that point. The summer 2027 trade to get Kibamba continued to prove huge for the Cowboys.

Cape Town also had Pitcher of the Year Sipho Zuke, who also won his fourth Reliever of the Year and third straight. It was only the third time that an AAB closer won POTY, last occurring in 2007. The 29-year old South African lefty tied AAB’s saves record of 46 and led the conference with 72 games. Six AAB closers have recorded 46 saves.

Zuke posted an 0.84 ERA over 85.2 innings, 152 strikeouts, 565 ERA+, and 6.4 WAR. His ERA was the lowest ever by an AAB Reliever of the Year winner. Zuke was also the fifth in AAB history to win ROTY four times. The prior spring, the Cowboys signed Zuke to a four-year, $28,600,000 extension. Cape Town had 56 team saves, one short of Durban’s conference record from 2009.



A competitive Central Conference saw Brazzaville on top at 98-64, their first playoff trip since 2020. Mogadishu was a close second at 96-66, while reigning conference champ Addis Ababa fell short at 94-68. Bujumbura (90-72) and Djibouti (88-74) were next closest. The Mighty Mice led AAB in scoring with 973 runs, while 86-76 Kinshasa allowed the conference’s fewest runs at 678. Last year’s first place finisher Nairobi fell to seventh at 81-81.

Mogadishu set AAB single-season team records with a .301 batting average and 16868 hits. The Mighty Mice also set new conference bests with a .366 team OBP, .523 slugging, 973 runs scored, and 405 doubles. Suffering relegation was Lubumbashi at 54-108, their first time demoted. The Loggerheads as recently as 2024 were AAB champs, showing how quickly fortunes can change. Pointe-Noire struggled to 61-101 in their AAB debut, but still stayed seven ahead of Lubumbashi to stay safe.

Central Conference MVP went to Mogadishu DH Abel Teklemariam. The 24-year old Ethiopian led in hits (223), runs (145), doubles (51), total bases (474), triple slash (.375/.453/.798), OPS (1.251), wRC+ (208), and WAR (9.0). His OPS was the fourth-best AAB single-season to date. Teklemariam also had 60 home runs and 155 RBI, missing the Triple Crown because Addis Ababa’s Dagne Mersha had 71 dingers and 163 RBI.

Kigali’s Jacob Yiga won Pitcher of the Year in his 11^th season with the Guardians. The 34-year old Ugandan righty had a remarkable rebound from a putrid 6.17 ERA the prior year. Yiga had been mostly below average for his career, but led in WAR in 2029 at 6.2. He added a 17-7 record, 3.56 ERA, 240.1 innings, 216 strikeouts, and 132 ERA+. It was a one-off for Yiga, who was middling in 2030 and retired after a terrible 2031.

Cape Town clobbered Windhoek with a Southern Conference Championship sweep, giving the Cowboys their third pennant in four years and fourth overall. Brazzaville similarly swept Mogadishu in the Central Conference Championship for their fourth pennant, ending a nine-year title drought.



The 35^th Africa Series saw Brazzaville defeat the defending champ Cape Town 5-3, giving the Blowfish their third title (2015, 2016, 2029). CF Asa Ngoie was a stud in the playoffs, winning MVP of both rounds. The 28-year old Congolese lefty in 11 starts had 15 hits, 8 runs, 2 doubles, 4 home runs, 15 RBI, and 1.091 OPS.



Other notes: Two bad single-season records were set with Mogadishu’s Marcel Okaka getting caught stealing 59 times and Bukavu’s Kalusha Kasasa allowing 294 hits. Port Elizabeth’s Cielo Ndong had a 32-game hitting streak. This was the second-longest in AAB history, although still far from Stewart Khumalo’s 41 from 2027.

In milestones, Patrick Babila became the third in AAB to reach 2000 career RBI. It would be his final season with his 2005 behind Mwarami Tale’s 2252 and Felix Chaula’s 2021. Babila also retired 4^th in homers with 844 and ranks 38^th on the world homer leaderboard as of 2037. Babila’s 2734 hits ranked 4^th at retirement but was within striking distance of Tale’s 2897. He was also third in runs scored at 1749.

Salum Khosa became the 14^th to 500 home runs and the 10^th to 1500 RBI. Labama Nkurunziza and Fasika Mulatu were the 8^th and 9^th pitchers to 3000 career strikeouts. SS Djibrilla Ousseini won his 11^th Silver Slugger, tying Said Tesfaye for the position record. Ousseini is one of only six at any position in AAB with 11+ Slugger wins. 2B Matheus Mabanza won his 7^th Silver Slugger.

For the 2020s, the African Association of Baseball had a league average ERA around 4.42, ranking as very high on the global historical scale. In AAB’s prior seasons decades, the ERA had hovered around the 4.05 to 4.15 range. This was just below West African Baseball and Arab League Baseball for the highest in the world. The Central Conference specifically had a 4.83 ERA in 2028 and the Southern Conference had a 4.79 ERA in 2026; among the highest ever in any world subleague.

Despite the high scoring, AAB’s league batting average was around .256 for the decade. That graded as fairly average on the historical scale and amongst the other world leagues in the 2020s. Both conferences did set new single-season highs with the SC at .266 in 2026 and the CC at .269 in 2028. Averages had been around .244 in the prior two decades.

Promotion/Relegation: Comoros was expelled from the Southern Conference and Lubumbashi was ousted from the Central Conference. Mauritius took over the SC slot and Mombasa grabbed the CC spot

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2029 in ALB

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Jerusalem again took the Western Conference’s top seed, leading all of Arab League Baseball in fewest runs allowed (578) and leading the WC in runs scored (908). The Jets were down from their franchise-best 113 wins from 2028, but 103-59 got them a fourth straight Levant Division title. Jerusalem’s playoff streak grew to six years. Their team batting average of .296 and .528 steam slugging were both the third best mark in conference history.

Alexandria took the #2 seed at 98-64 atop the Nile Division for their third division title in four years. Reigning ALB champ Algiers won the Mediterranean Division at 94-68. The Arsenal’s playoff streak grew to seven seasons, the longest active run in ALB. Algiers also got their seventh division title of the decade. Tripoli’s three-year playoff streak ended as they finished 85-77, nine back on the Arsenal in the division.

Getting the wild cards were Damascus (92-70) and Cairo (90-72) with the Privateers as the first team out. The Dusters earned repeat wild cards and the Pharaohs got their third straight trip and 12^th since 2017. Cairo’s pitching set new league records for fewest walks allowed (240) and best BB/9 (1.49). The Privateers were the first team out at 85-77, followed by Aleppo at 84-78. This was the first winning season for the 2024 expansion Alliance. Also of note was Amman at 80-82, their first losing campaign since 2021.

Jerusalem’s Misbah Salah earned Western Conference MVP in his seventh season with the Jets. The 26-year old Saudi right fielder led in batting average (.376), OBP (.414), OPS (1.112), wRC+ (184), and WAR (9.5). Salah saw 113 runs, 203 hits, 44 doubles, 17 triples, 32 home runs, 103 RBI, and 83 stolen bases. The Jets signed Salah in the spring to a four-year, $141,500,000 extension.

Pitcher of the Year also went to Jerusalem with Hilal Mohsen repeating. The 28-year old Syrian lefty had a 19-11 record, 2.94 ERA, 241.2 innings, 204 strikeouts, 5 shutouts, 151 ERA+, and 7.1 WAR. The sky seemed to be the limit for Mohsen, who signed a four-year, $48,400,000 extension in the offseason. Unfortunately, he suffered a torn UCL in September 2030 and would only toss 71 relief innings for the remainder of his career.

The wild card round had Damascus sweep Cairo, followed by a stunning 2-0 sweep by the Dusters over top seed Jerusalem. It was back-to-back years that the Jets went one-and-done. On the other side, the reigning ALB champ Algiers got ousted 2-0 by Alexandria.

For the Astronauts, it was their first Western Conference Final trip since their 2013 pennant. Damascus’s drought went back to their 2016 ALB title. The Dusters kept rolling and swept Alexandria to become three-time WC champs (2014, 2016, 2029). Damascus was the second wild card to earn a trip to the finals since the playoff and league expansion in 2024.



The Gulf Division had two all-time great teams facing off for the division title and the Eastern Conference’s top seed. Defending EC champ Muscat narrowly took it at 114-48, relegating Dubai to a mere wild card even at 111-51. The Threshers won their third straight division title and fourth in five years. The Diamonds were a shocker considering they hadn’t been to the playoffs or posted a winning season since 2020.

Dubai led the conference in both runs scored (954) and fewest allowed (612). That run tally was the third most in ALB history behind Muscat’s 1000 from the prior year and Tripoli’s 1001 from 2027. The Diamonds smacked 308 home runs, four off the team record co-held by 2028 Amman and 2023 Algiers. Dubai did set a new record for team slugging percentage at .544, besting the Threshers’ .542 from 2028. Muscat in their own right had a .303 batting average, the third-best in ALB history. Their bullpen also had 63 saves, two short of the conference record.

It was a steep 20 game drop from wild card Dubai to find the #2 seed Mosul at 91-71. The Muskies edged 89-73 Sulaymaniyah to repeat as Mesopotamia Division champs. The Sultans got the second wild card and grew their playoff streak to three. Their nearest wild card foe was 83-79 Doha, who notably had their first winning campaign in a decade. The Arabia Division went to Medina at 88-74, their third title in four years. Mecca was a distant second at 78-84. Riyadh had won a terrible division the prior year at 79-83.

Muscat RF Ahmed Yasser Basha won his second Eastern Conference MVP and made history along the way. He had a .418 batting average, topping the league record of .414 set two years prior by Gilon Bassman. Basha’s mark was the third-best qualifying average in all of pro baseball history. The only ones better came in Beisbol Sudamerica with Francisco Magellan at .4202 in 2010 and Marc Melgar with .4196 also in 2029.

The 28-year old Egyptian led in the triple slash (.418/.448/.760), OPS (1.208), wRC+ (204), WAR (11.5), and hits (253). Basha added 119 runs, 50 doubles, 47 home runs, 138 RBI, and 108 steals. His OPS ranked as 12^th best in ALB history. He also picked up his seventh Gold Glove in right field. Muscat eventually gave Basha a six-year, $210,900,000 extension after the 2031 season.

Dubai’s Hamad Saleh won Pitcher of the Year in an impressive rebound from a torn rotator cuff. The 25-year old Emirati lefty was second in 2027’s Rookie of the Year voting, but missed all of 2028 to injury. Saleh led in wins (25-5), ERA (2.54), innings (262.2), complete games (14), and shutouts (6). He also had 7.3 WAR, 177 ERA+, and 259 strikeouts; falling 11 short of a Triple Crown. The Diamonds signed Saleh to a six-year, $99,600,000 deal the following spring, but additional injuries would limit his innings significantly.

111-win Dubai unsurprisingly swept Sulaymaniyah in the wild card. With the format always placing the wild card round winner against the top seed, you had the 111-win Diamonds and 114-win Muscat in round two. The Threshers took the series 2-0 to keep their repeat bid intact. On the other side, Mosul edged Medina 2-1 to earn their first Eastern Conference Final trip since 2017. The Muskies gave a spirited effort, but Muscat took the ECF 3-1 to earn repeat pennants.



Muscat was a heavy favorite in the 40^th Arab League Championship having won 22 more games than wild card Damascus. The Threshers had a shot to not only win their first championship, but to cement themselves in the conversation for ALB’s best-ever team. The Dusters’ improbable run continued though, pulling off the stunning upset 4-2.

Damascus earned their second ALB ring (2016) and became the first wild card to win the title since the playoffs expanded in 2024. Journeyman RF Mazen “Frankenstein” Mostafa was finals MVP in his 16^th professional season and second with the Dusters. The 37-year old Jordanian in 12 playoff starts had 15 hits, 10 runs, 6 home runs, 12 RBI, 1.211 OPS, and 0.8 WAR.



Other notes: Longtime Basra ace Ahmed Hussain became ALB’s new career leader in both pitching wins and WAR. The 37-year old Qatari went 20-5 with a 2.61 ERA, 253 strikeouts, and 8.7 WAR in 2037. Hussain ended the year with 293 wins, passing Rashid Tariq’s top mark of 285. He also got to 127.1 WAR, topping Tariq’s 125.5. Hussain was already the ALB strikeouts leader at 4916 and is in striking distance of both 5000 Ks and 300 wins for 2030.

Tripoli’s Ibrahima Ba became the 16^th ALB slugger with a four home run game. Dubai’s Khalid Sebil posted a 33-game hitting streak, four short of the record 37 set last year by Abdul Jalil Dahir. Osama Ahmed became the 8^th member of ALB’s 700 home run club. Wissam Magdy became the 15^th to 600 dingers and Mohamed Ali Mansour was the 35^th to reach 500 homers. Omar Azim became the 12^th to score 1500 runs.

Diyar Abbas became the 11^th pitcher to reach 3500 career strikeouts. Muhammad Nour was the 28^th to 3000 Ks. RF Nathan Nasreddine won his 7^th Gold Glove. 3B Malik Zouaoui won his 10^th Silver Slugger. He became the seventh at any position in ALB to win 10+ Sluggers.

The Arab League had a huge spike in offense for the 2020s with a league earned run average for the decade at 4.46. The prior two decades had seen ERAs in the 3.90 range. ALB was in very high scoring territory with only West African Baseball’s 2020s being higher historically.

ALB’s league batting average also was around .272 for the decade, well up from the .252 of the 2010s. Only WAB and the Bolivar League specifically were higher. It continued the general trend of most world leagues shooting for increased scoring in the 2020s.

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2029 in ABF

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The East League’s South Division was extremely top heavy as it boasted the top two records in the entire Asian Baseball Federation. Three-time defending EL champ Hyderabad took top billing at 110-52 with Lahore close behind at 106-56. The Horned Frogs playoff streak grew to six seasons with their fourth division title of the run. The Longhorns were a wild card for the third time in four years. Hyderabad allowed the fewest runs in ABF at 464.

Peshawar won the North Division at 99-63 thanks to a record breaking offense. The Predators set new East League single-season records for runs scored (841), batting average (.277), on-base percentage (.337), hits (1559), and triples (82). Peshawar also had the second-most doubles at 373, behind their own 376 from the prior year. The Predators repeated as division champs and earned their third straight playoff spot.

Eight games back in the division were both Almaty and Bishkek, who tied for the second wild card. ABF doesn’t use tiebreaker games and the formula extended the Assassins playoff streak to ten years. This matched the ABF record set by Dushanbe from 2013-22. Also in the mix but just short in the wild card race were Gujranwala (89-73) and Karachi (86-76). The EL’s 2029 playoff teams and seeding were identical to 2028.

Despite being the #4 seed, Almaty had the East League’s Most Valuable Player and Pitcher of the Year winners. LF Youssouf Raza won his third straight MVP and led in slugging (.684), OPS (1.072), and wRC+ (222). The 28-year old Pakistani had 176 hits, 100 runs, 52 home runs, 118 RBI, .325 average, and 8.7 WAR. He also earned his seventh consecutive Silver Slugger.

Pitcher of the Year was Furkan Alturfan, who led in wins (20-5) and quality starts (25). The 30-year old Turkish lefty had a 2.17 ERA, 227.2 innings, 285 strikeouts, 163 ERA+, and 6.3 WAR. Alturfan signed a four-year, $40,060,000 extension the prior fall after being mostly decent prior to his 2029 breakout. Surprisingly, Almaty didn’t protect him for the upcoming expansion draft and Alturfan would be the first pick to the new Ahvaz Athletics. Also worth mentioning, Lahore’s Kharouf Qadir won his third straight Reliever of the Year. The 32-year old righty led in saves (43) and games (43) and had a 1.21 ERA.

Division winners prevailed in the first round with Hyderabad over Almaty 3-1 and Peshawar over Lahore 3-1. For the third straight season, the Horned Frogs were to host the Predators in the East League Championship Series. Unlike the last two years, Peshawar prevailed with a 4-3 upset over Hyderabad. The Predators won their fourth pennant and first since 1992.



Four teams fought over the West League’s top seed and the West Division title. Baku emerged on top at 100-62 for their sixth playoff berth of the decade. Right behind were Istanbul (98-64), Ankara (97-65), and Adana (96-66). The Ironmen and Alouettes got the wild cards, while the Axemen unfortunately missed the cut. Ankara got repeat playoff berths while Istanbul ended a nine-year playoff drought. Last year’s division champ and WLCS runner-up Gaziantep fell to 81-81.

Over in a weaker Central Division, Mashhad (92-70) topped reigning ABF champ Tehran (87-75). The Mercury extended their playoff streak to nine years and their division title run to five. The Tarpons missed the cut after earning back-to-back pennants. The Axemen led the EL with 874 runs scored and the Alouettes allowed the fewest at 562.

In his third year with Baku, 1B Hakan Mocuk became only the third in ABF history to become a four-time MVP. The 35-year old Turkish righty won three straight back in 2019-21 with Izmir. Although this effort returned him to the top honor, Mocuk had still been playing at a high level in between MVPs. He won his 10^th Silver Slugger in 2029, although it was only his second at first base after being a third baseman prior.

Mocuk led in home runs (62), RBI (147), total bases (422), slugging (.706), and WAR (9.85). He also had 116 runs, 191 hits, 39 doubles, .319 average, 1.072 OPS, and 182 wRC+. Mocuk became ABF’s all-time RBI leader by finishing 2029 with 1703, passing Petri Viskari’s 1685 for the top mark. Mocuk also became the sixth member of the 600 home run club, finishing the season at 608. With two more great seasons or three good ones, Mocuk would be primed to pass Habib Saquib’s 686 for the home run king crown.

Baku also had the Pitcher of the Year Agshin Jumayev, who became a three-time winner (2025, 2027, 2029). The 28-year old Tajik lefty posted only the fifth-ever Triple Crown pitching season in ABF and became the third to achieve the feat. Jumayev posted a 2.37 ERA, 21-5 record, and 374 strikeouts over 250.1 innings. He was also the league leader in WHIP (0.93) and shutouts (4) while posting 8.7 WAR. Jumayev also tossed his first no-hitter on April 3 with 12 Ks and one walk against Isfahan.

Division champs advanced in the first round of the playoffs with Baku surviving 3-2 against Ankara and Mashhad over Istanbul 3-1. From 2021-26, either the Mercury or the Blackbirds were in the West League Championship Series. However, this was their first time in the decade facing off for the pennant. Baku took the series 4-2 over Mashhad to win their sixth WL crown and first since 2024.



The 45^th Asian Baseball Federation Championship had Baku defeat Peshawar 4-1, giving the Blackbirds their third ABF title (2012, 2024, 2029). Veteran 2B Musa Qarayev won finals MVP in his 11^th season with Baku, bouncing back after missing almost all of the 2029 season from a ruptured MCL from the prior August. In 16 playoff starts, the 32-year old Azeri had 28 hits, 10 runs, 9 doubles, 9 RBI, .961 OPS, and 0.9 WAR. The 28 hits were the third-most in ABF postseason history.



Other notes: Hyderabad’s Talib Abul Qadir tossed ABF’s 23^rd perfect game on July 27, striking out 14 against Faisalabad. He would then throw another no-hitter on September 1 with 11 Ks and one walk against Faisalabad. Qadir was the fourth ABF pitcher to have multiple no-hitters in the same season, but was the only one with a perfecto among them. Shiraz set an all-time bad pitching mark for ABF by allowing 1634 hits with a 10.20 H/9. Gaziantep also notably allowed 1625 hits, which would’ve been a new worst if not for the Suns.

2029 was the final season for ABF hit king Mehmet Fatih Canaydin, who played until age 44 and had a 25-year career with eight teams. As of 2037, Canaydin remains ABF’s all-time leader in games (3445), at-bats (12,460), runs (1880), hits (3696), singles (2474), and stolen bases (1610). At retirement, he also had the most total bases (5805) and was second in doubles (691) and third in WAR among position players (117.3). Canaydin also cracks the world leaderboards as of 2037, ranking 10^th in games, 13^th in at-bats, 26^th in hits, 22^nd in doubles, and 11^th in steals.

In other milestones, Sijad Khaleel became the first ABF pitcher to reach 250 wins. 2029 was his final season, retiring with a 256-168 record across 19 seasons with Bishkek. He also became the second to 5000 strikeouts, but his 5023 Ks fell just short of Hasan Afshin’s 5151 for the top spot. Khaleel also retired second in pitching WAR at 108.34, behind Yazeed Anwari’s 111.39. As of 2037, Khaleel remains ABF’s all-time leader in games started (514) and innings pitched (4036).

Elnur Hasanov notably was the 13^th pitcher to 4000 strikeouts and Hafez Farzani was the 21^st pitcher to 3500 Ks. In hitting milestones, Bardia Petrosian was the 18^th to reach 500 home runs. Hasan Yun was the 13^th and Hana Zuhari was the 14^th to 2500 hits. C Ali Mahdian won his 10^th Gold Glove and CF Anatoly Memmedov won his 8^th. Mahdian was the 4^th in ABF history at any position with 10 Gold Gloves. 1B Safdar Kahlwan won his 7^th Silver Slugger.

Like many other leagues, the Asian Baseball Federation also had an increase in scoring in the 2020s compared to the prior years. There was a significant statistical difference though between the West League (using the DH) and the East League (sans DH).

The WL had a 4.04 ERA and .260 batting average for the decade, well up from the .235 average and 3.32 ERA of the 2010s. That put the West League in above average scoring territory relative to world history and other leagues. The WL set new single year highs with a .263 average and 4.11 ERA in 2024.

The EL jumped but far less significantly with a 3.49 ERA and .239 average compared to the .227 average and 3.17 ERA of the 2010s. The East League went from low to below average scoring relative to the historical scale. ABF on the whole was mid-grade in its scoring environment compared to the other world leagues in the 2020s.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2029 in SAB

South Asia Baseball wasn’t immune from the global trend of leagues wanting to increase scoring. SAB’s move was somewhat surprising considering it was already viewed as an above average scoring league. Rule changes took effect in 2029 which vaulted SAB towards the upper-end of the world leagues offensively.

The Southeast Asia League, which uses the designated hitter, jumped year-over-year from a 3.97 league ERA to 4.55 and from a .255 batting average to .274. The Indian League (sans DH) went from a 3.63 ERA to 4.25 and a .250 average to .270. 2029 would be the peak for SAB as although stats stayed elevated relative to previous years, they would start to tick down slightly in the 2030s.



Delhi won 89+ games each year from 2024-28, but each time narrowly missed the playoffs. The Drillers finally snapped that playoff drought and took the Indian League’s top seed at 102-60, beating Jaipur by five games for the Central Division. Delhi capitalized on the rule changes and set numerous offensive records for the IL. The Drillers’ team triple slash of .293/.347/.480, 915 runs, 1689 hits, 402 doubles, and 83 triples all were new league bests.

Still, they only were the top seed by one game as South Division champ Nagpur was close behind at 101-61. It was an impressive bounce back for the Patriots, who had won fewer than 70 games in the last three years. Nagpur ended a seven-year playoff drought, winning the division by five games over Visakhapatnam. Defending IL champ Ahmedabad picked up a fourth straight West Division title at 97-65. Vadodara was second at 90-72, becoming the first of the 2025 expansion teams to post a winning record.

In the wild card race, Jaipur (97-65) edged out Visakhapatnam (96-66) to grow the Jokers’ playoff streak to three. It ended the Volts’ run at six years, having won 100+ games in the prior four seasons. Kanpur at 90-72 was also in the chase for their first winning season since 2020. Pune notably dropped to 79-83 to end their four-year playoff streak. The Purple Knights hadn’t been below .500 since 2018. Surat’s collapse was notable, going from 85-77 in 2028 to an abysmal 57-103 in 2029. The Silver Sox pitching staff set new league worsts for ERA (5.05), hits (1655), runs (857), earned runs (804), and H/9 (10.40).

Hyderabad was .500, but they had the Indian League MVP in 1B Saad Khan. It was the first season as a full-time starter for the 26-year old Bangladeshi, who led in home runs (60), RBI (171), total bases (436), slugging (.728), OPS (1.132), wRC+ (208), and WAR (9.4).

Khan had 118 runs, 208 hits, 44 doubles, and a .347 average. His 171 RBI was the sixth-best single-season in SAB history and the second-best by someone not named Majed Darwish. This effort earned Khan a big payday once he entered free agency after the 2030 season, signing for $171,800,000 over eight years with Hanoi.

Visakhapatnam allowed the league’s fewest runs at 627 thanks to another stellar season for E.J. Dhananjay. The 30-year old hometown favorite won his fourth Pitcher of the Year in five years and posted the ninth-ever pitching Triple Crown season in South Asia Baseball. Dhananjay joined the legendary Zainal bin Aziz as the only aces to do it multiple times, as Dhananjay pulled it off in 2025 with Hyderabad.

The Indian righty had a 21-2 record, 1.81 ERA, and 345 strikeouts over 244 innings. Dhananjay also led in WHIP (0.76), FIP- (55), and WAR (9.4) with a 232 ERA+. He had an impressive four year run with his hometown Volts, but opted out of the remaining three years in his deal. Dhananjay would join Yangon for 2030 at $104 million over five years.

Delhi downed Jaipur 3-1 and Nagpur swept Ahmedabad in the first round of the playoffs. It was the first Indian League Championship Series trip for both teams since their 2021 encounter, a 4-1 Drillers victory. 2029 had a similar story as Delhi swept the Patriots for only their second pennant.



The reigning SAB champ and three-time defending Southeast Asia League champ Mandalay looked to continue their dynasty. They couldn’t maintain the 124-win effort of 2028, but were still excellent in 2029 at 115-47. Dhaka made Mandalay earn the North Division title with the Dobermans finishing 105-57. It was their fourth straight wild card and grew their playoff streak to nine seasons. The Mammoths allowed the fewest runs in SAB at 607.

Ho Chi Minh City returned to the South Division throne for the first time since 2009 and their epic dynasty run. The Hedgehogs finished 100-62 and led in scoring at 928 runs. It ended a four-year playoff drought, but was only their second playoff trip since the 1987-2009 streak. It was a hefty 16 game drop down to second place Colombo at 84-78. That was just enough for the Catfish to claim the second wild card over Yangon (82-80), and Kathmandu (82-80).

This was only the third-ever playoff berth for Colombo with their previous trips in 2018-19. For the Green Dragons, this ended a four-year playoff streak and was only their second miss since 1995. The Chaparrals notably had their first winning campaign since 2015.

Mandalay had several options for Southeast Asia League MVP, including defending MVP and 2029 home run leader Dong Vinh Lam. For the second straight year, Lam hit 71 homers, which was only the eighth 70+ homer season in SAB history. However, RF Alexander Thongsuk snagged MVP in his eighth season with the Mammoths. The 30-year old Thai lefty led in slugging (.694) while posting 114 runs, 191 hits, 30 doubles, 52 homers, 109 RBI, .346 average, 174 wRC+, and 7.3 WAR.

The Mammoths also had emerging ace Zahir Saleem win Pitcher of the Year in his first full season. The 24-year old Indian lefty had tossed 91.1 total innings in the prior two seasons. Saleem in 2029 led in ERA (2.28) and wins (21-2), adding 232 strikeouts, 197 ERA+, and 5.6 WAR over 205.2 innings. Mandalay signed Saleem to a five-year, $65,400,000 extension in April 2031.

Division champs prevailed in the first round with Mandalay sweeping Colombo and Ho Chi Minh City downing Dhaka 3-1. The Hedgehogs were back in the Southeast Asia League Championship for the first time since their 2024 pennant. They proved to be no match though for the Mammoths dynasty with a Mandalay sweep for the four-peat and their fifth pennant. The Mammoths joined HCMC’s 1997-2000 run as the only four-peats in SEAL history.



For the first time in history, both LCS matchups and the SAB Championship ended
in sweeps. Many expected Mandalay to emerge from the 50^th SAB Championship with their third title in four years, however Delhi dominated to claim their second ring (2021). SS Tilan Kirtita was finals MVP with the 26-year old Indian getting 15 hits, 10 runs, 5 doubles, 1 homer, and 10 RBI in 12 starts.



Other notes: Da Nang set all-time pitching worsts for SAB with 1750 hits allowed and an 11.01 H/9. The Nailers also had the second-worst ever marks for ERA (5.43), earned runs (864), and WHIP (1.527). Chennai’s pitching staff allowed 632 walks with a 3.92 BB/9, both all-time worsts for the Indian League.

Yasir Malkawi became the 9^th member of the 700 home run club. Funavati Candrajita became the 30^th to 2500 hits. Franklin Tung became the 3^rd pitcher to 4500 strikeouts. He finished his final season at 4512, behind Jay Singh’s 5000 and Tamin Hasan’s 4558. Hong Thanh Chung became the 8^th to 4000 Ks and the 12^th to 200 wins. RF Murugan Abdul won his 9^th Gold Glove.

South Asia Baseball did see an increase in scoring for the 2020s overall even before the 2029 rule changes. It was more pronounced in the Southeast Asia League, going from a 3.88 ERA in the 2010s to 4.13 in the 2020s. The Indian League had a modest jump from 3.61 to 3.71. The batting average is SEAL went from .255 to .262 and from .248 to .251 in the IL. This was SAB’s highest scoring decade to date, but placed it closer to the above average mark relative to other world leagues and history

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

SAB After 50 Years

With the 2029 season complete, South Asia Baseball became the 11^th of the major pro baseball organizations to complete 50 seasons. SAB’s results were very top heavy, punctuated by multiple long playoff streaks and dynasties from the top teams.



Ahmedabad was the most successful team overall and dominated the Indian League. The Animals averaged an incredible 97.1 wins per season with 12 SAB Championships, 16 IL pennants, 25 LCS appearances, 37 playoff berths, and 32 division titles. By team score, Visakhapatnam was the next best in the Indian League. The Volts made the playoffs nearly half the time (24) as did Jaipur (23), although they had far fewer titles to show for it.

The Southeast Asia League’s Yangon actually had the most overall playoff berths at 39, thanks in part to their world record 29-year streak. Ho Chi Minh City’s dynasty gave them the most SAB titles (6) and pennants (15) of the SEAL teams compared to 5 and 12 for the Green Dragons. HCMC’s struggles post dynasty though had them tied with Dhaka at 28 playoff berths. Yangon had SEAL’s best team score and the most division titles at 27.

The Indian League beat 30-20 in the finals matchups. All of the original teams had made the playoffs once, although three (Surat, Phnom Penh, Chittagong) have never won a division title. Surat, Chittagong, and Chennai are the original teams to never win a pennant. 15 teams have won the SAB Championship. Of the non-expansion teams, Kathmandu had the worst average win total (72.5) but Chittagong and Surat both had the worst team score (6).

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2029 in WAB

West African Baseball increased its minimum service time requirement for free agency from six years to seven starting with the 2029 season. This puts WAB among the middle of the world leagues in terms of restrictiveness. WAB had used a six-year standard since its inaugural season in 1975.



Dakar took top honors in the Western League at 105-57, growing their playoff streak to six seasons. It was the third time in that run that the Dukes finished first. Dakar also allowed the WL’s fewest runs at 683. Reigning WAB champ Freetown was second at 97-65 for their third straight playoff berth and their seventh trip in eight years. Kumasi’s wild card streak moved to four seasons with a third place 94-68 finish. The Monkeys led all of WAB with 918 runs scored.

Abidjan earned the fourth and final playoff spot at 90-72, bouncing back after their seven-year streak was snapped after a rough 72-90 mark the prior year. There was a steep drop to fifth place Cape Verde at 81-81. Accra, a wild card last year, notably dropped to 75-87.

Western League MVP went to DH Cedric St-Pierre in his third season with Kumasi. The 29-year old Canadian came to WAB after six seasons as a backup in MLB for Virginia Beach despite being a first round draft pick in 2020. He was cut by the Vikings in June 2027, then opened his search aboard and found a spot with the Monkeys.

St-Pierre led in hits (256), runs (140), total bases (447), average (.394), slugging (.689) wRC+ (173), and WAR (7.7). He added 47 doubles, 21 triples, 34 home runs, 121 RBI, 61 stolen bases, and 1.103 OPS. St-Pierre had a six-hit game against Dakar in June and hit for the cycle in August against Banjul. This would earn the Quebecois slugger a big payday as it was a contract year. St-Pierre stayed in West Africa and inked a six-year, $206 million offseason deal with Dakar.

Dukes ace Chidozie Iyakson made history as the first in WAB to win five Pitcher of the Year awards. He amazingly pulled this off in only six seasons, winning the award from 2024-27 previously. The 28-year old Nigerian lefty won his fifth ERA title (2.31) and led in wins (19-3), WHIP (0.94), FIP- (49), and WAR (8.6). Iyakson tossed 202.1 innings with 199 ERA+ and 288 strikeouts, missing the Triple Crown by only six Ks.

Kumasi edged Abidjan 2-1 in the first round of the playoffs, then was ousted 2-1 by Freetown in round two. The defending champ Foresters earned their fifth Western League Championship Series trip in six years, facing Dakar for the fourth time in that stretch. The Dukes had won the 2025 and 2027 encounters, but fell in 2028. Dakar avenged that defeat in 2029 with a sweep for their seventh pennant. Six of their WL crowns have come since 2012.



Three-time defending Eastern League champ Cotonou took first place in the standings for the second time in their run. The 97-65 Copperheads also set a new WAB season attendance record with 21,112,923 tickets sold. Cotonou allowed the fewest runs in WAB at 626. There was a ten game drop to second place and a glut of teams fighting for the remaining three playoff spots.

Advancing were Port Harcourt (87-75), Benin City (85-77), and Niamey (83-79). Falling just short were Lome (82-80), Ouagadougou (82-80), Kano (80-82), and Yaounde (79-83). The Hillcats ended a three-year playoff drought, while the Atomics streak grew to six. The Blue Devils snapped a 19-year drought, which had been the longest active skid in WAB. Benin City was the EL’s top scoring team at 909 runs. The Osprey notably had taken first at 101-61 the prior year, but fell one shy in 2029.

2028 Eastern League Rookie of the Year Khadim Zahoui earned MVP in 2029 for Yaounde. The 24-year old Liberian 1B led in total bases (394), average (.369), slugging (.685), OPS (1.100), wRC+ (184), and WAR (7.0). Zahoui added 212 hits, 113 runs, 53 doubles, 37 home runs, and 123 RBI. The Yellow Birds had picked Zahoui seventh overall in the 2027 WAB Draft.

Cotonou’s Jose Balde won his second Pitcher of the Year, having also won in 2026. The 27-year old Bissau-Guinean had a 17-10 record, 3.46 ERA, 236.2 innings, 213 strikeouts, 133 ERA+, and 5.0 WAR. The #1 pick in the 2024 WAB Draft, Balde signed a five-year, $65 million extension prior to the 2029 campaign with the Copperheads.

Benin City swept Niamey in the first round and gave Port Harcourt a fight in round two, although the Hillcats survived 2-1. This was Port Harcourt’s first Eastern League Championship Series appearance since 2024. Cotonou had no interest in ceding the throne though, earning a fourth straight pennant with a 3-0 sweep. The Copperheads secured their seventh EL title and joined Kano as the only EL franchises to ever four-peat.



The 55^th West African Championship continued what had turned into a fun finals rivalry between Dakar and Cotonou. The Copperheads won the first encounter back in 2013 and took the 2027 rematch. The Dukes took round three by a 4-2 margin, leaving Cotonou as the runner-up for back-to-back seasons. Dakar became three-time WAB champs (2016, 2025, 2028).

Veteran 3B Umar Lalleshwari won finals MVP after switching sides. The 36-year old from Pakistani had played with Cotonou from 2022-28, but joined Dakar for 2029. His career had started in his home country with ABF’s Karachi. In nine playoff starts, Lalleshwari had 16 hits, 8 runs, 2 doubles, 1 triple, 2 homers, 1.250 OPS, and 0.7 WAR.



Other notes: WAB hit king Fares Belaid became only the third player in all of pro baseball history with 4500+ career hits. He finished the season at 4636, still behind Prometheo Garcia’s 4917. Belaid also became the 3^rd in WAB to 2000 career RBI. The 40-year old Tunisian started 2029 with Lagos and was traded in June to Abidjan. Belaid notably had his second six-hit game in September against Accra, making him the only WAB player to achieve the feat twice.

Accra’s Kwame Koranteng set a bad league record as he was caught stealing 69 times. Ouagadougou’s Adam Seaton had 33 triples, tying for the second-most in WAB history. Ahmed Kone had a 38-game hitting streak, the fourth-longest in WAB history. Kone posted a 41-game streak in 2022 and a 37-game streak in 2021, becoming the only player in all of pro baseball history to achieve three 35+ game hitting streaks in a career.

Clarence Cole became the 3^rd in WAB to reach 3500 career hits. Desmond Jaiyeola became WAB’s 4^th member of the 700 home run club and Sahfiu Hassan became the 5^th. Abdel Aziz Ashraf, Mohamed Khammas, and Okoro Yusuf each reached 1500 RBI, a mark achieved by 21 WAB sluggers. Yusuf, Rio Ogbonna, Donatien Nda, and El Hadj Sghair made the 500 homer club become 24 players strong.

Nda, Kone, and Hassan Amara all reached 1500 runs scored, now met by 14 players. Khammas, Yusuf, and Romuald Assane each reached 2500 career hits, achieved by 33 WAB batters. In pitching milestones, Nazifi Zakaria became the 9^th to 3500 strikeouts and the 9^th to 200 wins. SS Saturday Solomon won his 7^th straight Gold Glove.

For the 2020s, West African Baseball saw a marginal jump in offensive numbers compared to the 2010s. WAB remained the world’s highest scoring league with the highest offensive numbers in baseball history to that point of any league. The league ERA grew from 4.47 in the 2010s to 4.65 in the 2020s. The batting average went up from .272 to .276.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2029 in CLB

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For the second straight year, China’s Northern League had four different playoff teams than the prior season. Harbin finished first at 102-60 to snap a nine-year playoff drought. The Hellcats hadn’t finished first in the standings since 2003. Zhengzhou was second at 96-66 for their third playoff berth in four years, allowing the fewest runs in the NL at 514. Shenyang snagged third at 94-68 to end a three-year drought.

Tianjin took the fourth and final spot at 93-69, also getting their third berth in four years. The Jackrabbits also secured their sixth playoff trip in eight years. The first teams out were defending NL champ Qingdao (87-75), and Shijiazhuang (86-76). Hangzhou, last year’s semifinalist, plummeted to 67-95. Although the Devils and Serpents both missed the playoffs, they both had record-setting offensive stats.

Shijiazhuang’s .275 team batting average, 732 runs, and 1551 hits were each single-season records for all of Chinese League Baseball. Qingdao had a .270 average, 718 runs, and 1505 hits, which would’ve been records if not for the Serpents. Tianjin notably had 107 triples and 334 steals, ranking third and second in NL history, respectively.

Harbin’s Ming Li repeated as Northern League MVP and won his third in four years. The 27-year old CF set a new CLB single-season record for runs scored with 126, passing the previous best of 121 by Libo Li which had held since 1980. Ming Li also led in total bases (415), slugging (.709), OPS (1.106), wRC+ (215), and WAR (13.8). He added 208 hits, 26 doubles, 17 triples, 49 home runs, 101 RBI, 56 steals, and a .356 batting average.

Li’s season cracked CLB’s leaderboards in numerous stats. His WAR was the eighth-best by a CLB position player, his slugging was third-best, OPS was fourth-best, and total bases ranked third-best. Li’s dominance got him paid handsomely in the offseason with an eight-year, $107,900,000 extension with the Hellcats.

Fourth year Zhengzhou ace Qing Zhang won Pitcher of the Year, leading in ERA (1.50), wins (19-3), WHIP (0.89), quality starts (31), shutouts (5), FIP- (61), and WAR (8.6). The 26-year old lefty had 257 strikeouts in 251.2 innings, falling 19 Ks shy of a Triple Crown. Zhang missed much of 2030 to a ruptured finger tendon, but still earned a four-year, $19,260,000 extension that winter from the Zips.

Also of note, Tianjin closer Jinglong Yu won his third Reliever of the Year. He posted 42 saves, 79 games, 1.30 ERA, 111 innings, 164 strikeouts, and 5.5 WAR; all career bests. Yu was third in Pitcher of the Year voting and earned international attention with his dominance. He left in the offseason for Major League Baseball on a three-year, $28,900,000 deal with Houston.

Shenyang fared best in the double round robin at 4-2, returning to the semifinal for the first time since 2025. It was notably the seventh semifinal trip for the Swans since 2017, although 2020 had been their only success there. Tianjin and Harbin both finished 3-3 and Zhengzhou was 2-4. The tiebreaker moved the Jackrabbits forward, giving them a fourth semifinal trip in seven years. In a seven-game classic, Shenyang outlasted Tianjin for their second China Series trip of the decade and fourth overall (1998, 2002, 2020, 2029). The Northern League has had six different champions in as many years.



Three of the Southern League’s playoff teams from 2028 made it back in 2029. Dongguan was among them atop the standings at 105-57. The Donkeys hadn’t finished first since 2022 and allowed the fewest runs in CLB at 471. Chongqing was a firm at second at 99-63. Although they missed the playoffs last year, the Cavaliers did secure a fourth berth in five years.

There was an eight game drop to reigning CLB champ Xiamen in third at 91-71, giving the Mutts their sixth playoff trip in seven years. Changsha narrowly took the fourth and final spot at 88-74, edging out 87-75 Guangzhou despite the Gamecocks leading the SL with 653 runs. Wuhan was a distant sixth at 81-81.

Changsha LF Tao Cai repeated as Southern League MVP and won the award for the fourth time, having also taken it in 2021 and 2022. He became the sixth in CLB history to win 4+ MVPs. The 32-year old nicknamed “Gonzo” led in home runs (50), RBI (114), total bases (392), slugging (.666), OPS (1.042), wRC+ (223), and WAR (9.8). Cai got 191 hits, 89 runs, and 25 doubles.

Dongguan’s Erkin Mammdov won Pitcher of the Year in his sixth season. The 26-year old Kazakh righty led in WAR (7.7) and quality starts (27). Mammadov had a 19-7 record, 1.99 ERA, 261.2 innings, and 286 strikeouts. He finished second in ERA, second in wins, and fifth in strikeouts.

The top spot in the double round robin was Dongguan at 4-2, earning their first semifinal appearance since 2009. Changsha and Xiamen were 3-3 and Chongqing was 2-4. The tiebreaker sent the Cannons forward for the first time since their 2011 CLB title and snapped the Mutts’ bid for a third straight finals trip. Changsha clobbered the Donkeys 4-0 in the semi for their seventh China Series appearance (1977, 1997, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2011, 2029).



The 60^th China Series saw Shenyang defeat Changsha 4-1 to give the Swans their second title, joining the 2020 win. 2B Luca Ruiz won finals MVP in his fifth season with Shenyang. The 30-year old Honduran came to China after failing to catch on in CABA. In 18 playoff starts, Ruiz had 17 hits, 12 runs, 1 double, 2 triples, 1 homer, 6 RBI, and 6 steals.



Other notes: Urumqi’s pitching staff allowed 1537 hits with a 9.44 H/9, both were all-time worsts for the Northern League. Xiku Yan and Tao Cai became the 14^th and 15^th in CLB to reach 1000 career RBI.

Chinese League Baseball’s rule changes did make the 2020s its highest scoring decade, although the stats still were very low relative to other world leagues. CLB’s league ERA was around 2.87 after being at 2.54 for the 2010s. The league batting average grew to .230 after being around .215 previously. This left Austronesia Professional Baseball firmly as the world’s lowest scoring league, although CLB was second.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2029 APB Expansion

It had been just over 20 years for Austronesia Professional Baseball’s last expansions. The Taiwan-Philippine Association introduced Hsinchu and Cagayan de Oro in 2007, while 2008 saw Johor Bahru and Kuala Lumpur leave South Asia Baseball and join the Sundaland Association. The game had continued to grow in the region along with the population, leading officials to work on the next expansion plans.

The decision was made to add one team to each of APB’s existing leagues, which would give both associations’ two leagues with seven teams each. Joining the Taiwan League was the Chiayi City Hawks while the Philippine League picked up the Batangas Beach Bums. The Java Sea League added an Indonesian team with the Makassar Maroon Giants, while the Malacca League introduced the Malaysia-based Penang Possums.



The other big change that came with this was a playoff expansion. Previously, only the first place teams advanced to the best-of-seven association championship. Both second place finishers would now advance as well with a division round pitting one league’s #1 against the other league’s #2. The top seed would host all games of the best-of-five series and had a one game advantage. The first place team would only need to win two of four games to advance, while the second place team would need to win three.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2029 in APB

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Taoyuan took the Taiwan League title for the first time since 2022 and had the Taiwan-Philippine Association’s top seed at 98-64. The Tsunami led Austronesia Professional Baseball with 649 runs, beating out Taichung by five games. The Toucans advanced to the expanded playoffs at 93-69, taking second by seven over last year’s TL winner Tainan. This ended what was the longest playoff drought in APB history at 41 seasons for Taichung dating back to 1987.

There was a shakeup in the Philippine League with reigning Austronesia Champion and four-time defending PL champ Cebu dethroned by Quezon. The Zombies won it at 95-67 for their first playoff berth and winning season since 2022. The Crows were a close second at 93-69 to keep their playoff streak intact, holding off 90-72 efforts by Cagayan de Oro and Davao. Cebu gave up the TPA’s fewest runs at 437.

While Hsinchu struggled to 74-88, Binh Tang continued to roll with his ninth Taiwan-Philippine Association MVP. “The King” became the ninth player across all of pro baseball history with 9+ MVPs and the first in APB. Tang also won his ninth Silver Slugger and sixth playing first base. The amazing thing was he was still only 29-years old.

The Vietnamese lefty led in doubles (39), home runs (43), total bases (373), slugging (.619), OPS (.992), wRC+ (206), and WAR (11.4). Tang also had 199 hits, 94 runs, 103 RBI, and a .330 average. He was only three average points and six RBI from another Triple Crown. It was the seventh time Tang led the TPA in WAR and the ninth time he had the best OPS. He reached the 2000 hit, 1000 RBI, and 1000 runs scored milestones in 2029.

Davao’s Jah Manorek won his second Pitcher of the Year award, having also won in 2025. He had found his footing again after dealing with a 2026 torn rotator cuff and 2027 partially torn labrum. The 25-year old Indonesian righty led in wins (25-3), strikeouts (374), and shutouts (7). Manorek had a 1.65 ERA over 261.2 innings, 175 ERA+, and 9.9 WAR. He finished second in ERA behind Tainan’s Yi-Hsiang Chang at 1.47. Sadly, more injuries meant Manorek wouldn’t pitch another full season again and he’d be out of the game after the 2033 season.

Both league champs advanced out of the new divisional round. Taoyuan survived 3-2 over Cebu to deny the Crows’ pennant five-peat bid, while Quezon topped Taichung 3-1. Both the Zombies and Tsunami last made the Taiwan-Philippine Association Championship in 2022, which Quezon won. Taoyuan got their revenge 4-1 to end a 20-year pennant drought. The Tsunami became nine-time TPA champs (1971, 1978, 1982, 1983, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2008, 2029), which was tied with Cebu and Zamboanga for the most.



Semarang narrowly took the Sundaland Association’s top seed, winning the Java Sea League at 91-71. This ended an 11-year playoff drought for the Sliders, who led all of APB with only 372 runs allowed. Jakarta took second at 85-77 and Bandung was third at 81-81. With the playoff expansion, the Jaguars were able to extend their playoff streak to five seasons.

The Malacca League had new blood at the top with Batam first at 90-72 and expansion Penang second at 88-74. The Blue Raiders ended a 29-year playoff drought and led the SA with 491 runs scored. The Possums joined CABA’s Guyana and SAB’s Da Nang as the only expansion teams in any pro league to earn a playoff spot in their debut season. Penang did it with impressive speed, setting a new APB team record for 487 stolen bases. Medan was a close third at 87-75, while reigning SA champ Johor Bahru fell to 78-84 to end their four-year run atop the Malacca League.

Pekanbaru was 80-82 despite repeat Sundaland Association MVP wins for LF James Yuwono. It was his fourth MVP, also winning in 2024 and 2025. The 30-year old Indonesian lefty led in runs (92), home runs (51), RBI (104), total bases (373), OBP (.382), slugging (.671), OPS (1.053), wRC+ (272), and WAR (12.7). Yuwono’s WAR was the fifth-best by an APB position player and his .309 average left him seven points shy of a Triple Crown. Yuwon earned his seventh Silver Slugger.

Medan lefty Pao-Huang Lin won Pitcher of the Year in his third season. The 22-year old from Taiwan led in ERA (1.19), WHIP (0.66), and FIP- (38). Lin only tossed 188.2 innings in a split starter/bullpen role, but had 300 strikeouts, 7.5 WAR, a 16-2 record, and 11 saves.

Both top seeds got first round sweeps with Batam over Jakarta and Semarang over Penang. The Sliders had home field advantage, but the Blue Raiders won the Sundaland Association 4-2 to end a 30-year pennant drought. Batam became six-time SA champs (1972, 1973, 1991, 1997, 1998, 2029).



The 65^th Austronesia Championship was the second finals encounter between Taoyuan and Batam, as the Tsunami had won over the Blue Raiders in 1997. 2029 had the same end result with Taoyuan winning 4-1 to become seven-time APB champs (1978, 1982, 1983, 1996, 1997, 2008, 2029). This was the most titles by a TPA team and was second in all of APB only behind Jakarta’s eight.

Rookie of the Year winner Chun-Hsiang Lin added finals MVP to his mantle as well. The 22-year old had also won a Gold Glove in left field in his debut season. In 14 playoff games, Lin had 20 hits, 12 runs, 4 doubles, 2 triples, 3 homers, 8 RBI, and 1.1 WAR. Taoyuan’s Muhammad Wahid set a bad playoff record with 16 walks, although he was still strong in the title run with a 1.45 ERA and 43 Ks over 31 innings.



Other notes: Jakarta’s Rahmadi Wahid became the first player in APB history with a seven hit game, going 7-9 against Johor Bahru on August 9. Through the 2029 season, a seven-hit game has happened only 18 times in all of pro baseball history. APB’s 52^nd perfect game came from Depok’s Muhammad Haziq Izzuddin on June 8 with 11 Ks against Jakarta. The 53^rd happened on July 30 by Batam’s Timotius Kabagaimu with 4 Ks facing Singapore.

In milestones, Nazer Fairusshi became the 29^th member of the 400 home run club and the 39^th to 1000 RBI. Yee Husin was the 36^th pitcher to 3500 strikeouts. Ming-Hsuan Deng was the 30^th to 1000 runs scored. C Yi-Hsiang Chang won his 12^th and final Silver Slugger, becoming the first in APB at any position with 12. 1B Robert Corrado and 3B Rory Suiza both won their 8^th Gold Glove.

Austronesia Professional Baseball remained a very low scoring league for the 2020, although it was very slightly up from the prior decade. The Taiwan-Philippine Association (with the DH) saw its league ERA go from 2.74 in the 2010s to 2.83 in the 2020s, while the Sundaland Association (sans DH) went from 2.50 to 2.53. The TPA’s batting average went from .222 to .223, while the SA actually dropped from .215 to .212. With Chinese League Baseball’s bump up, APB was firmly the lowest scoring of the world leagues for the 2020s.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2029 in OBA

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Reigning Oceania Champion Sydney repeated as Australasia League champ, winning their seventh pennant since 2018. The Snakes finished 98-64 and led the Oceania Baseball Association with 790 runs. It was their 15^th consecutive winning season, becoming a powerhouse after struggling in the 20^th Century.

Perth was second at 93-69 and Melbourne was third at 92-70. The Penguins ended a seven season run of losing campaigns. Canberra notably plunged to 66-96, their first losing season since 2021. Christchurch allowed the AL’s fewest runs at 595, but only scored 593 for a seventh place 77-85 finish.

In his 15^th season with Sydney, 2B Trey Cruz won his second Australasia League MVP. The 32-year old Guamanian had also won back in 2021. 2029 was Cruz’s 12^th Silver Slugger, becoming the third in OBA history to win 12+ Sluggers. Cruz led with 105 runs, 26 triples, 76 stolen bases, and 7.5 WAR. He added 193 hits, 30 doubles, 18 home runs, 94 RBI, and .930 OPS. Cruz also became the 26^th in OBA to reach 2500 career hits.

Christchurch ace Quinn Burry won his third Pitcher of the Year in four seasons. The 29-year old Australian righty led in wins (21-13), strikeouts (408), WHIP (0.90), quality starts (29), FIP- (65), and WAR (9.1). Burry had a 2.81 ERA over 301 innings with 135 ERA+. It was his fourth straight year as the AL strikeout leader, topping 400+ each time.



Port Moresby’s epic reign atop the Pacific League had ended in 2028 thanks to a 110-win effort by Honolulu. However, the Mud Hens reclaimed the throne in 2029 at 93-69 for their sixth pennant in seven years. Port Moresby became eight-time champs and led the PL with 743 runs scored. Fiji and Honolulu tied for second at 89-73 and Timor was fourth at 88-74. Vanuatu notably dropped to 74-88, their first losing season since 2013.

Pacific League MVP went to Port Moresby veteran LF Garia Sakail in his 12^th year on roster. The 32-year old hometown favorite led in hits (196), triples (23), RBI (117), total bases (385), average (.333), slugging (.655), wRC+ (188), and WAR (8.2). Those were all career bests by far, as was his 42 home runs, 101 runs scored, and 1.021 OPS. The Mud Hens gave Sakail a five-year, $153 million extension in the offseason thanks to this effort. He never matched this production again, but remained a respectable starter for his hometown squad.

In only his second season, Fiji lefty Clement Alu won Pitcher of the Year. The 25-year old Papuan led in quality starts (29), complete games (16), and shutouts (4). Alu had a 22-10 record, 2.87 ERA, 304.1 innings, 246 strikeouts, 127 ERA+, and 7.3 WAR. The Freedom had picked Alu sixth in the 2026 OBA Draft.



The 70^th Oceania Championship looked to be a rubber match in the finals rivalry between Sydney and Port Moresby. The Mud Hens won round one in 2024, followed by a Snakes win in 2025. Round three was a 4-1 Sydney win, giving the Snakes the repeat and their sixth OBA title (2018, 2019, 2022, 2025, 2028, 2029). 3B Colin Schindler repeated as finals MVP as the 27-year old hometown kid went 7-20 with 2 runs, 2 doubles, 1 triple, 1 homer, 5 RBI, and 3 steals.



Other notes: Canberra’s Jordy Vincent in the fall had a 35-game hitting streak, breaking the OBA record of 34 set in 2004 by Kiryl Savchuk. Vincent also became the 71^st player to 1000 career RBI. CF Pouvalu Manu won his 14^th Gold Glove and joined Beisbol Sudamerica’s Loury Nova as the only 14-time winners in center field across all of baseball history. Manu is the only 14-time winner in OBA at any spot and one of 16 at any position across all leagues.

The Oceania Baseball Association’s scoring in the 2020s was considered average when compared to the historical scale and against other world leagues. Stats stayed roughly the same as they were in the 2010s and 2000s. The Australasia League had more scoring with a 3.87 ERA and .258 batting average for the 2020s compared to a .251 average and 3.69 ERA in the Pacific League. The PL had a 3.80 ERA in 2025 specifically to set a new single-season high.