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

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1968 in MLB

---

Major League Baseball’s best record in 1968 went to the New York Yankees, who won the Eastern League at 105-57. New York bounced back from a 75-win 1967 for their second playoff berth in three years and set a MLB record for most saves by a pitching staff at 53, a mark that would hold until 2030. Ottawa gave them a battle in the EL, taking the first wild card at 102-60 for their third playoff berth in four years. The Elks had almost 98 more runs than the next closest National Association team and their .350 team OPB was only one point below Baltimore’s NA record of .351 from 1933. The Midwest League title went to Columbus at 100-62, snapping a 13-year playoff drought. The Chargers last took first back in 1948.

Second in the ML was Minneapolis at 92-70, giving them the second wild card for back-to-back berths. The Moose ended up as the only returning playoff team from the prior year in the National Association. At 91-71, Buffalo took the third wild card to snap an 11-year playoff drought. In the race for the final spot, Chicago and Toronto finished tied at 89-73 with St. Louis one back. The Cubs claimed the one-game tiebreaker to sneak in, turning things around from a 68-win 1967. Defending World Series champ Boston was ultimately a non-factor, placing 10^th in the Eastern League at 77-85.

Veteran 3B Victor Pettit won his third MVP in his fifth season with Louisville. It was a notable gap from his prior MVPs in 1958 and 1961 with Pittsburgh. Pettit was the WARlord at 10.2 and leader in slugging (.644), OPS (1.031) and wRC+ (213), adding a .345 average, 42 home runs, and 106 RBI. Pitcher of the Year went to Will Feliciano in his MLB debut with Buffalo. The 31-year old righty had won three Southern Cone League Pitcher of the Year awards previously with Cordoba. The Argentine ace led the National Association in wins at 20-10 and innings pitched with 279.2, adding a 2.64 ERA, 202 strikeouts, and 7.7 WAR.

Also of note, Omaha’s Hakki Polat won his third straight MLB Reliever of the Year. It is his seventh total, counting the four he won with EBF’s London. The 30-year old Turk would go onto have 428 saves, a 1.28 ERA, 1722 strikeouts, and 59.5 WAR in a 15-year pro career and win a remkarable 10 total Reliever of the Year awards with three more coming in OBA in the 1970s. However, the fact that his numbers were split evenly between three leagues meant he wouldn’t have enough tallies in any one league to earn strong Hall of Fame consideration.

The wild card round matchups each went all three games as Minneapolis beat Buffalo and Chicago topped Ottawa. New York bested the Cubs 3-1 in round two, while the Moose upset Columbus in four. Both New York and Minneapolis were teams shooting for their second-ever National Association title with both taking their title way back at the start of the century (1905 for the Yankees, 1907 for the Moose). It was the fifth appearance for Minneapolis, who last made it in 1953. For the Yankees, it was only their third with the 1905 win and 1915 defeat. New York would roll to the NACS title in five games, setting the longest gap in MLB history between title wins at 62 seasons.



In the American Association, Los Angeles stood out amongst the field. The Angels took the Western League at 103-59, finishing 11 games better than any other team in the AA. This ended a seven year playoff drought for LA and was a noticeable turnaround for a team that only won 73 games the prior year and had won fewer than 60 games in four of the prior six seasons. Meanwhile, the remaining wild card spots and the Southern League were incredibly tight races. Tampa earned the SL title for their first playoff berth since 1958. The Thunderbirds were 91-71, ultimately two games ahead of the closest competition in the final regular season standings.

The first wild card spot went to San Diego at 92-70, giving the defending AA champ their fifth consecutive playoff spot. Just behind them at 91-71 were Phoenix and San Francisco, taking the next two spots. The Gold Rush have the longest active playoff streak at six straight while the Firebirds get their third in six years. Meanwhile for the final spot; Oakland, Portland, Houston, and Charlotte each finished at 90-72 in a four-way tie. The first pair of tiebreaker games saw the Hornets and Owls prevail, then Oakland beat Houston to take the final spot. This ended a five-year playoff skid for the Owls. Six other teams (Miami, Atlanta, New Orleans, Nashville, Seattle, and Vancouver) had between 87 and 85 wins and were in the playoff mix for much of the season.

American Association MVP went to Tampa first baseman Sawyer Williams. The 26-year old in a relatively quiet field had a .332 average, 6.3 WAR, 31 home runs, 206 hits, 101 runs, and 107 RBI. Pitcher of the Year was Las Angeles’ Carny Valvo. The 27-year old lefty was the WARlord at 10.8 and leader in wins at 25-6, innings pitched at 289.2, and shutouts with six. He had a 2.95 ERA and 260 strikeouts.

Phoenix edged San Francisco in three and San Diego topped Oakland in two for round one. Los Angeles easily swept the Firebirds in round two, while Tampa survived a strong challenge in five from the defending champ Seals. It was the first AACS berth for the Angels since the late 1940s dynasty and the first for the Thunderbirds since 1957. Los Angeles would secure the American Association crown 4-1 for the franchise’s fifth title.



In the 68^th World Series, Los Angeles defeated New York in five games, giving the Angels their third MLB title (1945, 1946). CF Teddy Lubelsky was the World Series MVP, posting 15 hits, 4 runs, and 5 doubles in 13 playoff games. Pitcher of the Year Carny Valvo was a rare pitcher to win the AACS MVP, posting a 4-0 record with a 2.18 ERA in the playoffs.



Other notes: San Diego’s Sean Lai threw MLB’s 11^th perfect game on July 11 against Charlotte, striking out 12. Kansas City’s Dale Conrod struck out 20 against Cincinnati on August 30, becoming only the third MLB pitcher to strike out 20+. The other two (Carny Valvo with 22 in 1964 and Eusebio Ramos with 21 in 1938) were done in extra innings, while Conrad hit his mark in nine. Parker Harpaz became only the fourth MLB pitcher to 4000 career strikeouts and the sixth to 300 career wins.

Although Phoenix was knocked out in the second round, 2B Rashard Abram set a playoff record with a .630 batting average. In six games, he had 17 hits over 27 at bats. T.J. Nemeth became the 36^th better to 3000 career hits. Nemeth also crossed 1500 RBI and 400 home runs in the 1968 season. 67 batters have now crossed 1500 RBI in MLB,

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1969 MLB Hall of Fame

---

The 1969 Major League Baseball Hall of Fame class saw two players inducted, both on the first ballot. Leading the pair was first baseman Jaxson Bradley with 82.7%. Joining him was second baseman Ted Henderson with 71.2%. Three others were above 60%, but below the 66% threshold needed for induction. 3B Beckham Hudson got 63.5% on his first try, SS Chance Warren was at 62.7% on his second go, and 2B Bodie Howard was at 60.9% on his ninth. Five other players were above 50%. This time around, there were no players that were dropped after ten failed attempts on the ballot.



Jaxson Bradley – First Baseman – Hartford Huskies – 82.7% First Ballot

Jaxson Bradley was a 5’11’’, 205 pound left-handed hitting first baseman from East Longmeadow, Massachusetts; a small town that is part of the Springfield metropolitan statistical area. Bradley was best known for having an incredible eye and ability to draw walks. At retirement, he was one of two MLB Hall of Famers with an on-base percentage above .400. Bradley was also a very good contact hitter with respectable pop in his bat, reliable for around 30-35 doubles and 25-30 home runs per season. He was a very slow baserunner and a career first baseman, although he was generally viewed as average to above average with his glove. Bradley was also an ironman, very rarely missing any time due to injuries.

Bradley attended Illinois in college and as a freshman, finished second in NCAA MVP voting. In three seasons for the Fighting Illini, he had 175 hits, 109 runs, 45 home runs, and 121 RBI in 147 games. Bradley ended up a late first round pick in the 1946 MLB Draft, picked 44^th overall by Hartford. The Huskies were a contender at this point, having made it to the National Association Championship Series in three of the prior four seasons. The hope was that Bradley could be that final piece to push Hartford to the promised land.

He only played in 117 games as a rookie, but was immediately impactful with a .357 average, .461 OBP, and 6.5 WAR. Bradley was the 1947 Rookie of the Year as Hartford again got to the NACS, but fell short. Bradley was a full-time starter for the next nine seasons with the Huskies, leading the National Association in walks and OBP four times. In his sophomore season, he finished second in MVP voting with 8.1 WAR. Bradley had a stellar postseason as Hartford won the World Series. In 16 games, he had 18 hits, 19 runs, 8 RBI, and 23 walks. The 23 walks was a postseason record which still holds as the single-season record as of 2037.

At the crowded first base position, Bradley only won Silver Sluggers thrice, coming in 1950, 1951, and 1953. He was second in MVP voting as well in 1950, which saw him lead the NA in OPS at 1.005 and wRC+ at 192. His best year by WAR was 1951 at 8.9 and he’d post 6+ WAR in nine of his 10 Hartford seasons. The Huskies made it to the World Series again in 1950, but were denied the ring by San Francisco. They never had a losing season in Bradley’s run, although they fell just short a few times in the early 1950s before having early exits in the mid 1950s.

Bradley was a playoff performer, posting 74 hits, 38 runs, 19 doubles, 25 RBI, and 42 walks in 63 games. He was also a regular for the United States National Team in the World Baseball Championship from 1947-57. In 223 games, he had 197 hits, 157 runs, 36 doubles, 68 home runs, 175 RBI, 167 walks, and 11.5 WAR. He finished second in tournament MVP voting in 1956 and won world titles for the USA in 1947, 48, 51, 552, 55, and 57. Bradley led the tournament in walks five times and RBI twice. As of 2037, he is one of five players with 165+ walks in tournament history.

His final overall stats with Hartford was 1716 hits, 1013 runs, 340 doubles, 283 home runs, 964 RBI, 946 walks, a .316/.416/.544 slash and 73.0 WAR. Bradley was well liked by Huskies fans and his #2 uniform would get retired once his career was over. Bradley entered the last year of his Hartford contract at age 31 and had seen his career worst production the prior year, although he was still a very solid starter. Still, Hartford opted to trade Bradley just before opening day 1957 to Las Vegas in exchange for five prospects.

Bradley never reached the same heights, but was a reliable starter for five seasons with the Vipers, leading the American Association in OBP in 1960. Like Hartford earlier, Las Vegas had been a reliable playoff contender that just couldn’t get over the hump. They were one-and-done in 1957 and 1958, but in 1959 the Vipers won their first World Series title. In the 1959 run, Bradley had 18 hits, 8 runs, 5 home runs, and 18 RBI worth 0.8 WAR over 16 playoff games. Las Vegas peaked here with Bradley’s final Vipers stats at 687 hits, 421 runs, 131 doubles, 96 home runs, 369 RBI, 434 walks, and 19.2 WAR.

Bradley became a free agent and for the 1962 season, the now 36-year old signed a three-year deal with Houston. He earned his 2500^th hit, 1500^th run, and 400^th home run with the Hornets, although his production in those two seasons was quite unremarkable. He did also cross 1500 walks drawn, only the ninth player to do so at that point. Houston let him go after the second year of his deal and Bradley went unsigned in 1964, retiring that winter at age 38.

Bradley’s final stats: 2618 hits, 1560 runs, 508 doubles, 410 home runs, 1459 RBI, 1507 walks, a .299/.401/.505 slash and 94.5 WAR. At this point, only John Roberts at .425 was in the Hall of Fame with a better OBP. Bradley was also one of only 19 MLB players to that point with 500+ career doubles. It was a fine career and his postseason success and role in helping both Hartford and Las Vegas to titles put Bradley over the top, getting the first ballot nod at 82.7%.



Ted “Fate” Henderson – Second Baseman – Las Vegas Vipers – 71.2% First Ballot

Ted Henderson was a 5’9’’, 180 pound right-handed second baseman from San Jose, California. Henderson was known for having a good eye, solid speed, and a terrific work ethic. He was considered average to above average as a contact hitter and at avoiding strikeouts. Henderson’s power was sporadic and averaged out to around 25 home runs per year, but he’d occasionally whack 35-40 while giving you 25-35 doubles/triples. Henderson was a career second baseman and while not award-winning, was typically viewed as above average to solid with the glove.

Henderson left the Bay Area and spent his college years with Texas, winning a Silver Slugger as a sophomore and taking third in NCAA MVP voting as a junior. With the Longhorns, Henderson had 174 hits, 123 runs, 35 home runs, 109 RBI, and 9.8 WAR over 143 games. Second basemen who could reliably hit like Henderson weren’t easy to find, thus he was selected second overall in the 1940 MLB Draft by Las Vegas.

Henderson missed about a month or two in each of his first three seasons due to various injuries. He had shown promise when healthy in years two and three, but struggled in his first complete season in 1944. He saw improvement in 1945, but again missed notable time to injury. Patience would pay off for Las Vegas, as he’d see fewer injuries and more consistent strong production in his late 20s and early 30s. From 1946-1958, he had eight season worth 5+ WAR. Henderson won four Silver Sluggers, in 1947, 51, 54, and 58. In 1948, he hit for the cycle against Calgary.

1951 was his best season and the closest Henderson got to an MVP, finishing third in voting. That year at age 31, he led the American Association in WAR (7.6) and runs scored (126). These would be his only years as a league leader. He also hit 34 home runs, one of four seasons with 30+. After stinking in the 1940s, Las Vegas became a contender in the 1950s. They had six 100+ win seasons from 1950-56 and nine playoff berths in the decade, although the Vipers were often doomed to early exits. Henderson persisted and stuck it out with Vegas. He also played 71 games from 1954-61 in the World Baseball Championship for the US team, posting 43 hits, 38 runs, 15 home runs, 31 RBI, and 2.1 WAR. Henderson won four rings with the American team (1955, 57, 58, 61).

In 1958, Henderson had a career best 41 home runs and seemed not to be losing a step into his late 30s. 1959 was the year Las Vegas finally broke through and won its first World Series. Unfortunately for Henderson, he missed the postseason with a fractured hand suffered in late August. Still, he finally got his ring. Vegas fell off as the 1960s began with Henderson missing most of 1960 to a torn meniscus. He was back in full in 1961, but merely average and would be let go at season’s end.

With the Vipers, he had 2917 hits, 1862 runs, 413 doubles, 1444 RBI, a .277/.350/.455 slash, and 87.9 WAR. Despite his resume, his uniform number would not be retired by the team, a later source of friction. Henderson played two more years in the majors with the Chicago Cubs in generally a backup role. With the Cubs, he did earn his 3000^th career hit, the 32^nd batter to reach the mark. Henderson opted to retire after the 1963 campaign at age 43.

Henderson’s final stats: 3020 hits, 1920 runs, 432 doubles, 431 home runs, 1476 RBI, 1204 walks, 596 stolen bases, a .276/.349/.452 slash, and 89.1 WAR. He was fifth all-time in runs scored at retirement and sits 12^th best still as of 2037. Despite a pretty good resume, Henderson’s lack of dominance meant many voters were iffy on him. He was able to defy the haters and get the first ballot nod, even if it was at a low-ish 71.2%.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1969 CABA Hall of Fame

The Central American Baseball Association added only one player with its 1969 Hall of Fame class. If there was ever a player worthy of standing alone though, it was 1B Prometheo Garcia. He got the first ballot nod at 97.6%, which is frankly too low of a percentage for arguably Mexico’s greatest-ever hitter. SP Tirso Sepulveda was the next highest on his third ballot, falling short of the 66% threshold with a respectable 59.8%. 1B Salvador Islas was the only other player above 50% with 51.0% on his fifth try.



One player was dropped after ten failed attempts on the CABA ballot. LF Curtis Velazquez was a Panamanian who had a 19 year career with three Gold Gloves and three Silver Sluggers. Primarily with Nicaragua in CABA, he had 2147 hits, 1190 runs, 263 doubles, 211 triples, 406 home runs, 1174 RBI, and 80.0 WAR. If his four season, 15.5 WAR run with Seattle in his 30s was included, his resume may have been solidified. But his CABA stats alone, the Navigators being a bottom-tier franchise and general lack of league-leading accolades banished Velazquez to the Hall of Very Good. He got as high as 51.5% on his fifth ballot before ending at a paltry 24.3%.



Prometheo “Nitro” Garcia – First Baseman – Guadalajara Hellhounds – 97.6% First Ballot

Prometheo Garcia was a 5’10’’, 200 pound right-handed first baseman from Ojinaga; a rural Mexican border town just across from western Texas. He was renowned as one of the best-ever contact hitters, graded as a 10/10 in his best years. Garcia won an unprecedented 13 batting titles in his Mexican League career. Not only could he hit for contact, but he had great power as well, leading in home runs five times and RBI seven times. Garcia was respectable at drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts. His speed was subpar, but he was considered a smart baserunner. Garcia was a career first baseman and graded out as delightfully average defensively. Most importantly, Garcia was a true ironman who missed nine days to injury for entire storied career, allowing him to remain a strong player into his 40s.

Garcia’s talent was immediately spotted during his amateur career, making him highly sought after without attending college. Guadalajara would select him second overall in the 1942 CABA Draft and he would play all but his final CABA season with the Hellhounds. Garcia struggled immediately jumping to the pros in 38 games at age 20. Guadalajara wisely let him develop on the reserve roster in 1944, then brought him back at age 22 for the 1945 season. From there, he lived up to the hype and more.

His first full season was his first batting title of 13 and his first of 14 CABA Silver Sluggers. He won it again in 1946, 49, 51, 52, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, and 62. He would lead the Mexican League in hits 14 times, runs seven times, WAR 10 times, OPS eight times, and wRC+ seven times. Garcia’s first CABA MVP game in 1946, followed by his second in 1949, third in 1951, fourth in 1954, fifth in 1955, sixth in 1958, seventh in 1959, and eighth in 1962. Garcia was behind only Kiko Velazquez’s ten for most MVPs in CABA history.

Garcia would pass a mark set by Velazquez many felt was untouchable. Garcia won the Triple Crown five times, passing the impressive four Triple Crowns by Velazquez. He did it for the first time in 1949 with perhaps the greatest season in CABA history for a hitter. He became the first batter in any professional league to bat above .400 with a .406; which would only get passed once later in CABA. The 14.2 WAR still stands as the all-time best season for a CABA hitter as does the 252 hits in a season; which was a world record at the time as well. In addition, Garcia scored 117 runs, socked 55 dingers, and had 140 RBI.

His second Triple Crown was 1951 with only a .350 average, 44 home runs, and 119 RBI. The third was 1954 with a .350 average, 44 home runs, and 117 RBI. He followed that up with a .370 average, 54 home runs, and 122 the next year. The final Triple Crown was 1959 at age 36, boasting a .369 average, 51 home runs, and 141 RBI.

Despite his heroics, Guadalajara was not a great franchise in his run, They only made the playoffs five times and never won the Mexican League title. In 27 playoff games for the Hellhounds, Garcia had 38 hits, 12 runs, 7 home runs, and 16 RBI; certainly he wasn’t the problem. He would get the chance to be clutch for the Mexican National Team as a World Baseball Championship mainstay from 1947-66. In 234 tournament games, Garcia had 262 hits, 169 runs, 81 home runs, 188 RBI, a .302 average, and 13.5 WAR. He was twice a finalist for tournament MVP and won rings for Mexico in 1949, 1950, and 1963. As of 2037, he is one of 15 players in tournament history with 80+ career home runs and is ninth all-time in hits and 11^th in WAR.

Garcia was the pride of Mexican baseball and a hero in Guadalajara with his #11 uniform getting retired. At age 39, he hadn’t lost a step, but the Hellhounds decided to trade Garcia away to Juarez for the 1962 season for five prospects. The Jesters went 103-59 to give Garcia his lone Mexican League title, although the CABA Championship would remain elusive as they fell in the final to Santo Domingo.

This would be Garcia’s final CABA season with final totals of 3871 hits, 1850 runs, 535 doubles, 753 home runs, 2042 RBI, a .350/.395/.615 slash and 1.010 OPS, wRC+ of 203 and 166.8 WAR. He was CABA’s WARlord, hit king, home run king, RBI king, runs king, and batting average leader. As of 2037, he remains CABA’s hitting WARlord and the leader all-time in singles, second in hits, fifth in home runs, fifth in runs scored, and fifth in RBI. It would take a tremendous effort from other greats in later higher offensive eras to even come close to Garcia’s tallies.

And he still had six more seasons of professional baseball that weren’t added to those CABA tallies. Had Garcia not left for Major League Baseball, he likely would’ve put many of those records completely out of reach and been the undisputed CABA GOAT, as opposed to merely a top contender for that designation.

Garcia entered free agency for the first time at age 40 and signed for the 1963 season with San Francisco on a three year, $456,000. He immediately proved he wasn’t just hype from a perceived weaker league with a historic MLB debut season, Garcia smacked 52 home runs and led the American Association in hits runs, RBI, and OPS. This earned him his ninth MVP award, one of a very select few to win MVP in multiple leagues and one on an even shorter list to win an MVP in his 40s. Garcia also won his first of two MLB Silver Sluggers and his only one to come as a designed hitter; giving him 16 for his career. He regressed a bit in his second year with the Gold Rush, but returned more to form in 1965, putting up 16.8 WAR, 614 hits, 112 home runs, and 351 RBI in his SF tenure. The Gold Rush in 1965 got to the AACS, but fell to Memphis.

The now 43-year old Garcia became a free agent again and signed a three-year, $618,000 deal with Toronto. This marked the end of his time as an elite hitter, although he was still a decent starter for the Timberwolves. 1966 also marked his final WBC appearance. After the 1968 season, Garcia finally ended his incredible career at age 46; one of a very select few to stick around that long.

For his entire professional career, Garcia had 4917 hits, 2374 runs, 670 doubles, 928 home runs, 2618 RBI, 8515 total bases, a .339/.384/.587 slash, and 189.1 WAR. At retirement, no one was close to Garcia in hits, homers, RBI, or hitting WAR with only MLB’s Stan Provost narrowly behind in runs scored and just ahead in doubles. His 3784 games played was also the most ever and would remain #1 as of 2037, even as other legends in more hitter-friendly leagues and eras would catch some of the other numbers.

There would be a few 200+ WAR position players, boosted by excellent defensive production along with their bats. A couple would cross 1000 home runs with one even getting to 3000 RBI. His hold on the most hits would only finally fall with the first 5000+ batter in 2031. Still, really only Kiko Velazquez matches up with Garcia for CABA’s hitting GOAT with comparable rate stats and MVP tallies. Few would argue against Prometheo Garcia being the best hitter of his generation in any professional league, but he also has a notable case as possibly the best pure hitter in pro baseball history.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1969 BSA Hall of Fame

One player was added into Beisbol Sudamerica’s Hall of Fame for 1969. Outfielder Martyn Jarava finally made the cut on his sixth time on the ballot, albeit narrowly. Jarava finished with 68.5%, crossing the 66% threshold to make it in. Two-way player and two-time MVP Jay Carrizales on his debut just barely missed the cut at 65.3%. Only two others were above 50% with 1B Valeriano Torrez at 53.8% on his third try and RF Nando Gaspar at 52.6% on his seventh.



One player was dropped after ten failed attempts in OF Eduardo Santana. In 19 years between Lima and Cordoba, he had 2451 hits, 1261 runs, 523 home runs, 1324 RBI, and 53.1 WAR. Respectable, but he peaked at 30.2% on his second try and managed to last ten ballots despite dropping to the single digits his last few tries. Two others were dropped after falling below 5% of note with 2B Nuno Coutinho lasting eight years (48.3 WAR, 2364 hits) and RF Lionardo Lula lasting seven (83.7 WAR, 2102 hits). Lula was an interesting one as his tallies in some respects are better than Jarava, who managed to get the bump while Lula never had any real traction.



Martyn “Abnormal” Jarava – Left Fielder – Belo Horizonte Hogs – 68.5% Sixth Ballot

Martyn Jarava was a 5’11’’, 195 pound left-handed left fielder from Guarulhos, Brazil’s 13^th most populous city and part of Metropolitan Sao Paulo. Jarava was known for having a solid eye and reliable strong power worth around 35-40 home runs per year. He was a good contact hitter earlier in his career and around mid-tier at avoiding strikeouts. Jarava had below average speed and was a career left fielder, viewed as an abysmal defender. He could be counted on to be there every game though with great durability, starting in 147+ games in all but his first two seasons. Jarava was also a team captain and excellent team leader, making him a very popular figure with Belo Horizonte.

The Hogs would be where Jarava’s entire professional career took place. After college, he was picked fourth overall by Belo Horizonte in the 1944 Beisbol Sudamerica Draft. He was a bench player in his first season and a promising part-time starter in his second. In year three, Jarava broke through by leading the Southern Cone League in runs (91), RBI (117) and OBP (.381), posting 8.0 WAR. This earned him his first Silver Slugger and a second place in MVP voting. In 1948, Jarava again was a Silver Slugger winner and second in MVP voting, this time with a career-best 45 home runs. He’d have four straight 40+ dinger seasons and five in total, as well as eight 6+ WAR seasons. He won his third Silver Slugger in 1950 and was third in MVP voting.

Belo Horizonte began a stretch of playoff success with Jarava, making the playoffs five times from 1946-52. The Hogs broke through to take Copa Sudamerica in 1948, 1950, and 1952. Jarava played a big role in the BH dynasty, earning LCS MVP in 1950 and Copa Sudamerica MVP in 1952. In 43 playoff games, Jarava had 47 hits, 25 runs, 12 home runs, 28 RBI, and 3.1 WAR. He also became an impressive performer for Brazil in the World Baseball Championship from 1947-58. In 130 games, Jarava had 87 hits, 83 runs, 38 home runs, 79 RBI, and 3.1 WAR.

After the 1952 title, Belo Horizonte had a few middling seasons before becoming a bottom rung team by the end of the decade. Jarava’s best year by WAR was 1955, posting 8.5 WAR at age 33. But his contact skills started to wane into his 30s. He still had flashes, including his fourth and final Silver Slugger in 1957 at age 35. This allowed him to sign a new three-year deal with the Hogs for $63,000 per year, a big jump from his $36,600 peak. However, the following season, Jarava had a sub .200 batting average and negative WAR. He ultimately retired following 1958 at age 37, getting his #20 uniform retired immediately.

Jarava’s final stats: 1884 hits, 1107 runs, 328 doubles, 452 home runs, 1113 RBI, a .267/.354/.517 slash, wRC+ of 175 and 76.0 WAR. The wRC+ shows him as an excellent hitter with the WAR lower than you might expect in part from his terrible defense. But the tallies are low, even for the very low offense environment of 1940-50s BSA. Every other BSA Hall of Famer had at least 2000 career hits. Jarava hovered in the 50% range for his first four times on the ballot, making the jump on try #5 to 60.6%. His playoff stats and role in Belo Horizonte’s dynasty was enough to just get him across the finish line on his sixth ballot at 68.5%.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1969 EAB Hall of Fame

---

The European Baseball Federation added one player into the Hall of Fame with the 1969 voting. Just barely crossing the line was pitcher Harald Solbach on his second attempt, finishing at exactly 2/3s of the vote with 66.7%. Closer Richard Hackl was only four points away with 62.1% on his fourth attempt. Three others were above 50% with reliever Ken Jacob (56.4%, 5^th try), 3B Orion McIntyre (55.3%, 4^th try), and CF Joe Ramet (53.8%, 7^th try). There were no players dropped after ten tries for the still young EBF, coming up on its 20^th season.



Harald Solbach – Starting Pitcher – Berlin Barons – 66.7% Second Ballot

Harald Solbach was a 5’11’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Elsfleth, a small town of around 9,000 people in the northwestern German state of Lower Saxony. Solbach was known for having very good movement on his pitches with above average stuff and control. His velocity peaked around 95-97 mph with an arsenal of a fastball, slider, forkball, and changeup. Solbach had pretty solid stamina and for a pitcher, wasn’t atrocious as a hitter with 144 hits, 53 runs, and a .177 average in his career. Solbach was also known as a prankster and a fun clubhouse presence.

Solbach and his family left Germany during World War II. He would pick up the game in England and play collegiately at University College Birmingham, emerging as one of the first touted college prospects. In the 1950 European Baseball Federation Draft, the first rookie draft in EBF history, Solbach was taken by Berlin with the second overall pick. He was used primarily as a decent reliever as a rookie, then had a respectable second season bouncing between the rotation and the bullpen. In that second year, he tossed two no-hitters. The first saw 11 strikeouts and three walks against Belfast in July, followed by a six K, three walk outing in September versus Birmingham.

Year three was his first great year, posting a career-best 8.1 WAR with 19 complete games. His next few years with the Barons were solid, although he didn’t get much attention in the Pitcher of the Year voting. Berlin won its division in 1954 and 1955, taking the Northern Conference title in the latter year. In the 1955 run, he had a 1.80 ERA over four playoff starts with 26 strikeouts. Solbach also pitched for Germany in the World Baseball Championship from 1951-62, posting a 4.04 ERA with 195 strikeouts in 205 innings.

Solbach signed a four-year, $264,000 deal with Berlin before the start of the 1957 season. However, he didn’t put up the immediate return the Barons wanted. They would trade him at the deadline to Lisbon in exchange for five prospects. Solbach’s Berlin stats saw a 89-73 record, 2.55 ERA, 1497 strikeouts in 1566.1 innings, and 34.9 WAR. The Clippers were the 1956 European Champion, although they’d fall in the conference final in 1957 and the first round in 1958. Solbach had a 4.08 ERA in 28.2 playoff innings.

Solbach stayed in Portugal through the 1960 season and was second in Pitcher of the Year voting in 1958, the closest he came to the award. 1959 saw his first major injury setback with a torn labrum in August. With Lisbon, he had a 57-28 record, 2.82 ERA, 762 innings, 682 strikeouts, and 15.3 WAR. At age 33, Solbach entered free agency and signed a two-year deal with Munich. He had a strong debut season with the Mavericks, taking third in PotY voting. Elbow issues and eventual radial nerve decompression surgery took him out for much of 1962, effectively ending his EBF tenure.

Solbach’s career wasn’t over yet as he found work as a mostly ineffective reliever. MLB’s Charlotte was willing to give him a look with a three-year, $400,000 deal for 1963, but he was cut after one year. He then went to OBA’s Port Moresby. He lasted half a year in Papua New Guinea before being cut in July. One week later, he was signed by Perth and finished the season and his career in Australia, retiring after 1964 at age 37.

The final EBF stats for Solbach: 177-114, 2.61 ERA, 2806 innings, 2569 strikeouts, 243/320 quality starts, a FIP- of 82 and 59.5 WAR. Solbach’s stats are towards the bottom of the EBF leaderboard and he lacked the dominance that got some of the other early pitchers in despite low accumulations. With fewer options on those initial ballots, Solbach fell just short on his debut at 63.7% and got just enough of a bump to get in at 66.7% on his second try. He’ll forever have the distinction of being EBF’s first German-born Hall of Famer.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1969 EPB Hall of Fame

After inducting pitcher Bodgan Chirita as the first Hall of Famer almost unanimously the prior year, no one made the cut for Eurasian Professional Baseball in 1969. Closer Khalid Azad came very close on his debut though at 62.6%, just shy of the 66% required for entry. No one else was above 50% with only one other being above 1/3; another closer in Mircea Ioan at 33.1%.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1969 World Baseball Championship

---

The 1969 World Baseball Championship was the 23^rd installment of the event and the first to be held in South Korea, hosted by Busan. The big stunner happened in Division 1 as Haiti took the top spot over the defending champion and perennial top dog United States. The Haitians went 7-0 for their first ever division title while the Americans were 6-1 and Cuba was 5-2. It is only the second time in tournament history that the US didn’t get to the elite eight or deeper. Division 2 was incredibly tight with South Korea, Chile, and Sweden each finishing 5-2. The tiebreaker went to the Koreans for their eighth division win. In Division 3, Canada narrowly took it at 5-2, edging out 4-3 runs from Italy and Peru. The Canadians have the second most elite eight berths with 16.

Division 4 was also very tight with Poland and Venezuela tying for the top spot at 5-2, while Austria and Japan were 4-3. The Poles had the tiebreaker to advance for the fifth time. Mexico rolled to 7-0 in Division 5 for their tenth elite eight appearance. Brazil won Division 6 at 6-1, one better than the Dominican Republic. The Brazilians have advanced 10 times. Colombia and Russia tied for first at 6-1 in Division 7 with the tiebreaker moving the Colombians forward for the seventh time. Last year’s runner-up Puerto Rico was a distant sixth at 2-5. And Division 8 had a first time winner from Indonesia, who won it at 5-2. Taiwan, Norway, and last year’s third place squad Guatemala each were 4-3.

In the Double Round Robin Group A, Canada went unbeaten at 6-0 to earn a 15^th semifinal appearance. South Korea took second at 4-2, followed by Colombia at 2-4 and Haiti at 0-6. The Koreans secured their fifth semifinal berth with the second place finish. Group B had an unusual result as all four teams finished 3-3. Multiple tiebreakers were required and ultimately it was Poland and Brazil who moved forward. This was Poland’s fourth semifinal berth and Brazil’s sixth.

In the best-of-seven semifinals, Brazil outlasted Canada in a seven game classic, sending them to the final for the second time. On the other side, South Korea pounded Poland 4-1 for their fourth finals appearance. Canada officially took third place for the fourth time, while Poland was fourth for the second time.



In the 1969 World Championship, it was guaranteed that we’d have a first time champion as although both South Korea and Brazil had been to the final, neither had won it all. The series went all seven games for the sixth time in history. The Koreans prevailed for their first title and became the first winner from outside of North America since Russia in 1956. They’re also the second entirely Asian country to win, joining Japan’s 1953 title.



Although they were runner-up, Brazil’s Celso Galo was named Tournament MVP. A 25-year old Silver Slugger winning center fielder with Rosario, in 27 starts Galo had 31 hits, 22 runs, 13 home runs, 29 RBI, a .316 average, and 2.2 WAR. American Joseph Ashcraft was given Best Pitcher. A 26-year old lefty with Washington, he had two complete game shutouts with a no-hitter against Guatemala and a two-hitter versus Uruguay, striking out 33. total. He became the second pitcher with multiple no-hitters in the WBC, having tossed one the prior year. He joins Brazil’s Gustavo Telhados, who had no-nos in 1963 and 1968.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1969 in APB

---

In Austronesia Professional Baseball’s fifth season, Manila made it five-for-five atop the Philippine League. The Manatees had a franchise-worst 90-72 record, still good enough to beat Davao by six games. The top two records in the Association came from the Taiwan League with Tainan outracing Kaohsiung. The Titans won their first league crown at 103-59, finishing two games ahead of the Steelheads. It was Kaohsiung’s first winning season and an impressive turnaround from a 64-win 1968. Last year’s APB champ Taipei was a third place 84-78. Tainan also allowed only 969 hits as a pitching staff, which stands as the TPA single-season record as of 2037.

Both Pitcher of the Year and MVP in the Taiwan-Philippine Association went to Tainan ace Kun-Sheng Lin. By WAR, this was the third-best season to this point by any professional pitcher, only behind Beisbol Sudamerica’s Mohamed Ramos’ 17.9 and 17.6 in the 1930s. In his second season, Lin had 16.9 WAR, striking out 459 over 289.1 innings with a FIP- of 21. This was also the first APB Triple Crown season with a 1.21 ERA and 21-8 record. Lin also led in quality starts (31/33), complete games (21), WHIP (0.64) and K/BB (12.4). Believe it or not, Lin would go on to add similar to arguably better seasons in the coming years. He had 15 games of 15+ strikeouts in the 1969 season and would also set a postseason record with 59 strikeouts.

Lin’s wild season overshadowed a historic debut season for Kaohsiung’s Po-Yu Shao, who won Rookie of the Year. The hometown hero first baseman smacked 62 home runs with 130 RBI, 100 runs, a .699 slugging, 1.018 OPS, 229 wRC+ and 9.3 WAR. This was APB’s single-season home run record and would remain the record as of 2037 with only one other batter ever crossing 60. 130 RBI is also a single season record still standing as of 2037.



In the Sundaland Association, defending champ Jakarta took the Java League easily at 103-59. Medan won the Malacca League for the fourth straight season with a 94-68 season, fending off a solid 89-73 effort by Palembang.

Winning MVP was Palembang’s Abracham Gumelar in his first full season. The 22-year old left fielder was the WARlord at 9.8 and led in the triple slash (.317/.394/.672), OPS (1.066), wRC+ (242), home runs (42), and total bases (309). Jakarta’s Hendrick John won the Pitcher of the Year, having been acquired by the Jaguars in an offseason trade with Bandung. The 29-year old lefty was the WARlord (8.9) and leader in quality starts (15) and shutouts (5). He had a 2.08 ERA, 15-9 record, and 273 strikeouts in 276.1 innings.

The Taiwan-Philippine Association Championship saw Tainan prevail in six games over Manila, giving the Titans their first title. The Manatees are now 1-4 in their efforts in the Association final. Jakarta claimed back-to-back Sundaland Championships by downing Medan in five games. The Marlins have now dropped three straight finals.



In the fifth Austronesia Championship, the series went all seven for the second straight year. After being runner up the prior season, Jakarta earned its first overall title by besting Tainan. Although the Jaguars were the winner, the finals MVP was Titans catcher Sheng-Hsin Chin. He also won the Association Championship MVP, posting 17 hits, 7 runs, 6 doubles, 2 home runs, and 8 RBI in 13 games.



Other notes: APB’s third perfect game came on June 24 from Taichung’s Jenius Faridudin, who struck out 13 against Cebu. Both Wang Wang and Niles Chua had 21 game hit streaks, currently the top mark in APB history. APB’s first five seasons saw the lowest offensive numbers seen in any pro league to date with the league batting average in the low .210s and ERA in the 2.70-2.80 range. Historically, this is very to extremely low and APB’s stats would compete with Chinese League Baseball in the 1970s through the 2010s for the lowest offensive numbers in pro baseball.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1969 in OBA

---

In 1969, Melbourne became the first team in Oceania Baseball Association history to win three straight league titles. The Mets took the Australasia League again, this time at 102-60. They finished four games ahead of Adelaide and eleven over Sydney. Melbourne and Adelaide now lead the Australasia League with three titles apiece, while Guadalcanal has the most thus far with four Pacific League titles. The Mets team ERA of 2.29 was a league record at the time and would still sit third best in Australasia League history as of 2037.

League MVP went to Jimmy Caliw of Adelaide, the first for the Filipino shortstop in what would become a legendary career. The 23-year old was the WARlord at 12.5 and leader in runs with 99, adding 32 home runs and Gold Glove defense with a 34.6 zone rating and 1.135 EFF. Pitcher of the Year was Sydney’s Ollie Burke in his second season. The 25-year old right handed Australian had the fourth OBA pitching Triple Crown with a 22-10 record, 2.22 ERA, and 394 strikeouts over 296 innings for 7.6 WAR.



Guam won the Pacific League title for the second time in three years. The Golden Eagles set a league record with a 104-58 record, leading in both runs scored (580) and runs allowed (461). There was a 17 game gap to second place Port Moresby. Defending champ Guadalcanal took fourth at 83-79.

Guam RF Sione Hala won his fourth MVP award in five years. The 26-year old Tongan won his fourth batting title and led in the triple slash (.328/.371/.545), OPS (.946) and wRC+ (197), adding 73 WAR, 33 home runs, and 81 RBI. The Golden Eagles also had the Pitcher of the Year in closer Pakelike Moote, who also won his second Reliever of the Year. The Kiribati native set the OBA single-season record with 53 saves, posting a 0.51 ERA in 88.2 innings with 147 strikeouts and 5.8 WAR.

In the 10^th Oceania Championship, the series went seven games for the third straight season. Guam won the first three games, but Melbourne rallied to take it 4-3 for their second title in three years. Finals MVP went to two-time league MVP Danny Carrott. The 27-year old right fielder had 12 hits, 4 runs, 3 home runs, and 7 RBI.





Other notes: In its first decade, OBA had low ERAs and very low batting average relative to other pro leagues. The batting average for the decade was around .223, while ERA was around 3.00. This wasn’t as low as Austronesia Professional Baseball, but was lower than the competing leagues worldwide. OBA’s stats would remain low to below average in the 1970s and 1980s before bumping to more average statistics by the new millennium

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1969 in EPB

---

Defending Soviet Series champ Kazan claimed the best record in the EPB European League in 1969 with a 102-60 record atop the North Division. This gives the Crusaders a five-year playoff streak. Minsk was close behind at 100-62 to take the first wild card, giving them 14 playoff berths in EPB’s first 15 seasons. Helsinki, who was a wild card last year, dropped from 94 to 81 wins. In the South Division, Budapest earned its first-ever division title and only second playoff berth. The Bombers were 99-63 to get them into the field for the first time since 1956. Defending division champ Tirana got the second wild card at 91-71 to extend their playoff streak to three. Kyiv (89-73) and Kharkiv (87-75) were the closest competition.

Leading Budapest’s big season was LF Yamin Alimammadov, who earned the third hitting Triple Crown in Eurasian Professional Baseball History. The 31-year old Uzbek won the MVP with a .344 average, 48 home runs, and 110 RBI. The .344 average was a single season record at the time, although it would get passed many times later. Alimammadov also led the league in runs (108), hits (206), OBP (.382), slugging (.644), OPS (1.027), wRC+ (219) and WAR (10.4). Pitcher of the Year went to Tirana’s Dan Potra. The 28-year old Romanian lefty had the best ERA at 1.56 and the most quality starts with 30. He had a 20-7 record over 276.1 innings with 271 strikeouts and 9.3 WAR.



EPB’s best overall record belonged to defending Asian League champ Yekaterinburg at 110-52. The Yaks took the AL North Division at 110-52, giving them the longest active postseason streak at six years. Their offense was explosive for the Asian League with 795 runs, 139 more than their closest competitor. Tashkent took the South Division for the first time since 1962 as the Tomcats finished 101-61. Ufa earned the first wild card at 95-67, giving them six playoff berths in seven years after missing the prior season. For the second spot, Omsk (91-71) edged out Bishkek (90-72), Ulaanbaatar (88-74), Dushanbe (87-74) and Krasnoyarsk (87-75). The Otters have five playoff berths in a seven year stretch. It also ended the Black Sox steak at six seasons and prevented the Boars from a third straight.

Asian League MVP was Yekaterinburg veteran RF Sergey Bogomil. The 30-year old Russian exploded for a 11.7 WAR season, also leading in home runs (48), total bases (365), slugging (.643), OPS (1.019), and wRC+ (220). Ufa’s Artur Golub won his second Pitcher of the Year. The 31-year old lefty from Ukraine was the league leader in ERA (1.52), strikeouts (431), WHIP (0.63), K/BB (17.2), and posted 9.3 WAR with a 21-11 record over 289.2 innings. It was Golub’s fourth 400+ strikeout season and the new single-season record, passing his own mark of 424. 431 would hold as the record until 2002 when Matvey Ivanov passed it by one. Golub’s 0.63 WHIP and opponent OBP of .182 were both also single season records and remain the EPB all-time best as of 2037.

In the first round of the playoffs, Tirana stunned defending champ Kazan with a road sweep. It would be an all wild card European League final as Minsk edged Budapest 3-2. In the Asian League, Yekaterinburg topped Omsk 3-1 and Tashkent swept Ufa, pushing both division champs to the ALCS. The ELCS had the Miners top the Trojans in five, giving Minsk a record sixth league title. The ALCS had the Tomcats win their first title by unseating the defending champ Yaks 4-2.



In the 15^th Soviet Series, Minsk defeated Tashkent in six games to send the trophy back to Belarus after a three year absence. The Miners now have four overall rings, tied with Kyiv for the most in EPB. Finals MVP went to catcher Oleg Rutskiy. A 27-year old Belarusian, he had 11 hits, 5 runs, and 4 RBI in 16 playoff games and provided excellent defense behind the plate.



Other notes: The 11^th Perfect Game in EPB history came on July 21 from Bishkek’s Nikita Shaginyan, striking out 13 against Novosibirsk. This tied the mark for most strikeouts in a perfect game as well. Maxim Alakbarov and Arutyun Lezjov both crossed 200 wins on the mound, making it ten pitchers to do so thus far. Rodion Zhukov became the second to reach 500 home runs. Four more batters got to 2000 hits, bringing it to 15 to do so in EPB. The 2500 mark still wouldn’t be reached until 1973.

After having average scoring in its first five years, EPB’s numbers dropped to below average figures for the 1960s. The league batting average hovered around .234 with ERA marks between 3.20 and 3.30. This was higher than OBA and APB with comparable ERA numbers to EBF and BSA, although the batting averages were lower in EPB. Eurasian Professional Baseball would continue to trend downward in terms of offense until the late 2000s.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1969 in EBF

---

The top two records in the entire European Baseball Federation in 1969 came from the Northern Conference’s Northwest Division. Rotterdam had the top mark at 104-58 to earn a third consecutive playoff berth. Paris finished second at 100-62 to take the wild card for their second berth in three years. Amsterdam also had a strong 91-71 season in the division, but were nine away from the Poodles for the wild card. Berlin won back-to-back North Central Divisions with the Barons at 95-67, seven ahead of Oslo and ten better than Copenhagen. In the British Isles Division, last year’s wild card London finished first at 89-73, knocked out two-time defending conference champ Dublin at 86-76. For the Monarchs, it is their fourth playoff appearance in five seasons.

Taking Northern Conference MVP was Rotterdam centerfielder Ludovic Michels. The 29-year old Luxembourger was the leader in hits (198), runs (110), total bases (380), and WAR (11.4), adding a .310 batting average, 37 home runs, and 107 RBI. Pitcher of the Year was Oslo’s Fabian Mullner. A 24-year old from Austria, the fifth-year righty was the ERA leader (1.55) and WARlord (9.8), adding a conference-best 31 quality starts and eight shutouts. He added 287 strikeouts in 266.1 innings with a 20-5 record.



The top three records in the Southern Conference all came out of the Southeast Division. Vienna took first at 97-65 to extend their playoff streak to five, now the longest active one in EBF. Last year’s division winner Athens took the wild card at 95-67, beating out Munich by one game. Despite the 94-68 mark being better than the other two division winners, the Mavericks miss the field. In the Southwest, Lisbon earned its first division title since 1958. The Clippers were 86-76, three better than defending champ Marseille and Barcelona and four ahead of Madrid. In the South Central, Naples earned its second-ever playoff berth, joining the 1957 campaign. The Nobles were 84-78, beating Zurich by three games. Defending European Champion Rome, who had a seven season playoff streak entering the year, took third at 76-86. The Red Wolves would fall into mediocrity, not again making the playoffs until 1991.

Southern Conference MVP was Zagreb shortstop Nikolaos Pavlis. It was the second MVP for the 24-year old Greek, but this one was an all-timer. He posted 14.3 WAR, second most ever by an EBF batter behind only Danijel Cindric’s 15.4 in 1953. Pavlis led the conference in home runs (50), RBI (119) and runs (115), as well as slugging (.675), OPS (1.063), and wRC+ (220), while adding a .333 average and 44 steals. He also was a strong defender at short, adding a 15.8 zone rating and 1.067 EFF.

It was also a historic season for Malta’s Ugo Musacci, winning his third consecutive Pitcher of the Year. This was the best one yet for the 25-year old Italian, posting 14.3 WAR, a single-season EBF pitching record that remains the all-time mark even as of 2037. He struck out 407 hitters, the first EBF pitcher to have 400+. He also had the conference lead in complete games (15), shutouts (6) and FIP- (29), adding an 18-12 record, 2.38 ERA, and 264.2 innings.

In the first round of the playoffs, Rotterdam outlasted London in five games and Berlin swept Paris over in the Northern Conference. Both Southern Conference series went four with Vienna dropping Naples and Lisbon besting Athens. For the first time, the Northern Conference Championship went all seven games. The Ravens edged the Barons, giving Rotterdam its first conference title. Meanwhile, the Southern Conference Championship went seven for the third straight season and tenth time overall. The Vultures defeated the Clippers, giving Vienna its second conference crown in three seasons.



In the 20^th European Championship, Rotterdam rolled 4-2 over Vienna to become first time champions. Finals MVP was 25-year old first baseman Wes Verhaaegen, who had 21 hits, 9 runs, 3 home runs, 3 doubles, and 3 triples over 18 playoff games. The Ravens bring the trophy back to the Netherlands for the third time with Amsterdam having won in 1951 and 1954. The Vultures are now 0-2 in their finals appearances.



Other notes: Rudjer Bosnjak became the second EBF hitter to cross 1500 RBI, joining Gabriel Staudt. Joining those two in the 500 home run club were Davey Miquel and Jacob Bidwell. Bosnjak also won ninth Silver Slugger at first base. Armando Rojas became the second EBF pitcher to 250 career wins. Mijusko Popovic became the fourth EBF pitcher to 3500 career strikeouts.

For the 1960s, despite having the same DH rules, there was a notable statistical variation between the conferences. The Southern Conference saw the average league ERA of 3.47 compared to a 3.32 mark for the Northern Conference, while the batting averages were skewed at .247 versus .241. In the greater historical context of all baseball, these numbers are considered below average for scoring. It is pretty much middle of the road though compared to the other existing leagues in the 1960s. The EBF would see fairly similar stats in the 1970s before bumping to above average marks generally from the 1980s onward.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1969 in BSA

---

Medellin remained on top of the Bolivar League North Division in 1969, taking the title for the fifth consecutive season. The Mutiny were 90-72, fending off challenges from Valencia (86-76), Barquisimeto (85-77), and Bogota (84-78). The South Division ended up in a tie at 91-71 between defending Copa Suadmerica champ Lima and Guayaquil. The Golds won in the one-game playoffs to unseat the defending champs, giving Guayaquil its first division title since 1962.

Quito was an abysmal 66-96, but Thunderbolts 1B Javier Herrera won his third league MVP. The 31-year old was the leader in hits (214), average (.353), OBP (.404), OPS (.971), and wRC+ (180), adding 8.3 WAR and a Gold Glove on defense. It was the sixth time in his career that Herrera led the league in batting average. Guayaquil ace Laurenco Cedillo won his sixth Pitcher of the Year, becoming the second BSA pitcher to win six or more (Mohamed Ramos has seven). The 34-year old Chilean righty was the ERA leader (1.89) and WARlord (11.7), also leading in quality starts (28) and FIP- (47). Cedillo had a 20-9 record and 316 strikeouts in 276 innings. It was his fourth time leading in ERA and tenth time as the WARlord. Cedillo also crossed 4000 career strikeouts, the 17^th to do so.



The Southern Cone League’s Brazil Division had an incredible battle for the top spot between Sao Paulo and defending division winner Belo Horizonte. The Padres allowed only 406 runs all season, more than 96 better than their closest competitor. This pushed them to 112-50 and their first division title since 1961. The Hogs meanwhile had a 106-56 record, which was a franchise-best. However, they were denied a postseason trip. In the South Division, defending league champ Santiago continued to roll. The Saints were 103-59 to claim a seventh straight division title and their 13^th in 15 years.

Rosario was second in the South Division thanks to an MVP season by CF Celso Galo. The 26-year old Brazilian center fielder had garnered attention earlier in the year as the World Baseball Championship Tournament MVP. He posted an outstanding season by leading in WAR (12.0), triple slash (.381/.420/.658), OPS (1.078), wRC+ (248), and hits (225), while adding 101 runs, 45 home runs, and 103 RBI. Sao Paulo’s Domingas Ribeiro won his second straight Pitcher of the Year. The 27 year old led the league in ERA (1.23) for the fourth straight year, WHIP (0.65) for the fifth, and WAR (8.7) for the fourth. He also led in K/BB (15.8), adding 300 strikeouts in 211.2 innings with a 19-3 record and 13 saves.

The League Championship Series were again classics with both leagues seeing their series go all seven games for the fourth straight season. In the Bolivar League, Medellin edged Guayaquil to give the Mutiny their third title in four years. They have eight titles, tied with Caracas for the most in the Bolivar League. The Southern Cone title saw Sao Paulo stop Santiago’s repeat bid for the Padres’ first title since the 1957-60 four-peat. Sao Paulo also has eight league titles, passing the Saints for the most in the league.



The 39^th Copa Sudamerica was decided in six games as Medellin finally broke through after being the runner up in 1966 and 1967. LF Simon Serrano was the finals MVP as the 34-year old journeyman had 11 hits, 6 runs, 4 home runs, and 6 RBI in 13 playoff games. For the Mutiny, it was their record fifth Cup win, but first since 1947. Sao Paulo is now 2-6 in their finals appearances.



Other notes: Asuncion’s Martin Cardona had the 24^th BSA Perfect Game, striking out 7 against Brasilia on April 14. Callao’s Leonardo Souza had a 21 strikeout game against Cali, becoming the first pitcher other than Mohamed Ramos to do it in BSA history. Ramos had 21 six times and holds the record with 23 Ks in an extra innings game in 1934. Asuncion hit only 56 home runs as a team, which stands as a BSA all-time worst.

For the 1960s, Beisbol Sudamerica saw below average to low offensive numbers. The Bolivar League’s average ERA was down from a 3.40 high in the 1950s to 3.22 in the 1960s, while the batting average dropped from .251 to .243. The Southern Cone League without the DH was lower, but had roughly similar numbers from the 1950s to 60s with a 2.97 ERA and .236 batting average. Numbers would increase to around below average in the 1970s and steadily increase with the passing decades, eventually becoming above average to high.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1969 in EAB

---

Defending Japan League champ Hiroshima had the league’s best record in 1969 with their third straight South Division title. The Hammerheads at 102-60 held firm against a solid challenge from 99-63 Fukuoka. In the North Division, Sendai ended an 11-year playoff drought to take the North Division. The Samurai finished 91-71, seven games ahead of both defending division champ Kawasaki and Saitama.

Leading Hiroshima was 24-year old slugger Hyeon-Jun Win, the league MVP. The left-handed Seoul native in his sixth season already was the league leader in RBI (131), slugging (.648), and OPS (1.021), adding 8.3 WAR, 44 home runs, a .325 average and his fifth straight Gold Glove. Pitcher of the Year went to Nagoya’s Chun-Ho Kim, his third time winning the award and first since 1964. The 31-year old lefty was the ERA leader (2.20) and WARlord (7.2) with 25 quality starts, an 18-8 record, and 340 strikeouts in 245.1 innings.



Pyongyang’s dominance continued in Korea with a franchise-best 119-43 mark, giving the four-time defending EAB champs their record ninth straight North Division title. It is tied for the second-most wins in a season for a Korean team with Hamhung winning 119 in 1928 and the record 122 in 1926. The South Division had Yongin on top for the fourth straight season.

Pythons Ki-Tae Yun won his first MVP with an impressive age 31 season. Nicknamed “Duck,” he led the league for home runs and RBI for the third straight season, setting career bests in both with 54 dingers and 156 RBI. Yun was the seventh EAB hitter to reach 150+ RBI in a year and would be the last one until 1989. He also led the league in runs (116), total bases (375), slugging (.642), OPS (1.011), wRC+ (173), and WAR (10.0). Yongin’s Tae-Hong Kim won back-to-back Pitcher of the Year awards. He led in wins at 22-7 and was second in ERA at 2.376, while also leading in WAR (8.6), quality starts (25), and FIP- (65). Kim had 293 strikeouts over 262.2 innings. Also of note, Pyongyang’s Geun-U Phan won his fourth straight Reliever of the Year, posting 49 saves with a 1.17 ERA, 128 strikeouts, and 4.5 WAR in 84.1 innings.

The Japan League Championship Series was a seven game classic with Hiroshima topping Sendai to earn back-to-back titles. The Hammerheads are now four-time champs. Meanwhile, the Pyongyang dynasty continued in the Korea League Championship Series for an unprecedented fifth straight title. They topped Yongin for the fourth straight year, this time 4-2. The Pythons now have seven titles in the decade and eleven in total.



The Pythons were unable to make it a five-peat in the East Asian Championship rematch with Hiroshima. The Hammerheads got revenge in six games, giving them their third overall title along with the 1939 and 1959 campaigns. League MVP Hyeog-Jun Wi had a historic postseason tear for Hiroshima, winning both finals and JLCS MVP. In 13 games, he smacked 10 home runs with 17 RBI, 20 hits, and 13 runs. 10 homers remains the EAB single postseason record as of 2037 even with the later expanded postseason and increased offensive numbers. In one of the finals games against the Pythons, he smacked three homers.



Other notes: Lei Meng, EAB’s home run king, became the first to cross 800 career home runs. To this point, no other professional league has seen a player cross 800 for a career, although Prometheo Garcia had 928 split between CABA and MLB. Su-Yeon Park and Kenzan Manabe both crossed 2500 hits, making it 22 EAB batters to have done so.

Shortstop Han-Gyeol Bu won his 12^th Gold Glove and catcher Wan-Seon Kwan got his tenth. Teiichi Ishigaki won his ninth and final Gold Glove in center field, Min-Hyeok Shin became a ten time Silver Slugger winner with the awards split between DH and 2B. Seung-Hyeon Min won his ninth Silver Slugger in CF.

For the 1960s in East Asia Baseball, statistics were largely considered to be average. The Japan League’s ERA was 3.52 with the Korea League higher with the DH at 3.77. The batting average for Japan was .250 and .258 for Korea. Japan’s offensive numbers were the highest of any decade with 3.52 in the 1950s and lower prior, while Korea was actually down from a 3.90 ERA in the 1950s. Both leagues would generally hover around average statistics moving forward, not making some of the same big shifts that would be seen in other organizations.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1969 in CABA

---

Two time defending Mexican League champion Mexico City earned a fourth straight playoff berth and third straight South Division title in 1969 with the Aztecs going 101-61. This is the best record in their streak and their first 100+ win season since winning 109 in the 1945 championship season. Guadalajara was second in the division at 96-66, good enough for the wild card spot, ending an 11-year playoff drought. Tijuana won the North Division at 93-69, four games ahead of Mexicali and five better than Torreon, while defending champ Monterrey dropped to 84 wins. For the Toros, this is their first playoff berth since 1964 and first division title since 1959.

Tijuana LF Vicente Gutierrez won his fifth Mexican League MVP award, becoming the league’s third player to win as many or more. He had become a seemingly ageless wonder with the 36-year old lefty leading in home runs (54), walks (88), OBP (..425), OPS (1.096), and wRC+ (215), adding 10.1 WAR, a .337 average, 117 runs, and 113 RBI. It was his seventh time leading the league in home runs, 12^th time leading in walks, and sixth time leading in OPS.

Taking Pitcher of the Year was Guadalajara’s Mario Benitez. The 27-year old sixth-year player had the most complete games with 12, posting a 2.28 ERA over 217.1 innings with 263 strikeouts, 5.8 WAR, a 18-6 record, and 12 saves. Benitez also won a Silver Slugger with 18 hits in 59 at bats, 2 home runs, and 8 RBI; solid for a pitcher. Also of note was Monterrey’s Leo Lozano winning his third straight Reliever of the Year. He had 41 saves and a 1.94 ERA.



Guatemala had a historic season in the Caribbean League, tying the all-time winningest season in CABA history. The Ghosts were 118-44, matching the record set in 1933 by Jamaica. This mark would only finally got surpassed in CABA in 2024. For Guatemala, this earned them a fourth Continental Division title in five years. Their 878 runs scored and 542 runs allowed were both the best mark in all of CABA. Meanwhile, Havana snapped a 15 season playoff drought by winning the Island Division at 96-66. They were one better than 95-67 Trinidad, who picked up the wild card for their first playoff appearance in the franchise’s brief eight year history. Puerto Rico was third at 91-71, followed by Santo Domingo at 87-75. Last year’s CABA champion Jamaica was fifth at 84-78.

Unsurprisingly, such a great year for Guatemala meant they had both the MVP and Pitcher of the Year. CF Wesley Dubar secured his fourth MVP with the 26-year old leading the league in WAR with 13.6, the fourth-best season to this point in CABA hitting history. He also led in home runs (55), RBI (154), runs (136), total bases (421), slugging (.731), OPS (1.131) and wRC+ (203), adding a .335 average. The 154 RBI tied the CABA single-season record set by Timmy Ramirez in 1950. Pitcher of the Year was Aaron De Paz in his eighth season with his home country club. He had the most wins at 21-5, posting a 2.63 ERA, 270 strikeouts in 250 innings, and 7.4 WAR.

In the wild card round, Tijuana topped Guadalajara 3-1 and Havana held off Trinidad 3-2. The Mexican League Championship Series saw Mexico City make it a three-peat, topping the Toros in six games. The Aztecs are now eight time league champs. In the Caribbean League Championship Series, Guatemala dropped Havana in six, giving the Ghosts two titles in three years.



The 59^th CABA Championship was highly anticipated with the record-setting Ghosts against the fledgling Aztecs dynasty. The series went all seven games with Mexico City taking it for their second title in three years. The Aztecs have six overall CABA rings, putting them alone with the most. SS Aaron Valencia had a huge postseason, winning both finals MVP and MLCS MVP. The 30-year old Puerto Rican in 13 playoff games had 19 hit, 10 runs, 2 home runs, and 9 RBI.



Other notes: In addition to his fifth MVP, Vicente Gutierrez became the sixth CABA hitter to 600 career home runs and the 10^th to reach 1500 RBI. He also earned his 10^th and final Silver Slugger. Mario Villegas became the second reliever to 400 career saves. It would be his final season, retiring with 410, second all-time to Feliz Fuentes’ 430.

The 1960s for CABA were considered generally average offensively after CABA began with low to very low offensive numbers in its earliest years. The DH-less Mexican League had a 3.49 ERA in the 1960s while the Caribbean League had 3.81. The batting average for the Mexican League for the decade was .254 and .259 for the Caribbean League. It was a slight increase in tallies for both leagues with CABA generally viewed as having average numbers historically until a slight bump around the 1990s.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1969 in MLB

---

For the second straight season, the National Association’s best record belonged to New York. The defending NA champ Yankees won the Eastern League again, this time at 102-60. Chicago took the Midwest League title at 101-61, giving the Cubs back-to-back playoff berths. It was their first league title since winning the World Series in 1964. Five other teams had 90+ wins and fought for the four wild card spots. St. Louis at 95-67 and Toronto at 94-68 were second in their respective leagues. The Cardinals earned their fifth playoff berth in seven years, while the Timberwolves ended a six-year drought.

Columbus took the third spot with a 93-69 mark, giving the Chargers back-to-back berths. The other spot came down to Boston and Pittsburgh with both finishing the regular season at 90-72. The one game playoff went to the Red Sox, putting the 1967 World Series champs back in the field after a below .500 1968. The most notable drop was Ottawa, going from 102 wins the prior year down to 76, placing them ninth in the Eastern League.

Taking the MVP was 1B Kwang-Hoon Jang, a North Korean defector in his third season with New York after starting his career in Hiroshima. The 30-year old was the leader in home runs (46), RBI (131), runs (106), total bases (347), slugging (.589), OPS (.962), and wRC+ (185), adding 8.0 WAR. Buffalo’s Will Feliciano won back-to-back Pitcher of the Year awards. This gave the Argentine righty five awards in total counting his three from Beisbol Sudamerica. The 32-year old was the WARlord at 7.4, posting a 2.33 ERA, 13-12 record, and 230 strikeouts in 266.1 innings.

In the first round of the playoffs, Columbus edged Toronto 2-1 and St. Louis downed Boston 2-0. The Chargers stunned the Yankees with a road sweep in round two, while Chicago defeated the Cardinals in four. The National Association Championship Series went seven games for the first time since the Cubs won it in 1964. Columbus denied Chicago in the end, giving the wild card Chargers their first-ever NA title. Columbus had been to the NACS seven times prior, most recently in 1950, but had come up short each time.



The American Association’s best record in 1969 was San Diego at 103-59. The Seals won the Western League title and earned a sixth straight playoff berth. This became the longest active streak with San Francisco falling off a cliff in 1969; a bid for seven straight was dashed by a lousy 66-96 record. In the Southern League, Atlanta finished first at 101-61 for their second playoff spot in three years. It is the first SL title for the Aces since the 1937 campaign.

The wild card field ended up quite competitive. Vancouver had the first spot at 96-66 for their third wild card in five years. Three teams finished one behind at 95-67 in defending World Series champ Los Angeles, plus Phoenix, and San Antonio, putting each of them in the field. Missing out were 94-68 Oakland, 92-70 Tampa, and 92-70 New Orleans. The Firebirds and Angels earned back-to-back playoff appearances, while the Oilers had their first since 1966. The most noticeable drop apart from the previously mentioned Gold Rush was Houston, plunging from 91 wins to 65.

San Antonio DH Harris Carney was the American Association MVP. Nicknamed “Scar,” the 26-year old righty led in home runs (56), RBI (158), total bases (398), slugging (.652), OPS (1.043), and wRC+ (169), with 7.5 WAR. He had the first 150+ RBI season since 1961 with his 158 tied for the fifth most in MLB history to that point. Atlanta’s Raimundo Joaquin was the Pitcher of the Year in his sixth season with the club. The lefty from Costa Rica was the strikeout leader at 315 and WARlord at 11.1, only the tenth 11+ WAR season by a MLB pitcher to that point. He had a 23-9 record and 2.99 ERA over 274 innings. Joaquin also had the only no-hitter of the 1969 season, striking out 10 and walking two on May 10^th versus Portland.

In the first round, San Antonio swept Los Angeles and Phoenix swept Vancouver. The Firebirds kept rolling by upsetting San Diego 3-1, while Atlanta fended off the Oilers 3-1. This sent the Aces to the American Association Championship Series for the first time since 1937, while the Firebirds were going for their third title of the decade. Atlanta claimed the series in six games, sending the Aces to the World Series for only the second time (1927).



The 69^th World Series was guaranteed a first time MLB champion with Columbus having never gotten to the finale and Atlanta falling to Cleveland in their only appearance in 1927. The series ended up being unremarkable with the Aces sweeping the Chargers. Leading the way was 24-year old 1B Marc Frechette, who won both World Series MVP and AACS MVP. In 14 playoff games, he had 27 hits, 15 runs, 7 home runs, 20 RBI, and 1.6 WAR.



Other notes: Both Dominic David and Ayden Thomas would have 35-game hit streaks during the 1969 season. This tied them for the seventh-best streak in MLB history.

The American Association had the highest ERA of any baseball league in the 1960s with 4.10, slightly down from the 1950s and below the peak of 4.27 in the 1910s. This is still considered merely above average in the overall historical context of all baseball, but that and the .267 batting average for the AA were the highest of the 1960s. Without the DH, the National Association clocked in with a .252 average and 3.61 ERA for the decade, both considered very average in the grand scheme. The NA saw a slight decrease from the 1950s and had peaked with 3.82 in the 1930s. MLB would maintain similar stats until seeing a slight drop from the 1990s-2010s, followed by a big spike in the 2020s.