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

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1974 EPB Hall of Fame

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The Eurasian Professional Baseball Hall of Fame welcomed two new members with the 1974 voting, both pitchers on the first ballot. Starter Henri Gevorgyan received a strong 88.9% and reliever Theo Siitonen picked up 70.3%. Another pitcher, Skerdi Hoxha, barely missed the 66% threshold with 64.7% on his fourth attempt. Three others had solid showing but were short; LF Eldar Vdovichenko at 60.8% in his debut, SP Inal Brezhnev at 60.1% on his second ballot, and SP Andrei Doman at 58.5% on his fourth try. No players were dropped after ten failed attempts.



Henri Gevorgyan – Starting Pitcher – Tashkent Tomcats – 88.9% First Ballot

Henri Gevorgyan was a 6’0’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from the capital of Armenia, Yerevan. He was a hard thrower with 98-100 mph peak velocity. Gevorgyan’s movement and control was equally as potent as his stuff, which consisted of a fastball, curveball, and changeup. He had very solid stamina and incredible durability, pretty much guaranteed to start a full slate each year. Gevorgyan was also a team captain with great leadership skills and a strong work ethic, making him a very solid part of any roster.

When Eurasian Professional Baseball was formed for the 1955 season, Gevorgyan was already 27 years old, although not necessarily known as the Soviet Union’s top pitching prospect. He ended up going to Uzbekistan, signing with Tashkent. Gevorgyan spent six years with the Tomcats, his longest run, and would go into the Hall of Fame wearing their hat. Gevorgyan was merely decent to start, but emerged by his third season with Tashkent as a top flight pitcher.

He’d post ten seasons worth 6+ WAR in his career, but the only team he was a league leader was with 0.85 WHIP in 1959. Gevorgyan wasn’t a Pitcher of the Year finalist in his Tashkent tenure, but posted a 101-75 record, 3.14 ERA, 1727 strikeouts in 1636 innings, and 40.9 WAR. In 1959, he tossed a no-hitter with six strikeouts and three walks versus Bishkek. He struggled in his one playoff start for the Tomcats in 1960 and the team opted to let him go into free agency. At age 33, he went to Kazakhstan and signed a five-year, $466,000 deal with Almaty.

Gevorgyan’s run with the Assassins was his most impressive, including a third place finish in Pitcher of the Year in 1963. That’s as close as he got to the top award despite having back-to-back 10+ WAR seasons to start his Almaty tenure. The Assassins won the Asian League title in 1963, falling to Kyiv in the Soviet Series. That postseason, Gevorgyan had a 2.61 ERA over 31 innings with 33 strikeouts. In total with Almaty, he had a 90-44 record, 2.42 ERA, 1251 innings, 1386 strikeouts, and 39.3 WAR.

The Assassins fell from 90 wins to 68 wins in 1965 and began to rebuild, shipping Gevorgyan midseason to St. Petersburg for four prospects. He left for free agency after the season and would spent his final three years with Warsaw. Gevorgyan looked solid in 1966 and 1967, but struggled in 1968 at age 40 and was relegated to the bench. With the Wildcats, he had a 2.15 ERA, 33-28 record, and 11.1 WAR. He retired after the 1968 season at age 40.

Gevorgyan’s final stats: 231-154 record, 2.71 ERA, 3643.1 innings, 3707 strikeouts, 306/433 quality starts, 195 complete games, FIP- of 75, and 94.3 WAR. He perhaps wasn’t as flashy as some other great pitchers of the era, but he quietly put up statistics that very much belong when evaluating EPB’s Hall of Fame list. The voters agreed, putting him in on the first ballot at 88.9%.



Theo Siitonen – Closer – Yerevan Valiants – 70.3% First Ballot

Theo Siitonen was a 6’0’’, 195 pound right-handed relief pitcher from Keminmaa, a small town of around 7,000 people in northern Finland. He was known for having filthy stuff with very good control and decent movement. Siitonen had two pitches, a 97-99 mph fastball and a dangerous curveball. He was a very durable pitcher, but considered a mercenary as his longest stint with any team would be three years.

That stint was his first stint with Yerevan, who he signed with at age 26 when Eurasian Professional Baseball was formed in 1955. His lone Reliever of the Year came with the Valiants in 1956 with 1.67 ERA over 113.1 innings, 169 strikeouts, and 4.5 WAR. While in Armenia, he had 90 saves, a 2.02 ERA, 267.1 innings, 420 strikeouts, and 11.4 WAR. Although technically in the Hall as a Valiant, he isn’t remembered as a franchise great for obvious reasons.

The 29-year old Siitonen was traded at age 30 to Ulanbaatar for three prospects. He spent two seasons with the Boars, finishing third in 1959 Reliever of the Year voting. He also started pitching for the Finland national team in the World Baseball Championship, partially as a starter. He pitched from 1957-59 and in 1964 and 1968, posting a 4.60 ERA over 45 innings. Siitonenn signed with Asagabat for the 1960 season and had his first taste of the postseason.

Next came 1961 with Warsaw, taking third in Reliever of the Year voting. The Wildcats traded him to Chelyabinsk and he led the league in saves in both 1962 and 1963, setting a single-season record of 55 saves in 1962 that still stands at the EPB record in 2037. Siitonen still only got second in Reliever of the Year voting.

1963 would prove to be his final season as a full-time closer, although he’d get sporadic save chances in his remaining years. Siitonen signed with Kyiv in 1964, Kazan in 1965-66, Kyiv again in 1967, then a split 1968 between Sofia and Novosibirsk. His final season ended with a strained triceps and he retired at age 40.

Siitonen’s final stats: 353 saves and 409 shutdowns, 2.15 ERA, 1069 innings, 1578 strikeouts to 254 walks, a FIP- of 53 and 39.6 WAR. He was EPB’s first reliever to reach 350+ saves, earning him some attention despite the journeyman career and less dominance than later reliever members of the Hall. Enough voters decided this resume was worthy and at 70.3%, Siitonen became a first ballot selection and the first Finnish Hall of Famer.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1974 OBA Hall of Fame

The Oceania Baseball Association was still a good distance from adding its first Hall of Fame members. Multiple-time Gold Glove shortstop Fineasi Hausia debuted with 33.9%, the highest percentage so far. Reliever Neemia Tala-apitaga was at 33.1% in his second go, but still a long way from the 66% requirement.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1974 World Baseball Championship

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The 28^th World Baseball Championship was the second one to be held in the Brazil with Rio de Janeiro playing host. The prior Brazilian WBC was hosted by Sao Paulo back in 1949. The defending champ United States cruised to 7-0 in Division 1, sending them to the elite eight for the 25^th time. China extended its division title streak to five years by taking D2 at 6-1, one ahead of both Haiti and Venezuela. That’s the longest such streak by any team other than the Americans all-time. A tight Division 3 saw France and South Korea both at 5-2 with Bolivia and Poland at 4-3. The French advanced on the tiebreaker over the defending runner-up. It was only France’s third division win and first since 1967. In D4, the Czech Republic was first at 6-1, one ahead of Greece. It is the second-ever division title for the Czechs, who finished fourth overall in 1960.

Canada crushed the competition in Division 5 at 7-0, moving them forward for the 20^th time. Division 6 had Mexico and the Dominican Republic tied for first at 5-2, while Australia and Ireland were 4-3. The DR got the tiebreaker for their second-ever elite eight berth, joining 1948’s fourth place finish. D7 had a three-way tie for first between Guatemala, Honduras, and the Philippines at 5-2, while both Indonesia and Portugal were 4-3. The Filipinos got the tiebreaker for back-to-back division wins and their fifth in total. D8 was also tight with Brazil and Puerto Rico tying at 5-2, while North Korea, Panama, and Russia were each 4-3. The Brazilians got the tiebreaker to move forward for the 14^th time, third most behind only the US and Canada.

The Americans dominated Round Robin Group A at 6-0, while France advanced at 4-2 with both Brazil and Czechia at 1-5. The US moves to the final four for the 24^th time, while France only did it once before in 1963. In Group B, China took first at 5-1, advancing with the 3-3 Philippines. Canada and the Dominican Republic were both 2-4. It is the fifth semifinal berth for the Chinese and fourth in five years, while it is the third for the Filipinos with back-to-back berths. In the best-of-seven semifinals, the United States clobbered the Philippines with a sweep, while China rolled France 4-1. France officially was third, their best-ever finish, while the Filipinos were fourth for back-to-back years, matching their best.



The 28^th World Championship was a rematch of the 1971 final which the Americans took in five games over China. The US made it four straight titles by sweeping the Chinese, giving the Americans 18 world titles. China is now 1-2 in their finals appearances. Despite their dominance, this is the US’s first four-peat.



1B Edward Torres won back-to-back Tournament MVPs, joining Adam Lewis as the only two-time winners. The 29-year old slugger for Los Angeles had 25 hits, 23 runs, 9 home runs, and 17 RBI with a .342 average. China’s Yi Li earned Best Pitcher. A 36-year old closer that has bounced around in his CLB career, he tossed 11 scoreless innings with 15 strikeouts.

Below are the updated tournament stats. With their 1970s success, China has now jumped into seventh in total points, passing Colombia.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1974 in CLB

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The Chinese Northern League saw two first-time playoff teams in the 1974 campaign. Dalian took the first place spot with an impressive jump from 64 wins only two years prior as the Golden Dragons finished at 97-65. Xi’An finished second at 95-67, taking the second playoff spot by one game over Jinan, two over Tianjin, and by five over last year’s first place squad Nanjing. It was tough for the Jumbos, who finished third for back-to-back years. CLB runner-up Harbin dropped to 81-81, placing seventh.

Leading Dalian’s charge was league MVP Hao Lan. The third-year left fielder exploded with the league lead in WAR (12.3), home runs (51), RBI (124), runs scored (114), total bases (381), slugging (.670), OPS (1.053), and wRC+ (229). He became the first CLB hitter to have a 12+ WAR season. 114 runs tied the current CLB single-season record and 124 RBI was one short of the top mark.

Xi’An’s’ Guichao Li won back-to-back Pitcher of the Year awards. The 25-year old lefty had a league best 1.05 ERA and 0.66 WHIP over 188 innings with 250 strikeouts and 9.2 WAR. This also set a single-season ERA record, although it would get topped next year. Li’s lower inning count was due to shoulder inflammation knocking him out all of August and much of September, although critically he was back for the playoffs.



Incredible pitching pushed Wuhan to the Southern League crown easily at 111-51, their second title joining the inaugural 1970 season. On top of setting a SL wins record, they allowed only 926 hits with a 0.779 WHIP for the season, both marks still standing as all-time CLB bests as of 2037. Guangzhou was able to extend their postseason streak to four years by taking second at 97-65. Defending Chinese champ Dongguan missed out with a third place 91-71 finish.

Shenzhen RF Nyo Sar Htet had a record-setting debut season, signing at age 28 out of an independent league in the offseason. He took Southern League MVP and Rookie of the Year with a record 59 home run season. This would stand as the top mark in Chinese League Baseball until 2011. There wouldn’t be another 50+ season in China until 1995. He also had a league-best 124 RBI, 109 runs, 383 total bases, .352 OBP, .673 slugging, 1.025 OPS, and 245 wRC+, adding 9.6 WAR.

Leading the pitching effort for Wuhan was 29-year old Lian Chen, winner of Pitcher of the Year. The 29-year old righty was the ERA leader (1.38) and wins leader (22-5) with 8.3 WAR, 247.2 innings, and 231 strikeouts. He managed to finish ahead of Shenzhen’s Zhiyuan Lai, who had a blistering 13.0 WAR season with a league-best 366 strikeouts; a then league record. Also of note was Wolverine closer Encai Xing winning his second Reliever of the Year with 57 saves, 0.82 ERA, 181 strikeouts in 98.1 innings, and 7.5 WAR. 57 saves remains the CLB single-season record as of 2037 and would be tied for the world record in any league until 2010.

Despite Wuhan’s record-setting season, they’d be upset in the semifinal series 4-2 by Xi’An. Guangzhou would upset Dalian as well 4-1, sending both second place finishers to the China Series. It was the first berth for the Attack and the second for the Gamecocks, who won it all in 1971.



The China Series was incredibly dramatic, needing all seven games to decide it. Game seven was a 13-inning battle ultimately won by Xi’An over Guangzhou. Leading the Attack to their first title was CF Zhichao Liu, who had 15 hits, 10 runs, 3 doubles, 5 home runs, and 11 RBI in 13 playoff starts.



Other notes: Tianjin as a team hit 249 doubles, which would stand as the Northern League record until 2034. Guangzhou’s Su-Bin Mar threw China’s fourth Perfect Game on July 9, striking out six against Shenzhen. 1B Shenchao An and RF Ruilong Yuan are the only players to win Gold Gloves in each of CLB’s first five seasons. Ling Zheng is the only five-time Silver Slugger winner, winning his first four at shortstop by taking it in 1974 at third base.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1974 in APB

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Defending Austronesia Champion Kaohsiung won the Taiwan League for back-to-back seasons, easily taking the title and the best record in APB at 102-60. In the Philippine League, Zamboanga edged Davao in a tight battle with the Zebras at 95-67 and the Devil Rays at 94-68. This gives Zamboanga their second league title (1971). Last year’s winner Cebu was third place at 89-73.

Steelheads RF Chun-Chia Lan won his first Taiwan-Philippine Association at only age 23. Lan was the TPA leader in runs (97), total bses (344), slugging (.585), OPS (.923), and wRC+ (194), adding 8.6 WAR and 38 home runs.

Meanwhile, Kun-Sheng Lin won his historic sixth straight Pitcher of the Year. The 28-year old started the season with Tainan, but was traded straight up in June to Manila for 1973 second overall draft pick 2B Max Diama. In total between the two teams, Lin had a league-best 406 strikeouts, 12.7 WAR, 291.1 innings, and FIP- of 42. It would ultimately be his final APB season with Lin leaving for Major League Baseball and Phoenix in 1975, a stint ultimately limited by injuries. Lin put himself into the conversation as possibly APB’s pitching GOAT in just seven incredible seasons with 102.1 WAR, 1.63 ERA, 2033 innings and 3073 strikeouts. As of 2037, he has five of the top eight APB pitching WAR seasons.



For the first time since taking APB champ honors in 1967, Bandung was atop the Sundaland Association’s Java League. The Blackhawks were 92-70, four better than Jakarta and five ahead of defending champ Surabaya. In the Malacca League, Palembang earned its first-ever playoff berth at 85-77. Two-time defending association champ Batam fell to a fourth place 71-91. With the Panthers’ playoff berth, that leaves only Singapore and Quezon without a single APB playoff appearance through the first decade.

Palembang’s Abracham Gumelar became the Sundaland Association’s first three-time MVP, having also won in 1970 and 1969. The 27-year old LF led in runs (81), home runs (39), RBI (95), total bases (306), slugging (.559), OPS (.923), wRC+ (217), and WAR (8.7). Semarang’s Sahid Fakhruddin won back-to-back Pitcher of the Year honors with the 24-year old left leading in strikeouts (377), and WHIP (0.76). He had a 1.56 ERA, 19-7 record, and 9.3 WAR over 259.2 innings.

In the Taiwan-Philippine Association Championship, Kaohsiung earned back-to-back titles by besting Zamboanga in six games. The Steelheads become the second TPA team to win back-to-back titles, joining 1965-66 Taichung. Palembang upset Bandung 4-2 in the Sundaland Association final to give the Panthers their first title.



Palembang wouldn’t hold up against Kaohsiung, who claimed the Austronesia Championship in five games. 1B Po-Yu Shao won finals MVP with the 28-year old lefty posting 9 hits, 7 runs, 4 home runs, and 8 RBI in 11 playoff games. The Steelheads are back-to-back APB champs, joining 1969-70 Jakarta as the only repeat champs in APB’s first decade.



Other notes: Taipei hit rock bottom at 43-119 despite being APB champ only seven years earlier. The 43-119 mark holds as APB’s worst season as of 2037. Kaohsiung’s Chun-Kai Fan threw APB’s fifth Perfect Game, striking out 11 on May 26 against Taipei. Pitchers Hendrick John and Lutfi Irianto became the second and third to 2500 career strikeouts. SS Hadi Yahya won his seventh Silver Slugger.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1974 in OBA

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For the first time since 1966, Adelaide finished first in the OBA Australasia League. It is the fourth title for the Aardvarks, who took the top spot at 96-66, five games better than Brisbane. Gold Coast, who took the title the prior three seasons, finished third at 89-73 and ultimately saw the end of their dynasty run with no additional playoff berths in the 1970s.

Adelaide’s Jimmy Caliw won his sixth consecutive MVP with another remarkable season. The 28-year old second baseman was the WARlord at 11.6 and led in runs (90) and RBI (85). He added his seventh Gold Glove in seven full seasons.

Pitcher of the Year went to Brisbane’s Nathaniel Doloran for the third time. The 27-year old lefty posted the fourth OBA Triple Crown season for a pitcher and set a world record with 30 wins, going 30-6. This would still be tied for the top mark worldwide as of 2037 with two other OBA pitchers (also aided by the league’s four-man rotation reaching the mark.) Doloran also led in strikeouts for the fifth straight year and set the new single-season record of 486, also leading with 1.55 ERA, 337 innings, 31 quality starts, 23 complete games, and 13.8 WAR.



Tahiti earned its third Pacific League title, having also taken it in 1965 and 1971. The Tropics finished 100-62, eight games ahead of defending Oceania Champion Samoa. Tahiti’s pitching staff had a historic season with a 1.95 ERA and 333 earned runs allowed; both of which remain OBA all-time records as of 2037. The Sun Sox notably had 1796 strikeouts as a pitching staff, which also stands as a top mark all-time. Tahiti allowed 395 total runs, which would only get topped twice.

The Tropics also had offensive firepower with 3B Ieremia Tenakanai winning his second league MVP. The 30-year old Papuan righty had the third OBA hitting Triple Crown with 44 home runs, 125 RBI, and a .299/.343/.573 slash line. He also led in WAR (8.2), total bases (345), OPS (.916), and wRC+ (197). Tahiti’s Dean Kysel was Pitcher of the Year in his sixth season with the New Zealander leading in innings (34), quality starts (35), complete games (20) and wins (21-13), adding a 2.06 ERA, 351 strikeouts, and 6.9 WAR.

The Tropics also saw the first three-time Reliever of the Year winner in Hakki Polat, who did it with three different OBA teams and led in saves each year. The Turkish closer opted to retire after this season at only age 36 with one of the most unusual careers in baseball history. Polat won Reliever of the Year four times in the EBF, three times in MLB, and three times in OBA, making him a contender for the all-time greatest reliever as no one else comes close to 10 top awards. He wasn’t anywhere long enough to get Hall of Fame traction, but Polat’s career is certainly one worthy of acknowledgement. His 98-100 mph slider/cutter combo was untouchable in his peak.



The 15^th Oceania Championship was highly anticipated and ultimately lived up to the hype with the series going seven games for back-to-back editions. Adelaide edged Tahiti for the title, giving the Aardvarks three rings (1962, 1964, 1974). Only Guadalcanal also has three rings thus far. 1B Geoff Rourke was finals MVP with 8 hits, 3 runs, 3 home runs, and 5 RBI in the series.





Other notes: Sakeo Rasalato reached 3500 career strikeouts, the first to do so in OBA. Hugo Georgakopoulou became the second to 3000K. Sione Hala became the first batter to 1000 career RBI. LF Martin Topio became the first OBA player to win 10 Gold Gloves. DH Alapati Tatupu won his eighth Silver Slugger, his prior seven were in left field.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1974 in EPB

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Defending EPB European League champ Kharkiv had the best record in the league and cruised to the South Division title at 105-57. This was a franchise-best record for the Killer Bees, who earned a fourth playoff berth in five years. The North Division was far more competitive with both wild cards coming out of there. Minsk took first for the fifth straight season and earned a seventh consecutive playoff berth at 98-64. Moscow was one back at 97-65 to get their fourth playoff spot in five years. The last spot went to St. Petersburg at 94-68, who were three better than Kazan and six ahead of Warsaw and Budapest. The Polar Bears are back in the playoff field for the first time since their 1971 Soviet Series win.

Helsinki was an unremarkable team in 1974, but their RF Rainers Kirss won the European League MVP. Last year’s Rookie of the Year winner, the left-handed Latvian was the WARlord at 10.4 and led in OBP (.380), slugging (.603), OPS (.982), and wRC+ (197). This would be his only MVP and he’d get shockingly low Hall of Fame traction despite eventually putting up 83.1 WAR. St. Petersburg lefty Georgi Egorov earned the Pitcher of the Year. The 29-year old lefty didn’t lead in any stats, but had a solid 7.5 WAR season with 296 innings, 324 strikeouts, a 2.01 ERA, and 18-14 record.

Kharkiv topped St. Petersburg in four games while Moscow upset Minsk with a road sweep in the first round of the playoffs. The European League Championship Series saw the fourth appearance for the Mules and the third for the Killer Bees, who were looking for back-to-back titles. The series went all seven games with the road team winning each game. This favored Moscow, earning their second-ever league title (1967).



The EPB Asian League’s best record was Krasnoyarsk at 100-62, winning the North Division for their first playoff berth since 1959. Three-time defending league champ and two-time defending Soviet Series champ Almaty was on top of the South Division at 92-70. Tbilisi was second at 88-74 and got the first wild card for their third straight playoff berth. The remaining wild card had a very tight race with Yerevan, Ulaanbaatar, and Irkutsk each at 87-75m while both Chelyabinsk and Tashkent were 85-77. Two tiebreaker games were needed to decide the wild card. The Ice Cats won the first game over the Valiants, but were defeated by the Boars to send Ulaanbaatar forward. This gave the Boars their fourth playoff berth and first since 1970.

Leading Krasnoyarsk to the best record in the Asian League was MVP RF Aleksei Winchi. The 29-year old St. Petersburg native was the leader in RBI (115), average (.321), and slugging (.569), adding 8.3 WAR and 35 home runs. After a decade with the Cossacks, he’d leave for free agency and sign a big seven-year, $2,458,000 deal with Bishkek on the offseason. Yerevan’s Seitzhan Svechnikov won Pitcher of the Year. The 29-year old Uzbek lefty had the sixth best season in EPB by pitching WAR to date with 12.9, also leading with 414 strikeouts and 44 FIP-. He had a 2.12 ERA and 19-12 record in 296.2 innings.

Krasnoyarsk downed Ulaanbaatar 3-1 in the first round, while Almaty survived a five game battle with Tbilisi. The Asian League Championship Series saw the Assassins going for the four-peat, while the Cossacks had only been their once prior, winning in 1959. The series went the distance with Krasnoyarsk taking the crown in seven games.



The 20^th Soviet Series had two teams that had been in the final once before, but neither had taken the overall crown. It was only the third time the final featured two Russian teams (Kazan vs Irkutsk in 1961, Kazan vs Yekaterinburg in 1968). This time, Russia’s capital claimed Eurasian Professional Baseball champion honors as Moscow won the series in five games over Krasnoyarsk. Two-way star Havlik Hloznik was both finals MVP and ELCS MVP with the 33-year old Slovak having joined the Mules in 1972. On the mound in the postseason, he had an excellent 1.23 ERA and 4-1 record over 36.2 innings with 51 strikeouts. At the plate, he added 10 hits, 4 runs, and 0.5 WAR.



Other notes: The 15^th EPB Perfect Game came on May 16 courtesy of Kharkiv’s Wlodzimierz Brozek. He struck out 14 in a perfect effort against Vilnius, which set a record for most Ks in an EPB perfecto. Kazan pitcher Roman Shuranov was a statistical oddity with the 24-year old righty posting a wild 20.6 K/BB on 268 strikeouts and only 13 walks. A torn labrum the next season sadly ended his career at age 25. Kharkiv’s Leonid Kharin had a 30-game hit streak, tying the EPB record set in 1958 by Sergei Mammedov. This remained the top EPB hit streak until 1980.

Alvi Tahiri got to 5500 career strikeouts, a mark only one other player would later reach. Bataar Baatarkhuu and Nikita Titov both got to 4000, making it eight players to have reached the mark. RF German Daugelo got his 14^th and final Gold Glove. He remained the only player with that many in EPB until 2024. Cather Samir Allahverdiyev won his tenth Silver Slugger, more than any other player at any position to date in EPB.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1974 in EBF

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Rotterdam rolled to the best record in the entire European Baseball Federation in 1974 at 106-56. The Ravens won the Northwest Division and earned an eighth consecutive playoff berth. Paris (89-73) and Luxembourg (86-76) were distant concerns and both ultimately shy in the wild card hunt. After missing the field the last two years, Dublin narrowly won the British Isles Division at 93-69. Birmingham was one back at 92-70 and took the wild card in an impressive turnaround from an abysmal 67 wins the prior year. Defending European Champion London was a non-factor at 75-87. The North Central Division needed a tiebreaker game with Stockholm and Oslo both 87-94, two better than Hamburg. The Swordsmen prevailed in the playoff game to snap a nine-year playoff drought and deny the Octopi back-to-back berths.

Northern Conference MVP went to 1B Alex Zonneveld, who had signed that offseason with Rotterdam after a decade with Luxembourg. The 33-year old Dutch left was the leader in runs (110), triples (26), total bases (358), slugging (.597), OPS (.973), and wRC+ (192), adding 8.5 WAR and 29 home runs. Third year lefty Eloi Bousquet of Hamburg won the Pitcher of the Year. He led in wins at 24-9, innings pitched at 288.2, and complete games with 15, adding 6.8 WAR, 254 strikeouts, and a 2.00 ERA.

In the first round of the playoffs, Rotterdam defeated Stockholm 3-1 and Birmingham upset Dublin in four. This set up a rematch of the 1972 Northern Conference Championship. The series went all seven games with the underdog Bees upsetting the Ravens, giving Birmingham its first-ever conference title.



The Southern Conference had two teams with triple-digit wins, both in the Southeast Division. Belgrade ended a nine-year playoff drought by finishing 102-60, while last year’s division champ and conference runner-up Zagreb finished 100-62 for the wild card. Vienna, who had a record nine-year playoff streak with five conference titles in that stretch, faded into irrelevancy at 73-89. Madrid and Barcelona battled for the Southwest Division crown with the Conquistadors narrowly taking it at 92-70, one ahead of the Bengals. This gives Madrid a third playoff berth in four years. Zurich claimed back-to-back South Central Division titles at 87-75, six games ahead of second place Milan.

Belgrade shortstop Chrstophoros Zarkadis won the MVP in his fourth season. Nicknamed “Iron Horse,” the 25-year old Greek was the WARlord at 12.1 and leader in RBI (141) and wRC+ (216), adding a .330 average and 50 home runs. Barcelona’s Alejandro Canas won his second Pitcher of the Year in three years. The 27-year old Spaniard was the WARlord (12.7) and led in wins (21-7), ERA (1.69), WHIP (0.71), K/BB (11.5), and FIP- (29). He had 390 strikeouts in 239.2, falling just shy of the Triple Crown thanks to Jean-Luc Roch’s 398 strikeouts. Canas also notably had an opponent’s OPS of .448 against him, which stands as the EBF’s best-ever single season as of 2037. Canas also had a 18-strikeout no hitter against London on August 14 with only a hit-by-pitch denying him a perfect game. This was second most for Ks in an EBF no-hitter behind Trent Addams’ 19K effort in 1956. Also of note, Belgrade’s Enzo Jojic won his second Reliever of the Year on a 56 save season, only one off the EBF and world record.

Both first round series were five game battles with Belgrade surviving Zurich’s challenge and Madrid outlasting Zagreb. It was only the second-ever Southern Conference Championship appearance for Belgrade, who won it in 1961. For Madrid, it was their first time since the 1953-55 three-peat. In a seven-game classic, the Bruisers beat the Conquistadors.



The 25^th European Championship saw two teams going for their first-ever overall title with Belgrade falling in 1961 to Brussels and Birmingham making their first appearance. After two stellar seven-game conference finals, the grand finale saw the Bruisers sweep the Bees. Conference MVP Christophoros Zarkadis won both finals MVP and SCC MVP. In 16 playoff games, he had 26 hits, 13 runs, 7 home runs, and 18 RBI for 2.2 WAR. It was the second time a Yugoslav team won it all, joining Zagreb’s 1960 ring.



Other notes: Copenhagen finished 48-114, which was an all-time Northern Conference worse to that point. They hit only 62 home runs as a team with a .317 slugging percentage, which stand as all-time conference low marks as of 2037. SS Tore Andre Olsen won his ninth Gold Glove.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1974 Beisbol Sudamerica Expansion

Beisbol Sudamerica had proven a great success on the continent in the first three decades of competition. Both the Bolivar League and Southern Cone League had 12 total teams with two six-team divisions, but officials felt they could easily expand. They decided to add one to each division, which would put the league in line size-wise with both CABA and EAB. The question was where to put the new squads?

There were a number of cites that pleaded their case. In the Bolivar League North Division, Guayana City was ultimately chosen as a fifth team from Venezuela. The game had proven especially popular in the nation and the newly christened Giants would open a potential market in the eastern part of the country, while the other teams were more north central or northwestern based. The South Division saw the addition of the Santa Cruz Crawfish in Bolivia’s Santa Crus de la Sierra. The game had proven very popular in the capital La Paz and with a metro of more than two million people and a 864 kilometer drive between the cities, there was more than enough of a market to share the country’s fanbase.

For the Southern Cone League, the Brazil Division had a lot of options with the many large cities in the country. The more northeasterly market had Fortaleza and Salvador, but there was a big 1200 kilometer gap between them in the massive nation. In between there was Recife and its urban area of four million, which received the new Recife Retrievers. In the South Division, Santiago had been a tremendous success as Chile’s lone team, but it is a long country with a big distance for many to the capital. Five hours south was Concepcion, who would get the Concepcion Chiefs to service the more southern fanbase of Chile.



All four teams began play in 1974 and with the first playoff berths from the group coming in the early 1980s. Beisbol Sudamerica was the second league to expand and would continue to grow with the continent with two more teams in 1987, six added in 2009, and another six in 2029.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1974 in BSA

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The Bolivar League North Division had its fourth champion in four years as Valencia finished on top at 102-60, snapping a 25-year playoff drought with only their second-ever playoff berth. Caracas was second at 95-67, while defending league champ Bogota fell to fifth place at 81-81. Quito claimed the South Division at 94-68 for their first division title since taking Copa Sudamerica in 1965. The Thunderbolts were three ahead of Cali and seven better than both Guayaquil and La Paz.

The MVP and Pitcher of the Year went to up-and-coming Velocity stars. Second-year CF Pasquale Martin won MVP with the league lead in WAR (8.7) and walks (90), adding a .961 OPS and 28 home runs. Fourth-year righty Lazaro Rodriguez was Pitcher of the Year was the lead in strikeouts (411), WHIP (0.79), complete games (16), and WAR (9.6), adding a 2.27 ERA over 246 innings with a 18-9 record and 11 saves. He had only the fourth BSA season of 400+ strikeouts by a pitcher not named Mohamed Ramos (who did it 13 times by himself). Both would go onto be multiple time big award winners for Valencia en route to inner-circle Hall of Fame careers.



The Southern Cone League was top heavy in 1974, led by Cordoba at 112-50 atop the South Division. The Chanticleers got their first playoff berth since 1962 and snapped Santiago’s record ten-year division title streak. The Saints were still plenty good, but 101-61 put them 11 games behind. Buenos Aires notably was 96-66 as well, which usually doesn’t put you third. In the Brazil Division, defending Copa Sudamerica champ Salvador was on top again, this time at 108-54. Belo Horizonte was a distant second at 92-70.

Cordoba RF Jasper Saucedo had a breakout sophomore season, winning league MVP. The Argentine lefty was the WARlord at 12.1 and led in total bases (387), slugging (.675), and wRC+ (236), adding a 1.080 OPS, 46 home runs, and 112 RBI.

Salvador’s Luis Tavares won Pitcher of the Year. The 25-year old was the prior season’s Reliever of the Year and excelled in a move to the rotation in 1974 with a league-best 1.67 ERA and 33 quality starts. He added 7.0 WAR with 294 strikeouts over 269 innings and an 18-3 record. Tavares’ move was precipitated in part because the Storm signed veteran Gustavo Telhados in the offseason, who had won Reliever of the Year four times with Salvador before leaving for MLB. He won his fifth award in his BSA return at age 36 with a 1.67 ERA in 102.1 innings and 41 saves. Tellhados joins Chano Angel as the only five-time winners in BSA history (Angel won six).

Entering 1974, Valencia was the only original Bolivar League team without a single league title. The Velocity changed that by taking the BLCS in six games over Quito, ultimately kicking off a dynasty run over the next five years. In the Southern Cone Championship, Cordoba denied the Salvador repeat, taking it 4-2. It is the fifth title for the Chanticleers with the other wins all coming in the 1950s.



In the 44^th Copa Sudamerica, Cordoba downed Valencia 4-1, preventing the Velocity from becoming a first-time overall champ. Catcher Amerigo Flores was the finals MVP, posting 8 hits, 6 runs, 3 home runs, and 8 RBI in 11 playoff games. It is the fourth cup for the Chanticleers, who won it all previously in 1951, 53, and 56. They’re also the first Argentinian champ since Buenos Aires in 1963. Also of note, the Southern Cone has taken five straight over the Bolivar League.



Other notes: 1974 had a historic three perfect games thrown, bringing BSA’s total to 30 in its history. The first was by Pitcher of the Year Luis Tavares of Salvador, who fanned nine on June 27 against Rosario. On August 9, Brasilia’s Cristo Manso had 12 Ks against Fortaleza. The third was September 20 from Santiago Moreno of Santiago, who struck out eight versus Buenos Aires. La Paz’ Bernardo Pinheiro struck out 21 against Lima on July 28. This was the 10^th game in BSA history to have 21+ Ks and the third by someone other than Mohamed Ramos. Rookie Ernesto Barrera of the expansion Concepcion squad set a bad record that still stands as of 2037 with 25 losses. He was 5-25 with 0.3 WAR and a 3.44 so, so more dinged by being on a bad new team than being historically bad.

Javier Herrera became the third batter to 3000 career hits. He finished the season at 3083, passing Felipe Delgado (3047) for second but still behind Angel Gabriel Cornejo’s 3253. Herrera would eventually surpass Cornejo as South America’s hit king in 1976. He also won his eighth Silver Slugger in 1974, as did RF Luca Alvares and 2B Niculao Semide. 3B Emaxwell Navas grabbed his ninth Slugger. SS Brendon Pereira became an eight-time Gold Glove winner.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1974 in EAB

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The best record in East Asia Baseball for the 1974 season was Sapporo atop the Japan League North Division at 107-55. It was the second playoff berth in three years for the Swordfish, who scored the third-most runs in a Japan League season at 819. Their .478 team slugging was also third best all-time for the league. Last year’s Japanese champ Tokyo was a distant second at 82-80. Kyoto won back-to-back South Division titles with their own excellent 103-59 season, the same record from the prior year. Kobe was second at 94-68.

Sapporo CF Sosuke Hoshizawa won his fourth MVP at only age 25. He won his first Gold Glove, helping him to a wild 12.6 WAR despite only leading in stolen bases (81). He added 47 home runs, 129 RBI, and 1.054 OPS. Just like in in 1972, Hoshizawa beat teammate Carl Valdes for the award despite prolific power from Valdes. Valdes crushed 70 home runs, one behind his world record-setting 1972 season, and topped his own personal RBI high by two with 147. Pitcher of the Year was Kobe’s So-Woong Hong. The fourth-year righty led in quality starts (26) and innings (272.1), adding a 2.51 ERA, 21-9 record, 248 strikeouts, and 7.0 WAR.



Defending East Asian Champion Daegu won the Korea League South Division title again, running away with it at 102-60. The best record in Korea came from a very tough North Division with Goyang at 105-57. The Green Sox were four ahead of 101-61 Pyongyang with Hamhung at 95-67 and last year’s division winner Incheon at 91-71. For Goyang, this snapped a 30 year playoff drought as they hadn’t finished first since the early 1940s.

The Green Sox turnaround saw them get the league MVP and Pitcher of the Year. In his second year with the team, DH Jung-Koo Jang was MVP. It was his lone season of note with the 30-year old exploding for the league lead in OPS (1.020), slugging (.603), and OBP (.417), adding career bests in home runs (37), RBI (114), WAR (7.0). and batting average (.343). Pitcher of the Year was Santiago Reynoza, a Filipino righty in his 11^th year with the Green Sox. In his lone standout season as well, he was the WARlord (8.1) and led in wins (23-9) and quality starts (25), adding a 2.91 ERA over 260 innings with 274 strikeouts.

In the Japan League Championship Series, you had the last two runners-up with Kyoto the prior year and Sapporo in 1972. The Kamikaze would defeat the Swordfish in five games for their first-ever league title. Kyoto had been 0-4 in their prior appearances and they were the last Japanese team without at least one title. Goyang was looking for their first Korea League title, but were denied by Daegu 4-1 in the KLCS. The Diamondbacks win back-to-back titles and their seventh overall.



In the 54^th East Asia Championship, the series was a seven game thriller. Kyoto came out on top for their first-ever championship, denying Daegu’s repeat bid. 3B Min-Hwi Eun was finals MVP with the 28-year old posting 13 hits, 5 runs, 4 doubles, 3 home runs, and 6 RBI in 12 postseason games.



Other notes: Yu-Chan Jang and Kakuzo Yokoyama both crossed 1500 runs scored, bringing it to 12 EAB hitters to do so. Yokoyama also became the 28^th to 2500 hits. Jae-Hoon Seon became the 10^th pitcher to 4000 career strikeouts. RF Hyeog-Jun Wi won his 10^th Gold Glove. Two-way player Totaro Uchiyama won his 10^th Silver Slugger as a pitcher. SS Kyung-Hwan Choi won his 12^th Silver Slugger.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1974 in CABA

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After winning their fifth straight CABA Championship and seventh straight Mexican League title, Mexico City was nearly dethroned as South Division champ. The Aztecs took it at 100-62, but 99-63 Leon was hot on their tail. This gave Mexico City a CABA record ninth straight playoff berth, which would ultimately be the final one of the run. The Lions were easily the wild card for back-to-back seasons. In a weak North Division, Juarez was first at 87-75 for their own back-to-back playoff berth. Chihuahua was their closest competitor at 81-81.

Despite being last in their division, Tijuana had the league MVP in Amazado Matos. It was the second MVP for the 33-year old Dominican CF, who took the Caribbean League’s top honor with Bahamas in 1968. Matos smacked 57 home runs and also led in total bases (415), slugging (.697), OPS (1.076), wRC+ (216), and WAR (10.0). Mexico City’s Flor Perez won his second Pitcher of the Year in three years. The 30-year old righty from Venezuela led the league in wins at 20-7, WHIP (0.90), and quality starts (25), adding 5.4 WAR and a 2.21 ERA in 244.2 innings with 312 strikeouts. Perez also had the season’s only no-hitter, striking out 12 with one walk against Tijuana on July 4.

Despite Leon having 12 more wins in the regular season, Juarez swept them in the first round, sending the Jesters to the Mexican League Championship Series for the first time since winning the league title in 1962. Juarez then continued to roll and stunned Mexico City in six games, ending the Aztecs’ league title streak at seven. It is the third title for the Jesters, who also won way back in 1912. For Mexico City, they’d have to wait until the 2020s to see the final again, but the dynasty won’t be soon forgotten.



Guatemala had the Caribbean League’s best record at 106-56 atop the Continental Division, giving them eight playoff berths over the last ten years. Honduras was a distant second at 91-71, but grabbed the wild card, besting Costa Rica by two games and Panama by four. It is the third straight playoff berth for the Horsemen. In the Island Division, Puerto Rico picked up its first title since 1964. The Pelicans were 93-69, seven better than second place Trinidad. Haiti, the Caribbean League champ last year, dropped to a lousy 73-89.

Ghosts CF Wesley Dubar won his ninth MVP, a Caribbean League record and second only in CABA to Kiko Velazquez’s ten. The 31-year old Panamanian led in runs scored for the ninth straight season, this time with 112. He also led the league in WAR (10.3), total bases (388), OBP (.403), slugging (.661), OPS (1.064), and wRC+ (190), adding 42 home runs and 124 RBI. This would ultimately be his last MVP, although he’d continue playing for another decade. Pitcher of the Year went to Costa Rica’s Manuel Valdovinos, who also won it in 1971. He was the WARlord (9.9) and strikeout leader (321) with a 2.05 ERA over 268.1 innings.

Puerto Rico and Honduras went the distance in the wild card round with the Pelicans prevailing. Guatemala would take the Caribbean League Championship Series 4-2 for their fifth title since 1967. They’re 5-5 all-time in the CLCS.



With Mexico City out of the way, that opened up the door for Guatemala in the 64^th Central American Baseball Association Championship. The Ghosts defeated Juarez 4-1 to finally secure their first overall ring after taking runner-up four times to the Aztecs. The top playoff performer for Guatemala was SS Armando Mayan, who won CLCS MVP. In 11 playoff games, he had 15 hits, 11 runs, 5 home runs, and 9 RBI.



Other notes: Johan Balli became the seventh CABA pitcher to 4000 career strikeouts. SS Aaron Valencia won his 11^th and final Silver Slugger.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1974 in MLB

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The National Association’s best record went to Omaha at 98-64, who won back-to-back Midwest League titles. The Hawks had to survive fierce challenges from Indianapolis (97-65) and Kansas City (96-66), who ended up with the first two wild cards. It was the first playoff berth for the Racers since winning the NA title in 1959, meanwhile the Cougars earned back-to-back wild cards.

After missing the playoffs the prior three years, Buffalo won the Eastern League at 97-65. Taking second and earning back-to-back wild cards was Ottawa at 94-68. Two-time defending National Association champ Montreal ended up with the final wild card at 90-72. The Maples finished two ahead of Chicago, three better than Pittsburgh, and four over Boston. Montreal now has the longest active playoff streak at four years, as St. Louis couldn’t extend their run to six, finishing 81-81.

Pittsburgh LF Connor Neumeyer won his third MVP in his fourth full season. The 24-year old lefty led in the triple slash (.382/.438/.684), OPS (1.122), wRC+ (225), and WAR (9.5), adding 35 home runs. Surprisingly, this would be his final MVP, although he’d finish with a 21 year career and slam dunk Hall of Fame credentials. Kansas City’s Mike Lee won Pitcher of the Year, leading in WAR (8.7), WHIP (0.91), innings (285.2), quality starts (28), and complete games (17). The 26-year old righty had a 2.27 ERA and 269 strikeouts with a 21-8 record.

In the first round of the playoffs, Ottawa ousted Kansas City 2-1 and Indianapolis eliminated Montreal 2-1, ending the Maples’ hopes at a three-peat. The Racers stunned Buffalo in five games in round two, while Omaha downed Ottawa in four. It was only the third National Association Championship Series berth for the Hawks, who lost in 1956 and 1967. Despite Omaha’s home field advantage, Indianapolis rolled to the first NACS sweep since 1958. It is the sixth NA title for the Racers (1931, 36, 52, 57, 59, 74).



Major League Baseball’s top overall record came in the American Association Southern League. Memphis finished 103-59 for back-to-back league titles, setting a franchise record for wins as well. Houston was second at 94-68 and earned the third wild card, snapping an uncharacteristically long seven-year playoff drought for the Hornets. Seattle won back-to-back in the Western League finishing at 101-61.

Los Angeles and Phoenix tied for second in the Western League at 95-67 and both earned wild cards. For the defending World Series champ Angels, it is their sixth playoff berth in seven years, while the Firebirds ended a five-year skid. In a tight battle for the final spot, Denver (91-71) edged out New Orleans (90-72), Tampa (90-72), and Oakland (89-73). This was the first playoff berth for the Dragons since 1964. It also officially marks the end of the Mudcats run, as they wouldn’t return to the playoffs until 1993.

American Association MVP went to third-year Tampa RF Will Brenneisen. He led in runs (120), total bases (373), slugging (.639), OPS (1.047), and wRC+ (177), adding 8.3 WAR, a .348 average, 44 home runs, and 130 RBI. Pitcher of the Year was Phoenix’s Edward Delesdernier, who posted MLB’s fifth pitching Triple Crown. The last pitcher to do it was Andy Upshaw in 1954. In his second season with the Firebirds, the 30-year old righty had a 26-8 record, 2.16 ERA, and 313 strikeouts, also leading in WAR (10.2), WHIP (0.97), innings (299.2), quality starts (28), complete games (24), and FIP- (64).

The wild card round had Los Angeles sweep Denver and Phoenix top Houston 2-1. Seattle rolled to a sweep of the Firebirds, while the Angels pulled off the upset 3-2 at Memphis. This pitted the defending champion Los Angeles in the American Association Championship Series against the Grizzlies, whose only prior AACS berth was a 1940 defeat. Seattle’s first title would have to come another day as the Angels won the series in six. This gave LA back-to-back wins and seven in franchise history.



In the 74^th World Series, Los Angeles was looking to repeat as champ, while Indianapolis was hoping their sixth Fall Classic would nab them the elusive ring. The series went seven games for the first time since 1962 with the Angels taking the crown. World Series and AACS MVP went to 1B Edward Torres, who had 29 hits, 17 runs, 9 home runs, and 21 RBI in 20 playoff games. This gives LA the repeat and five MLB titles (1945, 46, 68, 73, 74). They also join Philadelphia as the only franchises to repeat in two separate decades.



The Racers have the most appearances without a win at 0-6. Notably, former NA MVP R.J Clinton won NACS MVP and set a postseason record with 25 RBI, which still stands as of 2037 even with the expanded postseason. He had 21 hits, 15 runs, and 9 homers in 19 playoff games.

Other notes: Only two no-hitters were thrown in 1974, both by San Diego’s Leo Elliott. Both were against Oklahoma City as well with eight strikeouts and two walks on 5/29, then 11 Ks and one walk on 8/16. He became the first MLB player to throw two no-hitters in the same season. Nashvile’s Simao Ojeda had a 36-game hitting streak, tying him for the sixth longest in MLB history.

Benton Gibney became the ninth batter to reach 3500 hits, finishing with 3565. This placed him seventh all-time at retirement. Julius Jordan became the fifth pitcher to 4000 career strikeouts. Carson Hanford became the fourth reliever to 400 career saves. He finished the season with 417, third behind Rodrick Wisdom’s 441 and Rovaldis Arvelo’s 438. Hanford would pass them both next season and go onto put the mark out of reach with another four seasons. 3B B.J. Orwig won his eighth Gold Glove.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1975 West Africa Baseball Formed

Entering the 1970s, Africa was the last populated continent without having a major baseball league within the Global Baseball Alliance. The game had been introduced in various degrees on the continent and like the rest of the world, Africans loved baseball too. But the infrastructure required for any sort of organized leagues would take time to build up. In the immediate years post World War II, the first priority for African peoples was to achieve independence from the colonial powers that had dominated the continent for decades.

Most of the modern nations and borders came into existence in the 30 years following the war, although many of these new countries would be plagued by civil wars and internal strife for many years after. Still, Africa’s independent infrastructure would continue to strengthen and baseball became more and more prominent with organized amateur and semi-pro teams popping up. With Pan-Africanism becoming a more prominent school of thought, some hoped to create a unified baseball structure for the entire continent, similar to Beisbol Sudamerica. However, the logistical and cultural challenges proved to be way too much for that to be feasible. Eventually, Africa would have three different GBA leagues within the continent. With Arab nationalism on the rise, northern African nations would eventually form Arab League Baseball along with western Asian nations. The southern and central parts of Africa would end up in the African Association of Baseball in the 1990s.

Meanwhile, leaders in western Africa began strongly investigating their own potential pro circuit within their part of the continent. Although there is a rich diversity of cultures in the area, there’s more similarity within this region compared to other parts of Africa. Efforts were being made as well for shared financial and political efforts within the region, such as the Economic Community of West African States formed in 1975. Those working to bring big time baseball to the continent focused their efforts and eventually developed what would become West African Baseball. Much of this was spearheaded by MLB Hall of Famer Kaby Silva, a Cape Verde native who wished to spread his love of the game back home.

In its initial alignment, WAB had 20 total teams split between two 10-team leagues. There would not be any divisions within the leagues and no interleague play. The Western League’s teams would be based in Abidjan (Cote d’Ivoire), Accra (Ghana), Bamako (Mali), Cape Verde, Conakry (Guinea), Dakar (Senegal), Freetown (Sierra Leone), Kumasi (Ghana), Monrovia (Liberia), and Nouakchott (Mauritania). The Eastern League had five teams in Nigeria (Benin City, Ibadan, Kano, Lagos, and Port Harcourt), plus Cotonou (Benin), Douala (Cameroon), Lome (Togo), Niamey (Niger), and Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso).



In the original playoff structure, the first place team earns a bye to the League Championship Series, while the second and third place finishers play a best-of-three hosted by the second place team. Unlike other leagues, the LCS is a best-of-five and the first place team hosts throughout. The two league champs advance to the best-of-seven West African Championship. WAB uses a universal designated hitter and in the earliest years would be viewed as around average for offensive numbers. However, into the 21^st Century, WAB would emerge as the highest offense environment of all the GBA leagues. The first official season would be in 1975.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1975 MLB Hall of Fame

For the first time since 1964, Major League Baseball didn’t induct a single player into the Hall of Fame with the 1975 voting. Coming closest to the 66% threshold were SP Jeremiah Rutledge at 61.3% on his fourth attempt and catcher Gray Caraway at 60.6% in his fifth go. Also above 50% were SP Richard Theiman at 55.0% on his second ballot, LF CJ West at 53.9% on his third go, and closer Wes Kihn at 51.4% for his debut. No players were dropped from the MLB ballot after ten failed attempts in 1975.