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

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1999 World Baseball Championship

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The 1999 World Baseball Championship was the 53^rd edition of the event and was the second to be centered around mainland China with Guangzhou as the host city. In Division 1, Colombia prevailed at 8-1, fending off 7-2 Puerto Rico. This was the second division title in three years for the Colombians and their 15^th time advancing overall. Canada, who had been impressive in the 1990s, was tied for third at 5-4.

Division 2 saw a stunner as Vietnam took first at 7-2, ousting the United States by one game. This was only the ninth time in WBC history that the Americans didn’t advance and it ended their hopes of four-peating as champs. This also was Vietnam’s first-ever division title. Taiwan, who was third the prior season, finished two back at 5-4.

Division 3 was very competitive as the Philippines and China tied for first at 6-3, while the Czech Republic, Romania, and Sweden were each 5-4. The tiebreaker went to the Filipinos, ending an 11-year division title drought for them. It was the 12^th division title overall of the Philippines. Division 4 had a first-time winner in Egypt at 8-1 with Australia their closest competitor at 6-3. In D5, England and Argentina tied at the top with 6-3 marks, while four others were one back. The English had the tiebreaker for their fifth division title and second in three years.

Division 6 needed a dig into tiebreaker procedures as Brazil, France, Germany, and Iraq were all 6-3. Denmark, Honduras, and South Korea each went 5-4, making that group a toss up. The tiebreakers went to the Brazilians, who ended up being the only team from the 1998 WBC Elite Eight to make it back in 1999. Brazil advanced for the 29^th time.

Division 7 had Nigeria first at 7-2, holding off 6-3 efforts from Paraguay, Spain, and Thailand. It was the fourth division title for the Nigerians and first since 1988. Mexico, last year’s runner-up, tied for fifth at 5-4. Lastly in Division 8, Indonesia rolled at 8-1 with Cuba (6-3) their closest foe. The Indonesians now have six division titles in seven years along with 15 total.

Indonesia was the leader in Round Robin Group A at 5-1, advancing to the semifinal for the third time in their recent run. Nigeria advanced with them at 3-3, while the Philippines and Vietnam both were 2-4. This was the second-ever final four for the Nigerians, who were the 1979 runner-up. Group B saw Colombia first at 5-1, moving forward along with 3-3 Brazil. England and Egypt were both 2-4. This was the ninth semifinal berth for the Colombians, who took third two years prior. The Brazilians got to the final four for the eighth time since 1987 and 17^th time overall.

In an intense semifinal, Indonesia edged Brazil 3-2, sending them to their third finals appearance (1986, 1997). On the other side, Nigeria bested Colombia 3-1 to earn their second finals berth (1979). Brazil officially was third and Colombia was fourth. The Colombians have the unfortunate distinction of being 0-9 in their semifinal efforts.



The 53^rd World Championship was guaranteed to crown the 11^th unique world champ. The series ended up lacking drama as Indonesia swept Nigeria 4-0. They’re the first Asian champ since China’s 1993-94 titles. They won many close games, setting a tournament record for saves recorded as 15 of their 19 wins ended with a save.



Leading Indonesia’s effort offensively was Tournament MVP Basuki Susanti. A 27-year old 1B/RF with Surabaya, Susanti played 23 games with 21 runs, 26 hits, 4 doubles, 12 home runs, 22 RBI, a .313/.402/.795 slash, and 2.0 WAR. Although ousted early, the United States had the Best Pitcher winner in Phoenix closer Nicky Loughborough. He tossed 10.1 scoreless innings with 17 strikeouts and only two hits and two walks allowed.

Other notes: With Egypt and Vietnam both winning division titles in 1999, that now makes 69 nations that have advanced to the elite eight at least once. In the all-time standings, Indonesia’s championship vaulted them to seventh, passing both Russia and Japan.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1999 in AAB



Defending AAB Southern Conference champ Johannesburg vastly improved from their solid 98-64 mark the prior year, dominating the field at 110-52. The Jackalopes scored 1003 runs, which is still the AAB single-season record as of 2037. This was also the first time since 1921 in any world league that a team scored 1000+ runs in a season. Cape Town extended its playoff streak to four seasons, taking the second place slot at 91-71. Luanda was their only real competitor, finishing three back at 88-74.

The Landsharks had a shot thanks to Marley Mubiru, who repeated as Southern Conference MVP. The 26-year old Ugandan left fielder was the leader in home runs (58), slugging (.741), OPS (1.173), total bases (391), wRC+ (196), and WAR (9.3). He was also second in the conference in both batting average (.332) and RBI (130). Cape Town’s Adugna Mulugeta won Pitcher of the Year as the 24-year old Ethiopian righty led in ERA (2.30), WHIP (0.97), and FIP- (63). He added 182 strikeouts and 8.0 WAR over 230.2 innings with a 19-8 record. Sadly for Mulugeta, a very promising career was derailed by a torn flexor tendon in late August 1999. He would be out of the game three years later.



Two-time defending Africa Series champion Kinshasa took first in the Central Conference standings for the third time. The Sun Cats went 102-60 and have made the playoffs in all five of AAB’s seasons to date. There was a nine game gap to second place Bujumbura at 93-69, with the Bighorns earning their second playoff berth in three years. Four teams were within seven games of Bujumbura with solid efforts from Brazzaville, Addis Ababa, Ndjamena, and Lubumbashi.

Both top awards in the Central Conference saw historic performances. Brazzaville’s Mohau Sibiya won MVP with one of the finest offensive seasons in AAB history. The 26-year old South African lefty became the new leader in home runs with 69 (nice), runs (143), RBI (142), total bases (413), OPS (1.283) and WAR (13.3). He also led in OBP (.445), slugging (.838), and wRC+ (241). While the accumulation stats would get passed in later high offense era, as of 2037 Sibiya’s WAR amount is still the second-best ever season by an AAB position player and his OPS mark still sits fourth.

Bujumbura’s Henry Kibirige won his second Pitcher of the Year in three seasons and became the first-ever Triple Crown winner in AAB history. The 24-year old righty had a 22-10 record, 2.38 ERA, and 261 strikeouts. Kibirige also was the leader in WAR (9.7), innings pitched (287), quality starts (29), and FIP- (64).

Both conference finals were familiar matchups with the Southern Conference final being a rematch of the prior year and the Central Conference showdown a rematch from two years earlier. Both ended up going all seven games and ending in dramatic fashion. In the South, Johannesburg edged Cape Town with a 2-1 game seven victory in an 11 inning contest. The Central also saw game seven end 2-1 in extras, as Kinshasa walked off on Bujumbura. This gave the Jackalopes their third pennant and the Sun Cats their fourth.



The fifth Africa Series was a rubber match of sorts. Johannesburg had beaten Kinshasa in the inaugural final in 1995, but the Sun Cats earned revenge in 1998. In 1999, Kinshasa took the best-of-nine series 5-3 to win three AAB titles in a row. Finals MVP went to SS Abdulkadir Dahir, who had posted bad offensive stats with good defense during the season. In 14 playoff starts, the 25-year old Somali had 18 hits, 9 runs, 4 doubles, 2 home runs, and 7 RBI. While briefly a hero, he’d get traded to Antananarivo during spring training next year.



Other notes: Johannesburg’s Jamal Sakar had a .466 on-base percentage. This set the single-season record and as of 2037, has only been passed once. 3B Jayson Vunakece, 1B Tony Pendry, and SS Ian Dube each won their fifth Gold Gloves.

Through the first five seasons of the African Association of Baseball, the league statistics were mixed. The league average ERA was at 4.01, which was the highest of any world league for the decade and above average on the greater historical scale. However, the league’s batting average was around .233, which is on the lower end historically and middle-of-the-road for all leagues in the 1990s. Offensive numbers would increase in AAB for the most part into the 21^st Century.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1999 in ALB

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The ALB’s Western Conference saw all three divisions with repeat champs. Two-time defending conference champ Khartoum had the best overall record at 100-62, winning a fierce Nile Division. They outlasted a 94-68 effort by Alexandria and 88-74 mark by Cairo. Amman was atop the Levant Division for the fourth time in five years as they were 93-69. Jerusalem was the closest competitor at 86-76. Casablanca at 92-70 narrowly claimed the Mediterranean Division, beating Algiers by only one game. The Bruins have been a playoff team in eight of the first ten seasons of Arab League Baseball; the most of any franchise.

Western Conference MVP went to Jerusalem 2B Mustafa bin Nazim for the second time in three years. The 24-year old Omani switch hitter led in OBP (.413), slugging (.683), OPS (1.096), and wRC+ (202). Additionally, bin Nazim had 9.4 WAR, a .338 average, 52 home runs, and 119 RBI. He managed to beat Algiers’ Medhi Idris despite the 64 dingers from Idris; the second-most in a season so far in ALB.

Amman’s Tha’er Nasr won Pitcher of the Year. The 29-year old Jordanian righty was the leader in strikeouts (335), innings (275), and complete games (12). He added 6.7 WAR and a 3.11 ERA with a 14-15 record. His Aviators teammate Khemais Khalid also notably won a fourth Reliever of the Year award. As of 2037, Khalid is one of only four pitchers to win the award four times in ALB.

Amman edged Casablanca 2-1 in the first round of the playoffs, setting up a Western Conference Finals rematch with Khartoum. The Cottonmouths were looking to three-peat, but the Aviators pulled off the upset 3-1. This gave Amman their first-ever pennant.



It was an intense battle for the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Jeddah ended up taking it at 107-55, repeating as Saudi Division champs. Reigning ALB champ Mosul ended up one back at 106-56, but still cruised to a fifth consecutive Iraq Division title. After taking second in back-to-back seasons, Dubai ended up on top at 94-68 in the Gulf Division. It was the sixth time the Diamonds earned a playoff berth. Defending division winner Doha was a distant second at 84-78.

Mosul shortstop Mohammed Mohamed became a four-time Eastern Conference MVP, remarkably earning it despite missing two months to injury. The 25-year old Saudi saw posted a blistering 11.8 WAR in only 116 games, hitting 47 home runs with 117 RBI, a .386/.448/.827 slash, and 242 wRC+. He would’ve led in batting average, but didn’t have enough at-bats. This effort beat out defending MVP Nordine Soule of Basra for the award, who smacked 62 homers with 136 RBI. Jeddah’s Jameleddine El Baraka won Pitcher of the Year as the 24-year old Algerian had the ERA title at 1.98. He added a 19-8 record over 218 innings with 237 strikeouts and 6.4 WAR.

Mousl fended off Dubai 2-1 in the first round of the playoffs, sending the defending champs to their fifth consecutive Eastern Conference Final. It was the first-ever finals berth for Jeddah, who had home field advantage. The playoff experience allowed the Muskies to triumph 3-2, repeating as EC champs and taking their third pennant in four years.



In the tenth Arab League Championship, Mosul became the third franchise win repeat titles, joining Medina and Casablanca. The Muskies bested Amman 4-2, boosted by Mohammed Mohamed’s return to the lineup in late September. He repeated as finals MVP and posted 17 hits, 11 runs, 7 homers, and 11 RBI over 14 playoff starts.



Other notes: For the first time in ALB history, there weren’t any no-hitters thrown all season. In the first decade of Arab League Baseball, the league ERA was around 3.62, which graded as very historically average. The batting average was around .241, below average on the historical trend but very middle-of-the-road amongst all leagues in the 1990s. Like most leagues, ALB would see offense tick upward in later years, eventually reaching high to very high numbers by the 2030s.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1999 in ABF

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For the fifth consecutive year, Hyderabad had the first place spot in the Pakistan League standings. The two-time defending champs were 105-57 and also earned a sixth consecutive playoff berth. Multan ended a four-year playoff drought, taking second place at 93-69. There was a large gap to third place Faisalabad at 83-79. Last year’s wild card Lahore dropped to fifth at 76-86. Karachi, who placed third last year, plummeted to last at 66-96.

Pakistan League MVP went to Gujranwala 1B Haroon Yahya, who became a two-time winner. He led in doubles (40), RBI (125), and total bases (397). Yahya added 9.8 WAR, 62 home runs, and a .275/.334/.661 slash. He was second in dingers to Rawalpindi’s Altaf Aslam, who smacked 66. Yahya had one more year with the Grasshoppers before leaving for the Oceania Baseball Association in free agency.

Hyderabad’s Rami Naqvi won Pitcher of the Year. In his second season with the Horned Frogs, the 28-year old lefty led in ERA (1.78), strikeouts (406), quality starts (28), FIP- (46), and WAR (9.7). Naqvi added a 15-6 record over 237.2 innings. His biggest accomplishment came on April 28 against Rawalpindi, as he struck out an incredible 24 batters over nine innings. This set the world record for strikeouts in any game. As of 2037, it is still the record for a regulation game, getting topped twice in other leagues during extra inning efforts. Naqvi also on July 30 had a 20 strikeout no-hitter against the Red Wings, which set the ABF record for most Ks in a no-no.



The West Asia Association again had Isfahan and Bursa atop their leagues. The two-time defending Asian Baseball Federation champion Imperials dominated the Persian League at 103-59. They narrowly beat out the 102-60 Blue Claws for the top seed. Bursa had to fight off Adana in the Turkish League, taking the title by five games. The Blue Claws earned a third straight playoff berth, while Isfahan’s streak extended to five seasons.

Adana’s Humayun Kahil repeated as West Asia Association MVP and posted a historic effort. Already in his fifth season despite only being 22 years old, Kahil became ABF’s third Triple Crown hitter with a .365 average, 49 home runs, and 135 RBI. He also scored 133 runs, which tied the single-season record and wouldn’t get topped until 2021. Kahil was also the leader in hits (212), total bases (428), OBP (.426), slugging (.737), OPS (1.162), wRC+ (218), and WAR (13.1). To that point, that was the fourth highest WAR total by a position player in ABF history.

Also historic was Isfahan’s Yazeed Anwari winning his fifth consecutive Pitcher of the Year. As of 2037, he’s one of only three ABF pitchers to win the award five times and the only one to do it consecutively. The 26-year old led in ERA (2.07), strikeouts (374), K/BB (9.3), complete games (17), FIP- (50), and WAR (10.9). He had a 20-8 record over 265 innings, falling one win short of a Triple Crown behind teammate Allama Badar.

In the Pakistan League Championship Series, Hyderabad became the first franchise to win three straight pennants. The Horned Frogs rolled Multan 4-1, becoming five time PL champs. In the third straight West Asia Association Championship clash between Isfahan and Bursa, the Blue Claws finally got the better of the Imperials. Despite being the road team, Bursa dominated the two-time defending ABF champs with a sweep. This was the first-ever pennant for the Blue Claws.



In the 15^th Asian Baseball Federation Championship, Hyderabad handled Bursa 4-1. The Horned Frogs became three-time ABF champs, having also won it all in 1986 and 1987. SS Uddin Sidhu was the finals MVP. Normally renowned defensively as a six-time Gold Glove winner, the 25-year old posted 11 hits, 6 runs, 3 doubles, 2 triples, 2 home runs, and 7 RBI in 10 playoff starts.



Other notes: Multan’s Andrei Motova had the first four home run game in ABF history, doing it on May 8 against Lahore. Vahid Hadadi became the first ABF slugger to reach 500 career home runs and 1000 runs scored. He was also the second to 1000 career RBI. Hasan Afshin became the first pitcher to 3000 career strikeouts. RF Yakup Gunduz won his ninth Gold Glove.

The West Asia Association saw its offensive numbers go up from the 1980s to the 1990s with a league ERA of 3.59 and batting average of .244. These numbers were considered average to slightly below average on the historical scale. Meanwhile surprisingly, the offense went down in the Pakistan League with a 2.96 ERA and .222 batting average for the 1990s. These both grade out as low to very low. The DH in the WAA and lack of one in the PL explains part of the difference. Notably, this was also the final season of ABF’s original alignment. The exodus of teams from Eurasian Professional Baseball after the 1999 season would lead to the ABF getting new members and realigning as a result.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1999 in SAB

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Ahmedabad’s unprecedented dominance of the Indian League continued as they were 114-48 atop the West Division. The Animals’ pitching staff set new IL records for strikeouts (1915) and WHIP (0.899). They earned a 15^th consecutive playoff berth and set the world record for most consecutive 100+ win seasons at 12. The previous best was 11 by EPB’s Minsk Miners from 1956-66. The other two divisions had repeat winners with Kolkata taking the Central at 94-68 and Visakhapatnam at 88-74 atop the South. The wild card race saw Jaipur and Delhi tied for the spot at 83-79, while Mumbai was at 81-81. The tiebreaker game went to the Jokers, giving them their third playoff appearance in four years.

Bengaluru’s Tirtha Upadhyaya made history, becoming the second player in South Asia Baseball history to be a five-time league MVP. The 25-year old won his fifth consecutive Indian League MVP, again playing great despite his Blazers being mediocre. The Nepali second baseman led the IL in runs (104), home runs (58), total bases (376), slugging (.656), OPS (1.020), wRC+ (227), and WAR (11.7). This would end Upadhyaya’s run with Bengaluru, entering free agency in the winter and signing an eight-year, $15,300,000 deal with Ho Chi Minh City.

Jade Poomkeaw won Pitcher of the Year and tossed the sixth Triple Crown season in SAB history. The 32-year old Lao lefty had sat out 1998 after helping HCMC win the 1997 title. He joined Ahmedabad for 1999 and had a 23-4 record, 1.92 ERA, and 375 strikeouts over 276 innings. Poomkeaw also was the leader in WAR (9.8), complete games (12), shutouts (7), and FIP- (58).

Ahmedabad cruised 3-0 over Jaipur in the first round, earning a spot in the Indian League Championship Series for the 14^th straight year. Kolkata beat Visakhapatnam 3-1 on the other side, sending the Cosmos to only their second-ever ILCS (1989). The Animals buzz saw made quick work of Kolkata with a sweep, earning Ahmedabad six IL pennants in a row and their 12^th in 14 years.



Ho Chi Minh City remained dominant in the Southeast Asia League, but they had an equal for a change. The Hedgehogs won the South Division at 112-50, while Yangon posted the same record in the North Division. The two-time reigning SEAL champ HCMC extended their own playoff streak to 13 seasons with 10 straight 100+ win campaigns. The Green Dragons secured a fifth consecutive division title and set a franchise record for wins. There was a steep drop to the two wild card teams with Phnom Penh at 88-74 and Johor Bahru at 82-80. Hanoi was one back on the Blue wings with both Chittagong and Bangkok only two away. The Pandas picked up a second playoff berth in three years, while JB snapped a five-year drought dating back to their surprise 1993 SAB title.

Amoda Shah repeated as Southeast Asia League MVP, winning his third. The 28-year old left fielder for Ho Chi Minh City led in runs (118) while adding 53 home runs, 126 RBI, 6.4 WAR, and a .273/353/.639 slash. Yangon’s Akrti Dawar grabbed Pitcher of the Year with the 26-year old Indian righty leading in wins at 21-8. He had a 2.65 ERA over 257.2 innings with 303 strikeouts and 6.2 WAR.

Despite the huge wins gap between the division champs and the wild card teams, both first round series went all five games. Ho Chi Minh City survived against Johor Bahru, sending the Hedgehogs to the Southeast Asia League Championship Series for the sixth straight season. Phnom Penh shocked Yangon on the other side, sending the Pandas to the SEALCS for the second time in three years. PP couldn’t keep the magic alive, falling to HCMC in a spirited six game effort. The Hedgehogs three-peated as SEAL champs and won their fifth pennant in six years, as well as their ninth since 1987.



For the ninth time in 13 years, the SAB Championship saw Ahmedabad versus Ho Chi Minh City. The Animals continued their general dominance of the series, improving to 8-1 over the Hedgehogs. Ahmedabad won the 1999 edition in six games to repeat as champs. It was also their fifth SAB title in six years and their 11^th title in 14 years. CF Anjan Sumanjit repeated as finals MVP and won it for the third time in his career. The 29-year old in 13 playoff starts had 16 hits, 8 runs, 3 doubles, 4 home runs, and 8 RBI.



Manager Sharafat Azam won his fifth pennant, having taken over Ahmedabad in 1994. He won Manager of the Year six straight seasons, an impressive job considering he saw no success in the 1980s with both Vientiane and Hyderabad. As of 2037, he and Maurf Chowdhury are the only five-time champion managers in SAB history. Chowdhury led Ahmedabad from 1987-93

Other notes: SAB’s fourth perfect game was thrown on July 9 by Pune’s Pattukkottai Varadarasanar against Delhi with eight strikeouts. K.C. Choudhury became the fourth batter to 500 home runs. Abdul Deepkaran and Manju Abbas became the sixth and seventh to 2000 hits. Abbas also won his record tenth Gold Glove at third base, the first SAB player to win 10 at any position. Deepkaran won his tenth Silver Slugger at second base, becoming the second batter to win ten at any spot. Thiang Huynh won his ninth, split between 3B/1B.

For the 1990s, the Southeast Asia League’s offense statistics stayed about the same with the league ERA going from 3.68 to 3.65 and the batting average staying at .240. Both of these marks are in the average to below average range historically. The Indian League’s offense dropped however from a 3.43 ERA over the 1980s to a 3.18 one in the 1990s. The batting average stayed roughly the same around .233. These stats grade out as low on the historical scale. Both would see a slight increase in the next two decades.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1999 in WAB

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Freetown extended its postseason streak to four seasons and for the first time in that streak, placed first in the WAB Western League standings. The Foresters finished 103-59, setting a new franchise record for wins. Abidjan was second at 99-63, giving the Athletes their seventh playoff berth in eight years. Nouakchott grabbed the third place spot at 91-71 for their second berth in three years. Bamako was the closest to the final wild card at 85-77. Kumasi, last year’s Western League winner, dropped to fifth at .500.

Emmanuel Kao repeated as Western League MVP. He won it the prior season with Dakar, but was surprisingly traded to Freetown in the offseason for three prospects. Still only 24 years old, the Togolese right fielder led in runs (118), home runs (57), RBI (153), total bases (411), slugging (.711), OPS (1.104), and wRC+ (197), while adding 8.5 WAR and a .329 average. Kao fell one RBI short of Jamil Boadi’s single-season record of 154 from 1975.

Pitcher of the Year was Kieran du Toit, who joined Kumasi that year in a trade from Lome. The 27-year old South African righty was two wins short of a Triple Crown with a 17-9 record, 2.63 ERA, and 349 strikeouts. He also led with 263.2 innings and 16 complete games while posting 6.6 WAR. In the offseason, du Toit would leave and sign one of the largest contracts in baseball to date for seven years and $41,300,000 with MLB’s Boston Red Sox. He would have a solid debut season, but du Toit stunningly got the yips. Boston released him after three years and he never played again.

Abidjan edged Nouakchott 2-1 in the first round of the playoffs, sending the Athletes to their first Western League Championship Series since their 1992-95 pennant four-peat. Freetown had home field advantage, but ended up losing in the WLCS for the fourth consecutive season. The series went all five games with Abidjan on top for their ninth pennant through WAB’s first 25 seasons. That is tied with Lagos for the most of any team.



History was made in the Eastern League by two-time defending WAB champ Kano. The Condors set the all-time WAB record with a 123-93 mark. They also smacked 299 home runs, second in EL history only to Lagos’ 300 from 1977. Kano became the eighth team in any world league to win 123+ games in a season. As of 2037, it is WAB’s second best, as the Condors themselves would best it the next year. Kano scored 200+ more runs than any of their EL foes with 954 and also allowed the fewest at 563. These marks also led the entire WAB.

It was a 27 game drop down to second place Ibadan at 96-66. The Iguanas managed to make the playoffs each season of the 1990s, giving them the second-longest postseason streak in WAB history behind Kumasi’s 14-year odyssey from 1978-91. Niamey also repeated as the third place finisher as they were 94-68. Cotonou was also in the mix at 89-73, but fell five games short of a playoff spot.

Kano shortstop Darwin Morris became the first five-time MVP in WAB history, taking the Eastern League’s MVP for the third consecutive year. The 27-year old Liberian led in runs (144), home runs (55), RBI (150), total bases (450), slugging (.769), OPS (1.191), wRC+ (221), and WAR (14.1). Ibadan’s Tiemogo Idrissa repeated as Pitcher of the Year. The 29-year old Nigerien led in wins (24-6), ERA (2.28), innings (252.1), quality starts (26), complete games (10), and WAR (8.3). He also added 272 strikeouts.

Ibadan downed Niamey 2-1 in the wild card round, sending the Iguanas to the Eastern League Championship Series for the sixth time in eight years. It was the fifth straight for Kano, who came in as a massive favorite. Ibadan gave them a hearty effort, but the Condors survived the ELCS in five games to three-peat as Eastern League champs. It was the eighth EL pennant overall for Kano.



In the 25^th West African Championship, Kano became the first WAB franchise to three-peat as overall champ, rolling 4-1 over Abidjan. LF Amewu Murry repeated as finals MVP. In 10 playoff starts, the 29-year old Ghanaian had 12 hits, 7 runs, 4 doubles, 2 home runs, and 7 RBI.



At 123-39, Kano blew by their own record from the prior year (114-46) for winningest season by a WAB champion. This was also the Condors’ sixth overall title (1975, 76, 86, 97, 98, 99). Even as of 2037, the 1999 Condors stake a very strong claim as being the greatest team in WAB history. They also have an argument as one of the greatest in any league. Only 1995 Ahmedabad (124-38) of South Asia Baseball won more games to that point in a season while also winning it all

Other notes: 1999 had WAB’s 13^th and 14^th perfect games, both thrown by pitchers for Cape Verde. On April 12, Karim Samir Abdel Gaber struck out 10 against Conakry. Then on July 31, Yamoussa Camara fanned 10 versus Monrovia. SS Jorginho Fonseca picked up his tenth Gold Glove and LF Jake Pourchet won his ninth. Fonseca became the first player in WAB to win ten at any position.

West Africa Baseball’s offensive numbers saw a boost in the 1990s from where they were in the 1970s and 1980s. The league ERA was around 3.86 with batting averages around .254. The 1980s had seen around a .243 batting average and 3.64 ERA. WAB graded out historically as slightly above average offensively in the 1990s. The early 2000s would look similar with a slight jump before spiking significantly after.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1999 in CLB

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The Chinese Northern League saw a major shakeup in 1999. The prior year, the NL had the China Series champion Harbin and the runner-up Shenyang. In 1999, both of those teams fell below .500. Beijing would snap a five-year stretch without a winning season, finishing first at 95-67. Hangzhou finished second, which ended their own eight year playoff drought. The third place spot went to Xi’an at 90-72, edging out Tianjin by three games and Zhengzhou by five. The Attack made it into the playoffs for the third straight year and the fifth time in six years.

Northern League MVP went to Xi’an CF Yunzi Mao. The 26-year old lefty led the league in runs (85), total bases (321), slugging (.568), OPS (.893), wRC+ (205), and WAR (9.7). Mao added 39 home runs and 85 RBI. Beijing’s Jun Tang earned Pitcher of the Year, leading in wins (23-7), ERA (1.24), innings (290), WHIP (0.72), complete games (19), and shutouts (9). Tang also had 8.6 WAR and was second in strikeouts at 324. A torn rotator cuff for him the next fall ultimately derailed any chance of a career in his 30s.



The Southern League saw Guangzhou on top at 94-68, their first playoff spot since their 1987 runner-up campaign. Chongqing was one back at 93-69, giving the Cavaliers repeat playoff berths. Foshan earned the second wild card at 88-74. The Flyers were four games ahead of last year’s first place squad Chengdu, as well as Changsha and Hong Kong. Foshan secured its third playoff appearance in four years.

Guangzhou catcher Jiancheng “Snuffy” Wu was named Southern League MVP. The 28-year old led in slugging at .535 while posting 9.6 WAR, a 205 wRC+, and 31 home runs. The former #1 overall pick would play one more season with the Gamecocks before signing a four-year, $33,600,000 to head to MLB’s New York Yankees. Foshan’s Jinlong Han became a three-time Pitcher of the Year winner and the third CLB pitcher to achieve a Triple Crown. The 29-year old Han had a 21-12 record, 1.33 ERA, and 382 strikeouts while also leading with 31 quality starts and 25 complete games. The 25 CGs was a new CLB single-season record. Among those complete games was a no-hitter against Wuhan with 13 strikeouts and two walks. Han also had 10.6 WAR over 283.1 innings.

Both Southern League wild cards defeated their Northern League opposition to start the playoffs. Chongqing swept Xi’an 2-0 and Foshan swept Hangzhou. Neither held up against the first place teams in the semifinal. Beijing bested the Cavaliers 4-1 and Guangzhou defeated the Flyers 4-2. This gave the Bears their first China Series berth since 1991. For the Gamecocks, their last finals appearance was a 1987 defeat to Beijing.



In the 30^th China Series, the final went all seven games for the fourth year in a row. Beijing outlasted Guangzhou to make the Bears five-time Chinese League Baseball champs (1970, 84, 85, 87, 99). Finals MVP was CF Simok Kommandam, who posted 13 hits, 10 runs, 3 doubles, 4 RBI, and 4 stolen bases over 12 playoff starts.



Other notes: Martin Cui became the 11^th CLB pitcher to 3000 career strikeouts. 3B Feixien Wu, SS Chengxi Erpan, and SS Xuepeng Ye each became seven time Gold Glove winners.

Chinese League Baseball remained the lowest scoring of all of the pro leagues, posting extremely low statistics in the 1990s. The combined league batting average for the decade was around .212 and the ERA was around 2.51. These were both slightly down from the previous decades. The Southern League in 1996 had an ERA of 2.28; the lowest of any league in any season ever. While many other leagues had rule changes and increased offense in the next two decades; CLB kept its low scoring pretty steady for the next 20 years.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1999 in APB

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For the first time in seven years, Kaohsiung sat atop the Taiwan League standings in 1999. The Steelheads had the Taiwan-Philippine Association’s best record at 94-68. Reigning TL champ Taipei was second at 89-73, while Taoyuan was third at 85-77. The Philippine League was weak as 83-79 was good enough to win it for Manila. The Manatees earned their second PL title in three years. Last year’s TPA winner Quezon was tied for second in the PL with Cebu at 80-82.

Taiwan-Philippine Association MVP was Taipei veteran designated hitter Dwi Taufik. The 25-year old Indonesian lefty led in walks drawn (58), total bases (324), OBP (.353), slugging (.544), OPS (.897), and wRC+ (194). He added 40 home runs and 8.0 WAR. Taufik also had a 28-game hit streak in the late spring, which tied the APB record. Cebu’s Ninoy Lumar secured Pitcher of the Year. The 28-year old Filipino led in wins (23-12), innings (310.0), strikeouts (412), WHIP (0.79), K/BB (10.8), complete games (29), and WAR (9.6). The 29 complete games fell one shy of the APB single-season record. Lumar was also 0.15 away from a Triple Crown, finishing behind his teammate EJ Caitano in ERA.



Reigning Austronesian Professional Baseball champ Batam finished first again atop the Malacca League. The Blue Raiders were 94-68 with the best record in the Sundaland Association, earning their eighth playoff appearance of the decade. Singapore and Medan gave chase with the Sharks at 92-70 and the Marlins at 88-74. The Java League had Surabaya first at 92-70, ending a playoff drought back to 1991. Defending JL champ Depok was second at 86-76.

Batam LF Nerius Senaen made history as a six-time Sundaland Association MVP. He would be APB’s only player to win six or more MVPs until the later GOAT Bing Tang’s arrival in the 2020s. The 33-year old led in runs (90), doubles (33), RBI (109), total bases (353), triple slash (.336/.396/.666), OPS (1.062), wRC+ (251), and WAR (11.5). Senaen had 42 home runs, four shy of a Triple Crown. His OPS total of 1.061 was the second-best season to that point in APB, behind Abracham Gumelar’s 1.066 in 1969.

Medan’s Afiq Parker repeated as Pitcher of the Year with an absolute all-timer of a season. The 25-year old Singaporean had 17.27 WAR, only the fifth time any pitcher in any league had 17+ in a season. He narrowly was behind Kun-Sheng Lin’s record of 17.30 from 1972. Parker became only the fifth APB pitcher to earn a Triple Crown, posting a 22-8 record, 1.17 ERA, and 454 strikeouts in 276 innings. Parker was also the leader in quality starts (28), complete games (18), and shutouts (10) with a bonkers FIP- of 12. Meanwhile, Wisnu Mahmudiana of Batam ended up overlooked despite his own awesome season. The five-time Pitcher of the Year winner had a 1.27 ERA, 19-5 record, 377 strikeouts, and 13.5 WAR; all marks behind only Parker.

The Taiwan-Philippine Association Championship saw Manila defeat Kaohsiung 4-2, giving the Manatees their first pennant since 1986. It was their fifth overall. Batam was looking to be the second-ever franchise to three-peat in the Sundaland Association Championship. However, Surabaya pulled off the upset in a seven game battle. It was the Sunbirds’ fourth pennant and first since 1979.



The 35^th Austronesia Championship had Surabaya defeat Manila 4-2. The Sunbirds became three-time APB champs, having also won in 1971 and 1979. RF Basuki Susanti was the finals MVP, posting 18 hits, 9 runs, 4 doubles, 2 home runs, and 6 RBI over 13 playoff starts.



Other notes: Both Ronald Purnomo and Mulya Dayanti reached 5000 carer strikeouts, making it four pitchers to have reached the mark. Both would end up just short of Vhon Lasam’s top spot of 5365. Purnomo got to 5122 and Dayanti 5036. As of 2037, they are fourth and fifth on the APB all-time list. 3B Gede Mamuaya won his ninth Silver Slugger and CF Roy Cardillo became an eight-time winner.

AJ Tan became the third hitter to reach 2500 career hits. He would play three more seasons and become APB’s hit king at 2957. Junior Sanchez passed him for the top spot in the early 2010s. As of 2037, Tan is still fifth all-time. 1B Akbar Fatchuorhman won his 12^th Gold Glove.

Austronesia Professional Baseball in the 1990s remained fairly consistent offensively with the prior decades. APB still saw very low to extremely low scoring with only Chinese League Baseball having less offense. The TPA had an ERA around 2.76 and .223 batting average. The Sundaland Association had a .216 average and 2.53 ERA. The SA had a slight increase compared to the 1980s, while the Taiwan-Philippine Association dropped slightly. While most other leagues fluctuated significantly in the 21^st Century, APB would remain remarkably consistent.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1999 in OBA

Beginning with the 1999 season, the Oceania Baseball Association became the latest league to lower their active roster number. The OBA dropped it from 25 to 24, following the trend seen by many other world leagues recently. Teams still had full use of the reserve roster, but it forced an adjusted day-to-day strategy.



The Australasia League was yet again quite competitive for the 1999 season. Christchurch pulled away in the final weeks to take first at 89-73. It was the third pennant of the 1990s for the Chinooks and their eighth overall. Three teams tied for second at 83-79; Gold Coast, Melbourne, and Sydney. Perth (82-80) and Brisbane (81-81) were both in the mix for much of the season. Adelaide, the defending Oceania Champion, finished last at 72-90.

Gold Coast’s Woody Bolling repeated as Australasia League MVP, winning the award for the third time. The 30-year old shortstop was the WARlord (11.0) and leader in batting average (.328), RBI (107), and hits (187). He added 26 home runs and a 176 wRC+. Sydney’s Jim DeRossi won his second Pitcher of the Year and made history. He became the second pitcher in world history to win 30 games in a season, matching Nathaniel Doloran’s 1974 effort. The 28-year old Australian righty was one strikeout away from a Triple Crown, posting a 30-8 record, 1.61 ERA, and 369 Ks over a league-best 329 innings. He also led the AL in WHIP (0.78), K/BB (13.7), quality starts (31), complete games (26), FIP- (61), and WAR (10.7).



Two-time defending Pacific League champ Guam set a new OBA record for wins in a season, dominating the field at 119-43. They blew by their own previous record of 112 wins from both 1979 and 1992. As of 2037, that is still the PL’s record and would only be bested once in the AL. The Golden Eagles for the sixth time in the 1990s won the pennant and earned their 11th overall. Guam allowed 421, which was tied for the third-lowest allowed in PL history. Port Moresby had a fine season in second at 99-63, which was the first winning campaign for the Mud Hens since 1986. Honolulu notably dropped to 72-90, their first losing season in 20 years.

Although Guadalcanal stunk for the season, their CF Damien Patton won his second Pacific League MVP. The 29-year old Australian led in runs (98), walks (70), total bases (326), OBP (.370), slugging (.570), OPS (.940), wRC+ (173), and WAR (7.8). He added 40 home runs and a .294 average. Patton would get traded by the Green Jackets in the offseason to Gold Coast, where he would quickly sign a seven-year, $21,320,000 deal.

For the third year in a row, Guam’s Timothy Manglona won Pitcher of the Year. Still only 25 years old, the Northern Marianan lefty led in wins (28-9), innings (330.1), strikeouts (455), quality starts (30), complete games (18), shutouts (5), FIP- (60), and WAR (11.6). He posted a 2.13 ERA, third in the PL behind teammates Samuel Burridge (2.00), and Corbin Acupan (2.08). Manglona would also toss his second no-hitter of his career on May 17, fanning 13 with one walk against Fiji. He had signed a five-year, $9,760,000 extension prior to the 1999 season.



Guam entered the 40th Oceania Championship as a heavy favorite again, although that didn’t help them in the prior year’s loss to Adelaide. It would be a seven game classic against Christchurch, but the Golden Eagles would prevail for their second title in three years. It was the fifth ring for Guam (1979, 80, 93, 97, 99) while the Chinooks had the unfortunate distinction of now being 1-7 in the finals. LF Gunga Majhi was the finals MVP in his fourth season with Guam. The 28-year old American had 11 hits, 2 runs, 4 doubles, 1 home run, and 4 RBI in the series.



The 1999 Guam group certainly makes a case for OBA’s greatest-ever team. Few teams in any world league had won 119 games and also taken home the championship. As of 2037, one OBA team would match their record and win it all, while another topped it but lost in the finale.

Other notes: Perth’s Chester Sanchez threw OBA’s eighth ever perfect game on June 6, striking out six against Brisbane. Christchurch’s Ji-Hu Kim set a playoff record, hitting four triples in the finals. Slugger Vavao Brighouse played his final season and became the first OBA batter to reach 800 home runs. He finished with 804 and held the HR King until passed by Roe Kaupa in the 2020s. Brighouse also retired as the RBI leader (1629), but would lose that in the mid 2010s.

Quintin Basa became the first OBA player to reach 3000 career hits and 1500 career runs. He retired the next season with 3078 hits and 1506 runs. Basa held both top spots until the mid 2010s. SS Jay Lawrence won his ninth Gold Glove. 3B Errol Herne won his eighth. MVP SS Woody Bolling won his eighth Silver Slugger, while 3B Dan Molitor won his seventh.

The Australasia League’s offense stayed fairly level from the 1980s to the 1990s, while the Pacific League saw a bump up as they reintroduced the DH. The AL had an ERA of 3.20 and .235 batting average. The PL had a .234 average and 3.16 ERA. Both grade out as low offense on the historical scale. OBA would institute rule changes after the 1999 season to encourage more offense, which would bring it up to around world average numbers in the 21st Century.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1999 in EPB

Before the 1999 season, Eurasian Professional Baseball increased it minimum service time required for free agency from eight to nine years. This matched the Arab League for the most restrictive of any world leagues. EPB wanted to keep free agent salaries down and keep players from defecting to other leagues. This change only further annoyed many players, adding to the rumbles that would culminate in the great exodus following the season.



For the third consecutive season, the EPB European League had the same four playoff teams. Defending EBP champ Kharkiv had the top overall record at 108-54 and won the South Division for the fifth consecutive season. Minsk secured the North Division at 104-58 for a fourth straight division title. The Miners also extended their EPB-record postseason streak to 19 seasons. At 99-63, Warsaw took the first wild card and extended its own streak to 12 years. Kazan was the second wild card at 97-65, making the playoffs for the third year in a row. There was a nine game gap to the next closest competitor in Budapest.

Kharkiv ace Igor Kuchkowski repeated as European League Pitcher of the Year and also picked up MVP honors. The 32-year old Polish lefty led in ERA (1.53), shutouts (7), FIP- (50), and WAR (10.7). He added a 19-9 record and 373 strikeouts over 270.1 innings.

Both division champs won their first round playoff matchups as Kharkiv topped Kazan 3-1 and Minsk swept Warsaw 3-0. For the third time in four years, the Killer Bees and Miners met in the European League Championship Series. Kharkiv was the defending champ, while Minsk had taken their 1996 encounter. In their last-ever battle, the Killer Bees prevailed in a seven game classic. Kharkiv repeated and won their fourth pennant overall.



The battle for the Asian League’s top seed was centered in the South Division. Reigning AL champ Tashkent took it at 108-54, earning a third consecutive division title and fifth straight playoff berth. Asgabat gave chase, but ended up the wild card at 104-58. This was a remarkable turnaround for the Alphas, who had won only 65 games the prior season and hadn’t made the playoffs since 1981. Omsk at 96-66 was North Division champ. It was their second playoff berth in three years, but the first division title since 1987 for the Otters. Yekaterinburg ended up the second wild card at 92-70, snapping a nine-year playoff drought. The Yaks edged out Irkutsk (90-72), Ufa (89-73), and Chelyabinsk (88-74) for the last spot.

Asian League MVP went to fourth-year Yekaterinburg second baseman Sarxan Niftaliyev. The 26-year old Russian led in total bases (378), slugging (.629), OPS (1.002), and wRC+ (212). He added 9.0 WAR, a .324 average, and 43 home runs. His Yaks teammate Matvey Ivanov won Pitcher of the Year in his third full season. The 24-year old Russian lefty led in wins (24-7), quality starts (30), and complete games (28). He added a 1.55 ERA over 290.1 innings, 321 strikeouts, and 9.2 WAR.

Tashkent topped Yekaterinburg 3-1 and Asgabat upset Omsk 3-2 in the first round. The Tomcats earned a fourth Asian League Championship Series berth in five years, while it was the Alphas’ first appearance since 1981. Tashkent took care of business quickly, sweeping Asgabat to earn repeat AL pennants. This was the third Asian League crown for the Tomcats (and ultimately their last).



The 45^th Eurasian Professional Baseball Championship was a highly anticipated rematch between Kharkiv and Tashkent. Emotions were mixed throughout EPB as it was expected that both teams would be leaving as part of the brewing exodus (more details to come). The rematch was a seven game thriller with the Killer Bees repeating ad champs. It was Kharkiv’s third title (1980, 1998, 1999) whereas the Tomcats would end 0-3 in their EPB finals tries.



Kharkiv’s Igor Kuchkowski was finals MVP and posted arguably the greatest postseason effort by a pitcher ever. He had four starts, all complete game shutouts. Kuchkowski also had a relief appearance, going 4-0 over 39.2 scoreless innings with only 12 hits allowed, 54 strikeouts, and one walk. He set still-standing EPB playoff records for shutouts, ERA, WHIP (0.33), opponent OBP (.100), opponent OPS (.208), and WAR (2.77). As of 2037, no pitcher in any world league has posted a higher WAR in a single postseason run or thrown four shutouts in one run.

Other notes: EPB’s 30^th perfect game was thrown by Helsinki’s Egor Korneyev on September 13 with 10 strikeouts against Budapest. Sofia’s Ivan Kondev had 684 at bats during the season, setting a new EPB record. Moscow’s Shahin Lebedev set a pitching record for appearances with 80.
1B Jov Vyrubov won his seventh Silver Slugger.

EPB’s offensive stats didn’t change much from the prior two decades, still remaining a low to very low offense environment on the historical scale. The batting average was around .227 and the ERA was around 2.89. Certainly among the lowest of the leagues in the 1990s, but not quite as low as the likes of CLB or APB. Although EPB would shortly go through a rapid change of alignment, the play style would see similar results in the 2000s with a slight bump up after.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

EPB After 45 Seasons

Eurasian Professional Baseball’s 45^th season was the final one with the teams and alignment it had since its 1955 founding. We will go into much more detail later about the exodus, which saw some teams defect to EBF, some to the ABF, and expansion teams added to partially fill those voids. But first, let us look at how EPB’s original 45 seasons played out.



The European League in particular lacked parity with Minsk incredibly dominant in the North Division and Kyiv controlling the South Division. The Miners made the playoffs in 42 of 45 seasons with 13 finals appearances and 25 LCS berths. With an average win total of 102.3, Minsk dominated EPB like no team in any other pro league. The Kings’ 30 playoff berths and 17 LCS appearances with a 95.3 average win total would be the top team in just about any other situation.

There were other good teams in the middle bit with half of the 16 European League teams winning it all at least once and nine making it to the finals. The EL dominated the finals as well, going 30-15 against the Asian League. However, five EL teams either never made the playoffs or only did once. Seven EL teams have either never won a division or only won once.

The Asian League was far less top heavy. Almaty had the most playoff appearances at 23, making it roughly every other season on average. They also narrowly had the best win percentage over Tashkent. Bishkek and Irkutsk had the most finals berths and nine each. Yekaterinburg had the most titles at three, a big gap between the nine and eight that Minsk and Kyiv had in the EL.

The gap between the haves and have not’s wasn’t nearly as noticeable in the AL. The only team without multiple playoff berths was Yerevan, although they made it at least once unlike the EL’s Bratislava and Vilnius. The Valiants did have the worst win total on average at 68.6.

17 of EPB’s 32 teams won a championship with 21 teams making it to the final at least once.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1999 in EBF



Glasgow had the Northern Conference’s best record at 108-54, dominating the British Isles Division. This was the third straight division title for the Highlanders and their fourth playoff berth in a row. Paris cruised to the Northwest Division at 104-58, securing their third straight division title. Defending conference champ Berlin took the North Central Division at 97-65. It was the Barons’ third division title in their four-year playoff stretch. The wild card race had Hamburg on top at 91-71, besting Copenhagen by four games and Birmingham by five. The Hammers ended a four-year playoff drought.

Northern Conference MVP was Paris CF Remy Morel. The 28-year old Frenchman was the hits leader with 241, adding 127 runs, 78 extra base hits, a .371/.404/.581 slash, and 9.3 WAR. Morel also notably had a six-hit game against Rome. This effort got Morel paid handsomely, as the Poodles signed him to a seven-year, $29,000,000 extension the next spring. Copenhagen’s Gianni Fenech earned Pitcher of the Year. The Maltese 30-year old joined the Corsairs in the offseason on a six-year, $21,040,000 contract. The former Malta and Glasgow ace was the WARlord at 9.2 in his debut in Denmark and led with 17 complete games. Fenech also had a 2.36 ERA over 274 innings, 312 strikeouts, and a 21-10 record.

Wild card Hamburg stunned top seed Glasgow 3-2 in the first round of the playoffs, while Paris beat Berlin 3-1. This was the first Northern Conference Championship berth in a decade for the Hammers and the second in three years for the Poodles. Hamburg again pulled off the upset, defeating Paris 4-2. This was Hamburg’s fourth conference pennant (1964, 79, 90, 99).



The Southern Conference’s fight for the top seed was also the fight for the Southwest Division title. In a fierce battle, Madrid (104-58) topped Lisbon (103-59). The Conquistadors got their first playoff berth since their 1990 EBF title season. The Clippers as the wild card extended the longest active postseason streak in EBF to nine seasons. Athens barely bested Munich for the Southeast Division. The Anchors won their fourth division title in five years with an 89-73 mark, while the Mavericks were one behind. In the South Central Division, reigning European Champion Naples repeated as division champ. The Nobles finished 89-73, six games better than Zurich. Notably, last year’s wild card Barcelona had a stunning collapse. The EBF champ just three years earlier, the Bengals plummeted to 62-100 in 1999.

EBF saw a new home run king with Lisbon 1B Peter Brinkmann, the Southern Conference MVP. In his first season in Portugal in 1998, he smacked 72 dingers. In 1999, the 30-year old German lefty crushed 76 bombs, beating Mattias Stole’s record of 75 from 1994. This also tied the world record to this point, reached twice in the 1970s by Valor Melo of Beisbol Sudamerica. Brinkmann was also the conference leader in RBI (140), total bases (.733), and wRC+ (201). He added a 1.083 OPS, .329 average, and 8.7 WAR.

Lisbon also had the Pitcher of the Year in rising star Geza Sebestyen. A 24-year old Hungarian righty, the fourth-year pitcher was the leader in strikeouts (364) but also walks (81). Sebestyen had a 17-8 record over 262.1 innings, a 2.30 ERA, and 8.7 WAR. He also won a Gold Glove defensively.

In the first round of the playoffs, the Southwest Division powerhouses both won, although both series needed all five games. Madrid ousted defending champ Naples and Lisbon outlasted Athens. Since 1989, this was the Clippers’ seventh time appearing in the Southern Conference Championship. Madrid hadn’t been there since winning it all in 1990. The winner either way would be earning their sixth SC pennant. In a seven-game classic between neighbors, Madrid edged Lisbon.



The 50th European Championship was a rematch of the 41st. The most recent finals appearance for both Madrid and Hamburg was their 1990 encounter, claimed in seven games by the Conquistadors. The 1999 edition only needed five games, but the end result was the same. Madrid topped Hamburg to become four-time EBF champs (1955, 87, 90, 99). That ties Spanish rival Barcelona for the most titles by a Southern Conference team. 2B Pierre-Nicolas Leroy was the MVP of the EBF Championship and the conference final. The 24-year old Frenchman in 17 playoff starts had 30 hits, 10 runs, 12 doubles, and 7 RBI. The 12 doubles set a playoff record which still stands in 2037. That was also the record in any league until passed in 2004 in ABF.



Other notes: Zagreb’s Mehmet Azemi tossed EBF’s 20th perfect game, striking out 12 against Belgrade on April 8. Hamburg’s Ulf Alstrom had a 31-game hitting streak. Lindsey Brampton became the third pitcher to 4500 career strikeouts and also crossed 200 wins. Daniel Ramires became the fifth to reach 250 wins. It would be his final season and he ended at 267, which is still seventh best as of 2037. Daniel Galonopoulas became the sixth to reach 1500 runs scored. Dario Wiesner was the seventh to reach 300 saves. RF Udo Gottschall won his eighth Gold Glove.

The European Baseball Federation did have its highest-scoring decade yet, although the bump up from the 1980s was small. The EBF had around a 3.80 ERA and .262 batting average for the decade, up from a .256 average and 3.72 ERA in the 1980s. This graded out as above average in the greater historical context while being near the top among the other world leagues in the 1990s. EBF would hover around this same range in the 2000 and 2010s even as the Federation expanded.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

EBF After 50 Years

The 1999 season was the 50^th for the European Baseball Federation. It was also the final one for the EBF in its original form. 2000 would bring about both expansion teams and a number of additions from the EPB exodus. Below are the results of EBF’s first 50 years.



The Northern Conference had pretty good parity overall. 14 of 15 teams have a conference pennant to their name. Berlin (21) had the most playoff appearances and Paris had the best average win total at 87.9. However, Amsterdam and Rotterdam were the most successful in the postseason, both with five EBF titles. The Anacondas have eight finals berths and have been to the conference final 31 times. The Barons had the most division titles at 17. Oslo had the lowest average win total at 73.4. Belfast was the most unsuccessful generally with only one playoff appearance. They’re the only Northern Conference team to not make it to either the EBF final or the conference final.

Zurich had the most playoff appearances of any team at 32, the most division titles at 30, and the best average win total at 90.4. The Mountaineers are the only team in either conference to make the playoffs more than half of EBF’s first 50 seasons. They had the most conference finals berths at 17 and were tied with Amsterdam for the most total finals appearances. However, the Southern Conference teams with the most EBF titles were Madrid and Barcelona with four each. 10 of 15 SC teams had a EBF title and 13 of 15 had a conference pennant. The worst team in EBF by far was Malta with an average win total of 66.5. They were the only team with no playoff berths. Milan was the other SC team without a pennant.

The competition between the conferences was fairly even. The Northern Conference had the edge over the Southern Conference in the finals but at a competitive 27-23 mark.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1999 in BSA

Beisbol Sudamerica increased its service time minimum for free agency from 8 to 9 years. This made BSA aligned with Eurasian Professional Baseball and Arab League Baseball as the most restrictive of any world league at this point. It was frustrating for many South American players, but notably you reached arbitration after five years.



Yet again, the Bolivar League’s division titles were locked down by Caracas, Bogota, and Lima. For the fourth consecutive season, those squads got first place finishes. The Bats had the top overall record at 105-57 atop the Colombia-Ecuador Division, giving them eight playoff berths in nine years with six division titles. The Colts snagged the Venezuela Division at 100-62 for their fifth straight division title. Two-time defending Copa Sudamerica winner Lima secured the Peru-Bolivia Division at 99-63. The Lobos’ BSA record playoff streak extended to 12 seasons as they won a ninth successive division title. In a tight wild card race, La Paz (88-74) edged out Guayaquil (87-75), Cali (85-77), and Valencia (84-78). The Pump jacks ended an eight-year playoff drought.

Caracas designated hitter Milton Becker became a three-time Bolivar League MVP. The 29-year old Venezuelan slugger led in home runs (58), and RBI (147). He added a .336/..416/.683 slash, 198 wRC+, and 9.7 WAR. Pitcher of the Year went to second-year lefty Lamberto Castillo of Ciudad Guayana. The hometown hero led in ERA (1.88), strikeouts (342), WHIP (0.93), shutouts (6), FIP- (57), and WAR (10.1). The 23-year old had a 21-8 record over 277.1 innings, falling three wins short of a Triple Crown.

In the Divisional Series, wild card La Paz upset Bogota 3-2 to send the Pump Jacks to their first Bolivar League Championship Series since 1982. Caracas outlasted Lima 3-2, denying the Lobos’ three-peat dreams. It was the third BLCS in five years for the Colts. La Paz continued their surprising run, rolling to the pennant over Caracas in five games. The Pump Jacks hadn’t won the pennant in two decades, taking their ninth overall.



Brasilia came somewhat out of nowhere to finish with the Southern Cone League’s best record at 103-59. The Bearcats won the North Division after missing the playoffs in three straight seasons. Recife, who had dominated the division recently, dropped to 83-79. The South Central Division also had a shakeup with Mendoza taking first at 96-66. It was the second-ever playoff berth for the Mutants (1996). Two-time defending league champ Asuncion was 91-71, falling five short of the division and one shy of the wild card. Santiago at 83-79 also missed the playoffs for only the third time in the 1990s. In the Southeast Division, Rio de Janeiro (93-69) edged Buenos Aires (92-70). The Redbirds ended a seven year playoff drought. The Atlantics took the wild card for their third berth in four years.

Leading Brasilia’s resurgence was Southern Cone League MVP Bernaldo Lagasse. Nicknamed “Cowboy,” the 25-year old Brazilian first baseman led in runs (121), walks (100), OBP (.424), OPS (1.058), and WAR (10.7). He was only the sixth player in BSA history to draw 100+ walks in a season. Lagasse also added 48 home runs, 112 RBI, and a .320 average. Pitcher of the Year was Recife’s Tete Sendas. The 30-year old Brazilian righty led in wins (23-8), ERA (1.86), innings (295.1) and quality starts (32). Sendas added 269 strikeouts and 6.3 WAR. This effort earned him a five-year, $17,680,000 contract extension.

Brasilia beat Buenos Aires 3-1 and Mendoza swept Rio de Janeiro in the Divisional Series. This sent the Bearcats to their first Southern Cone Championship since 1994, while the Mutants had never gotten this far since joining in the 1987 expansion. Brasilia took the series 4-2 to become four-time league champs, although all of their other titles were way back in the 1930s. Most Bearcat fans weren’t alive when they last took the pennant 61 years prior.



The 69^th Copa Sudamerica was guaranteed to end a long title drought for the winner. Brasilia’s two previous titles were 1935 and 1938, while La Paz’s four titles came during their 1939-46 dynasty run. The Bearcats bested the Pump Jacks 4-2 to bring the title back to the Brazilian capital. Finals MVP was RF Eron Batistuta with the 31-year old getting 19 hits, 6 runs, 2 home runs, and 6 RBI in 16 playoff starts.



Other notes: Mendoza’s Kellan Cruz set a playoff record with 15 stolen bases. Impressively, he did that in only nine games. BSA’s 46^th Perfect Game came from Fortaleza’s Gerardo Pardo, who struck out eight against Belo Horizonte on September 21. After 46 perfect games happened in 69 seasons, the next one in BSA wouldn’t come until 2012. Rosario’s Matt Monaco had a 34-game hitting streak, the third-longest in BSA history to that point. Andres Ramirez became the 16^th pitcher to 4500 career strikeouts. Leonardo Salvador became the sixth member of the 3000 hit club, ending the season and his career at 3010. SS Jose Luis Velasques won his eighth Gold Glove.

Beisbol Sudamerica’s scoring in the 1990s dropped slightly from the 1980s, but It was still higher than the 1970s or earlier. The Bolivar League’s ERA was 3.55 and batting average was .255, putting them around average on the historical context. The DH-less Southern Cone League was below average at .248 and 3.26. BSA would make rule changes to encourage more scoring starting with 200, which would cause both leagues to jump notably.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

1999 in EAB

Many other leagues had lowered their active roster size in recent years. East Asia Baseball took the opposite approach for the 1999 season, increasing it from 24 to 25 players. EAB had started with a 25-player roster, but lowered it to 24 after the 1966 season.



The Japan League’s #1 seed went to Kawasaki, who repeated as Capital Division champ at 97-65. It had been a very tough division recently, but both Yokohama and Tokyo plummeted from winning seasons in 1998 to only 69 wins in 1999. Defending East Asia Baseball champ Sapporo won the North Division for the sixth straight season. At 94-68, the Swordfish were three games better than Niigata. Kobe claimed the Central Division for the third consecutive season with their 93-69 mark. The Blaze were four ahead of Nagoya and six better than Osaka. After missing the playoffs the prior two seasons, Hiroshima reclaimed the West Division at 87-75. Last year’s division champ Kumamoto was a distant second at 80-82.

Japan League MVP went to Kawasaki’s Hyun-Jun Nahm The 26-year old right fielder led in home runs (64), walks (93), OBP (.418), OPS (1.136), wRC+ (236), and WAR (11.4). Nahm added 131 RBI and a .317 average. This season compelled the Killer Whales to give Nahm a five-year, $24,720,000 extension. Sapporo’s Morikazu Ichikawa repeated as Pitcher of the Year. The 28-year old two-way star led in wins (22-7), innings (278.2), strikeouts (379), K/BB (11.1), complete games (18), and WAR (7.6). He added a 2.52 ERA while also posting 35 home runs and 5.9 WAR in 129 games offensively. Ichikawa’s highlight was a 20 strikeout game against Kyoto, only the eighth time an EAB pitcher had fanned 20+.

Kawasaki swept Hiroshima and Sapporo swept Kobe in the first round, setting up a rematch in the Japan League Championship Series. The Swordfish were looking for a three-peat, but the Killer Whales got revenge and took the series 4-1. This was Kawasaki’s fifth pennant and first since 1982.



The Korea League’s South Division was top heavy with the top seed and both wild cards. After a surprising 80-win dud in 1998, Yongin led the way at 102-60. This was the fifth playoff berth in six years for the Gold Sox as well as their fourth 100+ win season in that stretch. Daegu (95-67) and Jeonju (94-68) ended up earning the wild cards while Busan (92-70) just missed the cut. The Diamondbacks earned repeat playoff spots while the Jethawks had their first berth since their 1988 championship season. Suwon dominated the North Division at 97-65, extending their playoff streak to four with seven berths in eight years. Defending KL champ Bucheon dropped to a distant second at 82-80 along with Seoul. Seongnam, the KLCS runner-up the prior year, fell to 80-82.

Although they missed the playoffs, Bucheon had the MVP in fourth-year left fielder Kazuo Satoh. He led in runs (137), RBI (136), total bases (444), OBP (.418), slugging (.735), OPS(1.153), wRC+ (207), and WAR (13.4). The WAR total was the third-best by a position player in EAB history at that point. Satoh also had 226 hits, 44 home runs, a .374 average, 77 stolen bases, and a Gold Glove. His 137 runs was tied for the fifth most in a season. Suwon veteran Yamato Fukunaga was Pitcher of the Year, leading in wins at 21-8. The 31-year old righty had a 3.23 ERA over 250.2 innings, 238 strikeouts, and 6.9 WAR.

Jeonju shocked Yongin with a first round sweep, while fellow wild card Daegu got the road upset over Suwon 3-1. The Diamondbacks hadn’t been to the Korea League Championship Series since their 1989 pennant, while the Jethawks hadn’t since their 1988 crown. Daegu dominated the KLCS, taking it over Jeonju in five games. The Diamondbacks became 12-time Korea League champs, tying Pyongyang for the most of any franchise.



Kawasaki and Daegu had actually met once before for the title with the Killer Whales winning 4-3 in 1941. The 79^th East Asian Championship was the first to go all seven games since 1993. This time, it was the Diamondbacks coming out on top to become five-time EAB champs (1953, 56, 73, 75, 99). This was the fourth time in five years that the eventual champ was a Korea League South Division team.



Other notes: Do-Yun En became the 22^nd batter to score 1500 career runs. Pitcher of the Year Morikazu Ichikawa became a six-time Silver Slugger winner by winning two in 1999, one as a pitcher and one at center field.

The offensive numbers dropped slightly in EAB from the 1980s to the 1990s. The Japan League had a 3.34 ERA and .246 batting average for the decade, which grade out as below average on the historic scale. The Korea League with the DH saw a .258 average and 3.78 ERA, a hair below being above average. While other world leagues would oscillate wildly in the coming decades, EAB would stay remarkably consistent over the next 30 years.