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

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2000 SAB Hall of Fame

---

South Asia Baseball saw the addition of Ynilo Naranjo into the Hall of Fame on the 2000 ballot. Naranjo was a no-doubter, getting 96.1% on his debut ballot. Closer Jason Mayekar had 59.6% in his ninth ballot, but was still a few points from the 66% requirement. The other player above 50% was catcher Krish Balvinder at 53.7%. No players were dropped after ten ballots.



Ynilo Naranjo – Starting Pitcher – Ahmedabad Animals – 96.1% First Ballot

Ynilo Naranjo was a 5’11’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Manizales, Colombia; a city with around 434,000 people in the central part of the nation. Naranjo was a bit of a late bloomer, but in his prime had strong control, good stuff, and below average movement. His fastball hovered in the 96-98 mph range. Naranjo had a filthy slider as his main out pitch and also featured a curveball and changeup. He had excellent stamina and was a scrappy sparkplug type player with a fantastic work ethic.

Naranjo’s path to a Hall of Fame career playing in the Indian League was unusual considering he grew up in Colombia. He signed a contract as a teenage amateur in 1975 with CABA’s Ecatepec, sending Naranjo to Mexico. His control was abysmal in his earliest years and the Explosion couldn’t seem to fix this problem. By spring training 1982, the now 24-year old Naranjo seemed no closer to being able to find the strike zone. Ecatepec cut him without a single CABA inning pitched and it seemed like Naranjo’s career might end right there.

South Asia Baseball was entering its third season in 1982 and was looking worldwide for players. Naranjo had a contact randomly in India with Ahmedabad, who decided to give him a shot. He was a part-time starter in this rookie year with below average results, but his stuff was good enough to keep him around. In his second year, he managed to fix his control. What was once graded as a 2/10 was now a 6/10, making Naranjo a credible threat.

In 1983, he took second in Pitcher of the Year voting, leading the Indian League in ERA and strikeouts. Naranjo would go onto to have six seasons with 300+ strikeouts. He led the league in Ks thrice, wins twice, innings once, WHIP twice, K/BB thrice, complete games twice, shutouts four times, and WAR once. Naranjo never won Pitcher of the Year, but took second in 1986, third in 1988, and second in 1989.

On August 2, 1985, Naranjo became the first pitcher in SAB history to record a perfect game. He struck out 10 against Mumbai. Although he had found his baseball home in India, Naranjo would return to Colombia for the World Baseball Championship. From 1984-94, he had 135.1 innings for his country with a 9-2 record, 2.93 ERA, 190 strikeouts, 128 ERA+, and 4.9 WAR. Although he missed Colombia, Naranjo committed to staying with Ahmedabad on a seven-year, $6,020,000 deal after the 1988 season.

Naranjo would really make his bones as a clutch playoff pitcher, helping usher in the great Ahmedabad dynasty. During his tenure, the Animals won the SAB Championship in 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, and 1994. For his playoff career, Naranjo had a 14-7 record over 192.2 innings, a 2.24 ERA, 235 strikeouts, 19/23 quality starts, a 148 ERA+, and 4.4 WAR. As of 2037, he is fourth all-time in playoff strikeouts, second in wins, and sixth in WAR,

Naranjo had proven very durable for most of his career, but suffered a major setback in spring training 1992 with a partially torn UCL. He missed the entire regular season, although he did come back with one poor start in the playoffs. 1993 saw biceps tendinitis cost him the final months of the season, including the playoff run. Back issues cost him part of 1994, although Naranjo had been demoted to a bullpen role as he struggled in his limited play. He opted to retire after the 1994 campaign at age 36. Naranjo’s #22 uniform would be the first to be retired by Ahmedabad.

Naranjo’s final stats saw a 185-82 record, 2.77 ERA, 2551 innings, 3124 strikeouts, 506 walks, 219/315 quality starts, 96 complete games, 35 shutouts, 121 ERA+, 79 FIP-, and 58.3 WAR. He’s not at the top of the HOF leaderboards with more dominant pitchers coming after him, but Naranjo was an important and steady figure within the great Ahmedabad dynasty. He played a major role in seven of the Animals’ championships. Pretty good for a guy who looked like he might flame out of pro baseball altogether. Naranjo received 96.1% to be the lone member of the 2000 SAB Hall of Fame class and the sixth player inducted overall.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2000 ABF & ALB Hall of Fame

The 2000 voting for the Asian Baseball Federation Hall of Fame saw a new high mark with the debut of SP Rais Khawaja. Unfortunately for him, his 33.5% was still merely halfway to the threshold, leaving ABF still without its first Hall of Fame member. SP Abbas Nadim was next with 26.8% in his seventh ballot.



Arab League Baseball also held Hall of Fame voting for the third time, although the previous two ballots didn’t have anyone over 5%. Closer Paul Arfaoui had a respectable 33.7% for his debut, but ALB was also a few years away from getting its first inductee.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

The EPB Exodus (Part 1)

2000 would see a major shift in the professional baseball world with multiple teams moving and league structures changing within Eurasian Professional Baseball, the European Baseball Federation, and the Asian Baseball Federation. Although these changes took effect with the 2000 campaign, the genesis of the moves came from world events that happened about a decade earlier.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Soviet Union collapsed and most of the Soviet-aligned Eastern Bloc states switched away from their previous Communist governments. 15 distinct nation states emerged from the former USSR. Those states and the other formerly aligned countries in Eastern Europe would have different levels of cooperation with Russia in the coming years. Some remained friendly and stayed important allies, while others saw outright hostility and looked to distance themselves from Russian influence as much as possible.

These political changes showed up in the baseball world as well. Eurasian Professional Baseball had been essentially the Eastern Bloc league with teams throughout the Soviet Union and aligned states. Like with those countries geopolitically, Russia had been the most powerful player within the EPB structure by far. Many of the former countries in the USSR and within the Warsaw Pact soon looked to align with the European Union and/or NATO. The teams in those same countries started to investigate if a move into the European Baseball Federation was possible.



Throughout the histories of EBF and EPB, the quality of play was generally considered to be comparable between the leagues. EPB was more top-heavy, but most baseball people agreed that the best teams of EPB and the best teams in EBF saw similar talent levels. However, the financials between the two leagues were very different. The EBF had grown to be a much richer league overall, mirroring the economic differences in many ways between the EU states versus the former communist ones. In addition to a shift being likely more profitable for the teams and players, EBF also had more competitive balance, which was appealing to the lower-rung EPB teams.

EPB’s European League saw a noticeable gap between the “haves” and “have nots.” Riga, Helsinki, Vilnius, Budapest, Tirana, Prague, Bratislava, and Sofia had a combined two pennants between them (both by Tirana). None of these teams had earned a playoff berth since 1980 and they felt that EPB’s system wasn’t going to allow them to compete anytime soon. The countries those teams were in each also had looked at either joining the European Union or at least planned on interacting much more with EU states and less with Russia. By 2007, seven of the eight countries those teams were based in had joined the EU. This group was the first batch to make overtures in the 1990s to leaving EPB for EBF.

The EBF had been exploring expansion even before the EPB malcontents started making noise. EBF leaders had hoped to grow in size more comparable to Major League Baseball and there were numerous large cities willing and able to take on a franchise. The big expansion would come with the introduction of the European Second League and a promotion/relegation system starting in the mid 2000s. But EBF did like the prospects of opening new markets in additional countries. Even without the exodus, it was clear that EBF intended to grow significantly.

There was some trepidation from EBF leaders as the main group of teams wanting to leave hadn’t been EPB blue bloods. Some worried that they weren’t strong enough teams to justify the addition, but most agreed that adding new nations and markets would be financially worthwhile. Others thought the great game of baseball could help solidify diplomatic ties and warmer relations overall with the former communist states. However, the EBF officials were eyeing a few of the other EPB teams as bigger prizes.

The largest former Eastern Bloc countries were Poland, Ukraine, and Romania. The EPB teams from those countries; Warsaw, Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Bucharest; had been successful franchises with 14 championships between them. Those teams weren’t as discontent with EPB’s setup as their neighbors, but those three countries were likewise trying to distance themselves from Russian influences. Poland and Romania had both joined the EU by 2007, while Ukraine ended up later engaged in active warfare with Russia. EBF had also made inquiries into Polish and Ukrainian expansion teams regardless of what the existing teams chose to do. EBF officials felt that tapping into the roughly 100 million people between those three nations was very important for expansion.

The Big Four and their existing brands could also see that the EBF likely would reap bigger financial rewards long-term, especially if the EPB shrunk. Meanwhile, EPB officials had only taken small glances at expansion. Most of the potential candidates were other Russian teams, which also concerned the non-Russian teams that were looking to leave. For players as well, they knew EBF allowed you into free agency much sooner than EPB, leading to greater earning potential.

As the 1990s progressed, the talk and smoke regarding a defection became more pronounced. EPB appealed to the Global Baseball Alliance to block potential moves, but GBA officials said such things were purely internal matters. The relationships soured between the potential defectors and EPB officials, making a possible shift increasingly possible. Legal challenges and battles cropped up, but trying to reconcile different procedures in different countries was a mess. All of the leagues and players involved had to navigate complex laws and financial terms to figure out how this all was going to work.

Also keeping an eye on the developments were a number of teams in the EPB Asian League. Tbilisi and Yerevan had some similar gripes as the originally upset EL teams. They didn’t fit as neatly into the EBF as both Georgia and Armenia are considered on the borderline between Europe and Asia. They weren’t as desirable on the surface to the EBF, but officials certainly kept both teams in mind.

The other teams of the AL’s South Division also weighed their options. Almaty, Tashkent, Bishkek, Dushanbe, Baku, and Asgabat each were now in new countries with varying degrees of association with Russia. These teams were generally content with the EPB structure, but were greatly worried by the possibility of a large chunk of teams leaving. The potential balance issues and revenue lost by an exodus was quite concerning.

That opened up an opportunity for the Asian Baseball Federation to potentially expand. Still much newer, the ABF had teams only based in Turkey, Iran, and Pakistan. Their opportunities for expansion were more limited, but the AL group made a lot of sense. Culturally, the Central Asian countries had many people with Turkic heritage similar to Turkey and parts of Iran. These countries were all Muslim majority nations as well, compared to Russia where Islam made up a sizable minority. They’d fit in fairly well, although the newer ABF wasn’t as prestigious or financially successful yet compared to the more tenured EPB.

Later in the 1990s, the ABF started to more aggressively court these teams. Many in the existing ABF structure were worried that this would massively change their setup. However, most realized such a move would be required if the ABF wanted to reach a higher prestige level among the world leagues. Instantly, you’d be bringing in established teams and fanbases. Eventually, the six AL teams made an unofficial pact with each other. If the European EPB teams stayed, they’d all stay. But if they all left, they’d bolt for the ABF together and work to grow that league.

By 1999, some of the final pieces and guarantees started to fall into place to create what would be the great EPB exodus. The changes were officially announced after the 1999 season ended. Much to the chagrin of EPB officials, the two teams that had both just repeated as league champs, Kharkiv and Tashkent, were leaving...

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

The EPB Exodus (Part 2)

Only a few days after Kharkiv beat Tashkent in an EPB Championship rematch, the firstdomino officially fell. The Killer Bees, along with Kyiv, Warsaw, Prague, Helsinki, Riga, Vilnius, Bratislava, Budapest, Bucharest, Tirana, Sofia, Yerevan, and Tbilisi declared their intent to leave EPB for the European Baseball Federation. This immediately grew the EBF from 30 teams to 44 teams.

Because 44 was an awkward number and with the talks of new expansion teams, EBF also opted to add four brand new teams. Looking to grow more in Poland and Ukraine, the Southern Conference added teams in Krakow and Odessa. The other two additions came in the Northern Conference with England-based Manchester and Germany-based Cologne. The new alignment would feature two 24-team conferences made up of four divisions of six teams each. EBF was now behind only the 56-team MLB in terms of size among the Global Baseball Alliance leagues.



In the Northern Conference, the British Isles division kept its same five teams and added the new Manchester Crushers franchise. The Northwest Division had the same story with its same five-team lineup along with the new Cologne Copperheads.

The North Central Division retained Berlin and Hamburg from its original lineup. Four from the EPB exodus joined them with Kharkiv, Prague, Warsaw, and Kyiv. The new Northeast Division had the other three former North Central teams (Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm) and added three from EPB (Helsinki, Riga, VIlnius).

The Southern Conference’s Southwest Division kept the same five teams and saw Milan shifted over from the South Central Division. The other four South Central teams remained, but both Zagreb and Munich were moved out of the Southeast Division into the South Central.

The other three teams formerly in the Southeast Division (Athens, Belgrade, Vienna) became part of the new East Central Division. They were joined by the expansion Krakow Canines and EPB squads Bratislava and Budapest.

The brand new Southeast Division had the expansion Odessa Drifters with five former EPB teams. Three (Bucharest, Tirana, Sofia) were former EPB European League South Division rivals. The other two (Yerevan, Tbilisi) came over from the EPB Asian League.

The massive EBF expansion also meant that EBF would expand its postseason to a format similar to MLB. Six teams from each conference would advance; the four division winners and two wild cards. The top two division winners earned byes, while the other two division winners host the wild cards in a best-of-three first round series. The second round was best-of-five with both the conference championship and European Championship retaining the best-of-seven structure.


About a week after the defectors to the EBF announced their move, six teams from EPB’s Asian League declared their intent to leave for the Asian Baseball Federation. The teams leaving were defending AL champ Tashkent, Dushanbe, Bishkek, Almaty, Baku, and Asgabat.

ABF had previously been set up with the ten-team West Asia Association (split between Turkish and Iranian teams) and the eight-team Pakistan League. The six additions brought the ABF to 24 teams. Officials decided to restructure the league into two 12-team leagues with no divisions. They were renamed as the East League and West League. The East League had the eight Pakistan League teams along with Dushanbe, Bishkek, Tashkent, and Almaty. The West League was the ten WAA teams along with Baku and Asgabat.



ABF also chose to expand its postseason with the new teams coming in. The new set up saw the top four teams from each league advance with a best-of-five first round, best-of-seven league championship, and best-of-seven ABF Championship. ABF maintained the split DH between the leagues with the West League using it and the East League not using it.

Very quickly, Eurasian Professional Baseball found itself down to only 12 teams. The Asian League still had its seven Russian teams and Mongolia-based Ulaanbaatar. However, the European League now had only Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan, and Minsk. The EPB announced they would hold an expansion draft and add four new teams to the EL. EPB would steadily expand every few years to try to regain its former prestige.



The new franchises were all Russian with the Nizhny Novgorod Ninjas, Volgograd Voyagers, Samara Steelers, and Rostov Rhinos. The league structure would be two eight-team leagues, comparable to the Oceania Baseball Association. Both EPB and OBA were now the smallest of the GBA leagues with 16 total teams.

EPB also decided to shrink its postseason as well, eliminating the wild card round games. The top two teams in the standings would meet in a best-of-seven LCS with the winners playing in the best-of-seven EPB Championship. One other change was that EPB introduced interleague play with the new format, trying to create more compelling matchups throughout the season.



Each of these new formats would be relatively short-lived as pro baseball would see much expansion worldwide in the next few decades. EBF would maintain its structure for a while, but would create the Second League and begin a promotion/relegation system for its 48 spots. EPB’s next expansion would be 2008 with ABF expanding in 2009.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2000 World Baseball Championship

---

The 54^th World Baseball Championship was the first to be held in New Zealand, centered on Auckland in 2000. Defending world champ Indonesia dominated Division 1 at 9-0. The Indonesians have won their division in six of the last seven years, giving them 16 division titles overall. After a rare miss the prior season, the United States was back in the elite eight. The Americans were unbeaten in D2 with Taiwan (7-2) their nearest competitor. The USA has moved forward 45 times in WBC history.

Division 3 narrowly saw the Philippines first at 7-2, finishing one better than both China and Algeria. The Filipinos repeated as a division champ and earned a 13th division title overall. Canada claimed Division 4 at 7-2, edging Venezuela by one game and four other nations by two. The Canadians have moved forward 33 times, second only to the US.

Division 5 had India first at 7-2, outlasting Argentina, Australia, and Honduras each by one game. This was the Indians’ third division title with the last one coming with their 1993 finalist bid. Division 6 had a tie in the top spot at 7-2 between France and Russia, while both Italy and Sudan were one back. The French took the tiebreaker for their first division title since 1992 and their ninth overall.

Division 7 had an intense tie between two traditional powers with both Mexico and Brazil. The Mexicans had the head-to-head tiebreaker, earning their third division title in four years and their 23^rd overall. And in Division 8, the Czech Republic prevailed at 7-2, besting both Cuba and Pakistan by one. It is only the fourth-ever division title for the Czechs, who hadn’t advance since they won the world title in 1980. Nigeria, last year’s runner-up, was tied for fourth at 5-4.

Round Robin Group A had the United States go unbeaten at 6-0, sending the Americans to the final four for the 39^th time. Canada at 3-3 advanced as well, while the Philippines at 2-4 and the Czech Republic at 1-5 were ousted. The Canadians earned a 25^th semifinal berth and first since their 1995 title. Group B had Indonesia and Mexico move on at 4-2, while India at 3-3 and 1-5 France fell out. The Indonesians got their third final four berth in four years and tenth overall. The Mexicans earned a 13^th semifinal appearance and also picked up a third berth in four years.

Indonesia cruised by Canada 3-0 in the semifinal to earn a shot at defending their world title. The United States topped neighbor Mexico 3-1 for the Americans’ fourth finals in five years. Mexico officially took third place and Canada was fourth.



The 54^th World Championship was a rematch of the 1997 edition, which saw the Americans sweep Indonesia. The 2000 rematch saw the same result with the United States winning via sweep, earning a fourth title in five years. The US is now 31-4 all-time in the championship and the Indonesians fall to 1-3.



Monty Moody became the sixth player to win Tournament MVP twice, having also done it in 1994 for the Americans. The 29-year old right fielder for Boston took the 2000 MVP with 27 hits, 24 runs, 10 doubles, 7 home runs, 25 RBI, 58 total bases, and a .338/.418/.725 slash over 22 starts. Best Pitcher went to Australia’s Hunter Brooks. A two-time Reliever of the Year winner with Christchurch, the 28-year old tossed 11.2 scoreless innings with 26 strikeouts and two hits allowed.

Other notes: The lone no-hitter came from Japan’s Tomofumi Iwamoto with 15 strikeouts and two walks over New Zealand. Below are the updated all-time tournament stats.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2000 in AAB

---

Two-time defending Southern Conference champion Johannesburg took the top spot in the standings at 105-57. The Jackalopes have earned four playoff berths through the first six years of the African Association of Baseball. Johannesburg offensively had a team OBP of .371, which remains the AAB single-season record as of 2037. The second place slot easily went to Dar es Salaam at 101-61. The 1997 conference champion Sabercats returned to the playoffs after finishing just below .500 the prior two years. Antananarivo was a distant third place at 90-72. Cape Town, who had a four season postseason streak entering 2000, collapsed. The Cowboys dropped to 70-92, placing ninth in the standings.

Maputo was sixth in the standings, but they had the Southern Conference MVP in Peterson Mere. The 34-year old Haitian designated hitter was in his sixth year with the Piranhas after starting his career in CABA with Trinidad. He led in runs (121), home runs (63), RBI (150), total bases (399), and slugging (.650), while adding 5.9 WAR. His homer and RBI totals were both the second most in AAB history to that point. Pitcher of the Year also went to someone on a losing team, earned by Lilongwe’s Joel Mwasesa. The 27-year old Congolese righty led in strikeouts (319), WHIP (0.97), K/BB (4.7), quality starts (23), FIP- (63), and WAR (8.9). Mwasesa had a 2.87 ERA over 263.2 innings with an 18-14 record.



Three-time reigning AAB champion Kinshasa dominated the Central Conference again. The Sun Cats finished 105-57 and have made the playoffs in all six AAB seasons. Lubumbashi narrowly took the second place slot at 99-63, beating out last year’s wild card Bujumbura by three games.

Third-year Lubumbashi first baseman Abebe Chekol won Central Conference MVP. The Ethiopian lefty became AAB’s first-ever Triple Crown hitter with 60 home runs, 159 RBI, and .352 average. The 159 RBI was a new single-season AAB record. Chekol also led the conference in hits (210), total bases (431), OBP (.428), slugging (.723), OPS (1.151), and wRC+ (199), while adding 8.7 WAR. Kinshasa’s Ahmed Hussen Rooble won his second Pitcher of the Year, having previously earned the award in 1997 with Cape Town. The 33-year old Somali had the best ERA at 2.27, adding a 14-5 record over 198 innings, 178 strikeouts, and 5.2 WAR.

In the postseason, the defending conference champs rolled to repeat titles. Johannesburg swept Dar es Salaam, giving the Jackalopes a third straight Southern Conference pennant. Meanwhile, Kinshasa downed Lubumbashi 4-1. With that, the Sun Cats won their fourth consecutive Central Conference title and their fifth in AAB’s first six seasons.



The sixth Africa Series was the fourth time Kinshasa and Johannesburg met in the final. It would also be the first time in AAB history that the series needed all nine games. The Sun Cats took it 5-4 to four-peat as AAB champs. As of 2037, they are one of only two AAB franchises to earn four titles in a row. Veteran 1B Laurent Kouakou was finals MVP in his lone season with Kinshasa. The 38 year old Ivorian had 14 hits, 10 runs, 6 home runs, and 11 RBI in 13 playoff starts.



Other notes: Maputo’s Minguito Mateus set a still-standing AAB record with 24 complete games. Johannesburg’s Jaures Ibara set a postseason record with seven saves, posting a 0.69 ERA over 13 innings. Precious Mkandaawire had a 24-game hit streak, which tied the current AAB record. Catcher Denis Rakotoson and CF Bawaka Ngoie became the first five time Silver Slugger winners.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2000 in ALB

---

Arab League Baseball’s Western Conference was very competitive in 2000 with the best record being only 94-68. That went to Cairo, who won the Nile Division and ended a three-year playoff drought. They had to fend off strong efforts from 92-70 Alexandria and 88-75 Khartoum. The Cottonmouths had been the three-time defending division champ. The Levant Division went to Jerusalem at 93-69, ending a two-year playoff drought. Defending conference champ Amman was a distant second at 82-80. Casablanca extended its Mediterranean Division streak to three years at 92-70, edging Algiers by four games. The Bruins have won the division nine times in ALB’s 11 year history.

Casablanca third baseman Abderrazak Zouari won Western Conference MVP. The 26-year old Moroccan nicknamed “Danger Zone” was the Warlord at 8.4, adding 45 home runs, 113 RBI, 114 runs, and a .296 average. Pitcher of the Year was Jerusalem’s Atik Samran, who also won Reliever of the Year. The 24-year old Israeli posted 7.9 WAR over 117 innings with 46 saves, a 1.23 ERA, and 212 strikeouts. As of 2037, he holds the ALB record for most WAR in a season by a Reliever of the Year winner.

Jerusalem swept Casablanca 2-0 in the first round, sending the Jets to their second-ever Western Conference Final (1991). It was the sixth WCF berth for Cairo. The Pharaohs took the series 3-1 over Jerusalem, giving Cairo four pennants in ALB’s first 11 seasons (1990, 92, 96, 00).



Two-time defending ALB champ Mosul made history by going 121-41 atop the Iraq Division. This set the record for most wins in a season for an ALB team, a mark that still stands as of 2037. Mosul scored 907 runs and allowed only 499; no other team in ALB was within 100 of either mark. The second best team in the Eastern Conference was 96-66 Basra, but only division champs advance and they had the misfortune of sharing with the Muskies.

The other divisions had no standouts. Kuwait saw an impressive turnaround, having posted an abysmal 56 wins the prior years. The Whales won their first-ever Gulf Division title at 83-79. Abu Dhabi and Doha were both two games back and defending division champ Dubai was three behind. The Saudi Division also had a first-time winner in Riyadh at 82-80. The Rats denied Jeddah’s three-peat aspirations, as the Jackals were second at 80-82.

Mosul SS Mohammed Mohamed became a five-time Eastern Conference MVP. He led in hits (219(), RBI (162), triple slash (.383/.454/.783), OPS (1.237), wRC+ (231), and WAR (13.8). The 162 RBI was a new single-season record, although it would get bested in 2005. Mohamed also won his sixth Gold Glove and smacked 62 home runs, missing the Triple Crown by only four. The 26-year old Saudi has now compiled an incredible 80.3 WAR in six seasons.

His Muskies teammate Rashid Tariq became the first five-time Pitcher of the Year winner. The 31-year old Iraqi led in wins (25-8), ERA (2.28), innings (288), WHIP (0.95), complete games (15), shutouts (6), FIP- (61), and WAR (10.2). Tariq struck out 324 as well and became ALB’s first pitcher to reach 200 career wins.

Kuwait beat Riyadh 2-0 to earn their first-ever Eastern Conference Final appearance. Mosul was in their sixth straight and was looking for a fourth pennant. It seemed a foregone conclusion that the historic Muskies squad would roll on, but the 83-win Whales shocked the 121-win Muskies 3-1. It ended Mosul’s three-peat hope and put them in the history books for the wrong reason. They weren’t the first team in a world league to win 120+ games and fail to make the finals, but they’re the only one in ALB history to suffer that fate.



In the 11^th Arab League Championship, Kuwait continued its Cinderella season and beat Cairo 4-1. The Whales at 83-79 set the ALB record for fewest wins by a champ and were among the weakest in any pro league. However, turning around a 56-win season from the prior year and stunning a 121-win squad gives Kuwait an interesting spot in the history books. Finals MVP was 1B Sean Harris, an American graduate of Bowling Green who came to Kuwait in 1998 after an unsuccessful MLB attempt. In 9 games and 7 starts, Harris had 12 hits, 4 runs, 4 extra base hits, and five RBI.



Other notes: Alexandria drew 517 walks offensively on the season, which is still the Western Conference record as of 2037. Marid Rahim of Basra set a single-season record with 28 triples. Cairo’s Turki Ayser tied the single-game strikeout record, fanning 20 against Kuwait on October 7. Bilal Hamdan became the first batter to score 1000 runs and the first to 1000 RBI. Elann Isser also crossed 1000 RBI in 2000 and joined Hamdan as the lone members of the 400 home run club. Khadr Seif became the first to 300 career saves. Hamdan won his seventh Gold Glove at first base. Mohammad Mohamed (SS) and Ahmed Hamdan © became seven-time Silver Slugger winners.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2000 in ABF

---

2000 was the first season for the newly expanded Asian Baseball Federation. The former Eurasian Professional Baseball teams performed well in the new East League against the eight Pakistani teams. Tashkent, who won the EPB Asian League pennant the prior two years, finished first in the new EL at 103-59. The Tomcats now have five consecutive playoff berths. Their cohorts Bishkek and Dushanbe both were 95-67 to take the first two wild cards. The Black Sox ended a five-year playoff drought and the Dynamo snapped one dating back to 1983. Reigning ABF champ Hyderabad was fourth at 94-68, getting the final playoff spot. The next closest teams were Rawalpindi (89-73) and Multan (87-75).

East League MVP was Dushanbe right fielder Talib Huseynzade. The 26-year old Turkmen lefty led in average (.348), OBP (.415), OPS (1.067), wRC+ (226), and WAR (9.3). He added 39 home runs and 111 RBI. Huseynzade would play one more year with the Dynamo, then leave for MLB and Chicago. Pitcher of the Year was second-year Rawalpindi righty Numair Hashimi. The 21-year old Pakistani led in wins (21-4), ERA (1.49), and shutouts (6). He added 6.9 WAR over 247.1 innings with 308 strikeouts. Unfortunately for Hashimi, this was his peak as a series of major injuries would mean he’d have only one more full season over the next decade.

The newly expanded playoffs saw the #1 and #2 seeds win over their lower foes in the first round. Tashkent topped Hyderabad 3-1, ending the Horned Frogs’ hopes of a fourth consecutive league pennant. Bishkek edged Dushanbe, giving the Black Sox their first finals berth since their 1994 EPB AL pennant. In the first-ever ABF East League Championship, the Tomcats topped Bishkek 4-1. Combined with their EPB seasons, Tashkent has now won three straight pennants and four overall.



In the new West League, the two EPB additions were non-factors. Asgabat had won 104 games the prior season in EPB, but ended up seventh at 83-79. Baku debuted in last place at 57-105, although they had been bad already. Isfahan, who had five straight Persian League titles, took first at 103-59.

Last year’s Turkish League and West Asia Association champ Bursa was second at 101-61. The Blue Claws extended their playoff streak to four seasons. Adana (91-71) was third, ending a three-year playoff drought since their 1995-96 titles. Ankara and Tabriz tied for the fourth spot at 85-77 with Tehran (84-78) and Asgabat (83-79) close behind. The ABF didn’t use a tiebreaker games with the formula sending the Alouettes forward. This was Ankara’s first playoff berth since 1994.

Shiraz was below .500, but their two-way star Mehdi Vaziri won West League MVP. The 28-year old Iranian on the mound had a 15-10 record, 2.36 ERA, 282 strikeouts, and 5.4 WAR over 274 innings. Playing center field, Vaziri had 103 games and 90 starts with 5.6 WAR, 25 home runs, a .287/.381/.573 slash and 181 wRC+. It was his final year with the Suns, as they traded him in the offseason to Tashkent. He’d quickly sign a seven-year, $15,640,000 deal with the Tomcats.

Pitcher of the Year was Bursa’s Nasser Avizeh, who led in wins (26-3), quality starts (29), complete games (24), and shutouts (7). The 25-year old Iranian righty also had a 1.70 ERA over 280.1 innings, 363 strikeouts, and 10.1 WAR. He managed to beat out Yazeed Anwari for the award despite Anwari’s 13.0 WAR; the third-best in ABF history. Perhaps it was voter fatigue, since the Isfahan ace had won five straight entering the year. Anwari also led in ERA (1.66), strikeouts (407), and WHIP (0.77), but had an 15-8 record.

Isfahan survived in a five-game first round battle with Ankara and Bursa bested Adana 3-1. This set up the fourth straight league championship meeting between the Imperials and Blue Claws. Bursa was the defending champ, but Isfahan had won it in 1997 and 1998. In a seven-game thriller, the Imperials prevailed over the Blue Claws. It was Isfahan’s fifth pennant (1986, 87, 97, 98, 00).



The 16^th Asian Baseball Federation Championship went to newcomer Tashkent, who topped Isfahan 4-2. It was the first overall title ever for the Tomcats, who had gone 0-3 in their EPB finals. The Imperials were now 2-3 in their finals berths. Finals MVP was CF Lyron Dye, a Curacaoan journeyman who had joined the Tomcats the prior season. In 14 playoff games and 4 starts, Dye had 10 hits, 6 runs, 5 home runs, and 8 RBI. He ultimately wasn’t re-signed and would retire soon after.



Other notes: Peshawar’s Ghulam Johl became the fourth ABF batter to record a six-hit game.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2000 in SAB

---

Ahmedabad’s reign over the Indian League showed no signs of ending in 2000, as the Animals rolled to 119-43 atop the West Division. This grew the Animals’ postseason streak to 16 seasons and division title streak to 13. Ahmedabad’s pitching staff had a 0.894 WIHP and only allowed 218 walks. Both marks remain South Asia Baseball single-season bests as of 2037.

Jaipur and Kolkata both earned repeat playoff berths, although they switched spots. It was a tie at 95-67 atop the Central Division, but the Jokers took the tiebreaker game to win the division title. The Cosmos easily had the wild card, earning a third consecutive playoff appearance. Visakhapatnam won the South Division for the third straight year. The Volts were only 82-80, but that was still six games better than second place Hyderabad.

Indian League MVP was 3B Manju Abbas in his second year with Ahmedabad. The 33-year old signed with his hometown team on a five-year, $11,600,000 deal after a decade with Johor Bahru. Abbas won his 11^th Gold Glove at third base and was the WARlord at 11.5. He also had 33 home runs, 104 RBI, a .934 OPS and 201 wRC+. Abbas became the first SAB player to win 11 Gold Gloves at any position and he won his seventh Silver Slugger.

Pitcher of the Year was Kolkata’s Jalal Mohammad, who led in strikeouts (383), quality starts (26), and innings (278.2). The 28-year old added 6.8 WAR, a 2.42 ERA, and 15-13 record. Also notable was Sarthak Said winning his third Reliever of the Year. He had won the other two with Hyderabad and now pitched for the Animals.

Ahmedabad beat Kolkata 3-1 in the first round and Jaipur survived in five against Visakhapatnam. It was the third time in five years the Jokers had met the Animals in the Indian League Championship Series. The dynasty would roll on as Ahmedabad won 4-1. The Animals won a seventh straight IL pennant and their 13^th in 15 seasons.



Ho Chi Minh City had their weakest season since 1989, but that still earned them the top record in the Southeast Asia League. The three-time defending champ Hedgehogs won the South Division at 104-58, extending their postseason streak to 14 years. Hanoi won the North Division at 91-71, which was their first division title since 1989. Yangon was second at 88-74, taking the first wild card and extending their playoff streak to six seasons. Johor Bahru narrowly took the second wild card at 85-77, beating Chittagong by one and Dhaka by two. This gave the Blue Wings repeat wild card berths. Phnom Penh, who got to the SEAL final the prior year, dropped to 71-91

Johor Bahru first baseman Dhuna Itar won SEAL MVP and made history in his third season. The 23-year old Indian became the new SAB home run king with 74 dingers, breaking the mark of 70 set by Amoda Shah two years prior. Itar would hold the record until 2008. He also led in total bases (437) and slugging (.707), while adding 9.5 WAR and 145 RBI. Pitcher of the Year was Sikander Harija, who signed a six-year, $10,980,000 deal in the offseason with Ho Chi Minh City after starting with Chennai. The 28-year old lefty led in strikeouts (380), FIP- (53), and WAR (10.5). He added a 2.75 ERA over 265 innings and a 17-9 record. Harija also saw use as a designated hitter, smacking 31 home runs and adding 3.7 WAR in 98 games.

HCMC topped Johor Bahru 3-1 and Hanoi edged Yangon 3-2 in the first round. This set up a rematch of the 1998 Southeast Asia League Championship Series between the Vietnamese squads. The Hedgehogs took it 4-2 over the Hounds, giving Ho Chi Minh City a fourth straight SEAL pennant and their tenth in 14 years.



The 21^st South Asia Baseball Championship was the tenth finals battle between Ahmedabad and Ho Chi Minh City. The Animals had dominated the series 8-1 with the lone Hedgehog win in 1997. Ahmedabad was looking to three-peat for the third time in their dynasty, but HCMC reserved the script. The Hedgehogs swept the Animals, mirroring their 1997 title. CF Shuhei Honda was the finals MVP. A Japanese journeyman, he had 14 playoff starts with 21 hits, 9 runs, 4 home runs, and 15 RBI. It was ultimately his final season of pro baseball.



This also marked the final championship meeting between the Animals and Hedgehogs. It was the end of an era in a way, although both remained very strong for another five years and would see finals appearances. It wouldn’t be until the 2010s that both the IL and SEAL finally escaped the iron grasps that Ahmedabad and HCMC had on them.

Other notes: Mumbai’s Tasamul Khan threw SAB’s fifth perfect game, striking out 15 against Visakhapatnam on June 16. This would be the record for most Ks in a SAB perfecto until 2013. In his last year, Arvind Lal became the second pitcher to 250 career wins and the second to 4000 strikeouts. He passed Zainal bin Aziz to retire the wins leader at 259, although he finished short of bin Aziz in strikeouts at 4201. As of 2037, Lal is second all-time in wins and seventh in Ks. Amoda Shah became the fifth to reach 500 home runs. Shah and K.C. Choudhury both won their eighth Silver Slugger. It was Choudhury’s final season, retiring second all-time in WAR at 141.2, just behind V.J. Williams at 142.6. He’s still seventh as of 2037.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2000 WAB Hall of Fame

---

Defending Western League champ Abidjan took first in the standings at 100-62 in 2000. The Athletes earned a third consecutive playoff berth and their eighth playoff appearance in nine years. Freetown, who was first in the standings last year, placed second at 96-66. The Foresters extended their playoff streak to five years. Accra snapped a two-year playoff drought, taking third and the final wild card at 95-67. There was a ten-game gap to fourth place Cape Verde and Nouakchott.

In his second season with Freetown, RF Emmanuel Kao became a three-time Western League MVP. The 25-year old Togolese lefty became WAB’s third-ever Triple Crown hitter with 56 home runs, 144 RBI, and a .348 average. Kao also led in runs (127), doubles (48), total bases (423), OBP (.403), slugging (.724), OPS (1.127), wRC+ (204), and WAR (10.3). This would be Kao’s final season in Africa, as he signed one of the largest contracts in baseball history to that point with an eight-year, $78,400,000 contract with MLB’s New York Yankees.

Pitcher of the Year went to Antonio Akinyemi. It was his second trophy, having won in 1997 with Accra. After getting traded to Kano in 1999, Akinyemi signed for 2000 on a five-year, $11,400,000 contract with Abidjan. The 31-year old Nigerian lefty led in ERA (2.42) and posted an 11-8 record over 193.2 innings with 227 strikeouts and 4.9 WAR. Also of note, Nouakchott closer Francois Pitroipa won his third Reliever of the Year.

Freetown beat Accra 2-0 in the first round of the playoffs, sending the Foresters to the Western League Championship Series for the fifth straight season. For the fifth straight time, Freetown was denied a pennant. Abidjan downed the Foresters 3-1 to repeat as WL champs and win their sixth pennant in nine years. The Athletes have won the pennant ten times in the first 26 seasons of West Africa Baseball.



Coming off a third straight WAB title and a record-setting 123-39 season, Kano hit an even higher mark. The Condors went 125-37 in 2000, becoming only the third team in world baseball history to this point to win 125 or more. As of 2037, this remains WAB’s single-season best. Kano earned a sixth straight playoff berth and took first in the Eastern League standings for the fifth time in that run. Both Niamey and Ibadan repeated as wild cards. The Atomics were second at 93-69 to extend their streak to three seasons. The Iguanas at 90-72 grew the longest active streak to 11 seasons. The next closest squads were Lome (85-77), Port Harcourt (84-78), and Cotonou (83-79).

Kano’s Darwin Morris won a historic sixth Eastern League MVP. The 28-year old Liberian shortstop led in runs (135), slugging (.716), OPS (1.158), wRC+ (215), and WAR (12.4). Morris added a .350 average, 50 home runs, and 123 RBI.

Angelo Costa became a three-time Pitcher of the Year with an all-time great season, tossing the sixth Triple Crown season by a pitcher. Costa was traded from Monrovia to Kano before the 2000 season. The 27-year old Cape Verdean lefty had a 24-2 record, 2.19 ERA, and 370 strikeouts over 251 innings. He also led in WHIP (0.93), K/BB (18.5), shutouts (6), FIP- (43), and WAR (11.7). The WAR total was the second-most ever by a WAB pitcher to that point and as of 2037 is still the third best. Costa would leave WAB the next season and sign a five-year, $39,500,000 deal with MLB’s Montreal Maples.

Ibadan upset Niamey 2-0 on the road, sending the Iguanas to the Eastern League Championship Series for the third straight year. Kano was making their sixth straight appearance and looking to become the first EL team to four-peat. The Condors historic run continued, sweeping Ibadan 3-0. Kano now has eight pennants to their name.



The 26^th West African Baseball Championship was a rematch between Kano and Abidjan. The prior year, the Condors set the wins record and became the first to three-peat. Kano had a chance to four-peat and best their own mark, but the Athletes pulled off the upset in six games. It was Abidjan’s third title (1982, 1994, 2000), putting them at 3-7 all-time in the finals. 3B Falaba Coulibaly was finals MVP and a key acquisition, coming over on a trade from Dakar. Coulibaly in 10 playoff starts had 14 hits, 6 runs, 4 doubles, and 2 RBI.



Other notes: The 15^th WAB Perfect Game was thrown on June 23 by Niamey’s Moder Imani with eight strikeouts against Cotonou. It would be another nine years to the next perfecto. Cotonou’s Falaba Bah set the single-season triples record with 38. This would hold until 2030. Kano’s Arnaud Aho had 152 RBI, falling two short of the single-season record. Aho also won his eighth Silver Slugger and Darwin Morris won his seventh. Angelo Costa set postseason records for lowest opponents’ average (.094) and H/9 (2.7).

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2000 in CLB



For the first time in franchise history, Jinan took first in the CLB Northern League. The Jumbos finished 91-71 for their second playoff berth in four years. Xi’an was two games back at 89-73, earning a fourth consecutive playoff appearance and their sixth in seven years. For the second wild card, Dalian (86-76) edged out Qingdao (85-77), Shenyang (83-79), and Tianjin (82-80). It was the first playoff spot for the Gold Dragons since their 1989-94 dynasty run. Defending China Series champ Beijing dropped to seventh at 80-82.

Northern League MVP went to Dalian veteran first baseman Ruilong Xu. The 32-year old led in hits (178), total bases (307), slugging (.524), OPS (.871), and wRC+ (201). Xi also had 28 home runs, .304 average, and 8.0 WAR. Pitcher of the Year was Tianjin’s Dongbin He. Nicknamed “Tubby,” He led in wins (18-8), ERA (1.37), and innings (290). He added 268 strikeouts with 7.2 WAR.



Last year’s China Series runner-up Guangzhou repeated as the first place team in the Southern League. The Gamecocks finished 99-63 for China’s best record. Kunming was a close second at 96-66, snapping a 21-year playoff drought. Foshan took third at 94-68 for their fourth playoff appearance in five years. Although the Flyers finished third, their team ERA of 1.81 and 300 earned runs were the second best in SL history. Just short in the wild card race were Chongqing (92-70) and Shenzhen (89-73).

Kunming’s Tao Yang earned his second Southern League MVP. The 31-year old lefty led in home runs (52), total bases (323), slugging (.619), OPS (.956), and wRC+ (225). Yang also had 102 RBI and 9.8 WAR.

Foshan’s Jinlong Han won his fourth Pitcher of the Year in five years with a historic effort. He set still-standing CLB records for shutouts (12), WHIP (0.58), opponent OBP (.1696), opponent slugging (.1994), and opponent OPS (.3694). The 30-year old also led in ERA (0.94), innings (287.2), strikeouts (403), quality starts (30), complete games (26), FIP- (32), and WAR (13.8). His 21-7 record was one win short of a Triple Crown. Han’s strikeout mark was the fourth-best in CLB history, his ERA was third best, and his WAR mark was third best. Among his 12 shutouts was a no-hitter with 14 strikeouts and two walks against Macau. Han joined Momota Oichi as the only pitchers with four no-hitters in a CLB career.

Both Southern League teams prevailed in the first round of the playoffs over their Northern League counterparts 2-1. Kunming edged Dalian and Foshan upset Xi’an. The Muscle sunned Jinan 4-1 in the semifinal, sending Kunming to the China Series for the first time since 1979. On the other side, Guangzhou swept the Flyers to earn a repeat finals berth. Foshan was knocked out in the semi for the third time in four years.



In the 31^st China Series, Guangzhou downed league rival Kunming 4-1 for their second-ever CLB title (1971). LF Wenfeng Feng was finals MVP, getting eight hits, 3 runs, 2 home runs, and 4 RBI in 9 playoff starts. The Gamecocks are now 2-3 in their finals appearances while the Muscle are 2-2.



Other notes: The 28^th perfect game in CLB was thrown by Hong Kong’s Xin Fan against Macau with four strikeouts. Jinlong Han became the 12^th pitcher to 3000 career strikeouts. 3B Feixien Wu and SS Xuepeng Ye each won their eighth Gold Glove. 2B Chenglin Huang picked up his seventh Silver Slugger.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2000 in APB

Austronesia Professional Baseball’s players earned a win for the 2000 season, negotiating a decrease in service time required for free agency. APB went from eight to seven years, This put them in the middle compared to the other world leagues.



Kaohsiung repeated as Taiwan League champ at 97-65 and posted the best record in the Taiwan-Philippine Association. Taichung was second at 87-75 with both Taipei and Taoyuan were 86-76. In the Philippine League, Zamboanga ended a 19-year postseason drought, taking the top spot at 91-71. Cebu was second at 83-79, while defending TPA champ Manila was third at 82-78.

Taiwan-Philippine Association MVP went to second-year Zamboanga center fielder Paolo Baptista. The 23-year old led in home runs (39), RBI (102), total bases (323), slugging (.550), and WAR (11.4). Cebu’s Ninoy Lumar repeated as Pitcher of the Year, leading in WHIP (0.75), K/BB (9.6), complete games (26), shutouts (8), and WAR (10.0). Lumar also had 355 strikeouts over 274.2 innings with a 1.67 ERA and 18-13 record.



Medan ended an 11-year postseason drought, winning the Malacca League at 97-65. Singapore was second at 92-70, while Batam dropped to 83-79. It was only the second time in eight years that the Blue Raiders missed out on the postseason. Depok and Bandung tied for first in the Java League at 88-74. The Demons won the tiebreaker game for their third title in four years. Defending Austronesia Champion Surabaya struggled to 75-87.

Medan’s Afiq Parker won his third straight Pitcher of the Year in only his fourth season and also earned Sundaland Association MVP. The 26-year old Singaporean lefty repeated as a Triple Crown winner with a 20-7 record, 1.23 ERA, and 408 strikeouts over 248.2 innings. He also led in WHIP (0.64), shutouts (10), FIP- (14), and WAR (15.2). It was the seventh-time an APB pitcher had posted a 15+ WAR season and the second time for Parker, who had a 17.27 WAR mark in 1999. Parker also had a no-hitter with 19 strikeouts and one walk on September 9 against Jakarta. These efforts earned Parker a seven-year, $15,760,000 extension at the end of the season from the Marlins.

The Taiwan-Philippine Association Championship went seven games for the first time since 1991 with Kaohsiung edging Zamboanga. It was the fifth pennant for the Steelheads and the first since their mid 1970s dynasty. The Sundaland Association Championship saw Medan down Depok 4-1. The Marlins won their seventh pennant, but first since 1989. The Demons meanwhile were runner-up for the third time in four years.



In the 36^th Austronesia Championship, Kaohsiung claimed a seven-game classic over Medan. The Steelheads joined Jakarta and Taoyuan as the only five-time champs in APB. Kaohsiung is now 5-0 in the finals with the 2000 title joining their 1970s dynasty. Finals MVP was RF Ying-Shan Hu, who had 15 hits, 7 runs, 2 doubles, 3 home runs, 9 RBI, and 7 stolen bases in 14 starts.



Other notes: Although his Marlins lost the final, MVP Afiq Parker had an all-time postseason effort. He was 4-0 in four starts with a 0.00 ERA over 33 innings, 55 strikeouts, and 2.3 WAR. The WAR mark is the all-time APB postseason record for a pitcher. Manila’s Dedi Dewi struck out 22 over 11.1 innings in a game with Taichung, the second most Ks in a game in APB.

Manila’s Yu-Ren Yang tossed APB’s 24^th perfect game, striking out 17 on June 26 against Taoyuan. His Manatees teammate Saldy Latif tossed two no-hitters; one in July against Tainan and one in August versus Cebu. Ricky Jungao became the fifth pitcher to 5000 career strikeouts. This was his final year and he finished with 5159 Ks, second all-time behind Vhon Lasam’s 5365. Jungao is still third as of 2037. River Bulseco became the fourth batter to 2500 career hits. 1B Akbar Fatchurohman won his 13^th and final Gold Glove. 3B Gede Mamuaya won his tenth Silver Slugger. DH Dwi Taufik won his seventh Silver Slugger.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2000 in OBA

The Oceania Baseball Association made rule changes before the 2000 season to increase offensive numbers. The adjustments worked, as the Australasia League went from a .233 batting average and 3.15 ERA in 1999 to a .248 average and 3.56 ERA in 2000. The Pacific League went from a 3.36 ERA and .239 average to a 3.81 ERA and .254 average. OBA would see offensive numbers considered average on the world historical scale for the decade, up from below average to low marks prior.



Auckland ran away with the Australasia League title at 95-67, their first pennant since 1984 and their sixth overall. It was an impressive turnaround for the Avengers, who won only 75 games the prior season. Second place was a long way away with both Adelaide and Sydney at 82-80. Perth was fourth at 81-81, while defending AL champ Christchurch was fifth at 80-82.

Melbourne’s Tyler Straw won Australasia League MVP in only his second season. The 23-year old Australian shortstop led in OPS (.916), wRC+ (160), and WAR (8.2). Straw added 34 home runs and 51 stolen bases. Sydney’s Jim DeRossi won his third Pitcher of the Year in four years. The 29-year old righty led in wins (23-15), innings (338.2), strikeouts (336), WHIP (0.94), quality starts (31), complete games (22), and shutouts (5). DeRossi also had a 2.52 ERA and 9.0 WAR. He would get re-signed mid-2001 by the Snakes to a seven-year, $23,520,000 extension.



Reigning Oceania Champion Guam won the Pacific League title for the fourth consecutive season. The Golden Eagles were 104-58, giving them their seventh title of the decade. Fiji was their only real competitor at 98-64, six games back. This was the Freedom’s winningest-ever season, however they remain the lone PL team without a pennant yet.

Samoa’s Mario Harris won Pacific League MVP. The 29-year old Indonesian led in runs (116), triples (30), slugging (.664), OPS (1.028), and WAR (9.4). Harris also had 42 home runs, 112 RBI, and a .310 average. Guam’s Otto Rowland earned Pitcher of the Year in his second season as a Golden Eagle. The 30-year old led in wins (23-11), innings (328.1), complete games (19), and WAR (11.0). Rowland also had 2.85 ERA and 319 strikeouts.



The 41^st Oceania Championship was a seven-game classic with Guam defeating Auckland to continue their dynasty. The Golden Eagles won their third OBA title in four years and their fourth in nine years. The Avengers are now 1-5 all-time in the final. LF Gunga Majhi repeated as finals MVP, picking up 10 hits, 6 runs, 2 doubles, 1 triple, 3 home runs, and 6 RBI in the series.



Other notes: SS Jay Lawrence won his tenth Gold Glove, 3B Errol Herne won his ninth, and SS Thom Serra won his seventh. 3B Dane Molitor won his eighth Silver Slugger.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2000 in EPB

---

2000 was the first season of the downsized Eurasian Professional Baseball following the exodus. The new European League had four returning teams and all four of the expansion teams needed to stop the bleeding. Two of the expansion teams, Nizhny Novgorod and Volgograd, posted winning seasons in their debuts at 84-78. Perennial power Minsk unsurprisingly took first at 100-62 to extend their postseason streak to 20 seasons. The Miners are now one away from matching EBF’s Zurich for the longest playoff streak in pro baseball history. The new setup means only one wild card, which went to Kazan at 90-72. The Crusaders edged Moscow by two games for the spot, extending their own playoff streak to four seasons.

Kazan left fielder Oleg Ivashko won European League MVP. The 31-year old Russian led in runs scored (89) and wRC+ (180), adding 8.8 WAR, 24 home runs, and a .311 average. Pitcher of the Year was Minsk’s Markiyan Konoplya. The 26-year old Ukrainian righty had the fifth-ever Triple Crown by an EPB pitcher and the first since 1983, posting a 24-6 record, 1.74 ERA, and 372 strikeouts over 300.2 innings. Konoplya also led in WHIP (0.84), quality starts (31), shutouts (7), FIP- (47), and WAR (12.5).



The Asian League’s new lineup was the same eight teams that previously constituted the North Division. A wild card last year, Yekaterinburg took first place at 92-70. It was their first time leading the standings since 1990. Last year’s division champ Omsk and Chelyabinsk tied for the wild card at 84-78, topping Irkutsk by two games. The Otters won the tiebreaker game for their third playoff berth in four years.

Yekaterinburg 2B Sarxan Niftailyev repeated as Asian League MVP. The 27-year old Russian led in runs scored (93) and added 34 home runs, 108 RBI, a .313/.362/.540 slash, and 6.3 WAR. His Yaks teammate Matvey Ivanov repeated as Pitcher of the Year, leading in wins (22-10), strikeouts (337), WHIP (0.72), K/BB (15.3), complete games (26), shutouts (6), FIP- (47), and WAR (10.2). Ivanov was second in the AL with a 1.50 ERA over 257.1 innings. Among his shutouts was a 14 strikeout, one walk no-hitter against Ufa on July 5. Yekaterinburg would give Ivanov a seven-year, $14,800,000 extension in the offseason. Meanwhile, Niftaliyev received an eight-year, $17,620,000 extension and these two would help make the Yaks a regular title contender for the next decade.

The 2000 postseason was guaranteed to have two new pennant winners, as the 1998-99 champs Kharkiv and Tashkent were both among the teams that left. Minsk rolled Kazan 4-1 in the European League Championship Series, giving the Miners an historic 14^th pennant in EPB’s 46 year history. It was their first since 1996, as the Miners had fallen in 1998 and 1999 to Kharkiv. In the Asian League Championship Series, Yekaterinburg hadn’t gotten that far since 1990 and Omsk hadn’t since 1987. The Yaks downed the Otters 4-1 to give Yekaterinburg its fifth title and first since 1989.



The 46^th Eurasian Professional Baseball Championship was a rematch of the inaugural final, which Yekaterinburg won 4-2 over Minsk in 1955. This one was far less interesting as the Miners mauled the Yaks for the first finals sweep since 1988. It was Minsk’s tenth overall title (1956, 62, 66, 69, 85, 88, 90, 91, 96, 2000). Veteran LF Wojciech Jezierski was finals MVP as the Polish 31-year old had 12 hits, 5 runs, and 4 extra base hits in 9 playoff starts.



Other notes: RF Sapar Durdyew won his seventh Gold Glove. SS Gleb Khassanov won his seventh Silver Slugger.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2000 in EBF

With great fanfare, 2000 began the 48-team era of the expanded European Baseball Federation. There were many questions from fans and observers as to how the new teams would fare and how the general flow of the EBF would look. Offensive numbers went up slightly in the Southern Conference from the prior year, but stayed around the same for the Northern Conference. In that regard, the influx didn’t make a noticeable dent.



Making an explosive debut was Kharkiv, who had been the two-time defending champion of Eurasian Professional Baseball. The Killer Bees posted the EBF’s best record in their debut at 107-55, winning a stacked North Central Division. Counting their EPB days, this gave Kharkiv a six-season playoff streak. They had 306 doubles offensively, the second-most in conference history behind Paris’s 311 in 1950. Both wild cards came out of the division with defending conference champ Hamburg at 100-62 and Berlin at 96-66. The Barons extended their playoff streak to five years. Warsaw was fourth in the division at 91-71, ending a 12-year postseason run for the Wildcats. On the other end, newcomer Prague was 45-117, setting a conference record for the worst season in EBF history. Their 5.05 team ERA and 903 runs allowed were the worst since the inaugural 1950 season.

Both Glasgow and Paris won division titles at 100-62, but the Highlanders had the tiebreaker for the first round bye. Glasgow extended its playoff streak to five years, finishing eight games ahead of Dublin in the British Isles Division. The Poodles earned a fourth straight Northwest Division, taking it by 18 games. Copenhagen clobbered the Northeast Division competition at 98-64. It was the Corsairs’ second division title in three years.

Northern Conference MVP was Hamburg’s Ulf Alstrom. The 25-year old Swedish first baseman led in OPS (1.051), and wRC+ (195). He added 43 home runs, 123 RBI, a .353 average, and 8.7 WAR. Kharkiv’s Igor Kuchkowski won his first Pitcher of the Year in EBF. It was his third overall, having taken it in EPB in 1997 and 1999. The 33-year old Polish lefty led in wins (21-6), ERA (1.93), and WHIP (0.80). He had 320 strikeouts over 260.2 innings and an 8.3 WAR.

The new first round of the playoffs saw Copenhagen edge Hamburg 2-1 and Berlin upset Paris 2-1. Glasgow rolled to a sweep of the Barons, but Kharkiv had to scrap by the Corsairs in five games. This was the Highlanders’ third Northern Conference Championship in four years, hoping to break a pennant drought back to 1976. The newcomer Kharkiv denied Glasgow’s hopes, taking the series 4-1. It was the Killer Bees’ third straight pennant, carrying over their dynasty from EPB.



Defending European Champion Madrid had the best record in the Southern Conference at 106-56 atop the Southwest Division. Milan, newly moved into the division with them, had the SC’s second best record at 98-64 to earn the first wild card. That ended a decade-long playoff drought for the Maulers. It also marked the end of Lisbon’s nine-year playoff streak. The Clippers were third in the division at 87-75, falling six games short of the second wild card spot.

Two divisions saw ties for the top spot. Zurich and Rome both were 93-69 in the South Central Division, while Athens and Budapest were both 92-70. The Mountaineers and Red Wolves both were guaranteed playoff spots, but a tiebreaker win meant a first round bye and a loss meant you were the second wild card. Zurich prevailed to end a two-year playoff drought, while Rome ended a five-year skid without a playoff berth or winning season.

In the East Central, Athens took the tiebreaker game over Budapest. The Anchors won a fourth straight division title, while the Bombers were denied a shot at the playoffs in their EPB debut. Budapest hadn’t seen a playoff appearance since 1978. One EPB exodus playoff representative was expected out of the Southeast Division, since five of the six teams were teams that jumped. Tirana (84-78) edged out Bucharest (83-79), Sofia (80-82), and expansion Odessa (79-83) for the spot. The Trojans earned their first playoff appearance since winning the 1972 EPB European League pennant.

Leading Tirana in their new league was catcher Robert Erhan, who won Southern Conference MVP. The 28-year old Romanian was the WARlord (9.7), adding a .381 average, 181 wRC+, and 25 home runs. Erhan wouldn’t stay in Albania, inking a massive seven-year, $63,000,000 deal in the offseason to jump to MLB’s Toronto Timberwolves. Erhan would have a great debut in Canada, but flame out quickly in part due to knee issues. Lisbon’s Geza Sebestyen repeated as Pitcher of the Year, leading in wins at 21-7. The 25-year old Hungarian righty had a 2.79 ERA over 238.1 innings, 299 strikeouts, and 6.5 WAR. Sebestyen also had a 14 strikeout, one walk no-hitter in June against Zagreb. The Clippers committed to their ace with a five-year, $16,240,000 extension in the offseason.

The first round of the playoffs saw Tirana sweep Milan 2-0 and Athens edge Rome 2-1. Round two had Madrid over the Trojans 3-1 and a Zurich sweep of the Anchors. The Conquistadors had a shot to repeat as Southern Conference Champions, while the Mountaineers hoped for their first pennant since 1993. Madrid would take it 4-2 over Zurich to become seven-time conference champions.



The 51^st European Championship was a “dream match” for European baseball junkies as the defending EBF champ (Madrid) met the two-time defending EPB champ (Kharkiv). This type of “best of the best” encounter wouldn’t be a reality until the Baseball Grand Championship was introduced in 2010. The newcomer Killer Bees defeated the Conquistadors 4-2, giving Kharkiv its first EBF title and a three-peat between leagues. Pitcher Jiri Taborsky was finals MVP, having joined the Killer Bees in a trade with Prague in the offseason. The 28-year old Czech righty had a 2.35 ERA in three playoff starts with 19 strikeouts in 23 innings.



Kharkiv’s win cemented a dynasty as one of the finest runs for any European baseball team in either EBF or EPB. It also cemented that the expansion was a tremendous success for both the EBF and most of the new teams. The added eyeballs and cash from new markets certainly also pleased even the most skeptical among the EBF old guard.

Other notes: EBF had three perfect games thrown in 2000, making it 23 in EBF history. The first was by Marseille’s Enrico Gini on May 3 with 14 strikeouts against Belgrade. On June 11, Kharkiv’s Petro Mihalko fanned 11 against Dublin. Then July 12, Birmingham’s Wawasani Vehajuddin did it with 11 Ks against Cologne. Budapest’s Kristijan Acevski had a 38-game hitting streak, which was tied for the fifth longest in EBF history to date.

Lindsey Brampton became the third pitcher to 5000 career strikeouts. Khaled Jabri became the sixth pitcher to 250 wins. He pitched two more years and ended at 272, retiring third all-time. Robin Morrison and Willy Fierro became the seventh and eighth to 1500 runs scored. In his final EBF season, Fierro won his eighth Silver Slugger in center field. He would play the next eight years in MLB. Morrison also became the 12^th to 1500 RBI and the 17^th to 2500 hits.