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

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2002 WAB Hall of Fame

For the first time since 1997, West African Baseball didn’t induct any players into the Hall of Fame. Only one guy on the 2002 ballot even was above 50% with SP Elodie Belem at 59.7% on his fifth try. SP Kasim Shuaibu was the top debut with 39.0%.

Closer Joe Kelley was dropped after ten ballots. He was an American player who came out of independent leagues, pitching only six years in WAB with Conakry. In that short time, he had two Reliever of the Year awards, 224 saves, 1.73 ERA, 531.2 innings, 914 strikeouts, 198 ERA+, and 23.6 WAR. It was a dominant short run before leaving for MLB and a few more forgettable years. Still, he managed to end with a peak of 42.0% after bouncing around between the low teens and mid 30s.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2002 SAB Hall of Fame

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South Asia Baseball had two inner-circle level Hall of Famers for the 2002 class. SP Zainal bin Aziz earned the very rare distinction of being unanimous. As of 2037, he’s one of only five in all of the world leagues with such an honor. 2B VJ Williams was close behind with 97.7%. Closer Harini Shreenath just missed out on also being a first ballot pick, getting 64.1%. C Krish Balvinder also had a nice showing with 59.5% on his fourth try.



Zainal bin Aziz – Starting Pitcher – Vientiane Vampires – 100% First Ballot

Zainal bin Aziz was a 6’2’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Johor Bahru, Malaysia’s second-largest city. He was known for having tremendous stuff, excellent movement, and very good control. Zainal was a rare player with six pitches, led by a 96-98 mph sinker. He also had an incredibly potent curveball, changeup, splitter, and knuckle curve, plus a circle change. Bin Aziz was an absolute master at changing speeds and mixing pitches.

Defensively, bin Aziz was good and he was great at holding runners. His stamina was good, but not outstanding. Zainal had great durability though until his career-ending injury, tossing 230+ innings in all but his first and final seasons. He wasn’t a big personality, but he became extremely popular as the Southeast Asia League’s first megastar pitcher.

Entering the 1982 SAB Draft, bin Aziz was viewed by many to be the top prospect available. He’d get selected second overall by Vientiane, sending him to Laos. His rookie year was split between the bullpen and starting, but he looked decent in limited action. Year two saw bin Aziz as a full-time starter and by year three, he was arguably the best pitcher in SAB.

In 1984, bin Aziz was third in Pitcher of the Year voting, then second in 1985. 1985 began a streak of six straight seasons leading SEAL in both WAR and FIP. With the Vampires, he’d lead the league five times in strikeouts, five times in WHIP, thrice in ERA, twice in wins, once in innings, and four times in K/BB. In 1989, bin Aziz became SAB’s second-ever Triple Crown winning pitcher with a 22-6 record, 2.02 ERA, and 367 strikeouts. Zainal did it again in 1990 with a 21-5 record, 1.48 ERA, and 360 strikeouts.

With Vientiane, bin Aziz won Pitcher of the Year in 1986, 87, 89, and 90; while taking third in 1988. On May 21, 1987, bin Aziz tossed a no-hitter with five strikeouts and one walk against Yangon. He had five seasons worth 9+ WAR and three above triple digits, peaking with 12.1 in 1987; which set the SAB record for a pitcher at the time. The 381 strikeouts in 1987 was also briefly the SAB record.

Despite bin Aziz’s dominance, Vientiane was a mid-level team in SEAL. They would get wild cards in 1986 and 1987, but fall in the first round both years. His three playoff starts with the Vampires saw a 2.16 ERA over 25 innings and 31 strikeouts. Zainal also pitched for his native Malaysia from 1984-96 in the World Baseball Championship. In 197 WBC innings, he had a 13-11 record, 3.15 ERA, 280 strikeouts, 115 ERA+, 61 FIP-, and 7.1 WAR.

Vientiane would extend bin Aziz after the 1987 on a four-year, $3,030,000 deal. While he thrived, the Vampires seemed stuck in the mid-tier. His contract expired after the 1991 season with the soon to be 32-year old bin Aziz looking at his next step. Vientiane was disappointed, but knew they couldn’t match the big money bin Aziz would certainly command. At that point, SAB had largely turned into a bidding war for the top talent between Ho Chi Minh City and Ahmedabad, as both were a few years into their respective dynasties.

With Vientiane, bin Aziz had a 151-80 record, 2.27 ERA, 2057.2 innings, 2791 strikeouts, 500 walks, 206/259 quality starts, 163 ERA+, 56 FIP-, and 76.3 WAR. The Vampires would retire his #53 uniform and he’d remain a beloved franchise icon for years to come. Although he went into the Hall of Fame in the Vientiane hat, he managed to somehow get even better in his second run.

Ho Chi Minh City signed bin Aziz to a five-year, $4,250,000 deal. Entering 1992, the Hedgehogs had made five straight LCS appearances and won three SEAL titles, but they couldn’t get around Ahmedabad in the SAB Championship. The hope was adding the best pitcher in the game might get them over that hump. Zainal immediately delivered with his third Triple Crown season at 22-6, 1.93 ERA, and 396 strikeouts. The Ks mark was a new single-season best that still holds as of 2037 and he broke his own WAR record with 12.4, earning his fifth Pitcher of the Year and a third place in MVP voting.

HCMC won another SEAL title in 1992, but again lost to the Animals in the final. Zainal won his sixth POTY in 1993 as the Hedgehogs had an incredible 126-36, setting a new world record for wins in a season. The season ended in tremendous disappointment as they lost to Johor Bahru in the first round. HCMC bounced back with pennants in 1994 and 1995, but again couldn’t be Ahmedabad. 1995 was the historic showdown between the two with both squads at 124-38.

With Ho Chi Minh City, bin Aziz led in ERA thrice, WAR four times, FIP- four times, K/BB four times, strikeouts four times, and WHIP three times. Zainal broke his WAR record again with 13.1 in 1994, then broke it once more with 13.4 the next year. That gave him eight Pitcher of the Year awards, something very few pitchers in any world league can claim. As of 2037, the most any other SAB pitcher has is five.

Of the top seven WAR seasons by a SAB pitcher, bin Aziz has six of them, including the top four. His 1.48 ERA in 1990 is the third-best in SAB history. He holds the fist, fifth, and tenth most strikeouts in a season. 1995 saw 26 wins for bin Aziz, a mark no other SAB pitchers have reached. On April 8, 1994, bin Aziz made history again with SAB’s second-ever perfect game. He struck out 14 in the perfect effort against Mandalay.

Zainal was also great in the playoffs as expected. He had 16 starts with Ho Chi Minh City with a 1.45 ERA, 9-3 record, 163 strikeouts, 19 walks, 244 ERA+, 38 FIP-, and 5.8 WAR. His 2.0 WAR in the 1994 playoffs is a SAB record and his56 Ks from that run is the third most in SAB history. Adding the Vientiane starts, bin Aziz’s playoff career is 10-5 in 19 starts, 1.57 ERA over 143 innings, 194 strikeouts, 228 ERA+, and 6.6 WAR. As of 2037, he’s the playoff leader in complete games (6), second in WAR, and seventh in both wins and strikeouts.

In 1996, bin Aziz became the first SAB pitcher to 250 career wins. He had already become the first to 4000 strikeouts the other year. Things were looking as impressive as ever for the now 36-year old lefty with a 1.81 ERA and 5.5 WAR through 124 innings. But then, disaster struck.

On June 12, 1996, bin Aziz suffered a torn flexor tendon in his elbow. The prognosis was 14 months, meaning the rest of the 1996 season and probably most to all of 1997. Zainal’s contract was set to expire with the 1996 season and Ho Chi Minh City didn’t re-sign him. In his five seasons as a Hedgehog, bin Aziz had a 104-21 record, 1.84 ERA, 1124 innings, 1692 strikeouts, 171 walks, 193 ERA+, 37 FIP-, and 55.7 WAR. He’d be beloved by Hedgehogs fans for decades to come as well.

Zainal didn’t retire right away and he hoped to make it back. He spent the rest of 1996 and 1997 rehabbing. Unfortunately once he could get back to throwing, bin Aziz’s previous 96-98 mph velocity was down to the 91-93 mph range. His stuff went from rated a 9/10 in his prime to 3/10. Dejected, bin Aziz retired in the winter of 1997 at age 38, never making it back on the field after the injury.

For his career, bin Aziz had a 255-101 record, 2.12 ERA, 3181.2 innings, 4483 strikeouts, 671 walks, 324/402 quality starts, 82 complete games, a 173 ERA+, 49 FIP-, and 132.0 WAR. The accolades are eight Pitcher of the Year awards, six ERA titles, eight seasons as the strikeout leader, four as the wins leader, ten as the WARlord, and seven double-digit WAR seasons.

Even with the early end to his career, bin Aziz still is the all-time pitching leader in WAR by nearly 30 points as of 2037. He’s also the leader in shutouts (36) while sitting third in wins and fourth in strikeouts. No other Hall of Fame starting pitcher has a lower ERA. Had his elbow not exploded, bin Aziz’s tallies would’ve been even more bonkers. Even still, few would argue against him being South Asia Baseball’s GOAT pitcher, fittingly giving him a unanimous induction in 2002.



V.J. Williams – Second/First Base – Ahmedabad Animals – 97.7% First Ballot

V.J. Williams was a 6’3’’, 190 pound left-handed hitting infielder from Baraut, India; a city with around 100,000 inhabitants in the northern Uttar Pradesh state. Williams was a great contact hitter with excellent power and a solid eye. He was excellent at earning extra base hits, averaging 41 home runs, 37 doubles, and 8 triples per 162 game average. Williams was quite quick and was a very intelligent and crafty baserunner as well.

Defensively, Williams made about 2/3s of his starts at second base and the rest at first. Although a tremendous bat for a 2B, Williams was a lousy defender there, lacking the range and glovesmanship needed. However, he graded out as very good defensively at first, even winning a Gold Glove in 1983. Williams was an absolute ironman, playing 156+ games in every season but his rookie year. He was scrappy and a hard worker, helping him become one of the most endearing and beloved players of his era.

Williams timed out as being eligible in SAB’s first-ever rookie draft in 1980. He was picked third overall by Delhi, where he’d spend the first seven years of his career. Williams was mostly a backup as a rookie, but a full-time starter after that. He soon would absolutely light up the leaderboards, posting six straight seasons worth 9+ WAR.

From 1982-87, Williams led the Indian League in WAR four times, runs five times, hits five times doubles twice, RBI twice, total bases six times, batting average four times, OBP five times, slugging six times, OPS six times, and wRC+ six times. He won four straight MVPs from 1984-87, while taking third in 1982 and second in 1983. Williams also won Silver Sluggers in all six seasons. His 138 runs scored in 1984 stood as SAB’s single-season best until 2007. Williams also smacked 40+ homers in all six years with Delhi.

Despite all of that, the Drillers stunk. They averaged 79 wins per season and didn’t make the playoffs once during his tenure. Williams was still beloved by Delhi fans and he had his most efficient seasons there, although most fans don’t remember him in Drillers brown. For his seven seasons, Williams had 1264 hits, 746 runs, 252 doubles, 294 home runs, 229 stolen bases, a .334/.408/.608 slash, 220 wRC+, and 71.1 WAR.

Williams was a megastar throughout India and also a regular for them in the World Baseball Championship. From 1983-96, he had 141 games and 133 starts with 151 hits, 106 runs, 37 doubles, 46 home runs, 108 RBI, 37 stolen bases, a .296/.384/.663 slash, 193 wRC+, and 9.0 WAR. As of 2037, he’s second all-time in WAR among all Indian players in the WBC and first in OPS.

Williams also won tournament MVP in 1993 as he led India to its first-ever finals appearance, falling in the championship to China. In 23 starts, Williams had 29 runs, 30 hits, 10 doubles, 13 home runs, 23 RBI, a .345/.426/.908 slash, 269 wRC+, and 2.5 WAR. At the time, that was the fifth-most runs scored in a single WBC. From all of this, Williams was an absolute megastar throughout India.

That afforded Williams opportunities in and outside of baseball. When his Delhi deal ran out after the 1987 season, Williams was 28 years old. The bidding wars between Ahmedabad and Ho Chi Minh City for all of the top free agents limited his options generally between the two. Williams didn’t want to leave India, but he also couldn’t reach a satisfactory arrangement with the Animals or anyone else. Thus, apart from the WBC, Williams didn’t play baseball in 1988, instead pursuing other interests.

Williams got the itch to come back soon after and was able to figure out compensation with Ahmedabad. The Animals gave him a one year return deal for 1989 at $424,000. The dynasty was underway at this point with SAB titles in 1986 and 1987, but the level of dominance to come after was still unknown at that point. After returning at MVP form, Ahmedabad gave Williams a seven-year, $5,490,000 extension.

During Williams’ run from 1989-96, Ahmedabad won seven championships (89-92, 93-95) and won 107+ games each season. They set the Indian League record in 1995 at 124-38, defeating fellow 124-win Ho Chi Minh City in one of the most epic title showdowns in baseball history. Williams would be a massive reason that the Animals dynasty went from merely great to perhaps the greatest in baseball history.

Williams had 7.5 WAR in seven straight seasons, debuting with 12.1 WAR and 12.5 WAR efforts. Clearly, rust wasn’t an issue. In those first two years, Williams led in hits, average, slugging, OPS, wRC+, and WAR. He also led with a career best 146 RBI in 1990. Williams topped the IL in total bases in 1990 and 1991. He also was the WARlord in 1995 at 10.9, his seventh time leading in WAR and his eighth season hitting double-digits.

Naturally, these efforts got Williams more hardware. He won his fifth MVP in 1990 and took second in 1989’s voting and third in 1995. Williams won seven straight Silver Sluggers, giving him 13 for his career. His greatness carried into the postseason, winning ILCS MVP in 1990, 92, and 94. In 118 playoff starts, Williams had 123 hits, 74 runs, 23 doubles, 29 home runs, 66 RBI, a .275/.345/.542 slash, 176 wRC+, and 6.2 WAR.

After posting 7+ WAR in all but his rookie year, Williams regressed to a mere 3.0 WAR in 1996. This was the final year of his deal and Ahmedabad didn’t sign him to a new contract. Williams shopped around in 1997, but didn’t find a home, retiring that winter at age 38. The Animals quickly retired Williams’ uniform #8. In his run, he had 1392 hits, 848 runs, 289 doubles, 302 home runs, 895 RBI, 393 stolen bases, a .301/.367/.588 slash, 200 wRC+, and 71.5 WAR.

Williams’ final stats were 2656 hits, 1594 runs, 541 doubles, 115 triples, 596 home runs, 1638 RBI, 938 walks, 622 stolen bases, a .316/.386/.620 slash, 209 wRC+, and 142.6 WAR. He was the first in SAB history to 2500 hits, 1500 runs scored, and 1500 RBI, as well as the second to 500 home runs. The later high-offense eras of SAB would knock him down leaderboards, falling out of the top ten in the counting stats. However, his career WAR still ranks sixth-best in SAB history. Williams was one of India’s first-ever major baseball stars and a no-doubt Hall of Famer, getting 97.7%. He and Zainal bin Aziz make up the 2002 class, perhaps as the best one-two in the SAB Hall’s history.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2002 ABF/ALB Hall of Fame

Catcher Razak Mohiyoudeen again came close to being the first Asian Baseball Federation Hall of Fame, but ended up just short of the 66% requirement. On his second try, Mohiyoudeen earned 59.9%, just down from his 63.2% the prior year. Two others made respectable debuts with RF Hakim Baig at 47.9% and 1B Hazan Sheikh at 46.1%. Three others were above 30%.



Closer Paul Arfaoui received 41.4% in his third time on the still new Arab League Baseball Hall of Fame ballot. This was the highest anyone had gotten yet in ALB, but still plenty shy of the 66% requirement. No one else reached double-digits.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2002 World Baseball Championship

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The 2002 World Baseball Championship was the 56^th edition of the event and the first to be hosted in the capital of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa. In Division 1, Ukraine advanced at 7-2, edging out both Egypt and Sweden by one game. This was the seventh division title for the Ukrainians, although they hadn’t done it in a decade. The two-time reigning world champ United States grabbed D2 at 8-1, two games ahead of both Colombia and Ethiopia. It was the 47^th time getting to the elite eight for the Americans.

After a five year title drought, China advanced with an 8-1 record in Division 3, fending off a spirited 7-2 Bangladesh. This was the 20^th division title for the Chinese. Division 4 saw a tie for first at 7-2 between Japan and Poland. The head-to-head tiebreaker went to the Japanese, advancing for the 16^th time. They ended their own significant drought dating back to 1989. Russia, last year’s runner-up, tied for fourth in the division at 5-4.

Cuba claimed a tough Division 5 at 8-1, beating both Argentina and Australia by one game. This was the fifth division win for the Cubans, who last did it in 1993. Division 6 went to 8-1 England, besting Brazil by one game. It was the sixth division title for the English, who last made it in 1999. The Brazilians are now on a three-year drought for the first time since the early 1980s.

In Division 7, Spain and the Netherlands tied at 6-3, while the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Tanzania were each 5-4. The Dutch had the head-to-head tiebreaker, moving on for the sixth time and the first time since 1989. In D8, Germany rolled at 8-1, while Indonesia, Italy, Myanmar, and Pakistan were each 6-3. The Germans now have eight division titles, ending a drought back to their 1991 runner-up effort. With that, the defending champion US was the only team in the playoff field who also was in the field in either 2001 or 2000. For the first time since 1983 as well, half of the division winners were European teams.

The United States dominated Round Robin Group A at 6-0, earning a third straight semifinal berth and a 41^st final four appearance. Germany took second at 3-3, while the Netherlands was 2-4 and Cuba was 1-5. The Germans picked up their fifth-ever semifinal appearance. In Group B, Japan and China both advanced at 4-2, while both Ukraine and England finished 2-4. It was the seventh semifinal for the Japanese and 15^th for the Chinese.

The Americans won their semi 3-1 against Japan to earn an unprecedented 37^th championship appearance. China and Germany went the distance with the Chinese surviving in five games. That earned China its tenth championship berth and first since 1996. Germany officially was third and Japan was fourth, which was the best finish for either nation in more than a decade.



The 56^th World Championship was the sixth finals meeting between the United States and China. The Americans won in their 1971, 74, 75, and 96 encounters, while the lone Chinese win came in 1994. That was the most recent world title for China, with their most recent appearance being the 1996 loss. The series was a classic, the first to go all seven games since Canada’s epic win over the Chinese in 1995. China took the series to deny another American three-peat. The win makes China 5-5 all-time in the final with titles in 1970, 79, 93, 94, and now 2002. The US sits at 32-5 in their finals tries.



Although Japan lost in the semifinal, they had the tournament MVP and Best Pitcher. The former was RF Koji Iwasaki, a 28-year old fresh off a 71 home run season with Saitama. In 19 starts, Iwasaki had 27 hits, 21 runs, 4 doubles, 12 home runs, 23 RBI, a .342/.391/.848 slash, 255 wRC+, and 2.1 WAR. Natsu Kishimoto won Best Pitcher, a 24-year old lefty for Kyoto. He tossed 10.2 scoreless innings in three appearances with 17 strikeouts, one walk, and five this allowed.

Other notes: For the entire event, the United States compiled 269 hits as a team, setting a new WBC record. This would remain the high until the Americans beat it in 2031 with 272 hits. Taiwan’s Ying-Shan Hu became the ninth player to hit for the cycle in the WBC, doing it against Switzerland. With their title, China is now tied with Mexico for fourth in the all-time tournament stats.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2002 in AAB

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Four-time defending AAB Southern Conference champion Johannesburg took the top spot in the standings for the fourth year in a row, finishing at 105-57. They were closely trailed by Antananarivo, who earned its first playoff berth in AAB’s eight seasons to date. The Eagles were 102-60 to set a franchise record. After wild cards in the prior two seasons, Dar es Salaam dropped to third at 93-69. Durban was fourth at 91-71, setting a new high mark for the Deer.

Although Lilongwe was sixth, they had RF Felix Chaula repeat as Southern Conference MVP. The 26-year old Tanzanian righty led in home runs (57), OBP (.436), slugging (.714), OPS (1.150), wRC+ (209), and WAR (9.9). Chaula added 114 RBI and a .306 average. Pitcher of the Year was Antananarivo righty Lucas Wachira, who broke out as the leader in wins (22-7), ERA (2.39), innings (275.1), and quality starts (26). The 24-year old Kenyan added 272 strikeouts and 7.9 WAR. Also of note, Dar es Salaam’s Tewderos Tadesse became the second AAB player to win Reliever of the Year thrice.



Kinshasa returned to first place in the Central Conference standings, taking the spot at 105-57. It was their fifth time taking first, as the Sun Cats still have been in the playoffs in each season of the AAB. Defending champ Lubumbashi would fall short though, finishing third at 98-64. They were bested by Mogadishu, who snagged the second place spot at 102-60. This was the second-ever playoff berth for the Mighty Mice, who also were a wild card in 1998. There was a steep 15 game drop from third to fourth.

Fifth place Brazzaville had the Central Conference’s MVP in Mohau Sibiya. The 29-year old South African smacked 76 home runs, passing his own AAB record of 69 from 1999. Sibiya also had 158 RBI, one shy of Abebe Chekol’s record from the prior year. He’d lose the home run record in 2006, but he stands in elite company in world history. Sibayi also led the conference in runs (134), total bases (419), slugging (.754), OPS (1.121), wRC+ (193), and WAR (11.5). It would be his last year with the Blowfish, as he’d be traded across the river to Kinshasa in the offseason.

Pitcher of the Year was Kampala’s Mulumba Mwamba. He became the first-ever reliever to win the award in AAB, posting 35 saves in 87.2 innings, a 1.23 ERA, 152 strikeouts, 335 ERA+, and 5.5 WAR. Shockingly he won POTY and NOT Reliever of the Year, as the latter went to Lubumbashi’s Rajab Hamadi. The 27-year old led in saves (41) and had a 1.11 ERA, 188 strikeouts in 81 innings, 368 ERA+, and 6.9 WAR. It remains baffling to historians years later that a reliever won POTY despite not being the top reliever by many metrics.

Johannesburg’s reign atop the Southern Conference ended as Antananarivo denied them the five-peat. The Eagles upset the Jackalopes 4-1 in the Conference Championship for their first-pennant. Joahnnesburg would have to wait more than a decade for their next pennant, while Antananarivo would assume the mantle for the next few years. The Central Conference Championship was a rematch of the 1998 final. It was a seven game classic, but Kinshasa again came out on top of Mogadishu. The Sun Cats earned their sixth pennant through eight seasons.



Kinshasa was upset that Lubumbashi broke up the dynasty in 2001. They took that frustration out on Antananarivo in the eighth Africa Series, winning it 5-1. The Sun Cats earned their fifth title in six years with the win, a feat matched by few teams in any world league. 1B Matthew Roberts led the way, winning MVP of the Africa Series and the Conference final. A 32-year old Canadian who joined Kinshasa in 2000 after nine years in Montreal, Roberts had 13 hits, 9 runs, 6 home runs, and 13 RBI in 12 playoff starts.



Other notes: On April 10, Antananarivo’s Seth Zoontjes tossed the first-ever perfect game in AAB, striking out eight against Durban. The next perfecto wouldn’t come until 2013. Joel Mwasesa became the first pitcher to 2000 career strikeouts. CF Tico Samo won his sixth Gold Glove, becoming the second in AAB to win six.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2002 in ALB

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The Arab League’s Western Conference saw a shakeup with three new division champs than the prior two seasons. The top record went to Alexandria at 97-65 atop the Nile Division. The Astronauts finished six games ahead of Cairo for the top spot, ending a seven-year playoff drought. Tripoli took the Mediterranean Division at 96-66, edging Algiers by two games. The Privateers ended the four-year division title streak of Casablanca, who took third in the division at 89-73. Amman dominated the Levant Division at 91-71, ending a two-year playoff drought. Jerusalem, the division winner in the prior two seasons, fell off hard to 73-89.

Western Conference MVP went to Casablanca 3B Abderrazak Zouari for the second time in three years. The 28-year old Moroccan righty bounced back after missing half of 2001 to injury, leading in runs (131), home runs (55), RBI (147), total bases (401), OBP (.409), slugging (.706), OPS (1.115), wRC+ (206), and WAR (12.0).

Cairo’s Mahmoud Al-Fandi won Pitcher of the Year and became the first-ever Triple Crown pitcher in Arab League Baseball history. The 26-year old Syrian lefty had a 24-8 record, 2.71 ERA, and 319 strikeouts over 259 innings. Al-Fandi also led in WHIP (0.95), quality starts (31), FIP- (69), and WAR (7.7).

Tripoli swept Amman in the first round of the playoffs, earning their third Western Conference Finals appearance (1991, 1997). For top seed Alexandria, their only prior playoff berth saw a WCF defeat in 1994. The Astronauts would sweep the Privateers 3-0 to win their first-ever pennant.



The battle for the top record in the Eastern Conference was centered in the Saudi Division as Riyadh and Medina both finished at 96-66. The Rats defeated the Mastodons in the one-game tiebreaker for their second division title in three years. Jeddah, last year’s conference finalist, dropped to .500. Dubai repeated as Gulf Division champ at 95-67, fending off Kuwait by two games. Reigning ALB champ Mosul had their worst record since 1994, but still firmly took the Iraq Division at 89-73. The Muskies extended their postseason streak to eight years, the longest in ALB history to date.

Riyadh first baseman Samer Al-Mousa won Eastern Conference MVP and posted the fourth ALB Triple Crown season for a hitter. The 26-year old Syrian lefty smacked 62 home runs with 141 RBI and a .348 average. Al-Mousa also led in runs (124), doubles (48), total bases (440), OBP (.433), slugging (.773), OPS (1.206), and wRC+ (226) while adding 11.0 WAR. Riyadh was delighted with their investment, as they had given Al-Mousa an eight-year, $8,990,000 extension the prior winter. The Rats also had the Pitcher of the Year with eighth-year lefty Ali Sabet. The 28-year old Egyptian led in wins (20-6), ERA (2.50), WHIP (0.88), and WAR (7.1). Sabet added 282 strikeouts over 255.2 innings.

Dubai edged Mosul 2-1 in the first round, keeping the Muskies out of the Eastern Conference Final for the first time since 1994. This would be the official end of their dynasty run, as Mosul would fall below .500 the next year. Despite it being their eighth time in the playoffs, this was only the second time the Diamonds had been in the ECF (1991). For Riyadh, this was their first conference final. Dubai would upset the Rats 3-2 to win their first pennant.



The 13^th Arab League Championship was guaranteed to have a first-time winner and the ninth different franchise with a title. Dubai downed Alexandria 4-2, led by veteran LF Junoon Asghar. The 32-year old Palestinian was finals MVP in his second year with the Diamonds, making 14 playoff starts with 17 hits, 10 runs, 4 doubles, 8 home runs, and 18 RBI. Asghar set ALB playoff records for both homers and RBI. The HR mark still hasn’t been topped as of 2037, while the RBI mark held until 2025.



Other notes: Basra’s Sami Al-Malki had a 17 strikeout no-hitter on August 2 against Baghdad, setting the ALB record for most Ks in a no-no. Dubai’s Salem Aldani had a 27-game hit streak, a new ALB top mark. 1B Bilal Hamdan won his ninth Gold Glove and SS Mohammed Mohamed won his eighth. Mohamed also won his ninth Silver Slugger, the first ALB player to do so.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2002 in ABF

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The ABF’s East League had the same four playoff teams as the prior year, although positions were switched around. Bishkek took the top spot at 105-57 led by great pitching. They allowed the third fewest runs (387) and earned runs (358) in EL/Pakistan League history with the third-best ERA (2.13) and second-best WHIP. The Black Sox extended their playoff streak tot here seasons.

Multan took second place at 95-67 to repeat as a playoff team, while defending ABF champion Dushanbe was third at 91-71. The Dynamo secured a third consecutive playoff berth. Tashkent took the fourth and final playoff spot at 87-75, besting Hyderabad by four games and Peshawar by five. Including their Eurasian Professional Baseball days, the Tomcats have an eight-year playoff streak.

East League MVP was Multan RF Oudeh Ashraf. The 27-year old led in runs (102), home runs (52), RBI (116), total bases (349), slugging (.599), OPS (.939), and wRC+ (216), while adding 8.1 WAR. It would be his penultimate season with the Mighty Cocks, as he’d leave for MLB and Kansas City in 2004. Bishkek’s Nadir Kaliev was Pitcher of the Year in his second season as a full-time starter. The 27-year old Uzbek lefty led in wins (21-8), and complete games (17). Kaliev had a 2.24 ERA over 269.2 innings with 274 strikeouts and 7.7 WAR.

The #3 and #4 seeds earned upset wins in the first round of the playoffs. Tashkent topped top ranked Bishkek 3-1 and Dushanbe edged Multan 3-2. This put the 2001 ABF champ Dynamo against the 2000 champ Tomcats in the East League Championship Series. Tashkent clobbered Dushanbe with a sweep, earning their second EL pennant in three years. Counting the EBF Asian League, the Tomcats have earned four pennants in the last five years.



The West League had Isfahan and Ankara tied for the top spot at 96-66. The tiebreaker went to the Imperials, who extended their ABF-record playoff streak to eight years. The Alouettes picked up a third consecutive playoff appearance. Defending WL champ Bursa extended their own postseason streak to six seasons, placing third at 93-69. The fourth and final spot went to 88-74 Izmir, who hadn’t made the playoffs in a decade.

Adana, last year’s WCLS runner-up, dropped to seventh at 77-85. Still, their star LF Humayun Kahil won his fourth MVP in five years. The 25-year old Pakistani lefty became the first four-time MVP in ABF history and earned his second Triple Crown. It was the fourth Triple Crown season for an ABF hitter. Kahil led in home runs (60), RBI (139), total bases (406), stolen bases (74), average (.330), slugging (.701), OPS (1.102), wRC+ (210), and WAR (12.4).

Isfahan’s Yazeed Anwari won a historic seventh Pitcher of the Year. He was the first and as of 2037, one of two pitchers to reach that distinction. The 29-year old Pakistani righty led in wins (24-7), innings (290.1), strikeouts (416), WHIP (0.82), K/BB (14.9), quality starts (30), and WAR (11.5). Anwari had a 1.80 ERA, falling just short of a Triple Crown behind Bedirhan Uzun’s 1.66. Anwari also had a 21 strikeout game in May against Gujranwala.

Isfahan swept Izmir in the first round of the playoffs, while Bursa upset Adana 3-2. This set up another West League Championship Series between the Imperials and Blue Claws, who met each year in the final from 1997-00. Isfahan beat up Bursa 4-1 to win their fourth pennant in six years. The Imperials now have six pennants total (1986, 87, 97, 98, 00, 02).



The 18^th Asian Baseball Federation was a rematch of the 2000 finale while saw Tashkent top Isfahan. The Tomcats prevailed again, topping the Imperials 4-1. Tashkent now has two titles after three seasons in the ABF. Along with Dushanbe’s 2001 win, each title has gone to a former EPB team since those squads joined the ABF for the 2000 season. 3B Oleg Slutsky was finals MVP, as the 29-year old Russian in 13 playoff starts had 18 hits, 10 runs, 4 doubles, and 4 RBI. It was Sltusky’s final season with Tashkent, as he’d move back to Russia and sign with EPB’s Omsk in the offseason.



Other notes: Isfahan’s Frantisek Kasa pitched the ninth Perfect Game in ABF history, striking out 15 against Baku on June 30. Vahid Hadadi became the first ABF slugger to 600 home runs, retiring with 603. He’d hold the top spot until 2010. Hasan Afshin became the first to 4000 strikeouts. CF Shahruz Rowhani won his seventh Gold Glove.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2002 in SAB

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Another year, another top seed in the Indian League for Ahmedabad. The eight-time defending IL champs finished 118-44 to extend their postseason streak to 18 years and their West Division title streak to 15 years. The second best record was also in the West with 97-65 Mumbai, who easily repeated as wild card. Jaipur earned a third consecutive Central Division at 96-66. The South Division was abysmal with Bengaluru taking first at 74-88, ending a six-year playoff drought. Visakhapatnam, who had won four straight division titles, had the worst record in the league at 64-98.

Indian League MVP went to Mumbai veteran 3B Gotem Sarwar, who led the league with 54 home runs. The 31-year old added 117 RBI, 102 runs, a .263/.342/.605 slash, 201 wRC+, and 8.2 WAR. Ahmedadbad’s Arkakara Raja won Pitcher of the Year in his first full-time season as a starter. The 23-year old Indian lefty led in ERA (1.55), strikeouts (364), FIP- (55), and WAR (9.5). Raja pitched 255.1 innings with a 22-4 record, falling two wins short of a Triple Crown.

Ahmedabad beat divisional foe Mumbai 3-1 in the first round and Jaipur downed Bengaluru 3-1. This set up a third consecutive Indian League Championship Series battle between the two squads and the fifth in seven years. The Animals dominated yet again and swept the Jokers for a historic ninth pennant in a row. Since 1986, Ahmedabad has been the Indian League’s champ 15 times.



Ho Chi Minh City yet again had the top record in the Southeast Asia League, winning a 13^th straight South Division title. The Hedgehogs extended their epic playoff streak to 16 years. Dhaka had an impressive turnaround from 71 wins to 99-63 atop the North Division. This was their first playoff appearance in six years. Reigning South Asian Champion Yangon had the first wild card at 97-65 to extend their playoff streak to eight seasons. Chittagong at 89-73 was the second wild card for only their second-ever playoff berth (1985).

SEAL MVP was Dhaka shortstop Sameer Sheikh. The 25-year old Pakistani righty won the batting title at .333 and was the WARlord at 11.8. He added 53 home runs, 121 RBI, a 1.120 OPS, and 191 wRC+. Sheikh beat out an impressive 69 home run effort by HCMC’s Tritha Upadhyaya, who added 11.1 WAR. The nice 69 tally tied the third most homers in SAB history behind Dhuna Itar’s 74 in 2000 and Amoda Shah’s 70 in 1998.

In his Yangon debut, Suhrawadi Baisya won Pitcher of the Year. It would be his only season with the Green Dragons, posting a 2.46 ERA over 216 innings, 242 strikeouts, 6.2 WAR, and a 13-5 record. Also of note, Ho Chi Minh City closer Saroth Bora became SAB’s second-ever four-time Reliever of the Year winner. He led in saves with 47 and posted a 1.09 ERA over 90.2 innings, 157 strikeouts, and 5.1 WAR.

HCMC downed Chittagong 3-1 while Dhaka ousted reigning SAB champ Yangon 3-1. This was the first time in the Southeast Asia League Championship Series for the Dobermans since 1994. For Ho Chi Minh City, this was their ninth consecutive LCS. For back-to-back years, the Hedgehogs were stunned and denied the pennant. Dhaka won the series to become four-time SEAL champs (1981, 84, 91, 02).



The 23^rd South Asia Baseball Championship was a rematch of the 1991 final, which Ahmedabad won over Dhaka. After falling short in the last two finals, the Animals rolled to a sweep of the Dobermans. For the fourth time in his career, CF Anjan Sumanjit won finals MVP. In his final season, the 32-year old Indian in 12 playoff starts had 14 hits, 5 runs, 2 doubles, 1 triple, 3 home runs, and 5 RBI.



With that, Ahmedabad earned a historic 12^th SAB championship over 17 years (1986, 87, 89, 90, 91, 92, 94, 95, 96, 98, 99, 02). It was a two decade stretch of dominance never before seen in any professional baseball league. Although the Animals would remain a contender for the next few years, their 2002 title would mark the end of the dynasty and would be their last championship for the next 20+ years.

Other notes: Amoda Shah became the first SAB hitter to 600 career home runs. Van Loi Phung and Manju Abbas were the second and third to 2500 hits. Abbas became a 13-time Gold Glove winner, the most by any player in SAB history. SS Aman Aveesh and CF Mansoor Gurinder became seven-time Gold Glovers. 2B Tirtha Upadhyaya won his eighth Silver Slugger.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2002 in WAB

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WAB’s Western League had a major shakeup with three new squads earning the playoff spots. Abidjan, who had won the WL pennant the prior three years, fell to eighth place at 73-89. Freetown, who had been in six straight WLCS, tied for sixth at 81-81. Accra, who had back-to-back wild cards, dropped to ninth at 72-90.

Kumasi finished first place at 96-66, ending a three-year playoff drought. Second place was 89-73 Cape Verde, taking their first playoff appearance since 1993. Bamako ended a drought back to 1992, securing third and the final playoff spot at 86-76. The Bullfrogs edged out Nouakchott by three games and Monrovia by four games.

Repeating as Western League MVP was Kumasi DH Mo Reda. The 24-year old Egyptian lefty led in runs (130), home runs (49), RBI (152), total bases (396), slugging (.643), OPS (1.033), and wRC+ (186). Reda added 7.5 WAR and a .338 average. The Monkeys in the offseason extended their slugger for eight years and $19,240,000. Tenth-year Freetown righty Patrick Tchuisse was Pitcher of the Year. The 29-year old Cameroonian righty had a 16-10 record over 233 innings, 2.70 ERA, 270 strikeouts, and 6.1 WAR.

Cape Verde edged Bamako 2-1 in the wild card round, sending the Vulcans to the Western League Championship Series for only the second time (1988). Kumasi was making their first WLCS appearance since their 1998 title. Cape Verde pulled off the upset 3-1 over the Monkeys for their first-ever pennant. The Vulcans entered the season as the only WL team that hadn’t yet gotten to the final.



Five-time defending Eastern League champ and reigning WAB champ Kano yet again cruised to first place in the standings, going 106-56. Lome was a distant second at 94-68, ending a playoff drought dating back to 1990. Niamey narrowly took third at 89-73, edging Lagos by two games. The Atomics had their fourth wild cards in five years. Ibadan’s 12-year postseason streak snapped with a seventh place finish at 77-85. The Iguanas streak was the second longest in WAB history to date behind Kumasi’s 14-year stretch from 1978-91.

Kano SS Darwin Morris won a historic eighth Eastern League MVP and his sixth in-a-row. The 30-year old Liberian pulled it off despite missing six weeks to a strained hamstring. Morris was the WARlord at 9.4, his ninth straight year leading in WAR and earning 9+. He added 35 home runs, 101 runs, a 183 wRC+, and a .322/.405/.653 slash.

Lome’s Emma Markson won Pitcher of the Year in his fourth season. The 25-year old Nigerian lefty led in WAR (6.8), WHIP (0.99), and FIP- (74). Markson added a 3.16 ERA over 250.1 innings with 317 strikeouts and a 20-9 record. He’d earn a six-year, $18,560,000 extension after the 2003 season, but back issues would force Markson into a relief role in his later years.

Niamey upset Lome 2-0 in the wild card round for their first Eastern League Championship Series spot since 1988. Kano was playing in their eighth straight ELCS and would continue their reign. The Atomics took them to the brink, but the Condors won it 3-2 for a sixth consecutive pennant. Kano has 10 Western League titles to their name now, passing Lagos to stand alone with the most.



For the first time since 1993, the West African Championship needed all seven games. Cape Verde had a spirited effort trying to win their first title, but Kano’s dynasty continued with the 4-3 win. The Condors repeated as WAB champs and won their fifth championship in six years. Kano now has eight overall titles (1975, 76, 86, 97, 98, 99, 01, 02), tied for the most with Lagos. 3B Arnaud Aho repeated as finals MVP with the 34-year old Beninois slugger making 12 playoff starts with 17 hits, 8 runs, 3 doubles, 4 home runs, and 8 RBI.



Other notes: Cape Verde 1B Ifeanyi Adeleke had an impressive playoff run, winning WLCS MVP. The 30-year old Nigerian set still-standing WAB playoff records for home runs (10), RBI (22), and total bases (58). Adeleke also sit the record for hits (25), and runs (15), posting an impressive 319 wRC+, 1.7 WAR, and .417/.426/.967 slash over 14 starts. He would lose the hit and run marks, although they remain top five postseason efforts. This would be the career highlight for Adeleke, who wouldn’t be the same after a torn PCL suffered the next year. 2B Fausto Pyagbara won his eighth Gold Glove. Darwin Morris won a ninth Silver Slugger.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2002 in CLB

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The Chinese Northern League was incredible competitive in 2002 with only eight games separating first place from eighth place. Harbin narrowly took the top spot at 90-72, one game ahead of last year’s finalist Beijing at 89-73. Both the Hellcats and Bears earned repeat playoff appearances. Shenyang was two off the lead at 88-74, earning third and the final playoff spot. The Swans ended a three-year playoff drought. Just missing out were Hangzhou (86-76), Xi’an (84-78), Qingdao (83-79), Tianjin (82-80), and Zhengzhou (82-80).

Shenyang’s Xirong Wang repeated as Northern League MVP, winning the honor for the third time. The 29-year old center fielder led in runs (81), home runs (46), RBI (105), total bases (338), slugging (.591), OPS (.938), wRC+ (233), and WAR (13.1). It was only the fifth time that a CLB position player had 13+ WAR. Pitcher of the Year was Shanghai’s John Vo in his second season as a full-time starter. The 24-year old from Hong Kong had a 16-11 record over 270.2 innings, 1.53 ERA, 334 strikeouts, and 9.7 WAR.



After just missing the playoffs last year, Kunming had China’s best overall record at 96-66 atop the Southern League standings. This was the second berth in three years for the Muscle. Dongguan repeated as a wild card, finishing second at 89-73. Defending CLB champ Wuhan and Guangzhou tied for third at 84-78, while both Changsha and Shenzhen fell one short of the last playoff spot. The Wolverines beat the Gamecocks in the tiebreaker game to keep their repeat hopes alive. Guangzhou’s hope at four straight playoff berths was thwarted. At 80-82, Foshan and Macau were both only four games out from the third place spot.

Southern League MVP went to Kunming veteran Tao Yang. The 33-year old center fielder won it for the third time, also taking it in 1995 and 2000. He led in home runs (47) while adding 94 RBI, a 191 wRC+, and 8.2 WAR. Yang had one more season with Kunming before leaving for MLB’s Austin. Foshan’s Chunmei Sun won Pitcher of the Year, leading in complete games (16) and shutouts (6). Sun earned it despite a 12-15 record over 274.2 innings, adding a 1.77 ERA, 285 strikeouts, and 7.0 WAR.

Both Northern League teams won the first round playoff matchups over their Southern League foes. Beijing swept Wuhan in a rematch of last year’s China Series, while Shenyang rolled 2-0 over Dongguan. The Swans stunned Harbin in a seven-game classic in the semifinal, earning their second-ever finals berth (1998). On the other side, top-ranked Kunming bested Beijing 4-1. This was the second finals trip in three years for the Muscle and their fifth overall.



The 33^rd China Series was a classic that needed all seven games. The finale was a 1-0 pitcher’s duel that saw an all-time performance by Kunming’s Zilin Hu. A relative journeyman in his career, the 27-year old Hu tossed a one-hit shutout with nine strikeouts and one walk, lifting the Muscle to the title over Shenyang. Finals MVP was LF Vagner Cervantes, a 31-year old Mexican lefty who came to China in 1999. In 12 playoff starts, he had 14 hits, 7 runs, 2 homers, and 7 RBI. This was Kunming’s third CLB ring, joining their 1977 and 1978 titles.



Other notes: An era of parity continued for CLB as Kunming was the ninth different champion in nine years. That streak ultimately would break the next year. CLB’s 31^st and 32^nd perfect games would come in the 2003 campaign. On June 28, Xiamen’s Kunlin Wang did it with eight strikeouts against Shenzhen. Then August 10, his Mutts teammate Chen Li was perfect with five strikeouts against Foshan. SS Chengxi Erpan won his ninth Gold Glove, while 2B Shiquan Liang won his seventh. CF Tao Yang won his eighth Silver Slugger.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2002 in APB

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For the first time since 1979, Tainan took the top spot in the Taiwan League. The Titans only barely wrestled away the title from Kaohsiung, who had taken three straight TL titles. Tainan was 95-67, edging the 94-68 Steelheads by one game. The Philippine League also had a shakeup with Davao on top at 94-68. The Devil Rays hadn’t posted a winning season since their 1995 Austronesia Championship win. Two-time defending PL winner Zamboanga finished second at 87-75, ending their hopes of repeating as Taiwan-Philippine Association champ.

Although the Zebras were dethroned, they still had the top individual honors. Zamboanga CF Paolo Baptista won a third straight TPA MVP in only his fourth season, leading in home runs (32), RBI (108), total bases (339), slugging (.584), OPS (.931), wRC+ (195), and WAR (9.9). The Zebras had wisely locked down their superstar long-term with an eight-year, $31,340,000 extension signed prior to the 2002 season.

His teammate Emmanuel Sosa was Pitcher of the Year, leading in wins (22-9), innings (295.2), strikeouts (397), quality starts (29), complete games (20), shutouts (7), FIP- (66), and WAR (8.9). The second-year righty had a 1.83 ERA, finishing just short of a Triple Crown behind Heng-Hsiao Liao’s 1.66 for Kaohsiung. The Zebras thought they had another budding superstar, but Sosa sadly suffered back-to-back torn labrums in the next two seasons, forcing a retirement at only age 26. Also of note, Steelheads closer Bo-Kai Yen won his fourth Reliever of the Year; the sixth to earn that distinction in APB.



Defending Austronesia Champion Semarang repeated atop the Java League at 100-62, the best record in the Sundlanad Association and all of APB. It didn’t come easy for the Sliders, as they had to fend off a strong 99-67 effort by Bandung. 88-74 was good enough for Medan to win a weak Malacca League with no other team above .500. This was the Marlins’ third ML title in a row.

Sundaland Association MVP was Medan 1B Arya Mustafa. The 26-year old posted 33 home runs, 74 RBI, a .290..348/.529 slash, 181 wRC+, and 8.6 WAR. Mustafa played one more year for the Marlins, then signed an eight-year, $52,700,000 deal after the 2003 season with Jakarta. Pitcher of the Year was third-year Semarang righty Chris Akut. He led in wins (22-5) and WHIP (0.81). The 25-year old Filipino had a 1.68 ERA over 251.1 innings, 283 strikeouts, and 5.7 WAR. Akut would win an ERA title in 2003, but a torn UCL the next year largely left him a non-factor moving forward.

Davao downed Tainan 4-1 in the Taiwan-Philippine Association Championship, giving the Devil Rays their third pennant (1975, 1998). Semarang and Medan had a seven-game battle in a Sundaland Association Championship rematch. The Sliders prevailed again to repeat as champs and win their sixth SA pennant.



In the 38^th Austronesia Championship, Semarang completed the repeat, defeating Davao 4-2. The Sliders joined Taoyuan, Kaohsiung, and Jakarta as the only franchises to earn back-to-back APB titles and are the first to repeat since the Tsunami in 1996-97. Catcher Eka Sudirman was the finals MVP, coming to Semarang in a May trade with Bandung. In 13 playoff starts, the 28-year old journeyman had 6 hits, 3 runs, 3 home runs, and 4 RBI; not an impressive overall line but the big moments apparently came in the final.



Other notes: Manila’s Yu-Ren Yang pitched APB’s 26^th Perfect Game on September 3, striking out 16 against Davao. This was Yang’s second perfect game, having fanning 17 against Manila back in 2000. He joined the very short list of players in any world league with multiple perfect games along with EAB’s Katsunari Fujiwara (1922, 1923), EAB’s Moon Kim (1923, 1924), BSA’s Wilfredo Casacubierta (1982, 1988), EPB’s Rolands Karlovskis (1979, 1984), OBA’s Te Paoro Rangi (1963, 1967), APB’s Vhon Lasam (1989, 1990), APB’s Wisnu Mahmudiana (1994, 2001), CLB’s Bin Zhan (1978, 1984), and CLB’s Guodong Lin (both 1981). Incidentally, two days after Yang’s second perfecto, EBF’s Enrico Gini joined that elite group with his second for Marseille.

Wisnu Mahmudiana became the eighth pitcher to 4500 career strikeouts in APB. He would pitch two more years and finish with 4879, which stands ninth as of 2037. Akbar Fatchurohman became only the fifth to 2500 hits. He’d retire after 2003 with 2580 hits, third all-time at retirement and ninth as of 2037. SS Alif Aris won his seventh Silver Slugger.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2002 in EPB

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Two-time defending Eurasian Professional Baseball champion Minsk and Kazan both finished at 99-63 atop the European League standings. No tiebreaker game was used as the Crusaders won the formula for the top spot. Although it was their fifth playoff berth in six years and they won the EPB title in 1997, Kazan hadn’t won a division crown since 1969. This snapped the Miners’ division title streak at six seasons, although their playoff streak grew to 22 years. This passed EBF’s Zurich for the longest postseason streak in any pro baseball league. There was a steep drop from the top two to third place Moscow at 83-79.

Minsk had the European League MVP in LF Ruslan Tsarayev. It was the first year as a full-time starter for the 25-year old hometown favorite, who led the EL in hits (187), average (.316), OBP (.344), and WAR (7.7). Tsarayev added 22 home runs and a 192 wRC+. The Miners would make him a long-term fixture with an eight-year, $19,800,000 extension after the 2003 season.

His Minsk teammate Markiyan Konoplya won his third consecutive Pitcher of the Year. The 28-year old Ukrainian righty led in strikeouts (360), quality starts (27), shutouts (6), FIP- (56), and WAR (10.0). Konoplya added a 2.00 ERA over 284 innings and didn’t get run support with a 12-16 record. He became the fourth EPB pitcher to win the award three years in a row.



Defending Asian League champ Krasnoyarsk improved their stock to set a franchise best at 108-54. They earned back-to-back playoff berths, but the Cossacks hadn’t led the standings since 1984. There was a big drop, then an intense battle for the second place spot. Omsk and Yekaterinburg tied for the wild card at 90-72, while Ufa was one away at 89-73. The Otters edged the Yaks in the tiebreaker game, giving Omsk its fourth playoff berth in six years. Yekaterinburg’s three-year playoff streak ended.

Although Yekaterinburg just missed the playoffs, they saw a historic effort from ace Matvey Ivanov. The 27-year old Russian lefty won his fourth straight Pitcher of the Year and earned Asian League MVP. He set single-season records for strikeouts (432), and shutouts (13), which both still hold as the top mark as of 2037. Ivanov finished one K better than Artur Golub’s 431 from 1969. The 13 shutouts also set a world record that still hasn’t been reached as of 2037 in any league.

Ivanov also led the league in ERA (1.21), WHIP (0.73), complete games (29), FIP- (39) and WAR (14.13). The WAR mark fell just shy of Taleh Ismailov’s record 14.17 set in 1956. As of 2037, this is still the second-most WAR in a season by an EPB pitcher. Ivanov tossed 304.1 innings and had a 24-8 record, only missing a Triple Crown due to Krasnoyarsk’s Pascal Branescu, who had 27 wins for the Cossacks.

Although they had to go on the road, Minsk used their wealth of playoff experience to knock off Kazan 4-1 in the European League Championship Series. It was the third straight pennant for the Miners and their 16^th overall. Defending AL champ Krasnoyarsk was the heavy favorite in the Asian League Championship Series, but Omsk stunned them by taking it in six. It was the fourth pennant for the Otters, who also won it in 1966, 1985, and 1987.



Omsk hoped that the 48^th EPB Championship would give them their first-ever overall title. However, perennial power Minsk was too much to handle. The Miners completed the three-peat, taking the series in six games to win their record 12^th championship. Minsk became the first team in EPB history to win three EPB titles in a row and as of 2037, they’re the only team to do it. Finals MVP went to 1B Navarro Di Maggio, a 33-year old Argentine who came to Belarus in 2000. In 11 playoff starts, Di Maggio had 14 hits, 7 runs, 1 double, 2 triples, 1 homer, 3 RBI, and 6 stolen bases. With 12 rings, Minsk and SAB’s Ahmedabad are tied for the most titles by any franchise in any world league.



Other notes: Krasnoyarsk’s Yakov Ryzhikov broke his own single-season stolen bases record of 113, swiping 117 bags in 2002. This stayed the record until 2010, but still remains third-best as of 2037. His teammate Pascal Branescu tied the single-season record with 310 innings pitched, previously hit in 1955 by Max Kukharchik. This remains the top mark as of 2037.

Igor Urban passed Kirill Ohlobyatin and became EPB’s all-time hit king. He finished his career and the season at 3044, becoming the first to cross 3K. He would hold the top mark until finally passed in the early 2030s by Timofei Averkin. Shahin Lebedev became the 14^th to reach 300 saves. RF Sapar Durdiyew won his ninth Gold Glove and his eighth Silver Slugger. SS Gleb Khassanov won his ninth Silver Slugger.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2002 in EBF

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Three teams fought for the two byes in the Northern Conference. Defending European Champion Glasgow narrowly took it at 107-55, wining the British Isles Division for the sixth year in a row. The Highlanders also extended their postseason streak to seven years. There was a tie for the #2 seed between North Central Division champ Hamburg and Northeast Division winner Copenhagen at 106-56, both one game behind Glasgow. The tiebreaker gave the bye to the Corsairs, who earned a third straight division title.

The Hammers earned a fourth straight playoff berth, but were stuck playing in the first round. They had fierce competition in the division, which saw Kyiv (98-64) and Kharkiv (97-65) run away with the wild cards. The Killer Bees earned an eighth consecutive playoff berth dating back to their EPB days, while the Kings ended a five-year postseason drought. The once stout Northwest Division had the weakest playoff team by wins as Amsterdam took first at 90-72. The Anacondas repeated as division champs and were three games ahead of Paris.

Both top awards went to Hamburg with Ulf Alstrom winning his second Northern Conference MVP in three years. The 28-year old Swedish first baseman led in runs (120), total bases (386), slugging (.659), and OPS (1.071). Alstrom added 9.0 WAR, a 196 wRC+, .348 average, 50 home runs,, and 126 RBI. This would be the last year of his Hamburg run, as Alstrom earned a mega deal in Major League Baseball. In December, he signed an eight-year, $85,600,000 contract to move to Houston.

Pitcher of the Year for the Hammers was Viktor Stier in his sixth season with the squad. The 27-year old German righty led in ERA (1.99), WHIP (0.75), K/BB (12.3), FIP- (53), and WAR (9.0). Stier added an 18-6 record over 235.1 innings and 296 strikeouts. Unlike Alstrom, Hamburg was able to lock Stier down, as he received a five-year, $23,120,000 extension in April.

In an intense first round of the playoffs, both wild card times advanced on the road. Kyiv edged Amsterdam 2-1 and Kharkiv stunned Hamburg 2-1. The Killer Bees continued to roll, sweeping Copenhagen in round two. The Kings gave Glasgow a spirited effort, but the Highlanders survived in five.

This set up a rematch of the 2000 Northern Conference Championship with the 2000 champ (Kharkiv) and the 2001 champ (Glasgow) squaring off. The series needed all seven games, but the Killer Bees pulled off the upset of the Highlanders. Kharkiv earned its second NC pennant in its third year in EBF and won its fourth pennant in five years counting their last two in EPB.



Madrid was a wild card in 2001 after winning the Southern Conference the prior two years. The Conquistadors returned to the top spot with EBF’s best record at 111-51 atop the Southwest Division. Defending SC winner Munich grabbed the other first round bye, claiming the South Central Division at 106-56. In the Southeast Division, Tbilisi went 96-66 as the only winning team in the division. This was the first playoff spot for the Trains since the 1998 season in EPB and their first division title since 1993.

The East Central Division had a tie for first at 93-69 between Athens and Budapest. The Anchors won the tiebreaker game for their sixth division title in eight years. The Bombers were able to repeat as a wild card. Zurich at 93-69 had the other wild card, edging out Milan (92-70), and Vienna (89-73). It was a good bounce-back for the Mountaineers, who fell to 80-82 the prior year after a conference finals berth in 2000. Notably, Seville fell off from 100 wins the prior season to only 79 in 2002.

In his first full-season as a starter, Vienna 3B Ben Springer won Southern Conference MVP. Nicknamed “Dump Truck” for his ample posterior, the 24-year old Austrian led in RBI (131), and WAR (9.5). Springer added a .359/.403/.651 slash, 184 wRC+, and 39 home runs. Madrid’s Gjohl Wallinder won Pitcher of the Year. The 29-year old Swede led in wins at 21-9 and posted a 2.17 ERA over 261.1 innings, 251 strikeouts, and 8.0 WAR.

Athens swept Zurich and Tbilisi bested Budapest 2-1 in the first round of the playoffs. Madrid cruised to a sweep of the Anchors, but the Trains shocked Munich by upsetting the defending champs in five games. Tbilisi had only twice ever gotten to the Asian League Championship Series during their EPB tenure, losing in 1973 and 1993. The magical run ended though with the Conquistadors taking the Southern Conference Championship 4-2. With that, Madrid earned its third pennant in four years and eighth overall.



The 53^rd European Championship was a rematch of the 2000 final between Madrid and Kharkiv, although the roles were a bit different. That year saw them clash as the two best records in EBF, as well as the defending EBF champ (Madrid) against the reigning EPB champ (Kharkiv) in its first season post-defection. The Conquistadors had EBF’s best record in 2002, while the Killer Bees made a run as the #6 seed.

The rematch was a classic that needed all seven games. Just like before, Kharkiv came out on top of Madrid, earning their second EBF ring. The Killer Bees have now won four championships in five years when including their 1998-99 EPB rings. Finals MVP was LF Vitaliy Batsuka in his eighth year with the team. Typically a backup previously, the 30-year old Ukrainian had 19 playoff games and 15 starts, getting 27 hits, 13 runs, 2 doubles, 2 triples, 10 RBI, and 7 stolen bases.



This would be the capper for Kharkiv’s dynasty, although they would still make the playoffs the next year. It goes down as one of the finest runs in European baseball history and remains a notable part of baseball history since they went from champion of EPB to champion of EBF. Their success immensely helped EBF grow both in Ukraine and in the former Eastern Bloc. Three years since the exodus, the EBF and the teams that came over found themselves very happy with their decision.

Other notes: 2002 was historic as there were three perfect games thrown, making it 27 in EBF history. The first was April 4 by Munich’s Karel Raes with seven strikeouts against Lisbon. Next was Athens’ Ebbe Arvidsson with seven Ks against Zagreb on July 2. The third was Marseille’s Enrico Gini with 6 strikeouts versus Barcelona on September 5. Gini became the first EBF pitcher with two perfectos, having also done it in 2000. Gini was the 11^th pitcher in world history to earn the feat with APB’s Yu-Ren Yang having just joined the list two days prior.

Krakow had a historically bad pitching staff, allowing 826 earned runs with a 5.15 team ERA. These were both all-time EBF worsts that held until Marseille did worse in 2018. Willum Kleist smacked 64 home runs, his fourth straight season with 60+. To that point, no one else in EBF had done that feat. Harvey Coyle would later have more 60+ seasons total, but wouldn’t do it consecutively like Kleist. He also became the tenth in EBF history to reach 600 career homers.

Lindsey Brampton became the seventh pitcher to 250 wins. He would pitch one more season and finish with 268, which stands sixth as of 2037. Brampton would also finish with 5955 strikeouts, becoming the all-time king ahead of Jean-Luc Roch’s 5757. No one else since has crossed 5000. Khaled Jabri would get to 4500 in 2002, finishing his career with 4518. That’s still good for fourth all-time.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2002 in BSA

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The Bolivar League saw some notable shakeups as for the first time since 1987, neither Bogota nor Lima made the playoffs. The only team that made it back from the 2001 field was Guayaquil, who was the wild card the prior year. The Golds won the Colombia-Ecuador Division at 96-66. Caracas, whose playoff streak snapped at six years in 2001, returned to the Venezuela Division top spot at 96-66. They were six games ahead of defending division winner Barquisimeto.

Calii finished five games behind Guayaquil at 91-71, but ended up narrowly getting the wild card for their first playoff berth since their 1988 Copa Sudamerica win. Barquisimeto and Bogota both finished one game back at 90-72, which ended the Bats’ playoff streak at seven years. Lima’s BSA record 14-year streak in the Peru-Bolivia league ended with the Lobos at 82-80. They were still only one game worse than La Paz (83-79), who squeaked to the division win over the Lobos and 81-81 Callao. It ended a two-year playoff drought for the Pump Jacks and was their first division title since 1990.

Guayaquil LF Hector Correa won his third consecutive Bolivar League MVP. The 29-year old hometown hero led in runs (127), total bases (433), triple slash (.376/.436/.740), OPS (1.177), wRC+ (200), and WAR (10.2). Correa added 53 home runs, 134 RBI, and a Gold Glove. He also hit for the cycle in a 7 RBI, 4 run effort against Santa Cruz.

Ciudad Guayana’s Lamberto Castillo won his fourth consecutive Pitcher of the Year, joining Lazaro Rodriguez and Domingas Ribiero as the only BSA pitchers to win four in a row. Castillo also had the first Triple Crown since Rodriguez in 1984, posting a 21-12 record, 1.82 ERA, and 300 strikeouts over 262.2 innings. The 26-year old also had a league-best 8.4 WAR. Sadly, injuries and a steep decline hit Castillo, who was effectively out of the game after his age 31 season. He fell barely short of the 10 years’ service time requirement for Hall of Fame voting. His four-year run saw four ERA titles and 38.5 WAR, forever going down as one of the great brief flashes in BSA history.



Caracas survived in five games against Cali, while Guayaquil got a Divisional Series sweep of La Paz. This was the first time to the Bolivar League Championship Series for the Golds since 1980. For the Colts, it was the fourth berth in a decade. Guayaquil prevailed 4-2 over Caracas to win only their second-ever pennant, joining their 1955 Copa Sudamerica title.



The battle for the top seed in the Southern Cone League was tight as the three division winners were separated by only two games. Buenos Aires took the #1 seed at 97-65, earning a third straight Southeast Division title. The Atlantics have made the playoffs in six of the last seven seasons. BA also set a new league record with 470 stolen bases. This would only be passed once in 2015 by Asuncion.

The North Division saw a bounce-back for Brasilia, who won only 73 games in 2001. The Bearcats went 96-66, back in the playoffs for the first time since their 1999 title. Salvador repeated as the wild card, albeit barely. The Storm were 90-72, edging last year’s division champ Belo Horizonte (89-73) and Rosario (88-74). Meanwhile, defending Copa Sudamerica champ Asuncion dominated the South Central Division at 95-67. This was their third consecutive division title.

Southern Cone League MVP was Rosario veteran LF Emiliano Pina. The 30-year old Argentine led in slugging (.702) while adding 52 home runs, 123 RBI, a .332 average, 207 wRC+, and 9.3 WAR. Belo Horizonte’s Juliao Costa repeated as Pitcher of the Year. The 26-year old Brazilian righty led in ERA (1.88), strikeouts (361), WHIP (0.84), FIP- (49), and WAR (11.1). Costa pitched 272.1 with a 21-6 record, falling one win shy of a Triple Crown. The Hogs wisely locked up their ace after this effort with a seven-year, $29,400,000 deal.

Buenos Aires outlasted Salvador 3-2 in the Divisional Series, earning their second Southern Cone Championship appearance in three years. On the other side of the bracket, Brasilia swept two-time reigning champ Asuncion. This would only be the second time in six years that the Archers weren’t league champ. The only other time was when the Bearcats took the pennant in 1999. Brasilia would be the exception again in 2002, taking the series 4-1 over Buenos Aires. This was the fifth pennant for the Bearcats.



In the 72^nd Copa Sudamerica, Brasilia clobbered Guayaquil with a sweep, taking the title for the second time in four years. The Bearcats are now four-time champs with their 1935 and 1938 titles joining the 1999 and 2002 rings. 1B Bernaldo Lagasse had a huge postseason, winning MVP of all three rounds. In 12 playoff starts, he had 17 hits, 9 runs, 8 home runs, and 15 RBI.



Other notes: Milton Becker became the 16^th slugger to 1500 RBI. Becker hit 55 home runs in 2002, his eighth season with 50+. This is second in BSA only to HR King Valor Melo (12). 1B D.J. Del Valle won his ninth Gold Glove.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2002 in EAB

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The Japan League had all repeat division champions in 2002, although the seeding shifted dramatically from 2001. Two-time defending EAB champion Kawasaki dropped from 102 wins to only 83-79, but that was good enough to still win a weak Capital Division by six games. The Killer Whales extended their postseason streak to five years, the longest active one in in EAB. Niigata had the #1 seed at 109-53 atop the North Division, setting a new all-time best for the franchise.

Osaka won a very competitive Central Division at 100-62, fending off challenges from Kobe (95-67) and Nagoya (92-70). The Orange Sox had historic power, setting the Japan League team record for home runs (269) and posting the second best team slugging in JL history at .479. The West Division had Hiroshima first again at 97-65, giving the Hammerheads four straight division titles. Kitakyushu was a distant second 13 games back.

Leading the powerful Osaka offense was Japan League MVP Koji iwasaki, who won his second MVP in three years. The 28-year old lefty had smacked 71 dongs the prior year for Saitama, then was traded in the offseason to the Orange Sox as the Sting didn’t expect to be able to keep him. Iwasaki led in homers (62), RBI (135), runs (118), total bases (403), OBP (.404), slugging (.784), OPS (1.188), wRC+ (256), and WAR (9.7) while adding a .344 average. This was also his fourth consecutive season with 60+ homers and 400+ total bases. Osaka was delighted to lock Iwasaki up long term, signing him to an eight-year, $77,300,000 deal in the offseason.

Kawasaki’s Soo Moon three-peated as Pitcher of the Year in only his fourth season. The 25-year old righty even missed six weeks to a hamstring strain, but still lead the Japan League in WAR (10.3), ERA (1.84), WHIP (0.73), K/BB (24.4), complete games (16), shutouts (6), and FIP- (38). Moon added 317 strikeouts over 215 innings and an 18-5 record. He also had a 20 strikeout game in April against Kyoto.

Despite the record disparity, Kawasaki upset Niigata 3-2 in the first round, giving the Killer Whales a chance at four-peating in the Japan League Championship Series. Osaka beat Hiroshima 3-1, giving the Orange Sox their first JLCS berth since their 1989 EAB title. For the Hammerheads, this was their fourth consecutive one-and-done. In the JLCS, Osaka usurped the throne for Kawasaki in six games, making the end of the Killer Whales’ dynasty run. This was the sixth title for the Orange Sox (1923, 25, 43, 85, 89, 02).



The Korea League saw three of the same four playoff qualifiers from the prior year. Not among them was defending KL champ Yongin, who plummeted to 73-89. That marked only the second time in nine years that the Gold Sox weren’t in the postseason field. The top overall record was Ulsan at 109-53 atop the South Division, earning a third straight division title. Seongnam won the North at 104-58. Although the Spiders earned repeat playoff berths, this was their first division title since 1991.

In the wild card race, Incheon (93-69) and Daegu (92-70) moved on, while Jeonju (89-73) and Bucheon (84-78) were the first teams out. The Inferno were a repeat playoff team, while the Diamondbacks bounced back after just missing the prior year. Daegu was no stranger to recent success, getting their fourth playoff appearance in five years.

Incheon first baseman Kyu-Seong Lee picked up Korea League MVP. The 25-year old righty led in batting average (.368), slugging (.710), OPS (1.124), wRC+ (195), and WAR (10.0). Lee added 52 home runs, 133 runs, and 130 RBI. Ulsan’s Oniji Adachi won Pitcher of the Year in his third season. He led in wins (27-6), ERA (2.59), and quality starts (22). Adachi added 254 strikeouts In 253.2 innings and 6.1 WAR. He was the second-ever EAB pitcher to win 27 or more in a season, behind only Seiki Okuyama’s 28 in 1921.

Both division champs were shocked in the first round as Daegu downed Ulsan 3-1 and Incheon swept Seongnam 3-0. For the Diamondbacks, this marked a third Korea League Championship Series appearance in four years. The Inferno hadn’t made it that far since 1973. Incheon ousted Daegu 4-2 to win only their third-ever pennant, joining their 1950 and 1954 wins.



The 82^nd East Asian Championship was a seven game classic and ended in dramatic fashion. In game seven, Osaka took a 2-0 lead into the ninth inning. Incheon rallied with three runs in the top half, taking the finale 3-2 and earning their third EAB ring. RF Zhanchong Li was the finals MVP as the 25-year old from China set a new EAB playoff record with 21 RBI. He added 22 hits, 12 runs, 2 doubles, 2 triples, and 7 home runs over 16 playoff starts. Li’s RBI total would only get passed once in 2019.



Other notes: Although his Orange Sox lost in the final, JL MVP Koji Iwasaki set a still-standing EAB playoff record with 56 total bases. He was JCLS MVP and had 22 hits, 18 runs, 6 doubles, 2 triples, 8 home runs, and 14 RBI in 17 playoff starts.

Yutaka Kobayashi became the 15^th pitcher to 4000 career strikeouts. Myeong-Hwan Sung became the 33^rd to reach 1500 RBI, the 24^th to 1500 runs scored, and the 47^th to 500 home runs. SS Tokuei Kato won his ninth Gold Glove and SS Hiroshige Matsunaka won his eighth.