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

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2010 Baseball Grand Championship Origins

While there had been a “world champion” nation since the 1940s with the World Baseball Championship, many had wanted to decide a true “world champion” among the professional teams. With the World Series moniker, Major League Baseball’s champion often boasted that title. In the earliest days of pro baseball, any unbiased observer would agree that MLB’s talent level was the best in the world.

By the 2000s with the worldwide proliferation of the game, the gap between the pro leagues had shrunk notably. Each year, champion teams and players would argue that they had the best team in the world. While most still felt MLB had the most talent overall, many observers felt that the top teams from each league would more than hold their own against MLB’s top contenders.

A “champion’s league” type setup existed in other sports, but not baseball. Many Global Baseball Alliance officials wanted to make this a reality, but there were a tremendous amount of logistics to sort out. More serious discussions began in the early 2000s as there were now 14 “major league” level associations. Within many of those were individual subleagues of varying size and strength.

Most owners and executives realized it was something that would be very popular and financially rewarding. Many players loved the idea of going for ultimate glory (and the extra paycheck). All of the leagues started in March or April and ended in October or November. With the WBC already taking up January and February, officials realized this event would have to happen shortly after the postseasons ended, thus making a mid-November start.

Not every league ended at exactly the same time, so it was tough to line up timelines for each team to finish up and have at least some break (but not too long of one). Leagues also had to change their free agency filing dates to ensure rosters stayed intact for such an event. Over the early 2000s, the major leagues agreed to such framework.

The next step was determining which teams made it and the rule set. Some favored just having the 14 overall champions, but many of the more established leagues disliked that. For example, MLB felt both the National Association champ and American Association champ should get it. Similar was places like CABA, who claimed an overall champ but still viewed the Mexican League and Caribbean League as distinct leagues worthy of recognition.

Each league also had unique rule sets and play styles. Officials agreed to shoot for a “middle ground” between the higher scoring and lower scoring leagues. They allowed for a 30-man active roster with a 10-player reserve roster. The designated hitter was also approved for use.

The event would become named the Baseball Grand Championship, differentiating from the “world champ” moniker of the WBC champ. In the earliest design, 20 teams were invited to participate. The qualifiers were as follows:

-Both Association Champions from Major League Baseball
-The Mexican and Caribbean Champions from CABA
-The Japan and Korea League Champs from EAB
-The Bolivar League and Southern Cone Champs from BSA
-Both Conference Champs from the EBF Elite

As the largest and most prestigious leagues, those each earned two teams. The remaining nine leagues (EPB, OBA, APB, CLB, WAB, SAB, ABF, ALB, AAB) would have their overall champion invited. To get to 20, there would be one “wild card” team, going to the best runner-up by resume from the remaining nine leagues.

For the inaugural 2010 Grand Championship, the teams were split into two divisions of ten teams each. Each team met once in a round-robin with the two division champions meeting in a best-of-seven series. This format would only be used in 2010, switching to a true round-robin only between all of the teams from 2011 onward.

The final details were ironed out with various world cities bidding for hosting rights much like the WBC. Caracas, Venezuela won the bid for the inaugural 2010 event and officials opted to keep a variety of sites between representative cities of the various leagues. With that, the first-ever Grand Champion was set to be crowned in November 2010…

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2010 World Baseball Championship

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The 2010 World Baseball Championship was the 64^th edition of the event and was held in the Caribbean for the first time since 1988, this time centered on Kingston, Jamaica. Canada crushed the Division 1 competition at 8-1 with no one else better than 5-4. The Canadians hadn’t won the division since their 2004 world title, advancing for the 36^th time.

The United States was similarly dominant in Division 2 at 8-1 with their nearest foe being 6-3 Ethiopia. The Americans earned a fourth consecutive berth and their 53^rd overall. They would be one of three teams from the 2009 playoff field to make it back in 2010.

Taiwan and Romania tied at 8-1 atop Division 3, but the Taiwanese won the head-to-head to advance. It was their eighth division title and first since the 2004 runner-up season. The Romanians would’ve gotten their third-ever division title, had they won.

Division 4 was incredibly tight with a three-way tie for first at 6-3 between Vietnam, Morocco, and Italy. Japan, Poland, and Portugal were each right in the mix at 5-4. The tiebreakers gave Vietnam their second-ever division title (1999). Defending world champ India rolled to 8-1 atop Division 5 with only Myanmar at 6-3 giving chase. The Indians advanced for the third time in four years and for the seventh time overall.

Colombia and South Korea tied atop Division 6 at 7-2, while Kazakhstan was right behind at 6-3. The tiebreaker sent the Colombians forward for the 17^th time and the first time since 2006. Division 7 saw Uzbekistan and Spain even at 6-3, while Ireland, Nigeria, and Serbia were each 5-4. The Uzbeks advanced on the tiebreaker for their fourth division title, although they hadn’t done it since way back in 1985.

The lone unbeaten in division play was Pakistan at 9-0. The repeat win earned a fifth division title and their third in four years. Indonesia was their closest foe at 7-2. The elite eight was notable as it was the first time since 1982 that there wasn’t a single European nation. This crew saw five from Asia, two from North America, and one from South America.

In Round Robin Group A, the United States was the top squad at 5-1. This gave the Americans a 47^th semifinal berth. Pakistan also advanced at 3-3, while Canada and Uzbekistan were both 2-4. This was the fourth time getting to the final four with the most recent in 2007 by the Pakistanis.

Colombia claimed the top spot in Group B at 5-1. They earned an 11^th semifinal appearance and first since 2006. Defending world champ India moved forward for the third time with their 4-2 mark. Taiwan went 3-3, while Vietnam was winless at 0-6.

In a rematch of 2009’s World Championship, the United States got revenge and swept India 3-0. On the other side, Colombia edged Pakistan 3-2 in a fierce battle. The Colombians earned their first-ever finals berth, becoming the 24^th unique country to get to the final. Colombia was also the first South American finalist since Brazil in 1990. Pakistan was officially third, matching their top finish for the third time.



The American dominance continued in the 64^th World Championship with the US beating Colombia 4-1. This was their 10^th world title in 15 years, putting the Americans at 37-6 all-time in the finals. Leading the way was Tournament MVP Killian Fruechete, the reigning National Association MVP with Omaha. The 25-year old Californian left fielder had 23 starts, 32 hits, 23 runs, 4 doubles, 11 home runs, 29 RBI, 12 walks, 13 stolen bases, a 258 wRC+, and 2.1 WAR.



Best Pitcher was given to Ukraine’s Roman Vakulenko, entering his fourth season in EBF with Dublin. The 23-year old tossed 13.1 scoreless innings with 24 strikeouts, 5 walks, and 4 hits allowed.

Other notes: 2010 saw two no-hitters, coming on back-to-back days. On January 24, Myanmar’s Khon Aye Ko did it with 20 strikeouts and 1 walk against Argentina. Then on January 25, Algeria’s Souilem Boudiaf fanned 17 with two walks against Switzerland. Paraguay’s Martin Esteves became the 15^th in WBC history to hit for the cycle, doing it against Slovakia. The USA’s Morgan Short saw a 20-game hit streak carrying over from the prior WBC. He became the sixth player to have a streak of 20+.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2010 in E2L

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Prague and Stuttgart tied for the Western Conference’s top record at 94-68 with the Pilots getting the #1 seed via the tiebreaker. The other playoff spots went to Reykjavik (92-70) and Cardiff (90-72). This was the first-ever playoff berth for the Raccoons. The Crew earned a third straight berth hoping to finally earn promotion.

Many teams were close to the final spot, but fell short. Hanover (88-74), Valencia (88-74), Palermo (87-75), and Rome (85-77) were all in the mix. Liverpool notably collapsed from 89 wins in 2009 to only 65 in 2010.



Helsinki had just gotten relegated from the EBF Elite, but made their Second League debut with a first place in the Eastern Conference at 96-66. Riga (93-69), Tbilisi (90-72), and Lviv (89-73) earned the other playoff spots.

The Lunkers picked up a fifth straight playoff berth, hoping this time they’d finally earn the promotion. Like the Honkers, the Trains had just gotten relegated and looked to escape after one year. The closest foes who fell short of the postseason were Sarajevo (87-75), Gothenburg (83-79), Lodz (83-79), and Wroclaw (82-80).

Round Robin Group A saw Prague on top at 4-2. Cardiff and Stuttgart both went 3-3, while Reykjavik was 2-4. The Crew had the tiebreaker over the Silver Sabres to advance to the Western Conference Championship. In Group B, Helsinki and Riga each prevailed at 4-2. Lviv and Tbilisi were both 2-4.

Prague swept Cardiff in the Western Conference Championship and Helsinki topped Riga 4-2 in the Eastern Conference Championship. Both the Pilots and Honkers earned promotion right back after only one season in the European Second League.



In the championship, Prague edged Helsinki 4-3. If additional promotion spots were available because of Elite teams losing 100+ games, Riga would be next in line for promotion, followed by Cardiff, then Lviv.



Other notes: Zaragoza’s Nick Murray threw a perfect game on May 25 with six strikeouts against Toulouse.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2010 in AAB

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The Southern Conference standings saw a major shakeup in 2010. For the first time in franchise history, Harare earned a playoff berth, finishing first at 97-65. The Hustlers pitching staff set a conference record for fewest walks (372) and lowest BB/9 (2.31), which still ranks second as of 2037.

Lusaka was second at 95-67 for the wild card spot. The Lake Monsters’ only other playoff berth was the inaugural 1995 season. Maputo came close to their first-ever playoff berth at 91-71, but missed the cut by four games. Defending conference champ Luanda fell off hard, dropping to seventh at 73-89. Durban, last year’s wild card, was fourth at 83-79.

Southern Conference MVP went to Lusaka RF Kaunda Kalinga. The 28-year old Tanzanian lefty led in home runs (63), RBI (136), total bases (375), slugging (.678), OPS (1.052), wRC+ (180), and WAR (7.8). Kalinga also had 116 runs and a .273 batting average.

Pitcher of the Year was Antananarivo’s Hjalmar Eekman in his second year in AAB. The 26-year old Dutch righty had started his pro career with EBF’s Helsinki. Eekman led in ERA (2.45), WHIP (0.89), and quality starts (23). He also had a 170 ERA+, 6.3 WAR, 241 strikeouts, and 18-7 record over 223.2 innings. Eekman also tossed a no-hitter with seven strikeouts and two walks against Maputo on August 15.



Two-time defending African Association of Baseball champ and four-time defending Central Conference champ Addis Ababa managed to top themselves. The Brahmas set a new record at 120-42, which still stands as of 2037 as the winningest season in AAB history.

Addis Ababa led all of AAB in runs (859) and fewest allowed (556). The Brahmas also tied the AAB single-season team record with 58 saves. There was a 33 game drop to second place Mogadishu, who repeated as the wild card at 87-75. The Mighty Mice finished four games ahead of Kampala, five ahead of Bujumbura, six over Kigali, and seven over Kinshasa.

Mwarami Tale joined Felix Chaula as the only five-time MVP winners in AAB to that point. The 29-year old Tanzanian set the all-time single-season WAR record the prior year with Luanda. He left for free agency and inked a massive eight-year, $29,640,000 deal with Addis Ababa. His debut as Central Conference MVP turned the Brahmas from a great team to a record-setting one. Tale in his debut led in RBI with 136. He also had 58 home runs, 115 runs, 83 walks, a .316/.407/.684 slash, 188 wRC+, and 8.7 WAR.

His teammate Michael Wakachu won his second Pitcher of the Year in three years. The 30-year old Malawian set AAB single-season records in WHIP (0.76) and opponents’ OBP (.221) which still stand as of 2037. He also led in ERA (1.84), K/BB (6.6), quality starts (27), FIP- (49), and WAR (9.8). Wakachu added 319 strikeouts and a 20-4 record over 230 innings. He had signed a five-year, $14,760,000 extension prior to the 2010 season.

The Southern Conference was guaranteed a first-time champion. Top seed Harare prevailed 4-1 over Lusaka to advance. In the Central Conference Championship, record-setting Addis Ababa rolled to a sweep of Mogadishu for a fifth straight pennant.



In the 16^th Africa Series, Addis Ababa capped off their historic season by defeating Harare 5-2. The Brahmas became the second-ever AAB team to three-peat, joining Kinshasa (who won four straight from 1997-2000). Finals MVP was 3B Marlin Kimwaki in his 12^th season for the Brahmas. The Congolese lefty had 13 hits, 7 runs, 1 double, 3 home runs, and 6 RBI in 10 starts.



At 120-42, it is hard to argue against the 2010 Addis Ababa squad as AAB’s best-ever team. The previous record for wins as a champ was Cape Town (1996) and Dar es Salaam (2004) at 114-48. They’re the eighth team in world history to win 120+ games and a league title. The Brahmas dynasty would continue on, although the 2010 group stands out as the best of the bunch.

Other notes: Mohau Sibiya became the first AAB slugger to 700 career home runs. He would play one more season and finish with 727, which ranks ninth as of 2037. Felix Chaula joined him as the only other player to 600 homers. Chaula won his ninth Silver Slugger in right field, setting an AAB record to that point. Four players crossed 1000 runs scored and two crossed 1000 RBI in 2010.

RF Enzo Cussoca won his eighth consecutive Gold Glove, becoming AAB’s first eight-time winner. 2B Gedeon Bukasa won his eighth Silver Slugger. 2B Fani Ngambi and finals MVP Marlin Kimwaki won their seventh Silver Sluggers.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2010 in ALB

Since 1997, Arab League Baseball had an active roster size of 26 players; the largest of any of the pro leagues. For the 2010 season, they lowered the limit down to 25. A couple leagues had dropped down to 24 or 23, but 25 was the default standard number. ALB would eventually bump back up to 26 in 2032.



Reigning ALB champion Amman greatly improved from their 99-win 2009 campaign. The Aviators set a Western Conference all-time mark at 116-46, which still stands as the WC record as of 2037. It was tied for the second-best ever ALB record and was only behind Mosul’s 121-41 from 2000. Amman claimed the Levant Division for the third consecutive season. The Aviators pitching staff had a team 1.003 WHIP, which remains a conference record.

For the third straight year, the WC had the same three playoff teams. Casablanca took the Mediterranean Division for the fourth consecutive year at 91-71, besting Tripoli by five games. In ALB’s 21 seasons to date, the Bruins have 16 playoff appearances. Giza’s Nile Division streak grew to five seasons. The Goats were 91-71, nine games ahead of their closest foe Khartoum.

Jerusalem’s Tarek Abdel Rahman repeated as WC MVP despite his Jets finishing at 82-80. The 29-year old Egyptian DH certainly deserved it, becoming ALB’s new single-season home run king. He socked 72 dingers, passing Nordine Soule’s record of 70 from 2005. Although Rahman was later passed as HR king, his .837 slugging from 2010 remains ALB’s single-season best.

Rahman also led the conference in runs (115), total bases (441), batting average (.353), OPS (1.244), wRC+ (264), and WAR (11.5). The OPS mark also narrowly beat Soule for the single-season best and still ranks third as of 2037. Rahman also had 136 RBI, falling four short of a Triple Crown.

Casablanca’s Abdullah Al-Tamtami won his fifth Pitcher of the Year, a mark only previously reached by Rashid Tariq. The 29-year old Omani righty led in wins (22-5), ERA (2.02), WHIP (0.83), quality starts (27), FIP- (42), and WAR (11.6). Al-Tamtami had a 180 ERA+ over 249 innings and 367 strikeouts, missing a Triple Crown by only five Ks.

Amman posted 69 saves as a pitching staff, which is the second-most in world history by any time behind only China’s Wuhan with 74 in 1974. Leading that effort was Ramy Kayat, who won his second Reliever of the Year. He set a world record with 58 saves, which still holds as of 2037. He also set the ALB record for appearances at 81. The 30-year old Moroccan righty had a 1.66 ERA over 103 innings, 160 strikeouts, a 217 ERA+, and 4.5 WAR.

Casablanca beat Giza 2-1 in the first round of the playoffs, giving the Bruins their fourth consecutive Western Conference Final appearance and their 12^th overall. They met Amman for the third straight year. The record-setting Aviators rolled to a 3-0 sweep to earn repeat pennants and their third overall.



Basra dominated the Eastern Conference for the top seed at 100-62. The Bulldogs rolled to an eighth straight Iraq Division title, tying Mosul (1995-02) for the longest playoff streak in ALB history. It was the fifth time in that stretch that Basra won 100+ games. The rest of the conference saw a bit of a shakeup.

In the Gulf Division, Abu Dhabi ended a 16-year playoff drought, winning only their third-ever division title. At 89-73, the Destroyers edged Dubai by only one game. Defending conference champ Kuwait struggled to last in the division at 79-83. After seeing their playoff streak ended in 2009 at six seasons, Medina returned to the top of the Saudi Division. The Mastodons were 87-75, ousting reigning division champ Mecca by four games.

Basra RF Farouk Adam won a third consecutive Eastern Conference MVP. The 29-year old Comoran lefty led with a .398 batting average, 198 wRC+, and 10.4 WAR. Adam added 119 runs, 229 hits, 44 doubles, 15 triples, 28 home runs, and 112 stolen bases. The Bulldogs would eventually extend him again just before the 2012 season with a six-year, $36,300,000 deal.

Medina’s Mostafa Nabil won his fourth Pitcher of the Year in five years. The 27-year old Egyptian righty led in wins (20-5), WHIP (0.81), K/BB (10.8), FIP- (53), and WAR (8.5). He added a 2.67 ERA, 212.1 innings, and 378 strikeouts. He beat out Sulaymaniyah’s Abdelmalek Kamal for the award despite Kamal’s 410 strikeouts. That tied the ALB single-season record set by Ahmad Abu Kabeer in 1997.

Abu Dhabi edged Medina 2-1 in the first round, sending the Destroyers to their first-ever Eastern Conference Final. They were the big underdog to Basra, making their seventh straight appearance. AD took the Bulldogs to the limit, but Basra prevailed 3-2. The Bulldogs earned their fourth pennant in seven years, succeeding in even-numbered seasons (2004, 2006, 2008, 2010).



In the 21^st Arab League Championship, Amman repeated as champs with a 4-2 victory over Basra. 1B Mahmood bin Aminuddin was finals MVP, posting 15 hits, 7 runs, 4 doubles, 4 home runs, and 10 RBI in nine playoff starts. The Aviators became the fourth franchise to repeat, joining Mosul (1998-99), Casablanca (1994-95), and Medina (1992-93). Amman also tied 1993 Medina for the most wins by an ALB champ at 116-46. The 2010 Aviators certainly deserve consideration when discussing ALB’s best-ever season.



Other notes: Basra’s Nordine Soule became the first ALB hitter to 900 career home runs and only the third in world history to reach that mark. After his age 35 season, Soule has 916 dingers, behind only Beisbol Sudamerica’s Milton Becker (941) and CABA/MLB’s Prometheo Garcia (928) for the world record. Soule also won his record 14^th Silver Slugger in left field.

Basra’s Hassan El Zamek broke his own previous record of 138, stealing 141 bases. This held as the record for eight years. El Zamek also had a 34-game hitting streak, breaking the previous ALB record of 30 by Farouk Adam. This held as the top mark until 2024. Amman’s Tarek Samy struck out 20 in April against Cairo, becoming the sixth ALB pitcher with a 20K game.

SS Amr Khatab won his 11^th Gold Glove, an ALB record at any position. Mustafa bin Nazim won his 12^th Silver Slugger and his second at third base. His previous 10 were all at second base.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2010 in ALB

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Bishkek’s playoff streak ended at five seasons in 2009, but the Black Sox bounced back for the ABF East League’s best record in 2010. At 104-58, Bishkek won the North Division by 14 games. The South Division went to 96-66 Rawalpindi, earning repeat playoff berths. It was the Red Wings’ first time leading the standings, taking the top spot by nine games.

Almaty (90-72) got the first wild card for a repeat playoff berth. Defending ABF champ Karachi and Faisalabad tied for the second wild card at 87-75. The tiebreaker went to the Fire, ending the Carp postseason streak at six seasons. It was Faisalabad’s third-ever berth, snapping a 12-year drought. Falling just short for the second wild card were Tashkent (85-77), Hyderabad (83-79), and Asgabat (83-79). The Horned Frogs saw a three-year playoff streak ended.

Rawalpindi’s Vural Yildiz won his second East League MVP in three seasons. The 29-year old Turkish right fielder led in home runs (45) and slugging (.625). Yildiz added 94 RBI, a .992 OPS, 204 wRC+, and 8.6 WAR. This was his final season in ABF, as he’d earn big MLB money with a four-year, $65,700,000 offseason deal with Los Angeles.

Oskar Tamm became ABF’s second player to win Pitcher of the Year five times. The 33-year old Estonian lefty for Bishkek had also won it in 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2007. In 2010, Tamm led in WAR (7.8), shutouts (7), and innings (260.1). He added a 16-12 record, 2.11 ERA, 148 ERA+, and 314 strikeouts.

Both division champs had first round playoff sweeps with Bishkek over Faisalabad and Rawalpindi over Almaty. For the Black Sox, this was their third East League Championship Series appearance in four years. For the Red Wings, their only prior ELCS was their 1988 pennant. Rawalpindi pulled off the upset in a seven game classic for their second-ever title.



The West League’s best records were in the Central Division with Baku (95-67) edging out Shiraz (94-68) for the top spot. The Blackbirds earned back-to-back division titles, while the Suns as a wild card picked up their fifth playoff berth in seven years. In only their second season since expansion, Gaziantep was a surprise Turkish Division champ at 87-75. The Gorillas were two games ahead of defending WL champ Ankara.

For the second wild card, Tabriz (87-75) narrowly beat Isfahan (86-76) and Ankara. The only previous playoff berth for the Tiger Sharks was the inaugural 1985 season. The Imperials’ playoff streak ended at four seasons, while the Alouettes’ repeat bid was dashed. Istanbul finished 78-84, which ended their postseason streak at seven seasons. The Ironmen hadn’t posted a losing record since 2000.

West League MVP was Baku first baseman Ali Sungu. The 25-year old Turkish lefty led in runs (114), home runs (56), RBI (134), total bases (369), slugging (.636), OPS (1.019), and wRC+ (196). Sungu added 9.9 WAR and a .302 average. The Blackbirds had committed eight years and $47,080,000 to Sungu the prior winter.

Tabriz lefty Gevorg Qasimov won his second Pitcher of the Year in three seasons. The 25-year old Uzbek lefty led in ERA (1.59), wins (20-4), innings (271), WHIP (0.81), K/BB (9.6), quality starts (28), shutouts (6), FIP- (50), and WAR (11.2). He had a 215 ERA+ and was second in the league at 357 strikeouts. Qasimov also earned a big extension prior to the 2010 campaign worth $29,500,000 over six years.

Baku bested Tabriz 3-1 and wild card Shiraz won 3-1 at Gaziantep in the first round of the playoffs. The Blackbirds had never been to a league championship before ****** back to their EPB days, while the Suns were making their third West League Championship Series appearance in six years. Top seeded Baku outlasted Shiraz in a seven-game classic.



The 26^th Asian Baseball Federation Championship was guaranteed to crown the 15^th unique champ in ABF history. Rawalpindi survived a seven game thriller over Baku, becoming the sixth of the seven Pakistani teams to win it all. 3B Darak Ghulam won finals MVP in his lone season with the Red Wings. The 35-year old had previously won finals MVP with Bursa in 2004. In the 2010 playoffs, Ghulam had 17 starts, 15 hits, 12 runs, 5 doubles, 5 home runs, and 9 RBI.



Other notes: Radi Umar became the second ABF slugger to 600 home runs. He passed Vahid Hadadi’s all-time mark of 603 and retired after the 2011 season with 633. Umar remained ABF’s home run king for about a decade and ranks eighth as of 2037. He also became the first to 1500 career RBI, retiring with 1573. Umar ranks seventh as of 2037.

Altaf Aslam became only the third member of the 500 homer club. Catcher Amir Yskakov won his ninth Gold Glove. 3B Tomas Pataki and C Faris Saifullah both won a seventh Silver Slugger.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2010 in SAB

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Pune ended a three-year playoff drought and posted the Indian League’s best record at 109-53, leading in both runs scored (824) and fewest allowed (543). The Purple Knights won a strong West Division, finishing 17 games better than Mumbai. The Meteors at 92-70 took the wild card by four games over Ahmedabad. Mumbai got its second berth in three years, while the Animals missed the playoffs for the second time in three years. Ahmedabad had never done that, only missing the field four times over SAB’s 31 year history.

Kolkata clobbered the competition at 100-62 in the Central Division. Defending IL champ Jaipur dropped hard to 73-89, which ended a six-year playoff streak. The Jokers hadn’t posted a losing record since 1998. A tight South Division title went to Chennai at 87-75, topping Visakhapatnam by two games and Nagpur by five. It was the third-ever division title for the Cows, joining their 2006 and 1987 efforts. Hyderabad notably went from 85 wins in 2009 to 60-102 in 2010, tying with Bengaluru for the IL’s worst record.

LF Ratan Canduri spent only 2010 with Pune, but he earned the Indian League MVP while there. He had previously won the top honor with Mandalay in 2006. The 33-year old Indian righty led in runs (149), home runs (69), walks (11), OBP (.475), slugging (.796), OPS (1.270), wRC+ (262), and WAR (12.6). Canduri also had a .367 average and 141 RBI. He continued to play at a high level for another decade, but wouldn’t commit long-term anywhere, ultimately playing for seven more teams.

Ahmedabad’s Arkakara Raja won his third Pitcher of the Year, joining his 2002 and 2005 wins. The 31-year old lefty only pitched 188.1 innings in a split starter/relief role, but led the league with a 1.86 ERA. Raja had a 13-7 record and 12 saves, 243 strikeouts, 195 ERA+, and 4.1 WAR.

Pune swept Mumbai in the first round and Kolkata outlasted Chennai in five games. The Purple Knights earned their first Indian League Championship Series appearance since 1987, while it was back-to-back for the Cosmos. Kolkata pulled off the ILCS upset 4-2 to earn their first-ever pennant. They became the ninth of India’s 14 teams to win the title once.



The Southeast Asia League’s North Division saw an intense battle for first place between Hanoi and Dhaka. The Hounds prevailed again at 121-41, becoming the first franchise in world history to win 120+ games in three consecutive seasons. The Dobermans set a franchise record at 114-48, but were again relegated to a wild card. Both teams extended playoff streaks to six seasons. Hanoi set a SAB record with a team .348 on-base percentage, which remained the all-time best until 2031.

Bangkok and Yangon tied for the South Division title at 90-72. A one-game tiebreaker gave the Bobcats their first division title since 1988 and their first playoff berth since 2001. The Green Dragons earned the second wild card, finishing four ahead of Chittagong and five better than Kathmandu.

Defending South Asia Baseball champ Ho Chi Minh City fell short at 82-80, ending their historic playoff streak at 23 seasons. The Hedgehogs tied with Ahmedabad for SAB’s longest-ever streak and fell one year shy of Minsk’s world record of 24. This perhaps officially marked the end of the era of dominance for the Hedgehogs and Animals. The only other time that both had missed the playoffs was SAB’s inaugural 1980 season.

The bonkers power numbers for Hanoi DH Majed Darwish didn’t stop as he won his fourth straight SEAL MVP. For the third consecutive season, he topped 80+ home runs and 200+ RBIs, two marks no other player in the world had even reached once. Darwish won his second Triple Crown with a .381 average, 85 home runs, and 200 RBI. He was short of his world records of 91 homers from 2009 and 220 RBI from 2008. That said, this was still arguably Darwish’s best season.

He broke his own SAB records for runs scored (172), total bases (546), slugging (.869), and OPS (1.321) with each still holding in SAB as of 2037. The runs and total bases marks were also world records that still stand. Darwish had a career best 241 wRC+ and 14.5 WAR. That fell just short of Basava Sanjahay’s 14.7 WAR in 2006, but Darwish nearly passed him despite the DH penalty. He also had a career and league best 50 doubles.

While he’d still dominate SAB plenty more, this was the final of the absurd seasons for the 27-year old Bahraini, as his numbers would look more human in later years. But posting 261 homers, 629 RBI, 692 hits, and 506 runs in a three year stretch is a truly absurd stretch that still feels impossible.

Hanoi also had the Pitcher of the Year in Ba Phan, who they had signed the prior offseason on a four-year, $14,400,000 deal. The 31-year old Vietnamese lefty had posted mostly average seasons in his prior run with Vientiane. Phan led in ERA (2.43), wins (22-7), innings (255.2), complete games (14), and shutouts (5) in 2010. He also had 6.9 WAR, 165 ERA+, and 307 strikeouts. Phan was 14 strikeouts away from a Triple Crown.

Hanoi ousted Yangon and Dhaka dumped Bangkok 3-0, setting up a massive showdown between the division rivals. Despite their recent success, the Dobermans hadn’t been to the SEAL Championship since 2002, suffering five straight one-and-dones. The Hounds had suffered a first round loss the prior season despite going 122-40, but now had a shot at their third title in four years. The series was somewhat anticlimactic as Hanoi prevailed 4-1, becoming four-time Southeast Asia League champs.



The Hounds’ hopes for a third SAB Championship win in four years was thwarted with Kolkata earning the upset in six games. The Cosmos became the 10^th franchise to win it all through SAB’s 31 seasons to date. Finals MVP was 1B Umesh Pant, who joined Kolkata in a 2008 trade from De Nang. The 29-year old Nepali had 17 playoff starts, 24 hits, 11 runs, 4 doubles, 5 homers, and 10 RBI.

The Cosmos’ Lwin Swe Ko also had a big postseason, winning LCS and first round MVP. He set a playoff record with 59 total bases which still stands as of 2037. The 26-year old Burmese left fielder had 20 hits, 11 home runs, 2 doubles, 2 triples, 16 runs, and 15 RBI. The 11 homers was also a playoff record, although it would get passed in 2015.



Other notes: Aftab Alam became the sixth batter to reach 1500 runs scored. Alam, Devavesman Toppo, Dhuna Itar, and Ratan Canduri each crossed 600 career home runs in 2010, making six members of the club. Dong Hung and Kamlesh Kanmani became the sixth and seventh to reach 2500 career hits.

In their third season, Colombo finished 49-113, which tied SEAL’s all-time worst set by Kathmandu in 1994. 3B Kamala Vijay won his eighth Gold Glove. 3B Jatinder Chowdhary won his tenth Silver Slugger. Ratan Canduri won his seventh Silver Slugger, although it was his first as a first baseman. The previous wins were all in left field.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2010 in WAB

For the 2010 season, West African Baseball lowered its active roster size from the default 25 down to 24. Many leagues had lowered to 24, feeling it promoted more strategy. Teams still had their hefty reserve rosters which didn’t have a limit, allowing them to hold onto prospects and specialists.



Defending WAB champ Abidjan and Cape Verde tied for the top spot in the Western League at 96-66. The Vulcans earned first place with the tiebreaker for their first playoff berth since 2002. It was Cape Verde’s first time leading the standings. The Athletes extended their playoff streak to six years. Monrovia’s playoff streak also grew to six, taking third place at 90-72.

The fourth place spot and final wild card went to Conakry at 85-77. The Coyotes edged Nouakchott by one game, Dakar by two, and Accra by four. Conakry ended a four-year playoff drought. Bamako and Freetown, wild cards last year, both fell below .500.

Leading Cape Verde’s success was Western League MVP Abdoulaye Sissako. The 26-year old designated hitter from Mauritania led in runs (104), hits (200), home runs (48), RBI (156), total bases (388), and slugging (.610). Sissako also had a .314 average, .980 OPS, and 6.8 WAR. It was one breakout season in an otherwise unremarkable career.

Abidjan’s Arthur Boateng earned a third consecutive Pitcher of the Year and earned back-to-back Triple Crowns. He joined Kouadio Diao as the only multiple-time Triple Crown winners in WAB. The 26-year old Ghanaian lefty had an 18-7 record, 1.61 ERA, and 326 strikeouts. Boateng’s ERA mark still ranks as the fourth-lowest in WAB history as of 2037 by any pitcher with 162+ innings. He also led the league with 257.1 innings and 7.0 WAR with a 229 ERA+.

Monrovia beat Conakry 2-0 in the first round, then lost to #2 seed Abidjan 2-0 in round two. That was the first time in their six-year playoff streak that the Diplomats didn’t make it to the Western League Championship Series. The Athletes earned a third consecutive berth, while top seed Cape Verde was making their second-ever berth. The Vulcans’ last appearance was their lone pennant in 2002.

Cape Verde had home field advantage from the tiebreaker, but Abidjan prevailed 3-1 in the WLCS. The Athletes repeated as WL champs and won their 12^th pennant. That was the most of any WL team and second in all of WAB’s 36 years behind only Kano’s 13.



Cotonou had never finished first in the Eastern League standings and their only previous playoff berths were in 1987 and 2001. The Copperheads looked to reverse their fortunes, taking first in the EL standings in 2010 at 101-61. Cotonou took the top spot by eight games.

Four teams were in a fierce fight for the remaining three playoff spots. Ibadan and Niamey tied at 93-69, Lome was 92-70, and Port Harcourt went 88-74. The tiebreaker gave the defending EL champ Iguanas the #2 seed over the Atomics. The Atomics earned their fourth playoff appearance in five years.

For the Lasers, they ended a seven-year playoff drought by taking fourth. Ouagadougou, who went 111-51 in 2009, dropped to sixth at 81-81. The Osprey saw their playoff streak ended at three seasons. Despite finishing .500, Ouagadougou’s pitching staff set an Eastern League record with a 11.34 K/9. That stood as the top mark until 2023.

Douala was seventh at 80-82, but they had the Eastern League’s MVP in 2B Bright Abubakar. The 27-year old Nigerian led in runs (128), home runs (49), RBI (132), total bases (445), slugging (.749), OPS (1.173), wRC+ (206), and WAR (10.7). His .365 batting average fell nine points shy of a Triple Crown.

Lome’s Nana Villars earned Pitcher of the Year. The 27-year old righty from Ghana was in only his second season as a full-time starter and led in wins (18-7), innings (256), strikeouts (364), WHIP (0.83), K/BB (9.6), quality starts (24), FIP- (60), and WAR (9.0). Villars had a 162 ERA+ and 2.43 ERA, taking second to Ouagadougou’s Zeb Onyedika at 2.12. This effort earned Villars a five-year, $15,700,000 contract extension after the season.

Niamey won 2-0 over Lome in the first round, then lost 2-0 to Ibadan in round two. The Iguanas were going for repeat titles and were making their 12^th Eastern League Championship Series appearance in 20 years. Cotonou’s only prior ELCS was a defeat in 1987. In 2010, the Copperheads prevailed 3-1 over Ibadan, becoming the sixth EL franchise to win a pennant.



In the 36^th West African Championship, Cotonou denied Abidjan’s repeat bid and won the series 4-2. The Copperheads were the 13^th franchise in WAB history to win it all. Finals MVP was DH Fares Belaid in his second full season. The 21-year old Tunisian in 10 playoff starts had 15 hits, 9 runs, 1 double, 2 triples, 4 home runs, 9 RBI, and 7 stolen bases. This was the introduction to the big stage for Belaid, who would retire 23 years later with more hits than any player in pro baseball history.



Other notes: Ouagadougou’s Charles Compaore threw WAB’s 17^th perfect game on September 15, striking out 15 against Lome. Luc Mariam became the seventh to 500 career home runs. Ibrahima Bah was the fifth to join the 2500 hit club. Zachary Owusu became the 13^th to 3000 career strikeouts.

SS Tchiressoua Yao won his ninth Gold Glove. 2B Sambegou Toure and C Okoro Otene both became eight time Gold Glovers. 1B Ahamad Mathew won his ninth Silver Slugger.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2010 in CLB

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Three of the four CLB Northern League playoff teams earned repeat berths in 2010. Last year’s China Series runner-up Zhengzhou narrowly took first at 96-66, earning their third straight berth and fourth in five years. Nanjing was only one game back at 95-67, ending a three year playoff drought. Tianjin took third at 94-68 and Shanghai was fourth at 92-70. The Seawolves extended their playoff streak to three.

For the Jackrabbits, they had an impressive pitching staff and had top three all-time seasons in runs allowed (357, 3^rd), hits (988, 2^nd), and WHIP (0.826, 2^nd). The Zips were close by with only 368 runs allowed. Harbin was the first team to miss the playoffs, allowing 371 runs but finishing fifth at 88-74. Beijing was third last year and dropped to sixth in 2010 at 83-79.

Shanghai’s Lin Wan earned Northern League MVP. Nicknamed “Black Magic,” the 31-year second baseman was in his ninth season with the Seawolves and led with 306 total bases. Wan added 33 home runs, a .285/.330/.516 slash, 200 wRC+, and 10.1 WAR.

Zhengzhou’s Yuandong Wang repeated as Pitcher of the Year in only his third season. The 23-year old lefty had a 16-6 record, 1.59 ERA, and 318 strikeouts over 265.2 innings with a 150 ERA+, 60 FIP-, and 8.4 WAR. His effort included a no-hitter against Shiijazhuang on May 16 with 15 strikeouts and four walks.

Also worth noting was Shanghai’s Jingxing Zhang winning his third Reliever of the Year. His 0.55 ERA was the fourth time a ROTY winner in CLB had a sub 0.60 ERA. Zhang added 158 strikeouts and 46 saves over 98.1 innings and 79 games with a 440 ERA+ and 6.9 WAR. Zhang played one more year for the Seawolves before leaving for MLB and BSA in his later seasons.



Macau led the Southern League standings for the third consecutive season and again won 100+ games. At 102-60, the Magicians took first by four games over Foshan at 98-64. The Flyers ended a nine year playoff drought and had the SL’s third lowest season by hits allowed (945) and H/9 (5.71). Changsha took third at 94-68 to end a two-year playoff drought.

Chengdu grabbed the fourth and final playoff spot at 93-69, extending their playoff streak to three seasons. Narrowly missing the cut were Shenzhen (89-73), Wuhan (88-74), Dongguan (87-75), and Guangzhou (85-77). Last year’s CLB champion Xiamen struggled to 73-89, finishing tenth in the standings.

Hong Kong center fielder Gangzhun Peng picked up Southern League MVP honors despite his squad winning only 69 games. He missed six weeks to injury, but in 122 games still posted 9.6 WAR, a .270/312/.580 slash, 213 wRC+, and 37 home runs.

Changsha’s Lei Li repeated as Pitcher of the Year and became the first (and as of 2037, only) six-time POTY in CLB history. The 30-year old righty led in FIP- (46) and had a 17-7 record, 14 saves, 1.55 ERA, 276 strikeouts, and 7.6 WAR over 209.1 innings. It was Li’s last POTY, although he still had two more strong years ahead for the Cannons. He would leave for MLB for the 2013 campaign on a four-year, $86,400,000 deal with Hartford.

The Southern League teams dominated Round Robin Group A with #4 seed Chengdu and #2 Foshan both advancing to the semifinal at 5-1, while #1 Tianjin and #3 Zhengzhou were both 1-5. Group A ended up having a calamity as all four teams finished 3-3, requiring complex tiebreakers to figure out who moved on. The formula sent Macau and Changsha forward and sent both Shanghai and Nanjing home

With that, the semifinals featured all four SL playoff teams. Chengdu earned a repeat berth and Macau had their second in three years. Changsha ended a two-year drought and Foshan had their first semifinal since 2000. Both series ended up being seven game thrillers with the top ranked Magicians outlasting the Cannons and the bottom ranked Clowns surviving against the Flyers.



The 41^st China Series was guaranteed to crown the 17^th unique franchise as CLB champ. For Macau, they had lost in four prior finals berths (1975, 1989, 2004, 2005). Chengdu’s lone prior appearance was a 1987 defeat. The Clowns would upset the top seeded Magicians in a seven game classic. Finals MVP was 1B Peng Wang in his fourth season. In 20 playoff starts, he had 18 hits, 11 runs, 3 doubles, 7 home runs, and 15 RBI.



Other notes: 2010 saw three perfect games, making it 43 thrown in CLB history. The first came on July 20 by Macau’s Jeff Hinson with 19 strikeouts against Shenzhen. This set a CLB record for most Ks in a perfect game. The second was August 9 by Chongqing’s Jizhu Tang with 12 Ks versus Hong Kong. The third came via Macau’s Yiak Pang with 16 strikeouts over Wuhan. Minghui Ruan became the fifth CLB hitter to 400 home runs and the eighth to 1000 RBI.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2010 in APB

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Taipei set a franchise record at 110-52, repeating as Taiwan League champs and taking the top seed for the Taiwan-Philippine Association. The Tigercats still had to fend off a tough Kaohsiung squad at 101-61. The Steelheads became the sixth team in APB history to miss the playoffs despite 100+ wins.

Defending Austronesia champion Davao secured the Philippine League for the sixth consecutive season with a 107-55 record. Cebu was a distant second at 92-70. The Devil Rays tied 1965-70 Manila for the longest playoff streak in APB history. Davao finished with 100+ wins for the fifth time in their run.

For the third time in four years, Taipei designated hitter Ching-Hui Lin won TPA MVP. The 26-year old Taiwanese lefty led in runs (107), home runs (52), RBI (109), total bases (383), OBP (.366), slugging (.632), OPS (.998), wRC+ (227), and WAR (10.4). His .315 batting average was second to Junior Sanchez’s .329. Prior to the 2010 season, the Tigercats gave Lin a massive eight year, $98,400,000 extension.

Davao’s Bima Idris won his second Pitcher of the Year, having previously earned it in 2007. The 31-year old Indonesian lefty led in wins (20-5), ERA (1.17), WHIP (0.66), and shutouts (8). Among the shutouts was a no-hitter with 9 Ks and 2 walks against Hsinchu on April 26. Idris also had 311 strikeouts over 230.2 innings for a 227 ERA+ and 8.9 WAR. The Devil Rays gave him a five-year, $58,000,000 extension prior to the 2010 campaign.



Surabaya’s Java Sea League title streak grew to five seasons. The Sunbirds at 103-59 had the Sundaland Association’s best record, besting Depok by 10 games. Surabaya led in both runs scored (577) and fewest allowed (411). Medan edged two-time defending champ Singapore in a tight Malacca League race. The Marlins took it at 92-70, one game better than the 91-71 Sharks. That ended a three-year playoff drought for Medan.

Surabaya’s Aluii Nguyen won Sundaland Association MVP for the second time in three years. The 26-year old Cambodian first baseman led in runs (100), home runs (47), slugging (.610), OPS (1.004), and wRC+ (223). Nguyen added 10.0 WAR, 96 RBI, and a .299 average. He beat out Singapore’s Wil Tabaldo for the award despite Tabaldo being four homers short of a Triple Crown with 43 homers, 98 RBI, a.314 average, and 9.0 WAR.

The Sunbirds also had Pitcher of the Year Rahmat Hasjim. The 27-year old Indonesian righty led in wins (19-8), ERA (1.65), WHIP (0.75), K/BB (13.7), and shutouts (8). Among the shutouts was APB’s 33^rd Perfect Game on July 30, striking out eight against Batam. Hasjim had 260 strikeouts over 245.2 innings with a 153 ERA+ and 5.8 WAR.

Davao won the Taiwan-Philippine Association Championship rematch with Taipei 4-2, giving the Devil Rays repeat titles and their fifth in nine years. Davao became seven-time TPA champs with the win. Surabaya was denied for the third consecutive season in the Sundaland Association Championship, suffering a 4-1 upset loss to Medan. It was the Marlins’ first pennant since 2000 and their eighth overall.



In the 46^th Austronesia Championship, Davao outlasted Medan in a seven game classic to repeat again as APB champs. 32-year old Junior Sanchez won finals MVP in his 14^th year with the Devil Rays. In 13 playoff starts, he had 19 hits, 8 runs, 4 doubles, 1 triple, and 10 stolen bases.



Davao won its fifth title overall (1995, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010) and became the second-ever APB team to win four rings in six years. Only Kaohsiung matched that feat with their four in five years from 1973-77. This Devil Rays run has a strong case as the top dynasty in APB history.

Other notes: The 34^th APB Perfect Game came from Surabaya’s Dyan Wetete with 14 strikeouts against Johor Bahru on September 2. Along with Rahmat Hasjim’s perfecto, APB had back-to-back seasons with two perfect games thrown.

Dedi Dewi became the sixth pitcher to 5000 career strikeouts, a mark no others have reached as of 2037. He finished his age 35 season with 5275 Ks, 90 away from Vhon Lasam’s all-time record of 5365. Dewi and Eddie Abundez became the 15^th and 16^th pitchers to reach 200 career wins. Finals MVP Junior Sanchez became the sixth to reach 2500 career hits. Sanchez and Hector Constanza both scored their 1000^th run, a mark now reached by 16 players in the low-scoring APB.

2B Dimas Sunarto won his seventh Gold Glove. Paolo Baptista won his tenth Silver Slugger and his first in left field. He won in right field in 2009 and had his other eight previous Sluggers in center. SS Chi-Chao Shih won his ninth Silver Slugger.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2010 in OBA

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Melbourne’s Australasia League dynasty showed no signs of slowing down with a 113-49 record, leading in both runs scored (823) and fewest allowed (558). Their closest competitor was Auckland at 89-73, 24 games back. The 113 wins for the Mets was the second-most in AL history, one game behind their 2008 effort. They also set a new AL record for walks drawn at 541. Melbourne’s defense was also excellent with four Gold Glove winners (SS, LF, CF, RF).

This was Melbourne’s eighth consecutive pennant. Only two other franchises in all of pro baseball history had won their subleague title eight years in a row. Kano of West Africa Baseball (1997-2005) and Ahmedabad of South Asia Baseball (1994-2002) both had nine year streaks.

Interestingly enough, third place Canberra (85-77) had both the MVP and Pitcher of the Year in the Australasia League. They both led the Centurions to their first winning season since joining OBA in the 2006 expansion. Canberra was only three years removed from an all-time worst 44-118 in 2007.

Repeating as MVP was RF Merlin Megson. The 24-year old Englishman led in hits (203), home runs (50), total bases (416), average (.340), slugging (.697), OPS (1.076), wRC+ (198), and WAR (8.3). Megson’s 120 RBI fell two short of a Triple Crown season. Canberra signed him to an eight-year, $36,780,000 extension prior to the 2010 season.

Lucas Jimenez was Pitcher of the Year in his third year for the Centurions. The 25-year old Spaniard led in ERA (2.59), innings (323), complete games (15), FIP- (66), and WAR (10.3). Jimenez had a 21-14 record, 370 strikeouts, and 147 ERA+. Sadly, this was his final full season as numerous major injuries would plague him in the next few seasons.



Guadalcanal ended a 32-year Pacific League title drought, dominating the field at 113-49. The Green Jackets set an OBA record offensively with a team .499 slugging percentage, which still remains the all-time top mark. They had 856 runs scored, the third-highest in PL history. It was Guadalcanal’s sixth pennant (1961, 1964, 1966, 1968, 1977, 2010), but they hadn’t been a legit contender in decades.

Tahiti was a distant second at 99-63, followed by defending PL champ Guam at 97-65. Port Moresby was fourth at 89-73 and posted the second most hits in PL history with 1583. Even with the hits, they were still third in runs scored in the league.

Pacific League MVP went to third-year Port Moresby left fielder Suliano Nadruku. The 25-year old Fijian lefty led in hits (224), average (.367), OBP (.402), OPS (1.035), wRC+ (184), and WAR (9.5). He added 34 home runs, 37 doubles, and 102 RBI. He beat out Honolulu’s Max Dhong for the award despite Dhong’s 66 home runs and 127 RBI. That fell three short of Vavao Brighouse’s nice single-season record of 69.

Fiji’s Akira Brady won Pitcher of the Year in his third season. This fully introduced the left-handed New Zealander to the big stage and started an all-time great run of dominance. The 23-year old lefty led in ERA (2.74), strikeouts (444), quality starts (30), and WAR (11.9). Brady also had a 22-10 record over 329 innings with a 137 ERA+



With both teams at 113-49, the 51^st Oceania Championship set a finals record for most wins combined between the participants. Melbourne’s historic dynasty continued as they defeated Guadalcanal 4-2. The Mets earned back-to-back OBA rings and got their sixth in seven years. 1B Isaac Endo repeated as finals MVP as the 25-year old from Guam had 11 hits, 4 runs, 3 doubles, 4 home runs, and 11 RBI in the series.



You could argue the 2010 squad as Melbourne’s best of the dynasty, as the only team that won more games (114-48 in 2008) lost in the finals. Six championships in seven years puts the Mets in very rare territory in world baseball history, joining CABA’s Mexico City (1967-73), WAB’s Kano (1997-2003), SAB’s Ahmedabad (nine titles from 1986-96), and AAB’s Kinshasa (1997-2003).

Although Melbourne had two more finals berths in the run still to come, this was their final overall title and the peak. It certainly stands firm as the best-ever Australian dynasty. Only Honolulu’s seven titles from 1982-1990 competes in terms of terms of the best-ever sustained run of OBA greatness. It was fitting that this Mets group would be the first OBA representative in the Baseball Grand Championship.

Other notes: Timor’s pitching staff allowed 800 runs, the second worst in PL history. The Tapirs offense was no better, setting a PL all-time worst with 1713 team strikeouts. Christchurch’s Liam Scullion became only the fifth OBA slugger to post a four home run game, doing it against Melbourne on June 1. CF Ashton Hughes became an eight-time Gold Glove winner. LF Samson Gould and CF Tory Clayton both won their seventh Gold Glove.

Timothy Manglona joined Tarzan Rao as the only OBA pitchers with 5500+ strikeouts. Manglona finished the season at 5604, 46 shy of Rao’s all-time mark of 5650. However, he suffered a torn UCL in September, putting his future in doubt. Manglona would only pitch 20.1 innings in all of 2011 at age 37, but managed to come back for just enough in 2012 to earn the strikeout king crown.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2010 in EPB

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Defending Eurasian Professional Baseball champion Moscow finished first in the European League standings at 103-59. This extended the Mules’ playoff streak to six seasons and was their eighth berth in the last decade. However, it was only their second time in that run finishing first in the standings despite having three pennants. Moscow had 458 stolen bases as a team, which set a new EL record.

Kazan claimed the wild card spot with a 99-63 record in second place, ending a five-year playoff drought. Minsk took third at 94-68, which prevented a third consecutive playoff berth. Samara was fourth at 85-77, which was the first-ever winning season for the Steelers since joining EPB in 2000’s emergency expansion.

European League MVP went to Kazan RF Evgeny Kiselev. The fourth-year righty from Moscow led in hits (201), total bases (360), triple slash (.344/.400/.615), OPS (1.015), wRC+ (197), and WAR (9.0). Kiselev also had 39 home runs and 114 RBI.

Pitcher of the Year was Moscow’s Josh Lipford, who had a bizarre career. An American from Boston, he toiled away in the minors mostly with 136 total MLB innings. He joined the Mules in 2008, but only saw 84 forgettable innings in his first two years. In 2010, Lipford led the EL in wins (20-6), ERA (1.80), and quality starts (26). He added 235 strikeouts over 250.2 innings, a 183 ERA+, and 6.2 WAR.

Lipford’s 6.2 WAR would make up more than half of his career 8.7 WAR. He would post 71.2 middling innings for Moscow in 2011, then find himself out of the game shortly thereafter. Lipford was one of the more unlikely “one hit wonder” major award winners in baseball history.



Omsk ended its seven year playoff drought and had the best record in all of EPB at 110-52. The Otters hadn’t earned first place in the standings since 1999. Omsk led the Asian League in both runs scored (690) and fewest allowed (478).

Yekaterinburg’s playoff streak grew to eight years as the Yaks took the wild card at 101-61. This was their 11^th playoff berth in 12 seasons. Defending Asian League champ Krasnoyarsk was a very distant third place at 88-74.

The Cossacks still saw veteran 3B Boxuan Long won his fourth Asian League MVP. The Chinese 35-year old led in RBI (111), total bases (315), slugging (.553), OPS (.913), wRC+ (168), and WAR (8.3). Long also had 36 home runs with a .298 batting average, earning his 12^th and final Silver Slugger. Long played the following two seasons with unremarkable results in MLB before ending with one final EPB season. His 2010 effort made him only the ninth EPB position player to cross 100 career WAR.

Pitcher of the Year was third-year Omsk righty Marko Leschov. The 25-year old Russian earned the honor with a 2.35 ERA over 253 innings, 207 strikeouts, a 13-13 record, 140+, and 5.0 WAR. By WAR, Leschov was the weakest POTY winner in Asian League history at that point.

Moscow won 4-2 over Kazan in the European League Championship Series, giving the Mules repeat pennants and their fifth in six years. Moscow joined Minsk (2000-04) and Yekaterinburg (2003-08) as the only EPB teams to win five subleague titles in a six year stretch. The Mules earned an eighth EL title (1967, 74, 75, 05, 06, 07, 09, 10).

In the Asian League Championship Series, Omsk ousted Yekaterinburg 4-2. This was the Otters first title since 2002 and their fifth overall, having also won in 1987, 1985, and 1966. It would be their first-ever championship meeting against Moscow.



Despite four prior chances, Omsk had never won it all. The 56^th EPB Championship changed that with the Otters denying Moscow’s repeat and winning 4-1. Omsk became the 18^th franchise to earn the EPB title. 1B Gaspar Osvath was finals MVP with the 28-year old Hungarian getting 13 hits, 9 runs, 3 home runs, and 10 RBI in 11 playoff starts. Osvath had also joined the small group with a four home run game in the regular season, doing it against Vladivostok in August.



Other notes: Voronezh’s Vladyslav Chychykov obliterated the previous EPB single-season stolen base record of 117 by swiping 141 bags. As of 2037, no one else has reached the old record. Roman Izosimov became the 15^th slugger to 500 career home runs. Notably, he was the first to cross that mark since 1996.

OF Wendelin Piotkowski won his eighth Gold Glove. It was his first playing center field with the previous seven coming in left. OF Jov Sakharov won his ninth Silver Slugger and his third in center field. His first six came in right.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2010 in EBF



After missing out on the playoffs by one game in 2009, Brussels had the top record for the entire EBF Elite in 2010. The Beavers were the Northern Conference’s #1 seed at 112-50, rolling to the Northwest Division title. It was their first division title since 1991. Last year’s #1 seed Dublin was still strong, taking the other bye at 102-60. The Dinos won a third consecutive British Isles Division and their fifth in six years, although they didn’t have any playoff success to show for it.

Birmingham was second in the division at 95-67, which earned the first wild card. The Bees broke a playoff drought back to 1997. Paris took the second wild card at 93-69, while Belfast and Glasgow were both four back at 89-73. The Poodles ended a three-year playoff drought. Notably the Brewers had their best season since 1972, although their playoff drought still grew to 49 years. Defending conference champ Luxembourg, winners of 100 games in 2009, fell short at 86-76.

Cologne won the North Central Division at 93-69 for their second division title in three years. Kyiv’s postseason streak ended at six seasons, as the Kings were second at 87-75. That guaranteed the first Northern Conference Championship without Kyiv since 2004. Oslo repeated as Baltic Sea Division champ at 87-75 and were the only team in the division above .500.

At the bottom of the division was Berlin at 61-101, who suffered the fate of relegation. London (63-99), Kharkiv (64-98), Stockholm (65-97), and Manchester (65-97) all narrowly avoided their own relegation by avoiding the 100 loss threshold. The Killer Bees drop was stunning considering their dynasty a decade earlier, posting their worst season since 1966. The Crushers had a rough go too, having earned a wild card at 90 wins the prior season.

Oslo’s Harvey Coyle repeated as Northern Conference MVP and broke EBF’s single-season WAR record by any player. The previous high was a two-way season by Edgar Miranda with 15.5 in 1986. The high just as a position player was Danijel Cindric’s 15.4 in 1953. In 2010, Coyle posted a 15.68 WAR.

At the plate, the 23-year old Englishman led in hits (210), total bases (437), OBP (.424), slugging (.761), OPS (1.185), and wRC+ (230). The switch-hitting shortstop also had 55 home runs, 128 RBI, and a .366 average. Coyle won his third Gold Glove with a 27.2 zone rating and 1.115 EFF. This would just be the start for a guy who would be considered by many as the greatest player in baseball history.

Dublin’s Roman Vakulenko won Pitcher of the Year. The Ukrainian righty had never pitched a full season previously due to injuries, but finally managed in 2010 at age 24. Vakulenko led in strikeouts (359), K/BB (9.7), complete games (15), FIP- (49), and WAR (9.8) while also winning a Gold Glove. He had a 2.33 ERA over 240 innings, 21-3 record, and 155 ERA. Although Vakulenko pitched for another decade, he never had another full season due to multiple torn labrums and back issues.

Birmingham swept Oslo and Cologne won 2-0 over Paris in the first round. Neither stood up to the top seeds, although the Bees did force a 3-2 effort from Brussels. Dublin swept the Copperheads, giving the Dinos their first Northern Conference Championship appearance since their 1995 pennant. The Beavers hadn’t made it that far since 1991.

Brussels had home field advantage and was the favorite, but Dublin prevailed easily with a 4-1 win. This was the fifth conference title for the Irish capital, joining their 1961, 1967, 1968, and 1995 efforts. A team from the British Isles Division hadn’t won the pennant since Glasgow in 2001.



The Southern Conference’s best two records came out of an intense fight for the Southwest Division. After missing the playoffs narrowly the prior two seasons, 2007 European champ Barcelona took the top seed at 100-62. They were only one game better than reigning EBF champ Marseille at 99-63. Lisbon (86-76), Madrid (85-77), and Seville (84-78) each missed the cut, which prevented three straight playoff berths for the Stingrays.

The next best two records were both in the South Central Division. Zurich won at 97-65 to earn the #2 seed and bye, ending a three-year playoff drought. Munich finished three behind at 94-68 and earned the second wild card by eight games. The Mavericks continued the longest active playoff streak in EBF, growing it to a decade.

Athens won the East Central Division at 93-69, earning a third straight division title. Vienna was their closest foe at 86-76 with Zagreb at 85-77. In a lousy Southeast Division, Thessaloniki and Bucharest tied for first at 81-81, while Skopje was two back at 79-83. In a one-game tiebreaker, the Tritons prevailed. Thessaloniki was the first franchise that started in the Second League to earn a playoff spot in the Elite tier.

No team lost 100+ games in the Southern Conference, meaning the worst record was the team to be demoted. That ended up being Tirana at 63-99, falling one game behind Sofia (64-98) and five from Yerevan (68-94). The Trojans had averaged 68.8 wins per year in the prior decade, but had narrowly escaped relegation until now.

Marseille RF Jean-Luc Tapie won his third Southern Conference MVP in four years. The 25-year old Frenchman led in OBP (.451), slugging (.705), OPS (1.156), wRC+ (211), and WAR (10.4). Tapie added 44 home runs, 118 runs, 113 RBI and a .368 average. The Musketeers finally hammered out a long-term extension in August 2011 for Tapie worth $88,300,000 over eight seasons.

Munich’s Lucio de Jesus repeated as Pitcher of the Year. The 35-year old Mexican lefty was in his fifth European season and led again in ERA (2.21). He also led with 25 quality starts while adding a 17-6 record over 248.2 innings, 257 strikeouts, a 173 ERA+, and 8.0 WAR.

Marseille swept Thessaloniki and Munich swept Athens in the first round of the playoffs. Zurich survived 3-2 in round two against the Mavericks, while Barcelona rolled to a 3-0 sweep of the defending champ Musketeers. This was the Bengals first Southern Conference Championship appearance since their 2006 and 2007 repeat pennants. The Mountaineers hadn’t made it that far since 2000.

Zurich took the series 4-2 over Barcelona, ending a 16-year pennant drought for the Mountaineers. It was the ninth conference title for the Swiss squad despite the drought, tying them with Madrid for the most Southern Conference crowns.



In the 61^st European Championship, Dublin downed Zurich 4-2 to become three-time EBF champs, joining their 1962 and 1967 triumphs. The Mountaineers moved to 2-7 all-time in their finals appearances. The 42 year gap between titles for Dublin was the second-longest such gap in EBF history, behind Copenhagen’s 53 years from their inaugural 1950 win to the 2004 title



Other notes: Although he only played five games, Cologne’s Ufuk Turan set a playoff record for batting average and on-base percentage, both at .6364. The rate stat is for anyone with 20 plate appearances. Carsten Dal became the seventh member of the 3000 hit club. Two-way player Atanas Kalkanov won his 11^th Silver Slugger (his 10^th as a pitcher).

Promotion/Relegation: Berlin and Tirana were relegated and Second League conference champs Prague and Helsinki both reclaimed spots among the Elite. The Barons went to the E2L Western Conference and the Trojans to the Eastern Conference.

The Honkers filled Berlin’s spot in the Baltic Sea Division. The Pilots were placed into the East Central Division, while that division’s reigning champ Athens was shifted into the Southeast Division to fill Tirana’s void.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2010 in BSA

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For the third consecutive season, Guayaquil was the Bolivar League’s top seed and a 100+ win team. The Golds finished 101-61 for a third straight Colombia-Ecuador Division title. Quito was their closest foe 88-74, ultimately falling three games short of the second wild card spot. Both wild cards came out of the Peru-Bolivia Division.

Two-time defending BL champ Santa Cruz won that division at 99-63, extending their playoff and division title streak to five seasons. Arequipa was second at 95-67 and Callao was 91-71 to take the wild cards. The Arrows earned their second-ever playoff berth (2003) while the Cats nabbed a third straight wild card. Lima was 88-74 for back-to-back seasons, but saw their playoff drought extended to six years.

In the Venezuela Division, Barquisimeto took first at 94-68. This gave the Black Cats three straight playoff appearances and their second division title in that stretch. Last year’s division champ Valencia was four back at 90-72, falling one game short of Callao for the second wild card. Maracaibo was also in the mix, but fell short at 87-75.

Guayaquil’s Rodrigo Aguilar repeated as Bolivar League MVP in his third season as a starter. The 25-year old Ecuadoran 1B broke his own single-season RBI record of 170 from the prior year, bringing in 173. This stands as the Beisbol Sudamerica record still as of 2037. Aguilar also led the league in home runs (68), total bases (456), and slugging (.714). He added a 177 wRC+, 132 runs, and 8.9 WAR. The Golds eventually committed long-term to Aguilar with an eight-year, $64,100,000 extension signed in August 2012.

Barquisimeto’s Sebastian Marquez repeated as Pitcher of the Year in his fourth season. The 24-year old Venezuelan righty led in ERA (2.31), quality starts (25), and shutouts (4). Marquez had a 21-6 record over 253 innings, 255 strikeouts, 173 ERA+, 64 FIP-, and 8.4 WAR.

Barquisimeto swept Callao 2-0 in the first round and took top seed Guayaquil to the limit in the Divisional Series. The Golds survived in five games to advance for back-to-back Bolivar League Championship Series berths. Santa Cruz outlasted Arequipa 3-2, giving the Crawfish a chance at a three-peat. Santa Cruz pulled it off in the rematch with Guayaquil in a seven game war. The Crawfish were the first to win three consecutive BL titles since Valencia’s five-in-a-row in the 1970s.



The Southern Cone League was a competitive one with only seven wins separating the top seed from the #5 seed. Fortaleza took the top spot for the third successive season by winning the North Division at 98-64. Recife was second at 94-68, getting the first wild card and the #2 seed due to BSA not giving division champs guaranteed higher seeds than wild cards.

Asuncion took the South Central Division at 93-69, extending their playoff and division title streak to five seasons. The Archers now have 12 playoff berths in 14 years. Cordoba was second at 90-72 and Santiago was third at 88-74. Sao Paulo won the Southeast Division at 92-70, ending a 13-year playoff drought. Montevideo was a close second at 90-72.

The Venom and Chanticleers tied for the second wild card, while the Saints were two games back and reigning Copa Sudamerica champ Salvador was three away at 87-75. Cordoba won the tiebreaker game over Montevideo to end a 24-year playoff drought. The Storm’s playoff streak ended at four seasons. Rio de Janeiro’s playoff streak snapped at seven years with the Redbirds finishing 83-79.

Fortaleza 2B Antonio Arceo repeated as Southern Cone League MVP. The 25-year old Bolivian led in RBI (124), total bases (409), and slugging (.661). Arceo added 50 home runs, 115 runs, a .342 average, 186 wRC+, and 9.4 WAR.

Although Arceo was MVP, perhaps the most statistically significant player was Mendoza’s Francisco Magellan. The 29-year old Brazilian right fielder set a new world record with a .420 batting average, a mark still not matched as of 2037 anywhere. Magellan also led in OBP (.460), OPS (1.083), and wRC+ (203), but wasn’t an MVP finalist due to lacking home run power and playing for a middling Mutants squad. Still, a .420 average over 564 at-bats is a remarkable achievement. Only Samuel Salazar’s .405 in 1988 was above .400 in BSA prior.

Pitcher of the Year was Cordoba’s Rodrigo Ghirardi, making an impressive comeback from a torn rotator cuff suffered in September 2008. The 26-year old Argentinian led in ERA at 2.13 with 4.8 WAR over 198.2 innings, a 17-5 record, 202 strikeouts, and 171 ERA+. That was the second-lowest WAR total ever by a BSA POTY winner, in part due to his small inning count. Injuries and arm damage prevented Ghiradi from ever topping 200 innings in a season.

Sao Paulo beat Cordoba 2-0 in the first round and gave top seed Fortaleza a valiant effort. The Foxes survived 3-2 in the Divisional Series, while Recife rolled to a sweep of Asuncion. Despite being the top seed three years running, this was Fortaleza’s first Southern Cone Championship appearance since their 2005 pennant. The Retrievers earned repeat berths and this time prevailed, upsetting the Foxes 4-2. It was the fourth league title for Recife (1984, 1995, 1996, 2010).



The 80^th Copa Sudamerica saw Santa Cruz victorious 4-2 over Recife, earning their second cup in three years. Just like in their 2008 victory, 3B Timmy Andre was finals MVP for the Crawfish. The 31-year old French Guianese third baseman had 18 playoff starts with 19 hits, 11 runs, 2 doubles, 5 home runs, and 15 RBI.



Other notes: In their second season post-expansion, Barranquilla finished 47-115; tying the Bolivar League’s all-time worst record. Vicente Sainz became the eighth member of the 3000 hits club. He played two more seasons and finished with 3293, which ranks eighth as of 2037. Sainz also became the 11^th to reach 1500 runs scored.

Eli Lee became the 22^nd to reach 1500 RBI. Jose Antonio Saenz won his ninth consecutive Gold Glove at second base. Two-way player Oliver Ichimiya won his seventh Silver Slugger as a pitcher.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

2010 in EAB



Only one of the four playoff teams from 2009 in the Japan League made it back in 2010. The biggest shocker was reigning East Asian Baseball champ Nagoya, dropping from their impressive 117-45 mark to a mere 84-78. That was not enough to win the Central Division, which went to Kyoto at 86-76. The Kamikaze were the weakest division winner, ending a two-year playoff drought.

The top seed went to Kawasaki in the Capital Division at 102-60, ending a six-year drought for the Killer Whales. That ended Tokyo’s four-year streak winning the Capital Division, as the Tides fell to 79-83. Kumamoto also ended an 11-year playoff drought by winning a tight West Division at 90-72. The Monsters were three games ahead of defending division champ Fukuoka and seven better than Hiroshima.

The lone returning playoff team was Niigata, who cruised in a weak North Division at 89-73. The Green Dragons earned a fifth division title in a row and their ninth in ten years. They’re only the third team in Japan League history to earn nine playoff appearances in a ten year stretch, joining Hiroshima (1999-2008) and Sapporo (1979-1988).

Japan League MVP went to Kumamoto left fielder Sang-Jun Gang. In his eighth season with the Monsters, the 28-year old lefty led in runs (117), total bases (382), average (.349), slugging (.673), OPS (1.079), and wRC+ (221). Gang added 41 home runs, 11 RBI, 31 doubles, 15 triples, and 8.6 WAR.

Pitcher of the Year was Kawasaki’s Takeo Kobayashi. It was the breakout season for the 25-year old righty, who led in wins at 19-6. Kobayashi had a 2.11 ERA over 247.2 innings, 251 strikeouts, 156 ERA+, and 6.0 WAR.

Also of note, Fukuoka’s Heihachiro Okasawa joined Oki Tanaka as EAB’s only five-time Reliever of the Year winners. Okasawa won his consecutively and soon left for MLB at age 27 on a three-year, $28,000,000 deal with Philadelphia. He was a beast in six seasons for Fukuoka with 218 saves, a 1.26 ERA over 491 innings, 926 strikeouts, a 270 ERA+, and 33.5 WAR.

Kyoto stunned top seed Kawasaki with a first round sweep, while Kumamoto outlasted Niigata 3-2. The Kamikaze earned a second Japan League Championship Series appearance in four years. For the Monsters, their only prior JLCS was a defeat in 1988. Kyoto cruised to a 4-1 win over Kumamoto to end a 32-year title drought. The Kamikaze were now four-time champs, having won three from 1974-1977.



The top of the Korea League divisions saw intense battles with the top seed separated by three games from the #4 seed. Yongin very narrowly took the top overall seed, winning the South Division at 101-61. The Gold Sox were back in the playoffs after seeing their playoff streak ended at four in 2009. Yongin also set a new EAB record with 518 stolen bases as a team, blowing by the old high of 479 by Gwangju in 1992. This remains EAB’s all-time top mark.

Both Gwangju and Busan finished one game behind Yongin in the regular season at 100-62, while Daegu was competitive at 93-69. The Grays won the tiebreaker game for the first wild card, while the defending KL champ Blue Jays took the second spot. Gwangju’s playoff streak grew to three seasons.

Meanwhile, the North Division had a tie for first at 97-65 between Suwon and Seoul. Only the winner of the tiebreaker game would advance, as they both were two games short of the second wild card. The Snappers prevailed to earn repeat playoff berths.

Suwon’s A-Min Bae won his third Korea League MVP in four seasons. The 25-year old left fielder led in home runs (57), hits (214), runs (136), total bases (442), triple slash (.378/.436/.781), OPS (1.217), wRC+ (220), and WAR (12.4). His 127 RBI fell one shy of a Triple Crown season.

Yongin’s Chang-Hyun Pak was Pitcher of the Year, leading in wins at 24-9. The 26-year old righty had a 2.50 ERA over 241 innings, 265 strikeouts, 148 ERA+, and 7.6 WAR. Also notable was Busan’s Geon-Min Lee winning a third straight Reliever of the Year.

Top seed Yongin rolled to a 3-0 sweep of defending champ Busan, while Gwangju ousted Suwon 3-1. The Gold Sox earned a third Korea League Championship Series appearance in six years, while the Grays hadn’t gotten that far since their 1993 pennant. Yongin handled their divisional foe 4-1 for their second pennant in four years. The Gold Sox won their ninth league title (1970, 84, 85, 94, 95, 97, 01, 07, 10).



The 90^th East Asian Championship had Kyoto defeat Yongin 4-2, giving the Kamikaze their third EAB title (1974, 1976, 2010). Fifth-year CF Taiji Shoji was the finals MVP making 14 playoff starts with 29 hits, 16 runs, 3 doubles, 5 triples, 1 home run, 12 RBI, and 14 stolen bases. He tied EAB’s playoff record for steals.



Other notes: Gwangju’s Sawamura Umemoto threw two no-hitters in 2010, both against Changwon. The first on April 24 had 11 strikeouts and 1 walk, while the second had 10 Ks and no walks on September 21. He joined Ha-Ram Lee (1991) as the only EAB pitchers with multiple no-nos in the same season.

RF Soo-Geun Yim won his ninth Silver Slugger. It was his third in right field, while he had one at first base and five as a designated hitter. 2B Yoo Sen won his eighth consecutive Silver Slugger.