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

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

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The 1987 World Baseball Championship was the 41^st edition of the event and was the second to be held in Australia, this time with Melbourne as the main city. Division 1 had a major upset as 8-1 Colombia took the title over the United States at 7-2. It is a very rare back-to-back division title miss for the Americans, while it is back-to-back titles for the Colombians. Colombia has now made it to the elite eight 12 times. Division 2 had a surprise result as well with Haiti on top at 7-2, finishing one game better than China, Greece, Papua New Guinea, and Switzerland. It is the third-ever division title for the Haitians, who also advanced in 1980 and 1969. Chile secured Division 3 at 8-1, edging out 7-2 France. It is only the second-ever division title for the Chileans (1962). Division 4 champ Ukraine was the lone unbeaten team in the group stage at 9-0. It is their fifth division title and third of the 1980s.

A tight Division 5 saw Spain on top at 7-2, beating out 6-3 efforts by Panama and the Philippines. It is the fifth division title for Spain, who last advanced in 1984. Division 6 had a tie between Italy and Burkina Faso at 7-2. The tiebreaker prevented a first-time title for BF and gave the Italians their 10^th. D7 was also tight with last year’s runner-up Indonesia and Hungary tying at 7-2, while the Dominican Republic was 6-3. The tiebreaker gave the Indonesians a third straight division title and eighth overall. Defending world champ Canada and Brazil tied at 8-1 in a strong Division 8 with Paraguay one back. The tiebreaker ended the Canadian’s repeat bid and sent the Brazilians forward for the 21^st time.

In the Double Round Robin Group A, Chile took the top honor at 5-1 to advance to the semifinal for the first time. Spain and Indonesia tied at 3-3, while Ukraine was last at 1-5. The tiebreaker went to Spain to give them their second-ever semifinal appearance (1976). Brazil dominated Group B at 5-1 for their tenth semifinal berth. Italy took second at 3-3 to advance, while both Haiti and Colombia were 2-2. It was the fourth semifinal berth for the Italians, who last pulled it off in 1968.

Both semifinal series went all five games. Chile upset Italy, making the Chileans the 20^th unique nation to earn a spot in the World Championship. Brazil edged Spain 3-2 to give the Brazilians a fifth shot at the cup. Spain officially was third place and Italy was fourth; both matching their best-ever finish.



The 41^st World Championship was guaranteed to have a first-time champion. Brazil had gone 0-4 in their previous appearances, while Chile had never gotten this far. This also marked the first time two South American nations met in the finale. Brazil would prevail 4-1 to claim the world title, led by tournament MVP Ademir Rocha. A decent outfielder with Rio de Janeiro, the 26-year old made 21 starts with 27 hits, 15 runs, 4 doubles, 9 home runs, and 22 RBI. Best Pitcher went to Cuba’s Murray Rodriguez, an up-and-coming starter with Santiago. He pitched 10.1 scoreless innings with 15 strikeouts and two hits allowed.



Other notes: France’s Lorenzo Amaru struck out 22 in a complete game against the Czech Republic. Australia’s Riley Singleton became the fourth to hit for a cycle in the WBC, doing it against Kazakhstan. There were four no-hitters with the most dominant being a 18 strikeout effort by Australia’s Logan Mathews against Jamaica. The others were thrown by Spain’s Jacky Muro, Santiago Marroquin of the Dominican Republic, and Donte Parks of Jamaica. Panamanian Leonardo Salvador became the fourth to have a 20+ game hitting streak, getting to 21 between the last three WBCs.

Below are the updated all-time stats. The championship for Brazil puts them in striking distance of Mexico for the third most points accumulated.

[Dark Cloud]

Rad use of OOTP22 and what a vibrant, deeply detailed world. Impressed, stumbled into it looking for alternate Japanese leagues and was transfixed by the storyline and diversity of the baseball world.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

Quote: Originally Posted by Dark Cloud

Rad use of OOTP22 and what a vibrant, deeply detailed world. Impressed, stumbled into it looking for alternate Japanese leagues and was transfixed by the storyline and diversity of the baseball world.

Thanks for the kind words, glad you're enjoying it! It has been a ton of fun for me going back and really taking in all of the history of these leagues. Still got a long way to go to catch up to the actual current season of the file (2037).

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The third season for the Pakistan League saw Lahore set a league record. Last year’s second place finisher became the first 100+ PL team, doing so in impressive fashion at 110-52. Defending Asian Baseball Federation champ Hyderabad was second at 89-73 to earn the wild card spot. The Horned Frogs had the fewest runs allowed at 482 and allowed only 957 total hits, a mark that still ranks as the third lowest as of 2037.

The Longhorns had the MVP and Pitcher of the Year with the former going to LF Mahyar Rahmani. Nicknamed “Warrior,” the 31-year old Iranian was the leader in runs (112), home runs (54), RBI (128), walks (93), total bases (356), OBP (.386), slugging (.630), OPS (1.016), wRC+ (204), and WAR (11.3). Lahore’s Nadim Abbas was Pitcher of the Year with the hometown hero leading in wins at 24-7 and posting a 1.87 ERA over 249.2 innings with 324 strikeouts and 8.6 WAR. Also of note, Multan closer Touraj Haghighat won his third straight Reliever of the Year, posting 40 saves and a 0.93 ERA with 173 strikeouts in 86.2 innings.



Defending West Asia Association winner Isfahan won the Persian League again at 94-68. Mashhad was six back and Tabriz seven behind. The Imperials allowed only 1076 hits as a pitching staff, which remains the all-time low as of 2037 for the WAA. The best overall record in the WAA was Ankara at 95-67, who dominated the Turkish League for their first-ever title. Istanbul, who had claimed the first two crowns, fell off from 101 wins to only 74 in 1987.

Leading Ankara’s success was SS Caner Danishmend, who won West Asia Association MVP. The 29-year old Turk was the leader in runs (106), home runs (56), RBI (113), total bases (356), slugging (.614), OPS (.920), wRC+ (195), and WAR (10.9). His 56 home runs tied the single-season record, which would hold for another four years as the record. Pitcher of the Year was Adana’s Zaheer Yasin. A 30-year old Pakistani righty, he led in wins with 21-5 and posted a 2.14 ERA over 269.1 innings with 290 strikeouts and 8.8 WAR.

Lahore was a heavy favorite in the Pakistan League Championship Series with their 110 win season, but defending champ Hyderabad upset the Longhorns 4-2. Meanwhile, Isfahan and Ankara were evenly matched and as expected, went all seven games in the Association Championship. The Imperials prevailed to earn back-to-back titles and set up a rematch in the ABF Championship.



The third ABF Championship had Hyderabad defeat Isfahan 4-2, making the Horned Frogs back-to-back ABF champs. Finals MVP went to SS Muhammed Emin Cikirikci, who had 11 hits, 5 runs, 4 home runs, and 7 RBI over 12 playoff starts.



Other notes: The second ABF perfect game came on April 15 from Hyderabad’s Piyan ar-Rahman. He struck out 16 against Faisalabad, which would remain the record as of 2037 for most Ks in an ABF perfecto.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

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The 1987 Indian League had two first-time division winners. Kanpur had the best overall record at 95-67, winning the Central Division by nine games over Kolkata. Chennai claimed a weak South Division at 85-77 as the only team above .500. Visakhapatnam, who won the division last year with 103 wins, fell to 78-84. The West Division had Pune narrowly secure the title at 91-71, bouncing back after missing the playoffs for the first time the prior year. Defending South Asian Champ Ahmedabad was one back at 90-72, which earned them the wild card and a sixth playoff berth over SAB’s first eight seasons.

Delhi’s V.J. Williams won his fourth straight Indian League MVP. The 26-year old second baseman was the leader in runs (115), hits (188), total bases (391), OBP (.421), slugging (.688), OPS (1.109), wRC+ (252), and 12.4 WAR. His overall resume gave him the MVP over Ahmedabad’s Andee Siddharth despite record setting power. Siddharth set the new single-season home run record with 67 (passing the previous high of 66) and had the first 150+ RBI season with 153. Siddharth remained the home run king until 1996. Kanpur’s Arvind Lal won Pitcher of the Year, leading in wins (21-3), ERA (1.63), WHIP (0.82), and K/BB (9.7). Lal had 281 strikeouts over 215.1 innings with 7.5 WAR.

Defending champ Ahmedabad won 3-1 on the road over Kanpur in the first round of the playoffs, while Pune swept Chennai 3-0. The division rivals met in the Indian League Championship Series with the wild card Animals taking it 4-2 to earn back-to-back IL pennants.



The Southeast Asia League was quite competitive in 1987 with the best overall record being only 92-70. That went to Bangkok, who earned the South Division title for back-to-back seasons. They were only two ahead of Ho Chi Minh City and three ahead of Vientiane, although both of those teams snagged wild cards. The Hedgehogs earned a fourth playoff berth in five years and the Vampires got back-to-back wild cards. In the North Division, Hanoi was first at 91-71 for their first division title and second playoff berth in three years. Mandalay (86-76) and defending SEAL champ Kathmandu (85-77) both ended up a few games shy of both the division crown and a wild card spot.

Chittagong fell below .500, but CF Van Loi Phung won his second Southeast Asia League MVP. The 26-year old Vietnamese righty was the leader in runs (108), RBI (129), total bases (376), OPS (1.045), wRC+ (1830, and WAR (11.3). He added a .340 average and 43 home runs. Vientiane’s Zainal bin Aziz won back-to-back Pitcher of the Year awards and led in strikeouts (381), innings (261.2), WHIP (0.89), K/BB (8.1), FIP- (43), and WAR (12.1). bin Aziz also had a 1.96 ERA and 20-4 record.

Ho Chi Minh City upset Hanoi 3-2 in a classic first round series and Bangkok bested Vientiane 3-1. It was the first Southeast Asia League Championship Series berth for the Bobcats and the second for the Hedgehogs, who were runner-up in 1984. The series was a seven game thriller with Ho Chi Minh City taking it for their first title of what would become a run of annual dominance for the next 20 years.



The eighth South Asian Championship wouldn’t have much excitement though as Ahmedabad swept Ho Chi Minh City to earn back-to-back SAB titles. Although a sweep, this kicked off what would become an intense rivalry with these teams meeting in numerous championships for the rest of the 20^th Century. Andee Siddharth was finals MVP and had 6 home runs, 17 hits, 9 runs, and 15 RBI over 14 playoff starts.



Other notes: V.J. Williams won his sixth Silver slugger at 2B. RF Najib Kumaili also won his sixth.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

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The Western League had the same three playoff teams as the prior year, although the roles were switched. At 102-60, Conakry took first place for the first time in franchise history and got back-to-back playoff berths. Kumasi had a record tenth straight playoff berth, taking second at 91-71. Defending WL champ Bamako finished third at 90-72 for the second wild card, getting their fifth straight postseason appearance. Both Abidjan and Cape Verde were right in the mix at 88-74, but short of the last spot by two games. For the Vulcans, it was their first winning season in West Africa Baseball’s 13 year history thus far.

Conakry 3B Moussa Naba won the Western League MVP in his second full season as a starter. The 25-year old Burkinabe led in WAR (8.0) and runs (96), adding Gold Glove defense with a .267/.328/.464 slash. Bamako’s Addise Assefa won his third Pitcher of the Year; the third WAB pitcher to win the award thrice so far. The 30-year old left handed Ethiopian led in ERA (1.88), innings (268.2), strikeouts (379), WHIP (0.82), and quality starts 931). He added a 20-8 record and 7.3 WAR.

The wild card round had Kumasi sweep Bamako 2-0, sending the Monkeys to the Western League Championship Series for the sixth time. It was Conakry’s first WLCS appearance and they had home field advantage, but Kumasi would prevail with their playoff experience. The Monkeys took the series 3-1 to take their third WL pennant (1979, 1985).



Niamey made the playoffs for the fourth straight season, although 1987 was their first time atop the Eastern League standings with a franchise-best 101-61. The Atomics allowed 475 runs with a 2.60 team ERA, which both still stand as the second-best in EL history as of 2037. There was a shift in the El in the wild card spots with Cotonou at 91-71 and Lome at 87-75. This was the first-ever playoff berth for the Copperheads and only the second for the Lasers (1976). Perennial power Lagos was one game short of the last playoff spot at 86-76 and defending WAB champ Kano was fifth at 83-79. 1987 joins 1982 as the only years so far that didn’t have the Lizards and/or the Condors in the playoff field.

Leading Cotonou was 3B Lilian Sule, who won Eastern League MVP. The 27-year old Nigerian was the WARlord (7.2) and leader in RBI (12), while adding 40 h0me runs and a .880 OPS. Sule would leave WAB in the offseason and spend the next eight years in Honduras. The Copperheads also had Pitcher of the Year in Bello Stephen, back-to-back wins for the second-year star. The 24-year old Nigerian led in ERA (1.95), WHIP (0.78), FIP- (43), and WAR (10.0). He added 351 strikeouts over 226 innings and a 16-8 record.

Cotonou won the wild card round 2-0 against Lome. In the Eastern League Championship Series, we were guaranteed a first-time EL champ. After being the runner-up in 1984 and 1985, Niamey finally prevailed to take the ELCS 3-1 over the Copperheads.



The 13^th West African Championship went all seven games with Niamey edging Kumasi 4-3 to bring the cup to Niger for the first time. The Monkeys are now 0-3 in their WAB finals appearances. Finals MVP went to CF Alfred Koker, who posted 16 hits, 4 runs, 3 doubles, and 3 RBI in 11 playoff starts.



Other notes: The 10^th WAB Perfect Game was thrown by Lome’s Dedric Godwin on May 14, striking out 8 against Kano. There were 10 perfect games in WAB’s first 13 seasons, although the 11^th wouldn’t come until 1997. Kouadio Diao was the second pitcher to 3000 career strikeouts. 3B Adama Toure won his seventh Gold Glove.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

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Beijing and Tianjin both continued their dominance atop the Chinese Northern League. They switched spots in the standings with the Bears first at 104-58 and the defending CLB champ Jackrabbits at 101-61. It was Beijing’s fourth straight playoff berth and Tianjin’s fifth straight. The Jackrabbit pitching staff set a NL record for fewest walks (202) while the Bears had the second best second for strikeouts at 1805, three behind their record from the prior season.

Dalian was third at 90-72, 11 games from a playoff spot despite having the Northern League MVP Hongbo Yang. Nicknamed “Otter,” it was the breakout season for the 25-year old right fielder, leading in hits (193), RBI (101), total bases (330), triple slash (.355/.383/.607), OPS (.99), wRC+ (237), and WAR (10.5). Beijing’s Youpeng Yin won back-to-back Pitcher of the Year awards. The 25- year old led in ERA (1.17), WHIP (0.60), quality starts (30), FIP- (36), and WAR (10.7). He added a 15-2 record and 293 strikeouts over 239.1 innings. Also of note, Junwei Zhu won his third Reliever of the Year and led in saves for the fourth straight season.



Guangzhou finished first in the Southern League at 99-63, earning back-to-back playoff berths. Close behind were Chengdu and Dongguan with the Clowns earning the second playoff spot at 98-64. That snapped a four-year playoff drought for Chengdu. The Donkeys, first place last year, were two games short at 96-66. Hong Kong (89-73) and Foshan (87-75) had solid seasons, but faded from contention late.

Chengdu CF Zhang Yu won the Southern League MVP, leading in hits (169), and triples (24). He added 9.8 WAR with a .837 OPS and 187 wRC+. The Clowns’ playoff hopes though would fade as Yu suffered a torn ACL in late September, knocking him out 10 months. Pitcher of the Year was Guangzhou’s Qinshu He, who posted a 1.74 ERA and 16-12 record over 269.1 innings with 291 strikeouts and 7.3 WAR.

The first place teams prevailed in the semifinal rounds with Beijing besting Chengdu 4-2 and Guangzhou topping Tianjin 4-2. This sent the Bears to the China Series for the fourth straight year and fifth time overall. For the Gamecocks, it was their third finals berth and first since 1974.



The 18^th China Series was a seven-game battle with Beijing winning over Guangzhou 4-3. 1B Guangjun Ma was the playoff hero, winning finals MVP and semifinal MVP. In 13 starts, Ma had 17 hits, 6 runs, 4 home runs, and 13 RBI. This gave the Bears their third title in four years, becoming the first team in CLB history to achieve that. Beijing is also the first time to win four titles overall in CLB history (1970, 84, 85, 87).



Other notes: Changsha’s Cong Tien Anh threw CLB’s 18^th Perfect Game on September 17, fanning five against Xiamen. Bears’ pitcher Xi Han had two no-hitters in 1987, fanning 14 against Jinan in May and striking out 10 against Zhengzhou in July. Beijing’s Robin Kwan tied the CLB single-game strikeout record, fanning 19 against Xi’an. Guodong Lin became the fourth pitcher to 3500 career strikeouts. Zhiyuan Lai and Hla Khun Mon became the third and fourth pitchers to 200 career wins.

Junjie Hsiung became the second to 2500 hits. He would play two more seasons and finish with 2824 hits, passing Shenchao An’s 2704 to become the CLB hit king. Hsiung remains the hit king as of 2037. He also won his 10^th and final Silver Slugger at shortstop. Faqing He won his ninth Gold Glove in center field.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

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Taichung won the Taiwan League for the fourth straight season and set a franchise-record with a 107-55 record. They had the most runs scored (615) and fewest allowed (444) in the whole Taiwan-Philippine Association, allowing them to finish 11 games ahead of 96-66 Taipei. The Philippine League needed a tiebreaker game to determine the champ as Quezon and Cebu both finished 89-73. The Zombies prevailed to take the top spot for the third time in the 1980s. Manila, the two-time defending TPA champ, fell to a third place 78-84.

TPA MVP went to Taichung’s Chang-Rong Chang, who also won it back in 1981. The 29-year old Taiwanese first baseman led in runs (97), home runs (48), RBI (95), walks (59), total bases (358), OBP (.350), slugging (.594), OPS (.943), wRC+ (203), and WAR (9.3). Cebu’s Alex Clavijo won Pitcher of the Year in only his second season. The 23-year old lefty led in ERA (1.33), strikeouts (393), WHIP (0.71), FIP- (38), and WR (12.6). He pitched 278 innings and had a 21-5 record. Although most agreed Clavjio was the top pitcher, Taichung’s Cedric Fenny set the Austronesia Professional Baseball record with 27 wins. The 36-year old went 27-2 with a 1.38 ERA over 281 innings, 291 strikeouts, and 8.8 WAR. Also of note, Toucans closer Edhie Dalem won his third straight Reliever of the Year.



Two-time defending Sundaland Association champ Jakarta set a franchise record at 107-55, winning the Java League by 14 games over Semarang. The Jaguars led the association in runs (556) and fewest allowed (368). After taking second the prior two seasons, Medan was back atop the Malacca League at 95-67. It is the fifth playoff appearance of the 1980s for the Marlins. Pekanbaru, last year’s league winner, fell off a cliff to 69-93.

Pitcher of the Year and Sundaland Association MVP both went to Jakarta’s Hadi Ningsih. The 30-year old Indonesian lefty had a 0.94 ERA, only the second-ever sub-one ERA season for an APB starter behind Ahmad Syahmi Rusli’s 0.89 in 1982. He also led in wins (24-5), WHIP (0.61), K/BB (19.4), quality starts (34), FIP- (32) and WAR (14.1). Ningsih also struck out 408 batters over 287.1 innings and threw APB’s 14^th perfect game, striking out 12 against Palembang on April 5. It was his second career no-hitter, having also thrown one in 1984.

After taking runner-up the prior three seasons, Taichung finally took the Taiwan-Philippine Association Championship, outlasting Quezon in a seven-game classic. It is the fourth title for the Toucans, who also won it in 1981, 1966, and 1965. The Sundaland Association Championship also went the distance with Medan denying Jakarta’s three-peat. The Marlins have now won five pennants with four in the 1980s (1966, 81, 83, 84, 87).



The 23^rd Austronesia Championship was also a thriller, the first final to go seven games since a prior Taichung/Medan final in 1981. It was their third time meeting in the finale with the Toucans winning in 1981 on a walkoff and the Marlins taking it in five in 1966. Medan won it all in 1987 for their second championship, led by third-year left fielder Mohd Yusri Rusli. He won finals MVP, posting 13 hits, 6 runs, 2 doubles, 2 home runs, and 4 RBI over 14 playoff starts.



Other notes: Chun-Chia Lan became the second to 600 career home runs and became the APB home run king, passing Abracham Gumelar’s record of 604. Lan played one more season and finished with 619, holding the all-time mark for nearly 40 years. He’d end with 1413, retiring 13 short of Gumelar for the top spot. Vhon Lasam, Dave Hermillo, and Poh Tan all crossed 3500 career strikeouts, bringing it to five pitchers to have reached the mark. Cedric Fenny became the first to 200 career wins. CF Fajar Lastori won his eighth Silver Slugger.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

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For the first time since their dynasty ended in 1970, Melbourne took first in the Australasia League. The Mets took the top spot at 98-64 with the top offense in the AL, scoring 701 runs. Christchurch at 95-87 was their closest competitor with Sydney at 88-74. Defending AL champ Perth was fourth at 79-83.

Leading Melbourne’s success was fourth-year 3B Thomas Silverhawk, who won Australasia League MVP. The 25-year old Australian hit the most home runs (50) and led in hits (188), average (.313), and WAR (10.5). He added a 180 wRC+ and 119 RBI. For the first time in AL history, Pitcher of the Year went to a reliever with Mets closer Scott Kyle taking it. He also became OBA’s first five-time Reliever of the Year winner. In his second season with Melbourne, the 32-year old New Zealander posted 5.4 WAR over 97 innings with 44 saves, 53 shutdowns, 149 strikeouts, and a 1.30 ERA. He also became the first OBA pitcher to cross 400 career saves. It would be his final OBA season as Kyle would spend his remaining five seasons in MLB. His 402 OBA saves would be the all-time top mark until the late 2020s.



The Pacific League title went Samoa, snapping a 13-season drought. The Sun Sox finished 89-73 and beat out defending champion Honolulu by only one game, denying the Honu their sixth title of the 1980s. It was a competitive race with only ten games separating first from seventh.

Fiji’s David Rotinsulu was named Pacific League MVP in his second season. The two-way righty from Indonesia on the mound led in wins at 25-12 and posted a 2.53 ERA over 327.2 innings with 273 strikeouts and 6.9 WAR. As an outfielder, he had 3.0 WAR with a .271/.310/.489 slash, 167 wRC+, and 14 home runs in 122 games. Honolulu’s Scottie Hunt was the Pitcher of the Year, having joined the Honu in 1985 after flaming out of MLB. The 30-year old from Portsmouth, Virginia led in ERA (2.21), strikeouts (368), quality starts (34), FIP- (70), and WAR (8.9), adding an 18-13 record in 317.2 innings. Hunt would miss all of 1988 needing elbow reconstruction surgery, then spent his remaining seasons bouncing between MLB teams.



The 28^th Oceania Championship would see the first sweep since 1970. Like in 1970, Melbourne was on the bad side of it as Samoa took the title. It is the second championship for the Sun Sox, who also won in 1973. CF Luther Barry was the finals MVP with 8 hits, 5 runs, 1 triple, and 3 RBI in the series.



Other notes: Tarzan Rao and Nigel Chalmers became the second and third OBA pitchers to 5000 career strikeouts, both passing Nathaniel Doloran’s top mark of 5026. Chalmers would retire after the season with 5144, while Rao played two more years and retired the all-time leader with 5650 Ks. Port Moresby’s Thompson Bobby had the third four home run game by an OBA slugger. Trent Atkins became the second batter to 500 home runs. He’d retire after 1989 with 564, still a distant second to Sione Hala’s 691. 3B Jarrod Stacy won his ninth Gold Glove.