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

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South Asia Baseball didn’t induct any players into the Hall of Fame in 1995. The top performer was SP Vannak Thai at 52.7% on his fourth ballot. Closer Jason Mayekar was next on his fourth ballot also with 47.6%. SP Ramesh Kohinoor was the only other player above 40%, earning 43.2% in his second go. The best debut was SP Ratanpreet Nagpal at a lackluster 13.3%.

The Asian Baseball Federation was still a long way from adding its first-ever Hall of Famer. SP Zeyad Noori’s debut was the highest percentage for anyone yet, but his 26.1% was still a long way away from the 66% threshold. SP Abbas Nadim had 24.2% in his second ballot. No one else reached double digits.

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Entering the mid 1990s, the only populated region that still didn’t have a Global Baseball Alliance sanctioned major baseball league was central and southern Africa. The rest of the continent had seen the game thrive with West African Baseball and had shown tremendous growth in a short period in the north from the Arab League. The other part of the continent had seen a number of cities and markets grow to the point of being able to sustain major teams. However, the region had a lot of internal and external strife, making a multinational league tough to consummate.

South Africa had been the nation with the most developed baseball presence in the mid 20th Century. However, the Apartheid regime made most nations understandably not interested in associating with or partnering with them. With Apartheid’s official ending in the early 1990s and the growth of the game elsewhere on the continent, a league for the remaining African nations looked more possible. Enough powerbrokers eventually came up with what would become the African Association of Baseball (AAB), which began play in 1995.

In its initial layout, AAB was split up into two conferences of ten teams each. The Southern Conference had three South African teams (Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg), along with Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), Lusaka (Zambia), Luanda (Angola), Harare (Zimbabwe), Lilongwe (Malawi), Antananarivo (Madagascar) and Maputo (Mozambique). On the other side was the Central Conference with Kinshasa and Lubumbashi (DR Congo), Brazzaville (Congo Rep), Mogadishu (Somalia), Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), Nairobi (Kenya), Kigali (Rwanda), Kampala (Uganda), Ndjamena (Chad), and Bujumbura (Burundi).



AAB would use a balanced schedule without interleague play. The designated hitter was universal and offensive numbers would be considered above average to high in the early years relative to other world leagues. Batting averages were actually considered below average initially despite ERAs being above average. AAB would see higher numbers of home runs and stolen bases than most other leagues.

In the postseason, the top two placing teams would face off in the Conference Championship. The first place team would receive a one-game advantage built in with a “Best of Seven” format that would see at most six games played with a HH-AAA-H format. The two conference champs advanced to the Africa Series, which was unique for being the only championship in the world using a Best of Nine format. It would be a HHH-AAAA-HH setup to decide the champion.

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The 1995 World Baseball Championship was the 49^th edition of the event. It was the first to be hosted in Europe since 1977, this time being centered around Lisbon, Portugal. In a very tight Division 1, Indonesia finished first at 7-2. Romania and Vietnam were both one back with three other nations at 5-4. It was the third consecutive division win for the Indonesians and their 12^th time advancing to the elite eight. In D2, the United States and Chile tied at 7-2 with Switzerland at 6-3. The Americans had the tiebreaker to move forward for the 41^st time.

Two-time defending world champion China was the lone unbeaten team, taking Division 3 at 9-0. The Philippines were the closest competitor at 7-2. The Chinese earned a fifth consecutive division title and advanced for the 18^th time. In D4, Iran (7-2) edged Haiti (6-3) with three others at 5-4. This was Iran’s first ever division title. Ghana also earned its first division title, taking Division 5 at 7-2. Guatemala, India, and Russia were each right in the mix at 6-3.

For the sixth time in a decade, Canada moved forward. They won Division 6 at 7-2, topping the Dominican Republic and South Korea by one game each. The Canadians advanced for the 30^th time, second most only to the Americans. In D7, Denmark secured a first-ever division title at 7-2. Pakistan and Thailand were each at 6-3. Division 8 saw Brazil prevail at 8-1, two better than the Czech Republic and Nigeria. The Brazilians picked up a 27^th elite eight appearance.

In Round Robin Group A, China and Canada both advanced at 4-2. The United States fell short at 3-3 in a rare elimination for them, while Denmark was 1-5. The Canadians made their 24^th semifinal berth and the Chinese got their 13^th. Both picked up a fourth final four berth in the last five years. Group B saw Iran on top at 4-2 as a first time semifinalist. Brazil and Indonesia were both 3-3 and Ghana finished 2-4. The Brazilians had the tiebreaker over the Indonesians for their 15^th final four appearance.

In the semifinal, China survived in five games over Iran to return to the championship for the third consecutive time. The Chinese are the first nation since the United States in the 1970s to earn three finals appearances in a row. The Americans are the only other country to have seen three straight title matches. The other semifinal saw Canada top Brazil 3-1. This was the Canadians’ fifth championship appearance in ten years. Iran officially was third and Brazil was fourth.



The 49^th World Championship was the eighth finals for China and the 15^th for Canada, but their first-time facing each other for the title. This was arguably the most exciting world final in WBC history to this point, needing all seven games. The finale was scoreless until the 11^th inning with the Canadians going ahead in the top half for a 1-0 victory. This denied China’s three-peat bid and gave Canada a sixth world title (1954, 59, 67, 86, 91, 95). They are now 6-9 in the championship all-time while the Chinese are 4-4.



WBC MVP went to China’s Shichao Chang. A 35-year old switch hitting RF playing in MLB with Cleveland, Zhang had 26 hits, 26 runs, 17 home runs, 37 RBI, 18 walks, and 2.7 WAR over 27 starts. His countryman Zhiming Cao won Best Pitcher. A four-time Reliever of the Year winner with CLB’s Hangzhou, Cao pitched 16 innings with a 0.56 ERA and 34 strikeouts.

Other notes: With Iran, Denmark, and Ghana each winning their first division titles, that makes 66 different nations to make it to the elite eight once. There were two no-hitters in the 1995 WBC with the first from Burkina Faso’s Elodie Belem against Egypt with 14 strikeouts and one walk. The second was Russia’s Orel Mastinsky with 12 Ks and four walks over Ghana.

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1995 marked the first official season for the African Association of Baseball. The Southern Conference ended up being a two-team race with Lusaka and Johannesburg locking in the two playoff spots with a few weeks left. The Lake Monsters would finish at 94-68, one better than the Jackalopes to earn the regular season title and the conference championship advantage. The next closest teams were Cape Town (84-78), Antananarivo (83-79), and Harare (82-80).

The first Southern Conference MVP was Lusaka shortstop Lasse Kallevik. He was a 35-year old Norwegian who had won four Silver Sluggers over a decade between the EBF and MLB. In his AAB debut, Kallevik had a conference-best .959 OPS and added 50 home runs, 111 RBI, 102 runs, and 7.1 WAR. Luanda lefty Djedoboum Sanoussi won Pitcher of the Year. The 27-year old Chadian ace led with 25 quality starts, posting a 22-8 record over 271 innings with a 2.46 ERA, 277 strikeouts, and 8.3 WAR.



In the Central Conference, Kinshasa claimed first place at 100-62. Ndjamena grabbed the wild card spot at 97-65. Kampala was a distant third at 91-71, while Mogadishu was fourth at 88-74. Although short of the playoffs, the Peacocks notably stole 599 bases as a team. This is still the AAB single-season record as of 2037.

Central Conference MVP was Kinshasa CF Bawaka Ngoie. Nicknamed “Flounder,” the 25-year old was playing for his home country’s capital and led the CC with 8.6 WAR. Ngoie added 44 home runs, 116 RBI, 111 runs, and a .946 OPS. Mogadishu righty Innocent Nkosi won the Pitcher of the Year. A 25-year old South African righty, Nkosi led iin WAR (9.2), FIP- (58), K/BB (5.3), complete games (19), and shutouts (50). He added a 3.11 ERA over 255 innings with 233 strikeouts and a 17-10 record.

AAB’s playoff format for the Conference Championship gives the top seed a one game handicap advantage. This didn’t save Lusaka in the Southern Conference final, as Johannesburg upset the Lake Monsters 4-2. In the Central Conference, #1 seed Kinshasa would cruise to a sweep of Ndjamena.



In the first-ever Africa Series, Johannesburg bested Kinshasa 5-3 to become AAB’s first champion. Pitcher Kedir “Crazy Legs” Mohamed was the finals MVP. The 28-year old Tanzanian lefty had three complete games and two shutouts with a 0.64 ERA over 28 playoff innings and 34 strikeouts. His 1.68 postseason WAR remains the AAB single-playoff record.



Other notes: AAB’s first no-hitter was the only one in 1995 with Johannesburg’s Alan Wood striking out 10 with five walks against Luanda on 9/13. Kinshasa’s Ezra Ndlovu was the first AAB batter to hit for the cycle.

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Defending Arab League champion Casablanca finished with the Western Conference’s best record for the third consecutive season. At 102-60, the Bruins won the Mediterranean Division for the fifth time in ALB’s six year history. After taking second last season, Cairo was back atop the Nile Division for their fifth title in six years. The Pharaohs finished 95-67, besting last year’s division winner Alexandria and Khartoum both by nine games. In the Levant Division, Amman earned its first division title at 95-67. Jerusalem was a distant second at 81-81, while the defending winner Beirut dropped to 75-87.

Cairo’s Sahar Ahmadi was a repeat winner of the Western Conference MVP. The 28-year old Afghani center fielder had 44 home runs, 114 RBI, a .295/.321/.598 slash, and 7.2 WAR. Amman’s Saad Ahmed earned Pitcher of the Year in his fifth season. The Lebanese lefty led in wins (20-8), ERA (1.89), and quality starts (31). Ahmed added 271 strikeouts over 257.1 innings with 8.1 WAR.

Cairo swept Amman 2-0 in the first round of the playoffs to set up another rematch in the Western Conference Final between the Pharaohs and Casablanca. Cairo had won in their 1990 and 1992 battles, but the Bruins won in their 1993 encounter. The series went all five games with Casablanca winning for a third straight pennant. The Bruins would be the only Western Conference franchise to three-peat until Amman did it from 2023-25.



Three-time defending Eastern Conference champ Medina again was the class of the conference. The Mastodons earned a sixth straight Saudi Division title at 111-51. They blew away Mecca by 14 games despite the Marksmen having the EC’s second best record at 97-65. Mosul had an impressive turnaround in the Iraq Division, going from 68 wins to 93 for their first division title. Basra, who had won the division the prior two years, was a very distant second at 78-84. Dubai secured repeat Gulf Division wins at 88-74. The Diamonds were six games ahead of second place Abu Dhabi.

Eastern Conference MVP was future superstar SS Mohammed Mohamed. The Saudi righty was only 21 years old, having made an impressive debut as a teenager in 1992 for Mosul. He bounced back from a torn back muscle in 1994 to post a phenomenal 1995 campaign, leading in hits (185), total bases (338), and WAR (11.1). Mohamed won his first of nine Gold Gloves and added 35 home runs, 117 RBI, and a .981 OPS.

His Muskies teammate Rashid Tariq won his second Pitcher of the Year in three seasons. The 26-year old Iraqi set a single-season record with 298 innings pitched, which still holds as of 2037 as ALB’s most. Tariq was 25 strikeouts short of a Triple Crown with a 23-9 record, 340 Ks, and 2.02 ERA. He also led the conference in WHIP (0.88), K/BB (7.6), complete games (15), shutouts (6), and WAR (11.7).

Those two led Mosul to their first playoff series win with a first round sweep of Dubai. The Muskies would soon have a dynasty of their own, but Medina’s run of dominance wasn’t over yet. The Mastodons cruised to a 3-0 sweep in the Eastern Conference Final to a fourth consecutive pennant. There wouldn’t be another EC four-peat until Muscat from 2028-31.



The sixth Arab League Championship would serve as the rubber match between Casablanca and Medina. The Mastodons won in 1993 to repeat as champs, then the Bruins claimed their first title in the 1994 rematch. The 1995 series would be the least dramatic of the group, ending in a Casablanca sweep and repeat titles for the Bruins. 3B Mamadou Bassirou was the playoff hero as the ALB finals MVP and WCF MVP. The 30-year old Nigerien had 18 hits, 8 runs, 4 home runs, and 11 RBI over 9 playoff starts with a .529/.600/.912 slash. This marked the end of the early dynasty runs for Casablanca and Medina. Although both would be back in the finals in the early 2000s, neither would return for the remainder of the 1990s.



Other notes: Beirut’s Fabi Abu Kabeer set a bad ALB record with 24 losses on the mound, which still holds as the league record as of 2037. Abdullah Al-Muhafazat became the first ALB pitcher to 2000 career strikeouts.

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After taking second in the Pakistan League standings the prior year, Hyderabad took the top spot in 1995 at 98-64. This was the Horned Frogs’ fifth-ever playoff berth and third time in first place. Karachi had an impressive turnaround to take second at 91-71. The Carp had placed last at 71-91 the prior year. Karachi’s only prior playoff berth was in the ABF’s inaugural 1985 season. Two-time defending PL champ Multan dropped to third place at 84-78.

Karachi RF Rizwan Qureshi earned repeat Pakistan League MVP honors. The 25-year old left led the league in runs (87), hits (179), doubles (40), home runs (39), total bases (340), average (.312), slugging (.592), OPS (.966), wRC+ (245), and WAR (10.1). Hyderabad’s Masruq Abbas earned Pitcher of the Year in his third season. The 25-year old righty led in wins (21-5) and ERA (1.55), while adding 218 strikeouts over 232.2 innings and 4.5 WAR. Also of note, Karachi’s Qayyum Allahrakha became ABF’s third three-time Reliever of the Year winner.



The West Asia Association saw an intense battle for the Turkish League’s title. Adana claimed it at 102-62 with their second-ever playoff berth, finishing three ahead of defending TL winner Ankara at 99-63. 90-72 Istanbul was also in the hunt for much of the year. The Persian League saw the stunning collapse of defending ALB champ Mashhad, who had won three WAA pennants in the prior five years. The Mercury plummeted to 67-95, opening up the top spot for Isfahan at 89-73. The Imperials ended a six-year playoff drought and had an impressive rebound from only 68 wins the prior year. Tabriz was the closest competitor at .500.

Adana’s Mohammed Khan earned West Asia Association MVP with record-setting power. The 25-year old Indian first baseman became ABF’s single-season RBI leader with 155, beating Gokhan Karatas’ 153 from 1993. This stayed the RBI record until 2015. He also tied Karatas’ runs scored record of 133, which wasn’t passed until 2021. Khan’s 69 home runs were also the second most behind Vahid Hadadi’s 74 in 1991. The 6’6’’ lefty also led the WAA in walks (96), total bases 944), slugging (.754), OPS (1.191), wRC+ (215), and WAR (11.7). Isfahan’s Yazeed Anwari won his first Pitcher of the Year in what would become a remarkable career. The 22-year old Pakistani righty led in WAR (9.1), quality starts (25), and shutouts (50). Anwari added a 2.28 ERA and 19-7 record over 269 innings with 323 strikeouts.

In the Pakistan League Championship Series, Karachi upset Hyderabad 4-1. This gave the Carp their second pennant, as they won the first PL pennant in 1985. The West Asia Association Championship saw Adana become a first-time champ. The Axemen ousted Isfahan 4-2.



The 11^th Asian Baseball Federation Championship was an all-timer, joining 1986 and 1988 as the only finales to need all seven games. The 1995 edition also made history as the first to conclude in a walkoff. In game seven, Adana 2B Salman Culcuoglu had the RBI single in the ninth to win it 3-2 for the Axemen. SS Khody Yousefian was finals MVP, posting 13 hits, 5 runs, and 3 extra base hits in 13 playoff starts.



Other notes: Adana’s Ali Ozyazici had a 35-game hitting streak. This was second-most in ABF history behind Aleddin Simsek’s 37 in 1986. Neither mark would be reached again until 2028. Vahid Hadadi became the first slugger to 300 career home runs. Catcher Erhan Buyukdemir won his eighth consecutive Silver Slugger. He was the first eight-time winner at any position in ABF’s short history.

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Despite winning the South Asia Baseball Championship seven of the last nine seasons, Ahmedabad still managed to reach a new high. The Animals set a Indian League record at 124-38. Entering 1995, 124 or more wins had only been reached three other times in any world league. The all-time best had been Ho Chi Minh City’s 126-36 in 1995; who suffered a shocking first round playoff defeat that year. The Animals also set a team ERA record of 2.23; which still stands as the SAB single-season record as of 2037. Ahmedabad’s playoff streak extended to 11 seasons with 14 berths over SAB’s 16 seasons to date. 10 of their 11 year streak have seen West Division titles as well.

In the Central Division, Kanpur and Delhi both extended playoff streaks. The Poison took first at 90-72, making the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season and ninth time in a decade. The Drillers earned the wild card at 87-75 to get five playoff appearances in a row. In the South Division, Visakhapatnam’s bid for a seventh straight playoff spot was thwarted by Bengaluru. The Blazers won a weak division at 84-78, finishing four games ahead of the Volts. It was Bengaluru’s first playoff appearance since their run of seven straight from 1980-86.

Indian League MVP went to Bengaluru 2B Tirtha Upadhyaya in his second full season. At only age 21, the Nepali lefty led the league in home runs (60), RBI (120), total bases (381), slugging (.690), OPS (1.045), and wRC+ (234), adding 10.5 WAR and 105 runs. Arvind Lal won his third Pitcher of the Year in his debut season with Ahmedabad. The 6’4’’ lefty had a decade of excellence with Kanpur, but sat out 1994 as no one reached his asking price. At age 31 in his return, he led in wins at 24-4 and posted a 2.15 ERA over 243.1 innings with 285 strikeouts and 6.5 WAR.

Ahmedabad cruised to a first round playoff sweep of Delhi, while Bengaluru outlasted Kanpur in a five game battle. It was the fourth Indian League Championship Series appearance for the Blazers, who last made it a decade earlier. For the Animals, it was ten appearances in a row with a shot at their eighth pennant in a decade. Ahmedabad used their plentiful playoff experience to avoid the letdown that many of the other 120+ win teams in other world leagues had seen. The Animals beat Bengaluru 4-1 for repeat IL titles and their sixth in seven years.



Defending Southeast Asia League champ Ho Chi Minh City had its own historic season. Like Ahmedabad, the Hedgehogs finished 124-38, making it five squads in pro baseball history to hit the mark or better in a season. HCMC extended its playoff streak to nine years with a 12^th berth in 13 years. All other teams in the South Division finished below .500. The Hedgehogs 2.57 team ERA was second-best in SEAL history, behind their own 2.38 from the 126-win 1993 season.

Yangon and Dhaka battled for the North Division title with the Green Dragons (95-67) taking it by one game over the Dobermans (94-68). Yangon snapped a four year playoff drought, as they hadn’t won more than 70 games in that skid. Dhaka picked up a fourth playoff berth in five years by easily winning the first wild card, setting up a playoff rematch with the Green Dragons. There was a big drop to the second wild card spot, claimed by 81-81 Hanoi. The Hounds snatched a second playoff appearance in three years. Mandalay and Bangkok were both two games back.

Ho Chi Minh City CF Van Loi Phung became a four-time SEAL MVP. The 34-year old Vietnamese righty was the WARlord at 11.0 and had 49 home runs, 108 RBI, and 114 runs with a .303/.365/.616 slash. It was the final MVP for the beloved center fielder, who would effectively retire from 1997-99, not playing except for the World Baseball Championship. Phung would return in 2000 and play another five seasons, fully retiring at age 44.

His Hedgehogs teammate Zainal bin Aziz reached rarified air as an eight-time Pitcher of the Year winner. The 35-year old Malaysian lefty fell four ERA points shy of a Triple Crown with a 26-5 record, 2.04 ERA, and 385 strikeouts over 264.1 innings. He also led in K/BB (9.2), FIP- (37), and WAR (13.4). The WAR and wins were both single-season SAB records that still hold up as of 2037. He beat his own 13.05 WAR record from the prior year. It was the final great season for arguably SAB’s best-ever pitcher, as a torn flexor tendon in June 1996 would effectively force his retirement. As of 2037, bin Aziz remains SAB’s only eight-time Pitcher of the Year winner. Six of the top seven pitching seasons by WAR in SAB as of 2037 are bin Aziz.

Ho Chi Minh City was determined to not suffer the same first round failure that the 126-win team had seen two years earlier, sweeping Hanoi. Yangon dusted Dhaka 3-1, giving the Green Dragons their sixth Southeast Asia League Championship appearance and first since 1990. For the Hedgehogs, they had gotten there eight times in nine years with a 5-2 record prior to the 1995 edition. HCMC again avoided the collapse of the 1993 campaign by beating Yangon 4-1 and earning a sixth pennant.



The 16^th South Asia Baseball Championship was historic, setting a world record for the most combined wins between two finalists. As mentioned earlier, 124-38 or better had only happened five times ever in pro baseball counting this season. Having two 124-38 teams meeting for the title was absolutely unprecedented and wouldn’t be matched again.

The matchup was also a familiar one as Ahmedabad had faced Ho Chi Minh City five times in the prior eight championships. Each of those prior meetings, the Animals ended up victorious. For the second time, they needed all seven games to decide it, but yet again it was Ahmedabad on top. A newcomer to the rivalry, LF Deepak Rahim, won finals MVP. The 29-year old had signed with Ahmedabad as a free agent in the offseason from Bengaluru. In the playoffs, Rahim had 15 starts, 17 hits, 13 runs, 7 home runs, and 21 RBI. The 21 RBI was a SAB playoff record that held until 2015.



Triumphant in their historic win, Animals’ supporters argued their case for the 1995 team being the greatest not just in SAB history, but in pro baseball history. The Animals broke the record for most wins by a champion, previously set by Beisbol Sudamerica’s La Paz at 122-40 in 1940. Ahmedabad repeated as champ and won its eighth title in ten years; a mark that no other franchise has matched in any league as of 2037. Seven in a decade had only been met by OBA’s Honolulu from 1981-90

Detractors would point to SAB’s relative lower talent pool and lack of balance to discredit the GOAT team arguments. It wouldn’t be until 2010 that the Baseball Grand Championship was formed to allow all of the world’s champions to battle for supremacy. Regardless, Ahmedabad’s dominance hadn’t been seen before and their 1995 season stands even above their other outstanding squads during the dynasty. It wouldn’t be until 2036 that a team would win its league title with a better win-loss record.

Other notes: Yangon’s Arnav Sumedh had 181 singles, setting a single-season SAB record that still stands in 2037. Sumedh also had a 31-game hit streak, which beat the previous SAB record of 30 games. Although low compared to some other leagues, 31-games would be SAB’s record until passed in 2019. A bad record was set by Phnom Penh’s Phyu Khant Thar, who walked 155 batters.

Pitcher of the Year winner Zainal bin Aziz became the first pitcher to 4000 career strikeouts. He would finish after the 1996 season with 4483, holding the top spot until the late 2010s. V.J. Williams became the first batter to 1500 runs scored, 1500 RBI, and 2500 hits. He also got his 13^th and final Silver Slugger, his third at first base (the others were at second). This would be the most by any SAB player until passed in 2024 by eventual world home run king Majed Darwish. Williams played one more season and retired with 1594 runs, 2656 hits, and 1638 RBI. These marks would get passed in the higher offense environment to come in the new millennium. Williams also would retire with 142.6 WAR, which would be first until 2004. He’s still sixth as of 2037.

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It was a two-team race for first in the WAB Western League in 1995. Defending West African Champion Abidjan ended up on top for the fourth consecutive year. At 103-59, it was their fourth straight 100+ win season. Accra gave chase and took second at 99-63 for their first winning season since 1984. It was only the second-ever playoff berth for the Alligators (1976). Cape Verde claimed third place at 85-77 for their first playoff spot in five years. Bamako (81-81) and Freetown (80-82) were the closest competitors for that last playoff spot. Dakar had made the WLCS in the prior five years, but the Dukes dropped to an eighth place 75-87. Dakar wouldn’t post a winning season for the rest of the 1990s.

Leading Accra’s turnaround was 1B Mohamed Din, who won Western League MVP. The 26-year old Mauritanian lefty had been a bench player in the first five years of his career with Abidjan. The Athletes traded him to the Alligators in February for SP Usman John and Din thrived as a starter. He led the WL in hits (204), home runs (57), RBI (146), total bases (414), slugging (.703), OPS (1.093), and wRC+ (205). Din added 8.8 WAR and a .346 average. Pitcher of the Year was Abidjan’s Lin Freire. The 30-year old Bissau-Guinean lefty was in his third season with the Athletes and led in strikeouts (334), K/BB (15.9), FIP- (54), and WAR (9.3). Friere added an 18-4 record over 244 innings with a 2.43 ERA.

Accra outlasted Cape Verde 2-1 in the wild card round, sending the Alligators to their first-ever Western League Championship Series appearance. They gave the perennial powerhouse Abidjan a battle that came down to the final inning of game five. The Athletes would take the clincher 8-7 on a walkoff, becoming the first WAB team to win four pennants in a row. Abidjan has taken the WL crown eight times over WAB’s first 21 seasons.



The Eastern League was top heavy with three squads earning triple digit wins. It became clear they’d take the three playoff spots, but it came down to the final weeks to decide who placed where. Port Harcourt ended up first at 104-58, extending their playoff streak to seven years. It was only the second time the Hillcats had taken first in that stretch. Defending ELCS winner Ibadan was second at 102-60 to extend its playoff to six seasons. Kano joined them by grabbing third at 101-61, snapping a six-year playoff drought for the Condors. Lagos, who had a four-year streak entering the season, finished a distant fourth despite a respectable 89-73 mark.

It was a record setting season for Kano SS Darwin Morris, who claimed repeat Eastern League MVPs. The 23-year old Liberian posted an incredible 15.1 WAR season, blowing by the previous mark of 12.3 by Joseph Ambane in 1978. This remains the WAB single-season WAR mark as of 2037. At the time, it was also the fourth-best season of offensive WAR by any player in any pro league. Morris also set a WAB runs scored record with 142, topping Germain Tchouga’s 136 from the prior year. He also led the league in home runs (53), RBI (135), total bases (401), stolen bases (91), slugging (.693), OPS (1.103), and wRC+ (204). Morris also posted 15.0 ZR and a 1.069 EFF defensively, which would be the best defensive numbers in his storied career.

His Kano teammate Pomeyie Mensah was the EL’s Pitcher of the Year. The 26-year old Ghanaian was the leadear in ERA (2.20), and WHIP (0.96). Mensah added a 17-7 record over 216.2 innings with 297 strikeouts and 6.1 WAR. He also had the best triple slash against him of .189/.253/.303.

Ibadan had home field for the wild card round, but Kano upset them 2-1. It was the seventh Eastern League Championship Series appearance for the Condors, but first in a decade. While Darwin Morris was building a future dynasty for Kano, it wouldn’t begin quite yet. Port Harcourt edged Kano 3-2 in the ELCS, giving the Hillcats their fifth pennant (1980, 82, 89, 90, 95).



In the 21^st West African Championship, it was the second time that Abidjan and Port Harcourt had met in the final. Back in 1982, the Athletes prevailed to take their first-ever overall title. The Hillcats would get revenge and deny the repeat bid, taking the championship 4-2. It was the third overall title for PH, who also won it all in 1980 and 1989. Finals MVP was 1B Theodore Lawal, who posted 15 hits, 11 runs, 6 home runs, and 12 RBI over 11 starts. This performance got the 29-year old Lawal paid, as he’d sign a seven-year, $10,280,000 deal with Kano in the offseason



Other notes: Port Harcourt’s Aitor Zambrano drew 12 walks in the postseason to set a WAB record. Xavi Leko became the second pitcher to 4000 strikeouts. Leko finished the season with 4295, passing Addse Assefa’s 4147 to become the all-time leader. Bijou Kalumbu became the fourth to reach 3500 strikeouts. Germain Tchouga reached 1000 runs, 1000 RBI, and 400 home runs all in 1995. SS Jorginho Fonseca won his seventh Gold Glove.