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

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The ALB’s Western Conference saw all three divisions with repeat champs. Two-time defending conference champ Khartoum had the best overall record at 100-62, winning a fierce Nile Division. They outlasted a 94-68 effort by Alexandria and 88-74 mark by Cairo. Amman was atop the Levant Division for the fourth time in five years as they were 93-69. Jerusalem was the closest competitor at 86-76. Casablanca at 92-70 narrowly claimed the Mediterranean Division, beating Algiers by only one game. The Bruins have been a playoff team in eight of the first ten seasons of Arab League Baseball; the most of any franchise.

Western Conference MVP went to Jerusalem 2B Mustafa bin Nazim for the second time in three years. The 24-year old Omani switch hitter led in OBP (.413), slugging (.683), OPS (1.096), and wRC+ (202). Additionally, bin Nazim had 9.4 WAR, a .338 average, 52 home runs, and 119 RBI. He managed to beat Algiers’ Medhi Idris despite the 64 dingers from Idris; the second-most in a season so far in ALB.

Amman’s Tha’er Nasr won Pitcher of the Year. The 29-year old Jordanian righty was the leader in strikeouts (335), innings (275), and complete games (12). He added 6.7 WAR and a 3.11 ERA with a 14-15 record. His Aviators teammate Khemais Khalid also notably won a fourth Reliever of the Year award. As of 2037, Khalid is one of only four pitchers to win the award four times in ALB.

Amman edged Casablanca 2-1 in the first round of the playoffs, setting up a Western Conference Finals rematch with Khartoum. The Cottonmouths were looking to three-peat, but the Aviators pulled off the upset 3-1. This gave Amman their first-ever pennant.



It was an intense battle for the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Jeddah ended up taking it at 107-55, repeating as Saudi Division champs. Reigning ALB champ Mosul ended up one back at 106-56, but still cruised to a fifth consecutive Iraq Division title. After taking second in back-to-back seasons, Dubai ended up on top at 94-68 in the Gulf Division. It was the sixth time the Diamonds earned a playoff berth. Defending division winner Doha was a distant second at 84-78.

Mosul shortstop Mohammed Mohamed became a four-time Eastern Conference MVP, remarkably earning it despite missing two months to injury. The 25-year old Saudi saw posted a blistering 11.8 WAR in only 116 games, hitting 47 home runs with 117 RBI, a .386/.448/.827 slash, and 242 wRC+. He would’ve led in batting average, but didn’t have enough at-bats. This effort beat out defending MVP Nordine Soule of Basra for the award, who smacked 62 homers with 136 RBI. Jeddah’s Jameleddine El Baraka won Pitcher of the Year as the 24-year old Algerian had the ERA title at 1.98. He added a 19-8 record over 218 innings with 237 strikeouts and 6.4 WAR.

Mousl fended off Dubai 2-1 in the first round of the playoffs, sending the defending champs to their fifth consecutive Eastern Conference Final. It was the first-ever finals berth for Jeddah, who had home field advantage. The playoff experience allowed the Muskies to triumph 3-2, repeating as EC champs and taking their third pennant in four years.



In the tenth Arab League Championship, Mosul became the third franchise win repeat titles, joining Medina and Casablanca. The Muskies bested Amman 4-2, boosted by Mohammed Mohamed’s return to the lineup in late September. He repeated as finals MVP and posted 17 hits, 11 runs, 7 homers, and 11 RBI over 14 playoff starts.



Other notes: For the first time in ALB history, there weren’t any no-hitters thrown all season. In the first decade of Arab League Baseball, the league ERA was around 3.62, which graded as very historically average. The batting average was around .241, below average on the historical trend but very middle-of-the-road amongst all leagues in the 1990s. Like most leagues, ALB would see offense tick upward in later years, eventually reaching high to very high numbers by the 2030s.

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For the fifth consecutive year, Hyderabad had the first place spot in the Pakistan League standings. The two-time defending champs were 105-57 and also earned a sixth consecutive playoff berth. Multan ended a four-year playoff drought, taking second place at 93-69. There was a large gap to third place Faisalabad at 83-79. Last year’s wild card Lahore dropped to fifth at 76-86. Karachi, who placed third last year, plummeted to last at 66-96.

Pakistan League MVP went to Gujranwala 1B Haroon Yahya, who became a two-time winner. He led in doubles (40), RBI (125), and total bases (397). Yahya added 9.8 WAR, 62 home runs, and a .275/.334/.661 slash. He was second in dingers to Rawalpindi’s Altaf Aslam, who smacked 66. Yahya had one more year with the Grasshoppers before leaving for the Oceania Baseball Association in free agency.

Hyderabad’s Rami Naqvi won Pitcher of the Year. In his second season with the Horned Frogs, the 28-year old lefty led in ERA (1.78), strikeouts (406), quality starts (28), FIP- (46), and WAR (9.7). Naqvi added a 15-6 record over 237.2 innings. His biggest accomplishment came on April 28 against Rawalpindi, as he struck out an incredible 24 batters over nine innings. This set the world record for strikeouts in any game. As of 2037, it is still the record for a regulation game, getting topped twice in other leagues during extra inning efforts. Naqvi also on July 30 had a 20 strikeout no-hitter against the Red Wings, which set the ABF record for most Ks in a no-no.



The West Asia Association again had Isfahan and Bursa atop their leagues. The two-time defending Asian Baseball Federation champion Imperials dominated the Persian League at 103-59. They narrowly beat out the 102-60 Blue Claws for the top seed. Bursa had to fight off Adana in the Turkish League, taking the title by five games. The Blue Claws earned a third straight playoff berth, while Isfahan’s streak extended to five seasons.

Adana’s Humayun Kahil repeated as West Asia Association MVP and posted a historic effort. Already in his fifth season despite only being 22 years old, Kahil became ABF’s third Triple Crown hitter with a .365 average, 49 home runs, and 135 RBI. He also scored 133 runs, which tied the single-season record and wouldn’t get topped until 2021. Kahil was also the leader in hits (212), total bases (428), OBP (.426), slugging (.737), OPS (1.162), wRC+ (218), and WAR (13.1). To that point, that was the fourth highest WAR total by a position player in ABF history.

Also historic was Isfahan’s Yazeed Anwari winning his fifth consecutive Pitcher of the Year. As of 2037, he’s one of only three ABF pitchers to win the award five times and the only one to do it consecutively. The 26-year old led in ERA (2.07), strikeouts (374), K/BB (9.3), complete games (17), FIP- (50), and WAR (10.9). He had a 20-8 record over 265 innings, falling one win short of a Triple Crown behind teammate Allama Badar.

In the Pakistan League Championship Series, Hyderabad became the first franchise to win three straight pennants. The Horned Frogs rolled Multan 4-1, becoming five time PL champs. In the third straight West Asia Association Championship clash between Isfahan and Bursa, the Blue Claws finally got the better of the Imperials. Despite being the road team, Bursa dominated the two-time defending ABF champs with a sweep. This was the first-ever pennant for the Blue Claws.



In the 15^th Asian Baseball Federation Championship, Hyderabad handled Bursa 4-1. The Horned Frogs became three-time ABF champs, having also won it all in 1986 and 1987. SS Uddin Sidhu was the finals MVP. Normally renowned defensively as a six-time Gold Glove winner, the 25-year old posted 11 hits, 6 runs, 3 doubles, 2 triples, 2 home runs, and 7 RBI in 10 playoff starts.



Other notes: Multan’s Andrei Motova had the first four home run game in ABF history, doing it on May 8 against Lahore. Vahid Hadadi became the first ABF slugger to reach 500 career home runs and 1000 runs scored. He was also the second to 1000 career RBI. Hasan Afshin became the first pitcher to 3000 career strikeouts. RF Yakup Gunduz won his ninth Gold Glove.

The West Asia Association saw its offensive numbers go up from the 1980s to the 1990s with a league ERA of 3.59 and batting average of .244. These numbers were considered average to slightly below average on the historical scale. Meanwhile surprisingly, the offense went down in the Pakistan League with a 2.96 ERA and .222 batting average for the 1990s. These both grade out as low to very low. The DH in the WAA and lack of one in the PL explains part of the difference. Notably, this was also the final season of ABF’s original alignment. The exodus of teams from Eurasian Professional Baseball after the 1999 season would lead to the ABF getting new members and realigning as a result.

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Ahmedabad’s unprecedented dominance of the Indian League continued as they were 114-48 atop the West Division. The Animals’ pitching staff set new IL records for strikeouts (1915) and WHIP (0.899). They earned a 15^th consecutive playoff berth and set the world record for most consecutive 100+ win seasons at 12. The previous best was 11 by EPB’s Minsk Miners from 1956-66. The other two divisions had repeat winners with Kolkata taking the Central at 94-68 and Visakhapatnam at 88-74 atop the South. The wild card race saw Jaipur and Delhi tied for the spot at 83-79, while Mumbai was at 81-81. The tiebreaker game went to the Jokers, giving them their third playoff appearance in four years.

Bengaluru’s Tirtha Upadhyaya made history, becoming the second player in South Asia Baseball history to be a five-time league MVP. The 25-year old won his fifth consecutive Indian League MVP, again playing great despite his Blazers being mediocre. The Nepali second baseman led the IL in runs (104), home runs (58), total bases (376), slugging (.656), OPS (1.020), wRC+ (227), and WAR (11.7). This would end Upadhyaya’s run with Bengaluru, entering free agency in the winter and signing an eight-year, $15,300,000 deal with Ho Chi Minh City.

Jade Poomkeaw won Pitcher of the Year and tossed the sixth Triple Crown season in SAB history. The 32-year old Lao lefty had sat out 1998 after helping HCMC win the 1997 title. He joined Ahmedabad for 1999 and had a 23-4 record, 1.92 ERA, and 375 strikeouts over 276 innings. Poomkeaw also was the leader in WAR (9.8), complete games (12), shutouts (7), and FIP- (58).

Ahmedabad cruised 3-0 over Jaipur in the first round, earning a spot in the Indian League Championship Series for the 14^th straight year. Kolkata beat Visakhapatnam 3-1 on the other side, sending the Cosmos to only their second-ever ILCS (1989). The Animals buzz saw made quick work of Kolkata with a sweep, earning Ahmedabad six IL pennants in a row and their 12^th in 14 years.



Ho Chi Minh City remained dominant in the Southeast Asia League, but they had an equal for a change. The Hedgehogs won the South Division at 112-50, while Yangon posted the same record in the North Division. The two-time reigning SEAL champ HCMC extended their own playoff streak to 13 seasons with 10 straight 100+ win campaigns. The Green Dragons secured a fifth consecutive division title and set a franchise record for wins. There was a steep drop to the two wild card teams with Phnom Penh at 88-74 and Johor Bahru at 82-80. Hanoi was one back on the Blue wings with both Chittagong and Bangkok only two away. The Pandas picked up a second playoff berth in three years, while JB snapped a five-year drought dating back to their surprise 1993 SAB title.

Amoda Shah repeated as Southeast Asia League MVP, winning his third. The 28-year old left fielder for Ho Chi Minh City led in runs (118) while adding 53 home runs, 126 RBI, 6.4 WAR, and a .273/353/.639 slash. Yangon’s Akrti Dawar grabbed Pitcher of the Year with the 26-year old Indian righty leading in wins at 21-8. He had a 2.65 ERA over 257.2 innings with 303 strikeouts and 6.2 WAR.

Despite the huge wins gap between the division champs and the wild card teams, both first round series went all five games. Ho Chi Minh City survived against Johor Bahru, sending the Hedgehogs to the Southeast Asia League Championship Series for the sixth straight season. Phnom Penh shocked Yangon on the other side, sending the Pandas to the SEALCS for the second time in three years. PP couldn’t keep the magic alive, falling to HCMC in a spirited six game effort. The Hedgehogs three-peated as SEAL champs and won their fifth pennant in six years, as well as their ninth since 1987.



For the ninth time in 13 years, the SAB Championship saw Ahmedabad versus Ho Chi Minh City. The Animals continued their general dominance of the series, improving to 8-1 over the Hedgehogs. Ahmedabad won the 1999 edition in six games to repeat as champs. It was also their fifth SAB title in six years and their 11^th title in 14 years. CF Anjan Sumanjit repeated as finals MVP and won it for the third time in his career. The 29-year old in 13 playoff starts had 16 hits, 8 runs, 3 doubles, 4 home runs, and 8 RBI.



Manager Sharafat Azam won his fifth pennant, having taken over Ahmedabad in 1994. He won Manager of the Year six straight seasons, an impressive job considering he saw no success in the 1980s with both Vientiane and Hyderabad. As of 2037, he and Maurf Chowdhury are the only five-time champion managers in SAB history. Chowdhury led Ahmedabad from 1987-93

Other notes: SAB’s fourth perfect game was thrown on July 9 by Pune’s Pattukkottai Varadarasanar against Delhi with eight strikeouts. K.C. Choudhury became the fourth batter to 500 home runs. Abdul Deepkaran and Manju Abbas became the sixth and seventh to 2000 hits. Abbas also won his record tenth Gold Glove at third base, the first SAB player to win 10 at any position. Deepkaran won his tenth Silver Slugger at second base, becoming the second batter to win ten at any spot. Thiang Huynh won his ninth, split between 3B/1B.

For the 1990s, the Southeast Asia League’s offense statistics stayed about the same with the league ERA going from 3.68 to 3.65 and the batting average staying at .240. Both of these marks are in the average to below average range historically. The Indian League’s offense dropped however from a 3.43 ERA over the 1980s to a 3.18 one in the 1990s. The batting average stayed roughly the same around .233. These stats grade out as low on the historical scale. Both would see a slight increase in the next two decades.

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Freetown extended its postseason streak to four seasons and for the first time in that streak, placed first in the WAB Western League standings. The Foresters finished 103-59, setting a new franchise record for wins. Abidjan was second at 99-63, giving the Athletes their seventh playoff berth in eight years. Nouakchott grabbed the third place spot at 91-71 for their second berth in three years. Bamako was the closest to the final wild card at 85-77. Kumasi, last year’s Western League winner, dropped to fifth at .500.

Emmanuel Kao repeated as Western League MVP. He won it the prior season with Dakar, but was surprisingly traded to Freetown in the offseason for three prospects. Still only 24 years old, the Togolese right fielder led in runs (118), home runs (57), RBI (153), total bases (411), slugging (.711), OPS (1.104), and wRC+ (197), while adding 8.5 WAR and a .329 average. Kao fell one RBI short of Jamil Boadi’s single-season record of 154 from 1975.

Pitcher of the Year was Kieran du Toit, who joined Kumasi that year in a trade from Lome. The 27-year old South African righty was two wins short of a Triple Crown with a 17-9 record, 2.63 ERA, and 349 strikeouts. He also led with 263.2 innings and 16 complete games while posting 6.6 WAR. In the offseason, du Toit would leave and sign one of the largest contracts in baseball to date for seven years and $41,300,000 with MLB’s Boston Red Sox. He would have a solid debut season, but du Toit stunningly got the yips. Boston released him after three years and he never played again.

Abidjan edged Nouakchott 2-1 in the first round of the playoffs, sending the Athletes to their first Western League Championship Series since their 1992-95 pennant four-peat. Freetown had home field advantage, but ended up losing in the WLCS for the fourth consecutive season. The series went all five games with Abidjan on top for their ninth pennant through WAB’s first 25 seasons. That is tied with Lagos for the most of any team.



History was made in the Eastern League by two-time defending WAB champ Kano. The Condors set the all-time WAB record with a 123-93 mark. They also smacked 299 home runs, second in EL history only to Lagos’ 300 from 1977. Kano became the eighth team in any world league to win 123+ games in a season. As of 2037, it is WAB’s second best, as the Condors themselves would best it the next year. Kano scored 200+ more runs than any of their EL foes with 954 and also allowed the fewest at 563. These marks also led the entire WAB.

It was a 27 game drop down to second place Ibadan at 96-66. The Iguanas managed to make the playoffs each season of the 1990s, giving them the second-longest postseason streak in WAB history behind Kumasi’s 14-year odyssey from 1978-91. Niamey also repeated as the third place finisher as they were 94-68. Cotonou was also in the mix at 89-73, but fell five games short of a playoff spot.

Kano shortstop Darwin Morris became the first five-time MVP in WAB history, taking the Eastern League’s MVP for the third consecutive year. The 27-year old Liberian led in runs (144), home runs (55), RBI (150), total bases (450), slugging (.769), OPS (1.191), wRC+ (221), and WAR (14.1). Ibadan’s Tiemogo Idrissa repeated as Pitcher of the Year. The 29-year old Nigerien led in wins (24-6), ERA (2.28), innings (252.1), quality starts (26), complete games (10), and WAR (8.3). He also added 272 strikeouts.

Ibadan downed Niamey 2-1 in the wild card round, sending the Iguanas to the Eastern League Championship Series for the sixth time in eight years. It was the fifth straight for Kano, who came in as a massive favorite. Ibadan gave them a hearty effort, but the Condors survived the ELCS in five games to three-peat as Eastern League champs. It was the eighth EL pennant overall for Kano.



In the 25^th West African Championship, Kano became the first WAB franchise to three-peat as overall champ, rolling 4-1 over Abidjan. LF Amewu Murry repeated as finals MVP. In 10 playoff starts, the 29-year old Ghanaian had 12 hits, 7 runs, 4 doubles, 2 home runs, and 7 RBI.



At 123-39, Kano blew by their own record from the prior year (114-46) for winningest season by a WAB champion. This was also the Condors’ sixth overall title (1975, 76, 86, 97, 98, 99). Even as of 2037, the 1999 Condors stake a very strong claim as being the greatest team in WAB history. They also have an argument as one of the greatest in any league. Only 1995 Ahmedabad (124-38) of South Asia Baseball won more games to that point in a season while also winning it all

Other notes: 1999 had WAB’s 13^th and 14^th perfect games, both thrown by pitchers for Cape Verde. On April 12, Karim Samir Abdel Gaber struck out 10 against Conakry. Then on July 31, Yamoussa Camara fanned 10 versus Monrovia. SS Jorginho Fonseca picked up his tenth Gold Glove and LF Jake Pourchet won his ninth. Fonseca became the first player in WAB to win ten at any position.

West Africa Baseball’s offensive numbers saw a boost in the 1990s from where they were in the 1970s and 1980s. The league ERA was around 3.86 with batting averages around .254. The 1980s had seen around a .243 batting average and 3.64 ERA. WAB graded out historically as slightly above average offensively in the 1990s. The early 2000s would look similar with a slight jump before spiking significantly after.

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The Chinese Northern League saw a major shakeup in 1999. The prior year, the NL had the China Series champion Harbin and the runner-up Shenyang. In 1999, both of those teams fell below .500. Beijing would snap a five-year stretch without a winning season, finishing first at 95-67. Hangzhou finished second, which ended their own eight year playoff drought. The third place spot went to Xi’an at 90-72, edging out Tianjin by three games and Zhengzhou by five. The Attack made it into the playoffs for the third straight year and the fifth time in six years.

Northern League MVP went to Xi’an CF Yunzi Mao. The 26-year old lefty led the league in runs (85), total bases (321), slugging (.568), OPS (.893), wRC+ (205), and WAR (9.7). Mao added 39 home runs and 85 RBI. Beijing’s Jun Tang earned Pitcher of the Year, leading in wins (23-7), ERA (1.24), innings (290), WHIP (0.72), complete games (19), and shutouts (9). Tang also had 8.6 WAR and was second in strikeouts at 324. A torn rotator cuff for him the next fall ultimately derailed any chance of a career in his 30s.



The Southern League saw Guangzhou on top at 94-68, their first playoff spot since their 1987 runner-up campaign. Chongqing was one back at 93-69, giving the Cavaliers repeat playoff berths. Foshan earned the second wild card at 88-74. The Flyers were four games ahead of last year’s first place squad Chengdu, as well as Changsha and Hong Kong. Foshan secured its third playoff appearance in four years.

Guangzhou catcher Jiancheng “Snuffy” Wu was named Southern League MVP. The 28-year old led in slugging at .535 while posting 9.6 WAR, a 205 wRC+, and 31 home runs. The former #1 overall pick would play one more season with the Gamecocks before signing a four-year, $33,600,000 to head to MLB’s New York Yankees. Foshan’s Jinlong Han became a three-time Pitcher of the Year winner and the third CLB pitcher to achieve a Triple Crown. The 29-year old Han had a 21-12 record, 1.33 ERA, and 382 strikeouts while also leading with 31 quality starts and 25 complete games. The 25 CGs was a new CLB single-season record. Among those complete games was a no-hitter against Wuhan with 13 strikeouts and two walks. Han also had 10.6 WAR over 283.1 innings.

Both Southern League wild cards defeated their Northern League opposition to start the playoffs. Chongqing swept Xi’an 2-0 and Foshan swept Hangzhou. Neither held up against the first place teams in the semifinal. Beijing bested the Cavaliers 4-1 and Guangzhou defeated the Flyers 4-2. This gave the Bears their first China Series berth since 1991. For the Gamecocks, their last finals appearance was a 1987 defeat to Beijing.



In the 30^th China Series, the final went all seven games for the fourth year in a row. Beijing outlasted Guangzhou to make the Bears five-time Chinese League Baseball champs (1970, 84, 85, 87, 99). Finals MVP was CF Simok Kommandam, who posted 13 hits, 10 runs, 3 doubles, 4 RBI, and 4 stolen bases over 12 playoff starts.



Other notes: Martin Cui became the 11^th CLB pitcher to 3000 career strikeouts. 3B Feixien Wu, SS Chengxi Erpan, and SS Xuepeng Ye each became seven time Gold Glove winners.

Chinese League Baseball remained the lowest scoring of all of the pro leagues, posting extremely low statistics in the 1990s. The combined league batting average for the decade was around .212 and the ERA was around 2.51. These were both slightly down from the previous decades. The Southern League in 1996 had an ERA of 2.28; the lowest of any league in any season ever. While many other leagues had rule changes and increased offense in the next two decades; CLB kept its low scoring pretty steady for the next 20 years.

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For the first time in seven years, Kaohsiung sat atop the Taiwan League standings in 1999. The Steelheads had the Taiwan-Philippine Association’s best record at 94-68. Reigning TL champ Taipei was second at 89-73, while Taoyuan was third at 85-77. The Philippine League was weak as 83-79 was good enough to win it for Manila. The Manatees earned their second PL title in three years. Last year’s TPA winner Quezon was tied for second in the PL with Cebu at 80-82.

Taiwan-Philippine Association MVP was Taipei veteran designated hitter Dwi Taufik. The 25-year old Indonesian lefty led in walks drawn (58), total bases (324), OBP (.353), slugging (.544), OPS (.897), and wRC+ (194). He added 40 home runs and 8.0 WAR. Taufik also had a 28-game hit streak in the late spring, which tied the APB record. Cebu’s Ninoy Lumar secured Pitcher of the Year. The 28-year old Filipino led in wins (23-12), innings (310.0), strikeouts (412), WHIP (0.79), K/BB (10.8), complete games (29), and WAR (9.6). The 29 complete games fell one shy of the APB single-season record. Lumar was also 0.15 away from a Triple Crown, finishing behind his teammate EJ Caitano in ERA.



Reigning Austronesian Professional Baseball champ Batam finished first again atop the Malacca League. The Blue Raiders were 94-68 with the best record in the Sundaland Association, earning their eighth playoff appearance of the decade. Singapore and Medan gave chase with the Sharks at 92-70 and the Marlins at 88-74. The Java League had Surabaya first at 92-70, ending a playoff drought back to 1991. Defending JL champ Depok was second at 86-76.

Batam LF Nerius Senaen made history as a six-time Sundaland Association MVP. He would be APB’s only player to win six or more MVPs until the later GOAT Bing Tang’s arrival in the 2020s. The 33-year old led in runs (90), doubles (33), RBI (109), total bases (353), triple slash (.336/.396/.666), OPS (1.062), wRC+ (251), and WAR (11.5). Senaen had 42 home runs, four shy of a Triple Crown. His OPS total of 1.061 was the second-best season to that point in APB, behind Abracham Gumelar’s 1.066 in 1969.

Medan’s Afiq Parker repeated as Pitcher of the Year with an absolute all-timer of a season. The 25-year old Singaporean had 17.27 WAR, only the fifth time any pitcher in any league had 17+ in a season. He narrowly was behind Kun-Sheng Lin’s record of 17.30 from 1972. Parker became only the fifth APB pitcher to earn a Triple Crown, posting a 22-8 record, 1.17 ERA, and 454 strikeouts in 276 innings. Parker was also the leader in quality starts (28), complete games (18), and shutouts (10) with a bonkers FIP- of 12. Meanwhile, Wisnu Mahmudiana of Batam ended up overlooked despite his own awesome season. The five-time Pitcher of the Year winner had a 1.27 ERA, 19-5 record, 377 strikeouts, and 13.5 WAR; all marks behind only Parker.

The Taiwan-Philippine Association Championship saw Manila defeat Kaohsiung 4-2, giving the Manatees their first pennant since 1986. It was their fifth overall. Batam was looking to be the second-ever franchise to three-peat in the Sundaland Association Championship. However, Surabaya pulled off the upset in a seven game battle. It was the Sunbirds’ fourth pennant and first since 1979.



The 35^th Austronesia Championship had Surabaya defeat Manila 4-2. The Sunbirds became three-time APB champs, having also won in 1971 and 1979. RF Basuki Susanti was the finals MVP, posting 18 hits, 9 runs, 4 doubles, 2 home runs, and 6 RBI over 13 playoff starts.



Other notes: Both Ronald Purnomo and Mulya Dayanti reached 5000 carer strikeouts, making it four pitchers to have reached the mark. Both would end up just short of Vhon Lasam’s top spot of 5365. Purnomo got to 5122 and Dayanti 5036. As of 2037, they are fourth and fifth on the APB all-time list. 3B Gede Mamuaya won his ninth Silver Slugger and CF Roy Cardillo became an eight-time winner.

AJ Tan became the third hitter to reach 2500 career hits. He would play three more seasons and become APB’s hit king at 2957. Junior Sanchez passed him for the top spot in the early 2010s. As of 2037, Tan is still fifth all-time. 1B Akbar Fatchuorhman won his 12^th Gold Glove.

Austronesia Professional Baseball in the 1990s remained fairly consistent offensively with the prior decades. APB still saw very low to extremely low scoring with only Chinese League Baseball having less offense. The TPA had an ERA around 2.76 and .223 batting average. The Sundaland Association had a .216 average and 2.53 ERA. The SA had a slight increase compared to the 1980s, while the Taiwan-Philippine Association dropped slightly. While most other leagues fluctuated significantly in the 21^st Century, APB would remain remarkably consistent.

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Beginning with the 1999 season, the Oceania Baseball Association became the latest league to lower their active roster number. The OBA dropped it from 25 to 24, following the trend seen by many other world leagues recently. Teams still had full use of the reserve roster, but it forced an adjusted day-to-day strategy.



The Australasia League was yet again quite competitive for the 1999 season. Christchurch pulled away in the final weeks to take first at 89-73. It was the third pennant of the 1990s for the Chinooks and their eighth overall. Three teams tied for second at 83-79; Gold Coast, Melbourne, and Sydney. Perth (82-80) and Brisbane (81-81) were both in the mix for much of the season. Adelaide, the defending Oceania Champion, finished last at 72-90.

Gold Coast’s Woody Bolling repeated as Australasia League MVP, winning the award for the third time. The 30-year old shortstop was the WARlord (11.0) and leader in batting average (.328), RBI (107), and hits (187). He added 26 home runs and a 176 wRC+. Sydney’s Jim DeRossi won his second Pitcher of the Year and made history. He became the second pitcher in world history to win 30 games in a season, matching Nathaniel Doloran’s 1974 effort. The 28-year old Australian righty was one strikeout away from a Triple Crown, posting a 30-8 record, 1.61 ERA, and 369 Ks over a league-best 329 innings. He also led the AL in WHIP (0.78), K/BB (13.7), quality starts (31), complete games (26), FIP- (61), and WAR (10.7).



Two-time defending Pacific League champ Guam set a new OBA record for wins in a season, dominating the field at 119-43. They blew by their own previous record of 112 wins from both 1979 and 1992. As of 2037, that is still the PL’s record and would only be bested once in the AL. The Golden Eagles for the sixth time in the 1990s won the pennant and earned their 11th overall. Guam allowed 421, which was tied for the third-lowest allowed in PL history. Port Moresby had a fine season in second at 99-63, which was the first winning campaign for the Mud Hens since 1986. Honolulu notably dropped to 72-90, their first losing season in 20 years.

Although Guadalcanal stunk for the season, their CF Damien Patton won his second Pacific League MVP. The 29-year old Australian led in runs (98), walks (70), total bases (326), OBP (.370), slugging (.570), OPS (.940), wRC+ (173), and WAR (7.8). He added 40 home runs and a .294 average. Patton would get traded by the Green Jackets in the offseason to Gold Coast, where he would quickly sign a seven-year, $21,320,000 deal.

For the third year in a row, Guam’s Timothy Manglona won Pitcher of the Year. Still only 25 years old, the Northern Marianan lefty led in wins (28-9), innings (330.1), strikeouts (455), quality starts (30), complete games (18), shutouts (5), FIP- (60), and WAR (11.6). He posted a 2.13 ERA, third in the PL behind teammates Samuel Burridge (2.00), and Corbin Acupan (2.08). Manglona would also toss his second no-hitter of his career on May 17, fanning 13 with one walk against Fiji. He had signed a five-year, $9,760,000 extension prior to the 1999 season.



Guam entered the 40th Oceania Championship as a heavy favorite again, although that didn’t help them in the prior year’s loss to Adelaide. It would be a seven game classic against Christchurch, but the Golden Eagles would prevail for their second title in three years. It was the fifth ring for Guam (1979, 80, 93, 97, 99) while the Chinooks had the unfortunate distinction of now being 1-7 in the finals. LF Gunga Majhi was the finals MVP in his fourth season with Guam. The 28-year old American had 11 hits, 2 runs, 4 doubles, 1 home run, and 4 RBI in the series.



The 1999 Guam group certainly makes a case for OBA’s greatest-ever team. Few teams in any world league had won 119 games and also taken home the championship. As of 2037, one OBA team would match their record and win it all, while another topped it but lost in the finale.

Other notes: Perth’s Chester Sanchez threw OBA’s eighth ever perfect game on June 6, striking out six against Brisbane. Christchurch’s Ji-Hu Kim set a playoff record, hitting four triples in the finals. Slugger Vavao Brighouse played his final season and became the first OBA batter to reach 800 home runs. He finished with 804 and held the HR King until passed by Roe Kaupa in the 2020s. Brighouse also retired as the RBI leader (1629), but would lose that in the mid 2010s.

Quintin Basa became the first OBA player to reach 3000 career hits and 1500 career runs. He retired the next season with 3078 hits and 1506 runs. Basa held both top spots until the mid 2010s. SS Jay Lawrence won his ninth Gold Glove. 3B Errol Herne won his eighth. MVP SS Woody Bolling won his eighth Silver Slugger, while 3B Dan Molitor won his seventh.

The Australasia League’s offense stayed fairly level from the 1980s to the 1990s, while the Pacific League saw a bump up as they reintroduced the DH. The AL had an ERA of 3.20 and .235 batting average. The PL had a .234 average and 3.16 ERA. Both grade out as low offense on the historical scale. OBA would institute rule changes after the 1999 season to encourage more offense, which would bring it up to around world average numbers in the 21st Century.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

Before the 1999 season, Eurasian Professional Baseball increased it minimum service time required for free agency from eight to nine years. This matched the Arab League for the most restrictive of any world leagues. EPB wanted to keep free agent salaries down and keep players from defecting to other leagues. This change only further annoyed many players, adding to the rumbles that would culminate in the great exodus following the season.



For the third consecutive season, the EPB European League had the same four playoff teams. Defending EBP champ Kharkiv had the top overall record at 108-54 and won the South Division for the fifth consecutive season. Minsk secured the North Division at 104-58 for a fourth straight division title. The Miners also extended their EPB-record postseason streak to 19 seasons. At 99-63, Warsaw took the first wild card and extended its own streak to 12 years. Kazan was the second wild card at 97-65, making the playoffs for the third year in a row. There was a nine game gap to the next closest competitor in Budapest.

Kharkiv ace Igor Kuchkowski repeated as European League Pitcher of the Year and also picked up MVP honors. The 32-year old Polish lefty led in ERA (1.53), shutouts (7), FIP- (50), and WAR (10.7). He added a 19-9 record and 373 strikeouts over 270.1 innings.

Both division champs won their first round playoff matchups as Kharkiv topped Kazan 3-1 and Minsk swept Warsaw 3-0. For the third time in four years, the Killer Bees and Miners met in the European League Championship Series. Kharkiv was the defending champ, while Minsk had taken their 1996 encounter. In their last-ever battle, the Killer Bees prevailed in a seven game classic. Kharkiv repeated and won their fourth pennant overall.



The battle for the Asian League’s top seed was centered in the South Division. Reigning AL champ Tashkent took it at 108-54, earning a third consecutive division title and fifth straight playoff berth. Asgabat gave chase, but ended up the wild card at 104-58. This was a remarkable turnaround for the Alphas, who had won only 65 games the prior season and hadn’t made the playoffs since 1981. Omsk at 96-66 was North Division champ. It was their second playoff berth in three years, but the first division title since 1987 for the Otters. Yekaterinburg ended up the second wild card at 92-70, snapping a nine-year playoff drought. The Yaks edged out Irkutsk (90-72), Ufa (89-73), and Chelyabinsk (88-74) for the last spot.

Asian League MVP went to fourth-year Yekaterinburg second baseman Sarxan Niftaliyev. The 26-year old Russian led in total bases (378), slugging (.629), OPS (1.002), and wRC+ (212). He added 9.0 WAR, a .324 average, and 43 home runs. His Yaks teammate Matvey Ivanov won Pitcher of the Year in his third full season. The 24-year old Russian lefty led in wins (24-7), quality starts (30), and complete games (28). He added a 1.55 ERA over 290.1 innings, 321 strikeouts, and 9.2 WAR.

Tashkent topped Yekaterinburg 3-1 and Asgabat upset Omsk 3-2 in the first round. The Tomcats earned a fourth Asian League Championship Series berth in five years, while it was the Alphas’ first appearance since 1981. Tashkent took care of business quickly, sweeping Asgabat to earn repeat AL pennants. This was the third Asian League crown for the Tomcats (and ultimately their last).



The 45^th Eurasian Professional Baseball Championship was a highly anticipated rematch between Kharkiv and Tashkent. Emotions were mixed throughout EPB as it was expected that both teams would be leaving as part of the brewing exodus (more details to come). The rematch was a seven game thriller with the Killer Bees repeating ad champs. It was Kharkiv’s third title (1980, 1998, 1999) whereas the Tomcats would end 0-3 in their EPB finals tries.



Kharkiv’s Igor Kuchkowski was finals MVP and posted arguably the greatest postseason effort by a pitcher ever. He had four starts, all complete game shutouts. Kuchkowski also had a relief appearance, going 4-0 over 39.2 scoreless innings with only 12 hits allowed, 54 strikeouts, and one walk. He set still-standing EPB playoff records for shutouts, ERA, WHIP (0.33), opponent OBP (.100), opponent OPS (.208), and WAR (2.77). As of 2037, no pitcher in any world league has posted a higher WAR in a single postseason run or thrown four shutouts in one run.

Other notes: EPB’s 30^th perfect game was thrown by Helsinki’s Egor Korneyev on September 13 with 10 strikeouts against Budapest. Sofia’s Ivan Kondev had 684 at bats during the season, setting a new EPB record. Moscow’s Shahin Lebedev set a pitching record for appearances with 80.
1B Jov Vyrubov won his seventh Silver Slugger.

EPB’s offensive stats didn’t change much from the prior two decades, still remaining a low to very low offense environment on the historical scale. The batting average was around .227 and the ERA was around 2.89. Certainly among the lowest of the leagues in the 1990s, but not quite as low as the likes of CLB or APB. Although EPB would shortly go through a rapid change of alignment, the play style would see similar results in the 2000s with a slight bump up after.