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

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RF Kaunda Kalinga stood alone for Hall of Fame induction in 2028 for the African Association of Baseball at a near unanimous 99.7%. SP Natnael Seyoum was next at 57.7% in his second try, a solid effort that was short of the 66% requirement. CL Deon Westerveld was the only other player above 50%, getting 54.8% for his third ballot.



Dropped after ten failed ballots was 2B Gedeon Bukasa, who ended at 42.6%. He got incredibly close multiple times, including 64.2% the prior year, 62.1% in 2024, and 61.6% in 2025. Nicknamed “Ice Cold,” Bukasa had nine Silver Sluggers over 12 seasons with Kigali with 1721 hits, 981 runs, 446 doubles, 433 home runs, 1187 RBI, .273/.327/.558 slash, 135 wRC+, and 50.4 WAR. He wasn’t one to lead the league though and didn’t stick around quite long enough to get the totals some voters required.

SP Lucas Wachira also fell off, notably the Pitcher of the Year in 2022 with Antananarivo. He peaked at 28.3% in 2022 and ended at 12.8%. Wachira wasn’t dominant apart from the one season, but got to a 173-128 record, 3.83 ERA, 2784.1 innings, 2571 strikeouts, 968 walks, 108 ERA+, 93 FIP-, and 45.7 WAR. He was another who needed either a bit more dominance or longevity to gain traction. Although he did win a title with the Eagles, Wachira’s 4.37 playoff ERA and 3-9 record didn’t help.

His former Antananarivo teammate Joao Baptista also made it ten ballots, peaking at 19.5% in his debut and ending at 5.4%. The Angolan RF had one Silver Slugger, but was otherwise steady and never outstanding. Baptista had 1882 hits, 1214 runs, 271 doubles, 437 home runs, 1128 RBI, 855 walks, 1488 strikeouts, 589 steals .272/.356/.527 slash, 138 wRC+, and 57.0 WAR. Especially considering the competition in the outfield, Baptista’s numbers looked firmly to be Hall of Pretty Good level.



Kaunda “Topper” Kalinga – Right Field – Lusaka Lake Monsters – 99.7% First Ballot

Kaunda Kalinga was a 6’2’’, 200 pound left-handed hitting right fielder from Nkololo, Tanzania; a town of around 35,000 people in the country’s north. Kalinga was one of the game’s all-time great home run hitters with an incredible 162 game average of 56 dingers, smacking 60+ in six seasons. He could find the gap too with 31 doubles and 5 triples per 162. Kalinga was stronger facing right-handed pitching (1.034 OPS, 170 wRC+) compared to lefties (.849 OPS, 128 wRC+).

Kalinga was merely an above average contact hitter with a decent eye for walks, although he did have a high strikeout rate. His speed and baserunning skills were below average, but not abysmal. Kalinga had a very strong arm which served him well as a career right fielder. He graded as consistently above average to good, even winning a Gold Glove in 2015. While he did have some injury issues, Kalinga still put together an 18-year career. He was a team captain and a great leader, which combined with prolific home run power made Kalinga one of Africa’s biggest baseball superstars.

His elite potential was obvious right away and in the 2004 AAB Draft, Kalinga was picked #2 overall by Lusaka. Despite missing a month to a fractured rib, Kalinga earned 2005 Rookie of the Year honors. He was a solid starter in his first three years, then became truly elite by year four. In 2008, Kalinga won his first Silver Slugger and was second in MVP voting, leading the Southern Conference in runs (116), and RBI (135). It was also his first season with 60 homers.

Kalinga dropped off slightly in 2009, then rattled off three straight MVPs and Silver Sluggers from 2010-12. Each year, Kalinga led in WAR, homers, and OPS; while twice leading in RBI, total bases, slugging, and wRC+. In 2012, he crushed 77 home runs, tying the AAB single-season record set in 2006 by Mwarami Tale. Kalinga also had his career bests in runs (136), total bases (437), and WAR (10.3).

His MVP runs turned Lusaka into a regular contender for the first time, making four straight Southern Conference finals trips from 2010-13. They were defeated in the first two years, then earned repeat pennants on the back end. The Lake Monsters were denied their first Africa Series rings though due to Addis Ababa’s dynasty, which capped off a six-peat against Lusaka. Kalinga’s playoff stats were surprisingly poor over 29 starts with the Lake Monsters, posting a .167/.246/.333 slash and -0.1 WAR.

Just before the 2013 season, Kalinga signed a five-year, $63 million extension. He ultimately missed the 2013 playoff run from a fractured thumb in August. Despite missing two months, Kalinga still was second in MVP voting and won his fifth Silver Slugger. He also lost some time to injury in 2014 and Lusaka dropped to 73-89.

They bounced back for one more playoff berth in 2015, but lost the conference final to Johannesburg. Kalinga won his fourth MVP and had the rare clean sweep of MVP, Silver Slugger, and Gold Glove. He had his second 70+ homer season and led in runs (128), homers (72), RBI (146), total bases (418), slugging (.799), OPS (1.177), wRC+ (205), and WAR (9.8). In 2015, Kalinga also had the rare feat of pulling off a four home run game and hitting for the cycle in the same season. He’s the only AAB player to achieve both in a career.

Lusaka fell to near .500 in 2016 and towards the bottom for the rest of the decade. Kalinga was second in 2016’s MVP voting with 73 homers and 8.5 WAR, his fifth time leading in both stats. As of 2037, Kalinga is one of only nine in all of pro baseball history with 3+ seasons of 70+ homers. He was the first to do it in AAB, although two others would join him in the high scoring league.

Kalinga still his 43 homers the next year, but his overall production dropped to 3.8 WAR, his lowest since his rookie year. In 2017, Kalinga became the fifth AAB slugger to 700 home runs and the sixth to 1500 RBI. Lusaka was in rebuild mode though and voided the team option year of Kalinga’s contract, sending him to free agency for the first time at age 36.

With Lusaka, Kalinga had 1795 hits, 1328 runs, 372 doubles, 55 triples, 702 home runs, 1524 RBI, 890 walks, 1853 strikeouts, .271/.364/.662 slash, 170 wRC+, and 83.5 WAR. The parting was amicable and he remained a beloved superstar for many years to come in Zambia. The Lake Monsters retired his #43 uniform at the end of his career.

Throughout the run, Kalinga had been a regular for his native Tanzania as well in the World Baseball Championship. From 2005-21, Kalinga played 117 games with 66 hits, 41 runs, 16 doubles, 23 home runs, 51 RBI, .165/.265/.378 slash, and 0.6 WAR. Despite his regular season dominance, Kalinga’s playoff and tournament numbers often were lacking.

Kalinga made the move to Uganda for 2018 on a two-year, $20,200,000 deal with Kampala. The Peacocks hadn’t made the playoffs once to that point, but they were on the cusp of an all-time dynasty run. In 2018, Kampala went 111-51 en route to an Africa Series win over Johannesburg. Kalinga had a decent playoff run with 9 hits, 9 runs, 4 homers, and 7 RBI in 12 starts. The Peacocks went 10-9 in the Baseball Grand Championship and Kalinga had a nice showing there with 15 hits, 11 runs, 7 homers, 14 RBI, 1.042 OPS, and 1.0 WAR.

Kampala was impressed enough to extend Kalinga for another two years and $14,800,000. His MVP days were over, but he was still a good leader and had some power when healthy. Kalinga missed big chunks of the next three years, dealing with a severely strained hip muscle in 2019, a hip strain in 2020, and various maladies in 2021.

The Peacocks missed the 2019 playoffs narrowly, but three-peated from 2020-22. Kalinga was there for 2020-21, but struggled in those playoff runs for a .651 OPS over 35 total starts with Kampala. Kalinga’s playoff career had 64 starts, 44 hits, 29 runs, 6 doubles, 11 home runs, 24 RBI, .186/.251/.367 slash, 68 wRC+, and 0.0 WAR. Kalinga had -0.1 WAR in the 2020 BGC, but bounced back with 0.6 WAR and .977 OPS in 2021. Kampala was 10-9 again in 2020, then had a second place at 14-5 in the 2021 Baseball Grand Championship, one game behind New Orleans.

For Kampala, Kalinga had 451 games, 378 hits, 247 runs, 83 doubles, 113 homers, 284 RBI, .242/.355/.529 slash, 128 wRC+, and 9.8 WAR. He had become the fourth in AAB to 800 home runs, but catching Tale’s 968 was unattainable. The 40-year old still wanted to play and took a vet minimum deal in 2022 for Maputo. Kalinga struggled to -0.6 WAR and .619 OPS over 54 games and dealt with a PCL strain in the spring. He retired after the 2022 season shortly after turning 41.

Kalinga finished with 2383 games, 2201 hits, 1589 runs, 462 doubles, 68 triples, 821 home runs, 1825 RBI, 1107 walks, 2338 strikeouts, 148 steals, .264/.357/.631 slash, .988 OPS, 160 wRC+, and 92.6 WAR. As of 2037, Kalinga ranks 15^th in games, 29^th in hits, 12^th in runs, 37^th in doubles, 7^th in homers, 7^th in total bases (5262), 7^th in RBI, 17^th in walks, 5^th in strikeouts, and 6^th in WAR among position players.

Among batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Kalinga ranks 13^th in slugging and 20^th in OPS. Among all world Hall of Famers as of 2037, Kalinga ranks 37^th in slugging. He also sits 45^th on the world home run chart, cementing his status as an all-time home run hitter. Kalinga’s accolades made him an obvious HOF lock and an inner-circle one.

However, his weaker playoff stats do keep him just below the Mount Rushmore level of guys like Mwarami Tale, Felix Chaula, and Mohau Sibiya. He’s firmly considered AAB’s second-best right fielder behind Chaula. At 99.7%, Kalinga stood alone for induction with the 2028 HOF class for the African Association of Baseball.

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The 2028 Baseball Grand Championship was the 82^nd edition of the event and was hosted in Conakry, Guinea. In Division 1, Mexico (9-2) fended off 8-3 efforts by Italy and Zimbabwe and 7-4 runs for Australia and South Africa. The Mexicans advanced to the elite eight for the 34^th time, fourth most behind only the United States, Canada, and Brazil. This did end a six-year drought for Mexico.

D2 saw England prevail at 9-2 over 8-3 Canada and 7-4 tries by the Dominican Republic and Taiwan. The English got their 11^th division title and first since 2022. The US was fifth at 6-5, marking only the 21^st time that the Americans didn’t advance. The Philippines dominated Division 3 at 10-1 with only 8-3 China close by. The Filipinos earned their 16^th division title and first since 2021. Spain, last year’s fourth place finisher, was at 7-4.

Ukraine claimed Division 4 at 9-2, two games better than both Algeria and Japan. It was their second division win in four years and 14^th overall. After taking runner-up in back-to-back years, France missed the cut at 6-5. D5 had a three-way tie at 7-4 between India, Belgium, and Nigeria while four others were at 6-5. The tiebreaker sent the Indians ahead for the tenth time and the second time in four years. Bulgaria, who was a surprise world champ in 2027, finished at 5-6.

Poland prevailed in D6 at 9-2 over 8-3 Romania and 7-4 Pakistan, Haiti, and Vietnam. The Poles picked up their tenth division title and first since taking runner-up in 2022. D7 had a tie at 9-2 between Indonesia and Bolivia with the tiebreaker going to the former. The Indonesians advanced for the 26^th time and for the first time since 2024. Lastly, Portugal took D8 at 9-2 ahead of Egypt, Germany, Myanmar, and Uganda at 7-4. The only previous division title for the Portuguese was back in 1998.

The 2028 elite eight was completely different from the prior two years. Round Robin Group A had Mexico and India advance at 4-2, while both Ukraine and the Philippines were 2-4. It was the fifth semifinal trip for the Indians (first since 2025) and the 20^th for the Mexicans (first since 2020). Group B had Poland on top at 4-2 for their seventh trip to the semis and first since 2022. England and Indonesia tied at 3-3 and Portugal was 2-4. The tiebreaker favored the English for their seventh final four appearance and first since 2022.

In the semifinals, England eliminated India 3-1 and Poland topped Mexico 3-1. Officially, the Mexicans were third for the seventh time and the Indians were fourth for the third time. The English earned their fourth championship appearance, having won in 2013 and 2019 and lost in 2011. The Poles earned their fifth finals try, having won in 2018 and lost in 1959, 1964, and 2022. This also guaranteed a European world champ for the fifth straight year and was the third consecutive final between European teams.



From 2018-27, each year had a different champ. The 82^nd World Championship was guaranteed to break that streak. England routed Poland with the first sweep since 2020 to become three-time world champs. The English joined the USA, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, and China as the only nations with three titles. 11 countries have now been to the finale at least four times.



Tournament MVP was Canada’s Neil Hollinger despite only playing 11 games. The 26-year old LF was the defending American Association MVP with Oklahoma City. The Lloydminster, Alberta native had 17 hits, 18 runs, 4 doubles, 9 homers, 17 RBI, a .447/.560/1.316 slash, 1.876 OPS, and 2.1 WAR. Carrying on from the prior year, Hollinger also had a 20-game hitting streak, only the tenth player to have a 20+ streak in WBC history.

Best Pitcher was Romania’s Rafail Istrate, a 12-year EBF veteran starter signed with Brno for 2028. The 32-year old righty had four scoreless relief appearances with 13.1 innings, 3 saves, 27 strikeouts, 7 hits, and 1 walk.

Other notes: There were two no-hitters in the 2028 WBC, the first coming from Turkey’s Yuksel Yalcin on January 13 with 15 Ks and 1 walk against Belgium. Three days later, Russia’s Aleksey Faustus did it with 8 Ks and 1 BB facing Sudan. Below are the updated all-time tournament stats.

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Three teams were close together for the top spot in the African Second League’s Southern Conference. Windhoek and Maseru ended up tied at 93-69 with Lilongwe a close third at 91-71. A one-game tiebreaker went to the White Sox to earn their first-ever promotion to the African Association of Baseball’s First League.



In a competitive Central Conference, Bukavu (89-73) edged out Pointe-Noire (88-74) for the top spot. Bangui and Mombasa were close thirds at 84-78 while Bahir Dar and Kampala were 82-80. The Bluefins also earned their first-ever promotion.



In the 11^th Second League Championship, Windhoek defeated Bukavu 5-3. However, the African Association announced expansion plans for 2029. Therefore both second place teams Maseru and Pointe-Noire also would be promoted for the first time. No teams from the top tier would be relegated from 2028 and expansion teams would add to the A2L.



Other notes: Lilongwe’s Daniel Tarekegn set a single-season record for pitching WAR at 7.3. Juba CF Kasao Nhantumbo became the first seven-time Gold Glove winner in A2L. Maseru LF Kali Bailey became the first to eight Silver Sluggers.

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Three games separated the top four teams in the European Second League’s Western Conference. Belfast and Sheffield were even in first at 96-66 with the tiebreaker officially favoring the Steelhounds. Lyon was one back in third at 95-67 and fourth was Paris at 93-69. Just missing the playoff cut were Liverpool (8874), Toulouse (87-75), Valencia (85-77), Cardiff (84-78), and Copenhagen (84-78).

It was Sheffield’s first playoff berth since their lone promotion back in 2015. The Steelhounds had gotten relegated back to E2L in 2024. For the Brewers, this was their first playoff trip since 2020. It was the Lords’ first playoff berth since 2021. The Poodles rebounded after being terrible since suffering demotion three years prior. Notably Stuttgart finished 77-85, ending a four-year playoff streak for them. The Silver Sabres remained one of the few original E2L teams to never get promoted at least once.

In the Round Robin, Lyon (5-1) and Sheffield (4-2) advanced while Belfast (2-4) and Paris (1-5) were eliminated. The Western Conference Championship went the distance with the Lords outlasting the Steelhounds 4-3. Lyon guaranteed its second-ever promotion (2009), although they only lasted two years in the European Baseball Federation’s Elite Tier.



Lviv took the Eastern Conference’s top spot at 100-62, giving the Lunkers back-to-back playoff trips. Lodz was a close second at 98-64 for their first playoff trip since 2022. Helsinki set a new E2L record for runs scored at 771 and finished third at 95-67. It was the second playoff chance in three seasons for the Honkers, who had gotten relegated for 2024.

The final playoff spot had a tie at 92-70 between Cluj-Napoca and Malta with the Paladins winning the tiebreaker game. It was C-N’s first playoff trip since 2024, when they had gotten relegated back after a three-year EBF run. Just short were Kyiv and Tallinn both at 90-72 with Thessaloniki also in the mix at 86-76. The Kings had just gotten relegated the prior year. The Twisters notably tied the E2L team record for hits (1435) and set the conference record for batting average at .256.

Lodz and Helsinki prevailed at 4-2 in the round robin while Cluj-Napoca and Lviv were both ousted at 2-4. The Legion then rolled to an Eastern Conference Championship sweep of the Honkers to earn their first-ever promotion. This result left Liverpool and Stuttgart as the only E2L originals to never be promoted at least once to that point. Lodz capped it off by winning 4-3 over Lyon in a classic Second League Championship.





A realignment and expansion of the EBF Elite tier for 2029 meant there would be four promotion spots. This gave the semifinalists Sheffield and Helsinki promotions as well. Both teams had been in the E2L since 2024. It was the second promotion for the Steelhounds and the third by the Honkers. The EBF Elite would see each conference increase by two teams so no teams were relegated based on 2028 results.

Other notes: Nottingham’s offense had 63 home runs all season, setting a new E2L low.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

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For the third time in four years, Lusaka finished atop the Southern Conference standings. The Lake Monsters at 103-59 had the top record in the African Association of Baseball, leading all teams in fewest runs allowed (717) and leading the conference in runs scored (927). Cape Town earned its third straight playoff trip, grabbing second at 95-67. Durban was the next closest at 90-72, followed by both Harare and Johannesburg at 87-75. Defending conference champ Dar es Salaam shockingly plummeted to 64-98.

Southern Conference MVP went to Cape Town DH Johny Kibamba in his first year as a full-time starter. The 24-year old Congolese switch hitter came to the Cowboys in July 2027 after bouncing around as a trade piece. He was drafted in 2024 by Asmara, who sent him to Mogadishu in 2025, who then traded him to Nairobi in 2026 who then sent him to Cape Town. Kibamba had played sparingly before 2028, but stepped up by leading in runs (135), RBI (137), total bases (419), and wRC+ (171). He had 208 hits, 49 doubles, 50 homers, 89 steals, 1.085 OPS, and 7.2 WAR.

Harare’s Ghebrezgiabhier Alemayehu won Pitcher of the Year with arguably AAB’s best-ever pitching season to date. He earned the fourth pitching Triple Crown and set the league pitching WAR record of 11.96, breezing by Mobutu Kandol’s 10.17 from 2001. Alemayehu’s WAR mark remained #1 until passed twice in the mid 2030s by Abdullahi Aii.

The 24-year old Ethiopian righty had a 23-7 record, 3.14 ERA, and 338 strikeouts. He was also the leader in innings pitched (264), WHIP (1.08), K/BB (6.6), quality starts (21), and FIP- (48). Alemayehu had greatly exceeded the Hustlers’ hopes, since he was picked late in the third round of the 2022 AAB Draft.



It was a three-team race for the two playoff spots in the Central Conference. 2026’s first place finisher Nairobi bounced back from a losing 2027, grabbing first at 93-69 in 2028. The Night Hawks allowed the fewest runs in the CC at 723. Addis Ababa narrowly took second at 91-71 to end a two-year playoff drought. Kinshasa was third at 89-73.

Reigning Africa Series champ Mogadishu fell to fourth at 83-79 despite historic offensive stats. The Mighty Mice set new conference records for batting average (.295), OBP (.358), runs (962), and hits (1676). Unfortunately for them, they also allowed 907 runs. Their 1648 hits allowed would’ve been an all-time conference worst if not for Kigali giving up 1660. The 65-97 Guardians also set new CC worsts for earned runs allowed (892), H/9 (10.47), and team WHIP (1.577).

Addis Ababa DH Dagne Mersha repeated as Central Conference MVP and posted unfathomable power stats, even in a high scoring league like AAB. The 29-year old Ethiopian lefty set new AAB records for homers (90), RBI (189), runs (156), and total bases (510). The previous league high marks had been 77 homers, 184 RBI, 471 total bases, and 153 runs. Mersha’s marks remain AAB records as of 2037.

90 home runs was one short of the seemingly unreachable 91 crushed in the 2009 South Asia Baseball season by world homer king Majed Darwish. The Arab League’s Wissam Magdy had smacked 89 in 2027, the closest anyone had come to Darwish. Mersha’s 189 RBI was the best-ever by anyone not named Majed Darwish, as he had posted an absurd 220, 209, and 200 from 2008-10.

Mersha’s 510 total bases were the seventh-best in any world league and his 156 runs were fifth. He also led the conference in slugging (.810), OPS (1.220), wRC+ (190), and WAR (9.5). Mersha’s slugging was the fourth-best in AAB history and his OPS was seventh.

For the second time in three years, Kinshasa’s Aziz “Hot Stuff” Mussa won Pitcher of the Year. The 27-year old Djiboutian righty led in strikeouts (317), WHIP (1.09), FIP- (56), and WAR (8.8). Mussa had a 2.89 ERA over 221 innings, 167 ERA+, and 16-8 record. He also had a 20 strikeout game against Lubumbashi, one short of Paul Lambote’s AAB single-game record from 2009. Sadly, the former #1 overall pick tore his labrum in September and was never the same. Mussa would get a stretched elbow ligament in June 2029 and only pitched 244.1 total innings after that.

The Southern Conference Championship was a rematch from two years prior. Just like in 2026, #2 seed Cape Town upset top seed Lusaka. With a 4-1 win, the Cowboys earned their third pennant. The Central Conference Championship needed all seven games with Addis Ababa outlasting Nairobi. The Brahmas were now ten-time pennant winners (2006-13, 25, 28).



In the 34^th Africa Series, Cape Town was dominant 5-1 over Addis Ababa to earn their second AAB title (1996). The Cowboys are the first South African champ since Durban’s 2006-07 repeat. Conference MVP Johny Kibamba was also finals MVP with 17 hits, 9 runs, 2 doubles, 3 homers, 8 RBI, 1.064 OPS, and 0.7 WAR over 10 playoff starts.



Other notes: Lusaka’s Destin Mpika stole 153 bases, breaking the AAB record previously set in 2019 by West Germano at 143. Mpika’s mark was the second-best in any pro league ever behind Hassan Shanshol’s 157 in the 2024 Arab League Baseball season. Mpika became only the third in any league to top 150+ steals.

Patrick Babila became the 5^th member of AAB’s 800 home run club and the 9^th to 2500 hits. Maninho Magaia and Warren Biloa became the 9^th and 10^th to 600 dingers. Biloa also became the 9^th to 1500 RBI. SP Noel Kembo won his 8^th consecutive Gold Glove. SS Djibrilla Ousseini won his 10^th Silver Slugger

Promotion/Relegation: Expansion was announced for 2029 and thus the last place teams Comoros and Kigali were spared from relegation. The top two from the African Second League’s Southern Conference (Windhoek and Maseru) and the top two from the Central Conference (Bakavu and Pointe-Noire) would each be added. Both AAB conferences would have 12 teams going forward instead of the previous 10. The playoffs and other formatting would remain the same while eight total new franchises would be added to A2L.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

Arab League Baseball surprised many by lowering the service time requirement for free agency from seven years to six. ALB had been one of the more restrictive leagues at nine years when it had formed, but had lowered to eight for 2003 and seven for 2014. ALB was now among the least restrictive with only East Asia Baseball and the Oceania Baseball Association lower at five years.



The Western Conference was again top heavy with defending WC champ Jerusalem taking the top seed at 113-49 atop the Levant Division. Algiers ended up as the #2 seed at 111-51, having been relegated to a wild card the prior year behind 113-win Tripoli in the Mediterranean Division. The Privateers grew their playoff streak to three years, getting the wild card this time at 102-60. Algiers’ streak grew to six and the Jets’ grew to five.

Jerusalem led the conference in both runs scored (919) and fewest allowed (643). They also set a new ALB season attendance record at 2,141,275 tickets sold. Algiers sold the second-most in league history at 2,097,891. Damascus was a distant second in the Levant at 98-64, but it earned them the second wild card by eight games over Amman. The closest division ended up being the Nile with Cairo (94-68) edging out Alexandria (89-73). The Pharaohs earned their 11^th playoff berth and 10^th division title in 12 years, while the Astronauts had their playoff streak snapped at three.

Although they missed the playoffs, the Aviators tied the ALB record for home runs with 312. Amman also had the second-best team slugging in conference history at .528, while Damascus had the third-best OBP at .348. Tripoli also hit notable marks, setting a conference record for doubles (394) and getting the third-most hits at 1679.

Alexandria 1B Gilon Bassman won his third consecutive Western Conference MVP. The 25-year old Israeli righty led in runs (135), OPS (1.083), wRC+ (169), and WAR (7.8). Bassman added 238 hits, 53 doubles, 41 homers, 149 RBI, 66 stolen bases, and a .381/.407/.676 slash. The Astronauts would make Bassman one of the richest players ever the following July on an eight-year, $321,200,000 extension.

Jerusalem’s Hilal Mohsen won Pitcher of the Year, leading in wins (21-4), ERA (3.12), K/BB (24.2), complete games (10), and shutouts (4). Mohsen set a new ALB record with 0.30 BB/9. The 27-year old Syrian struck out 19 over 239.1 innings with 147 ERA+ and 6.7 WAR.

Also of note, Casablanca’s Aaron Buber became the first five-time Reliever of the Year winner in ALB. It was his first with the Bruins, having previously won with Jerusalem in 2022, 23, 25, and 26. Buber had 37 saves and a 2.68 ERA over 90.2 innings with 122 strikeouts and 3.3 WAR.

Tripoli edged Damascus 2-1 in the wild card round, then pulled off the 2-0 second round upset of top seed Jerusalem. The Privateers earned repeat trips to the Eastern Conference Final. Their divisional rival Algiers joined them by surviving Cairo 2-1, sending the Arsenal to their fifth ECF in six years. Algiers then outlasted Tripoli 3-2 to take their second pennant in three years.



Muscat was 18 wins ahead of the next closest team in the Eastern Conference at 105-57. The Threshers repeated as Gulf Division champs with historic offensive numbers. Muscat scored 1000 runs, one short of Tripoli’s record from the prior year. The Threshers did set new league records for team hits (1777) and triple slash (.311/.359/.542).

The #2 seed was Mesopotamia Division champ Mosul at 87-75, who ended a 10-year playoff drought. Last year’s conference finalist Sulaymaniyah at 83-79 was four back, but took the second wild card. The Gulf Division’s Abu Dhabi had the first wild card at 84-78 for their fifth playoff berth in seven years. Baghdad allowed the fewest runs in the conference at 712, but was four wins from the last wild card at 79-83.

The Arabia Division had been strong, boasting three playoff teams and the league champ in 2027. In 2028, all five teams shockingly had a losing record. Riyadh at 79-89 ended up taking the division title, followed by reigning ALB champ Medina (75-87), Mecca (74-88), and Sanaa (73-89). The Mastodons had their three-year playoff streak snapped.

Muscat had numerous options for the Eastern Conference MVP. RF Ahmed Yasser Basha posted a .403 batting average (the fifth .400+ season in ALB history), won a Gold Glove, and led in WAR at 10.0. LF Walid Bennani meanwhile had 71 home runs and 140 RBI. But it would be DH Abdul Jalil Dahir who was given the top honor.

The 29-year old Lebanese lefty led in runs (146), RBI (171), total bases (464), OBP (.448), slugging (.780), OPS (1.228), and wRC+ (206). 146 runs set the new ALB single-season record, while the RBI mark was the third-most in ALB history. Dahir also had 234 hits, 42 doubles, 60 home runs, a .393 average, and 9.5 WAR.

Dahir also had a 37-game hitting streak, breaking the ALB record of 36 set the prior year by Amar Rasmi. It’s no surprise the Threshers had record-setting offense with all of that firepower. Dahir would ink a six-year, $207 million contract extension in March 2030.

Although Basra was a non-factor in 2028, their ace Ahmed Hussain joined Rashid Tariq as ALB’s only six-time Pitcher of the Year winners. The 36-year old Qatari lefty had previously won in 2018 and from 2022-25. In 2028, Hussain led in ERA (2.68), WHIP (0.94), and FIP- (64). He had a 12-6 record over 195 innings with 218 strikeouts and 6.7 WAR. ALB’s strikeout king became the first to reach 4500 career Ks in 2028. Hussain’s season did end in early September with bone chips in his elbow.

Abu Dhabi swept Sulaymaniyah in the first round, then promptly was swept in round two by Muscat. Riyadh swept Mosul on the other side, giving the Rats their second-ever Eastern Conference Final appearance (2002). It was the first for the 2016 expansion Threshers, guaranteeing a first-time pennant winner. 79-win Riyadh gave an impressive effort, but Muscat escaped with the 3-2 series win.



Muscat’s offense had a ton of hype entering the 39^th Arab League Championship, but Algiers abruptly snuffed that out with a sweep to earn their second title in three years. LF Mohammad Al-Imad, the 2026 ALB Championship MVP, won it again in 2028. The 29-year old Jordanian in 12 playoff starts had 16 hits, 6 runs, 5 doubles, and 5 RBI.



Other notes: Damascus’ Kerlos Sharaf set a new world single-season record for doubles at 73, passing the 72 hit by Gokhan Karatas in the 1990 Asian Baseball Federation season. Gilon Bassman had just set the ALB record at 70 the prior season. Muscat’s Ahmad Nasif tied the playoff stolen bases record at 15.

Algiers’ LF Wissam Magdy hit 74 home runs, giving him six straight years with 67+ as the Western Conference leader. He joined the African Association of Baseball’s Maninho Magaia as the only players in all of baseball history to smack 70+ homers in four seasons. Baghdad’s Brent Field made history with the first seven hit game in ALB history. To this point, it has only happened 17 times across all of pro baseball history.

2028 was the last year of LF Mohammed Hassan’s 20-year career with Basra. His overall value had diminished as a DH with 0.3 WAR at age 37, but he still smacked 43 home runs. Hassan became the third ALB member of the 900 home run club and was one of 19 to reach the mark through the 2028 season. He also got to 2234 RBI, second in ALB history only behind former teammate Nordine Soule’s 2518. As of 2037, Hassan is 19^th in homers and 22^nd in RBI among all of pro baseball history.

Hassan also ended with 3296 hits, 1919 runs, 722 doubles, .997 OPS, and 105.0 WAR. He retired just behind Soule for ALB hits and behind only Soule and Yahya bin Hakam in runs. Hassan retired second in doubles and ranks 4^th in ALB and 12^th in the world as of 2037. He is one of only 20 players with 700+ career doubles. The only other player to have both 700+ doubles and 900+ homers is world home run king Majed Darwish.

In other milestones, Osama Ahmed became the 14^th to 600 home runs and the 18^th to 1500 RBI. Four players joined the 500 home run club, bringing that group to 34 strong. Omar Azim became the 21^st to 2500 hits. Diyar Abbas became the 14^th pitcher to 200 wins and Ahmed Essa became the 10^th to 3500 strikeouts. 3B Malik Zouaoui won his 10^th Silver Slugger and LF Walid Bennani won his 8^th.

Khartoum didn’t have the worst record in the league at 69-93, but their pitching was historically inept. The Cottonmouths set new ALB worsts in runs allowed (975), earned runs (927), ERA (5.78), hits allowed (1758), H/9 (10.97), and team WHIP (1.551). Meanwhile Tunis posted the second-worst strikeouts (1106) and K/9 (6.86) in conference history.

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Two-time defending Asian Baseball Federation champ Hyderabad again took the East League’s top seed at 105-57 atop the South Division. The Horned Frogs allowed the fewest runs in ABF at 472 and set a new ABF attendance record at 2,107,368. Lahore was second in the division at 98-64 to easily take the first wild card, earning their second playoff trip in three years.

Peshawar won the North Division at 94-68 and led the EL in runs scored (763). The Predators set new East League team records for hits (1533), doubles (376), and triples (80). Although Peshawar got repeat playoff trip, it was their first division title since 1992. Almaty (90-72) edged out Shymkent (89-73), Bishkek (87-75), and Karachi (86-76) for the second wild card. The Assassins grew their playoff streak to nine seasons, tying the ABF record.

Almaty LF Youssouf Raza repeated as East League MVP, leading in total bases (385), slugging (.677), OPS (1.050), and wRC+ (218). The 27-year old Paistani had 98 runs, 183 hits, 33 doubles, 55 homers, 114 RBI, .322 average, and 8.7 WAR.

In his second season with Karachi, Karim Damadian won Pitcher of the Year. The 33-year old Iranian lefty had spent his first nine seasons with Mashhad before signing with the Carp. Damadian had a 15-8 record, 2.14 ERA, and 302 strikeouts over 235.2 innings for 7.8 WAR. He would fall off significantly and deal with shoulder inflammation the next year, retiring that winter.

Hyderabad swept Almaty in the first round and Peshawar topped Lahore 3-1 to set up a rematch in the East League Championship Series. The series went all seven games, but the Horned Frogs again prevailed for their third straight pennant. It is only the second time in ABF history that a team earned three straight finals berth, a feat Hyderabad previously hit from 1997-99.



The West League’s division champs Mashhad and Gaziantep both finished at 102-60 with the top seed going to the Mercury via tiebreaker. Mashhad’s playoff streak grew to eight years with their fourth consecutive season as both Central Division champ and the top seed. For the Gorillas, it was their third West Division title in four years. Gaziantep was the WL’s top scoring team at 849 runs.

Ankara was a close second in the West at 99-63 to earn the first wild card. The Alouettes allowed the fewest runs (571) in the WL and ended a nine-year playoff drought. Defending West League champ Tehran at 94-68 got the second wild card over Adana (92-7) and Istanbul (92-70). Baku, a division champ last year, notably fell to 82-80.

Leading Gaziantep’s offense was West League MVP Majed Mahadeen, who shattered the ABF single-season runs scored record with 152. The previous best was 139 by Emre Fez in 2022. Mahadeen’s effort was only the tenth 150+ run season in all of pro baseball history to that point. As of 2037, his mark is tied for the ninth-best in world history and still is the ABF record.

The 24-year old Palestinian RF was already in his sixth year as a starter and also led in hits (218), total bases (379), stolen bases (113), triple slash (.371/.427/.645), OPS (1.072), wRC+ (183), and WAR (11.0). The 113 steals ranked as the sixth-best single season in ABF history. Mahadeen also had 41 doubles, 21 triples, 26 homers, 90 RBI, and hit for the cycle in May. The Gorillas locked him up in July 2026 to an eight-year, $108,140,000 extension.

Ankara’s Hasan Yousefi won Pitcher of the Year in his eighth season. The 28-year old Iranian lefty had the best ERA (2.15), WHIP (0.72), K/BB (15.1), shutouts (4), and WAR (8.8). On June 13 against Istanbul, Yousefi tossed ABF’s 20^th perfect game with 15 strikeouts. It was his second career no-hitter, having done it in 2026 against Tabriz. Yousefi added a 20-3 record over 251.1 innings with 348 strikeouts and 184 ERA+.

Tehran upset Mashhad 3-0 in the first round while Gaziantep knocked off Ankara 3-1. The Gorillas earned their third West League Championship Series appearance in four years. Yet again, they fell short as the Tarpons won back-to-back pennants from the #2 wild card slot. Tehran took the series 4-1 for their sixth pennant.



The 44^th ABF Championship was a rematch with Hyderabad looking for the first-ever three-peat. They were the heavy favorite, especially having swept Tehran the prior year. The Tarpons shocked the Horned Frogs by reversing the script with their own sweep. Tehran became three-time ABF champs (2016, 17, 28). SP Maryali Ahmadi was finals MVP with the 24-year old Afghani posting a 2.08 ERA and 3-0 record over four playoff starts, starting out 28 in 30.1 innings.



Other notes: Pitcher of the Year Hasan Yousefi’s perfect game was the first of three in the 2028 season. The second was August 28 by Almaty’s Hajiagha Redzhepov with five Ks versus Faisalabad. The third came on September 1 by Karachi’s Kasim Abdullaev with 15 Ks facing Rawalpindi. This made 22 total perfect games in ABF history. Incidentally, the 1996 season also featured three perfectos.

Carrying over from the prior year, Y.J. Sherzad had a 37-game hitting streak ended on April 5. This tied the ABF record set by Alaeddin Simsek in 1986. Arshia Hushyar became the 12^th pitcher to 4000 career strikeouts and Elnur Hasanov became the 20^th to 3500 Ks. Ismail Akbar became the 17^th member of the 500 home run club. Hakan Mocuk became the 7^th to 1500 RBI and Quraishi Lalak was the 12^th to 2500 hits. C Ali Mahdian won his 9^th Gold Glove, tying the ABF position record. CF Anatoly Memmedov won his 7^th Gold Glove.

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For the fifth straight season, Visakhapatnam took the Indian League’s top seed and won their sixth straight South Division title. It was the third straight 110+ win season for the Volts, but they actually needed a tiebreaker for the top seed despite going 110-52. Ahmedabad had the same record for their third straight West Division crown. Visakhapatnam had the most runs scored (761) and fewest allowed (481). The Animals notably outperformed their expected win/loss by ten games.

The second place teams in those divisions fought for the wild card with reigning South Asia Baseball champ Pune (93-69) edging out Bengaluru (91-71). The Purple Knights secured a fourth consecutive wild card. Worth mentioning that the West Division’s Surat at 85-77 got their first winning season since 2018, but were eight short in the wild card race.

The 2028 playoff field ended up the same as the 2027 one with Jaipur also repeating in the Central Division. The 92-70 Jokers were three ahead of 89-73 Delhi. The Drillers also fell four games short of the wild card, missing the playoffs for the fifth straight year despite winning 89+ each of those years. Delhi has the longest active streak of winning seasons in SAB at ten.

Indian League MVP went to Visakhapatnam 1B Dik**** Dariyanani. The 27-year old led in home runs (43), and total bases (360). Dariyanani had 192 hits, 110 runs, 106 RBI, .328/.381/.615 slash, 192 wRC+, and 8.1 WAR. Prior to the season, the Volts gave Dariyanani an eight-year, $54,640,000 extension.

Visakhapatnam’s E.J. Dhananjay notably won his third Pitcher of the Year in four years. The 29-year old hometown hero led in strikeouts (361), quality starts (29), and WAR (9.9). Dhananjay had a 17-8 record, 1.79 ERA, 247 innings, and 201 ERA+. He narrowly beat out Delhi’s Amir Kapur, who won the ERA title (1.48) along with 337 Ks and 8.8 WAR. Kapur’s ERA was the fourth-best qualifying single-season in SAB history.

Jaipur shocked Visakhapatnam 3-2 in the first round, giving the Volts back-to-back first round exits. The Volts have averaged 114.6 wins in the last three seasons, but have only two first round exits and one Indian League Championship Series loss to show for it. The Jokers earned their first ILCS trip since winning the pennant back in 2009.

Ahmedabad ousted defending champ and divisional foe Pune 3-1 on the other side to earn a repeat ILCS trip. After their incredible dynasty run from 1986-2002, the Animals had lost in six straight ILCS appearances. Ahmedabad ended that drought, ousting Jaipur in a 4-3 classic. The Animals became 16-time Indian League champs with their first pennant in 26 years.



Two-time defending Southeast Asia League Mandalay mauled the competition at 124-38 atop the North Division. It is only the tenth time in all of pro baseball history that a team in any league won 124+ games. Half of those had occurred in SAB with 1993 Ho Chi Minh City at 126-36, 2001 Ahmedabad at 125-37, and 124-38 seasons by both HCMC and the Animals in 1995. The 1995 Ahmedabad team was the only of those to actually win the SAB Championship, with two losing in the finale and the 1993 Hedgehogs falling in the first round.

Mandalay led all of SAB with 874 runs scored and led SEAL with 501 runs, more than 100 fewer than second place. The Mammoths won their share of close games with the 62 team saves setting a SEAL record. It was the second-most in SAB history behind 2012 Kolkata (67).

There was a big drop to the next best record with Dhaka at 99-63, who was the first wild card from the North. The Dobermans grew their playoff streak to eight seasons and their pitching staff set new SEAL records for fewest walks allowed (248) and best BB/9 (1.53). There was another significant drop to the third best record in SEAL.

That went to South Division champ Yangon at 85-77, who squeaked by Vientiane (84-78) and Bangkok (82-80). The Green Dragons’ playoff streak grew to four with only one playoff miss since 1995. The Vampires were the second wild card to end a five-year postseason skid.

Southeast Asia League MVP went to Mandalay 1B Dong Vinh Lam, who led in homers (71), RBI (139), runs (128), total bases (424), and slugging (.715). The Vietnamese 27-year old added a .298 average, 1.071 OPS, 188 wRC+, and 8.6 WAR. Lam was the first SAB slugger with a 70+ homer season since Majed Darwish’s tear from 2008-10. His mark ranked as the fifth-best single-season to that point and was one of only seven seasons of 70+ dingers. That effort earned Lam an eight-year, $143,900,000 extension in the offseason.

The Mammoths also had the Pitcher of the Year Junichi Koku, who led in wins (22-4), ERA (2.07), WHIP (0.89), quality starts (27), and shutouts (4). The 27-year old Japanese lefty had 270 strikeouts over 226.1 innings and 6.6 WAR. Injuries had stunted Koku’s career to that point and would plague him after with only 229.1 total innings over the next decade. Koku beat out Hanoi’s Rajpal Kusumakara, who notably recorded 385 strikeouts. That tied for the fifth-best single season in SAB history, 11 short of Zainal bin Aziz’s 396 from 1992.

In the first round, Yangon survived 3-2 over Dhaka and Mandalay topped Vientiane 3-1. This set up a rematch of the 2026 Southeast Asia League Championship. The Mammoths were a mammoth favorite with the 39-win difference between the two. Mandalay delivered as expected and took the series 4-1 to complete a SEAL three-peat. The Mammoths are the first to three-peat in SEAL since Ho Chi Minh City’s dynasty.



In the 49^th SAB Championship, Mandalay rolled Ahmedabad 4-1 for their second overall title in three years. The 2028 Mammoths staked their claim as SAB’s best-ever team and arguably the best in the world. RF Alexander Thongsuk was the finals MVP, posting 13 hits, 8 runs, 4 doubles, 2 homers, 8 RBI, 1.022 OPS, and 0.6 WAR over 10 playoff starts.



The 1995 Animals were the only other team ever to win 124+ games and a league title. The forthcoming Baseball Grand Championship would give Mandalay a chance to prove the wins weren’t simply inflated by SAB’s relative lack of parity. Seven other teams had won 120+ games and a league title, although all but one played prior to the BGC. The top team to win a league title and the Grand Championship was 2027 San Diego, who won the World Series at 119-43.

Other notes: Mumbai’s Alam Kala became the first in SAB history with a seven hit game, going 7-8 on August 6 against Surat. Through 2028, the mark has been reached only 17 times in all of pro baseball history. Dhaka’s Nurul Sultana stole 121 bases, the 5^th-best single season in SAB history. Both finalists set new league attendance records. Mandalay sold 2,330,609 tickets and Ahmedabad had 2,315,595. Both remain the top tallies as of 2037.

In pitching milestones, Franklin Tung became the new career wins leader and the third to reach 250. He finished the year at 14-9 to get to 263-146, passing Arvind Lal’s 259 for the top spot. Tung would struggle in 2029 and only get one more, retiring as the leader at 264. Quang Thinh Phan became the 7^th to 4000 career strikeouts

Amu Singh became the new SAB saves leader as passed Saroth Bora’s 499. Through 2028, only 12 closers in world history had 500+ career pro saves. Singh had 41 saves in 2028 for Pune, leading the league for the seventh time. In hitting milestones, Yasir Malkawi became the 16^th to 1500 runs scored. Binh Su Bac and Rahul Gonzales became the 28^th and 29^th to 2500 career hits. RF Murugan Abdul won his 8^th Gold Glove.