Arucian Baseball League
Most recent season or competition: 2022 Arucian Baseball League Season | |
File:World Baseball Classic logo.svg | |
Sport | Baseball |
---|---|
Founded | November 3, 1876 |
Commissioner | Claude Blanc |
No. of teams | 20 |
Countries | Bonaventure Carucere Gaullica Imagua Île d'Émeraude Sainte-Chloé Satucin |
Most recent champion(s) | Sainte-Chloé Sunshine (2022) |
Most titles | Sainte-Chloé Imperials (31) |
The Arucian Baseball League (Gaullican: Ligue de Baseball Arucien), known as the LBA or ABL, is a professional baseball organisation based in Sainte-Chloé, and one of the oldest and longest lasting professional sporting associations in the world.
With baseball introduced to Colony of Sainte-Chloé from Rizealand throughout the mid 19th century, a professional league modeled off several Rizealand models would be formed in 1876, with four teams. Largely in the shadow of Rizealand's League, it would operate in the winter months, and saw a great deal of cooperation with Rizealand and sharing of players and talent. Until the Great War, the League would remain within Sainte-Chloé, and during the later stages of the war it would temporarily cease operation. After the war, the League would expand and became multi-national sport, especially after the foundation of the United Provinces.
The Arucian League is currently comprised of 20 teams, divided into four divisions. Each team plays a total of 100 games from early November to March, followed by a brief post-season in March. The teams with the highest record in each division move on to a divisional playoff series; winners of the divisional series move on to the Arucian Series, the chief title in the League, the winner of which is considered as the yearly champion of the league.
The league, although being less prestigious than the Rizealand Baseball League, remains one of the top professional leagues in the world, and has had many players and teams who have performed well in international competitions.
Organisation
Teams
Division | Logo | Team | City | Country | Stadium | Founded | Current | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
West | Épernon Frères | Épernon | Sainte-Chloé | Champ Saint-Roderic | 1876 | Named after the Roderican Friars. One of the founding teams, and rival of the Imperials. | ||
Escalade Cavaliers | Escelade | Sainte-Chloé | Champ Dumonte | 1925 | ||||
File:Sport Club Internacional 2008 Crest.svg | Sainte-Chloé Imperials | Port de la Sainte | Sainte-Chloé | Stade Impérial | 1876 | One of the original founding teams. Rival of the Frères and the historic powerhouse of the league. | ||
Tranquille Sugars | Tranquille | Sainte-Chloé | Champ Bennett | 1882 | 1924 | Originally founded as the Domingue Sugar-Men as the first team which allowed blacks to participate. The title was shortened in 1903, and the team moved from Domingue to Tranquille in 1924. The first team to move away from the capital area. | ||
Sermoni Krakens | Sermoni | Bonaventure | XXXX Field | 1999 | ||||
South | Decouverte Navigators | Decouverte | Sainte-Chloé | Stade Phare | 1903 | 1938 | Began as the Port Imperial Navigators before moving to Decouverte in 1938. | |
Mont-Éclair Blues | Éclair | Sainte-Chloé | Stade du Blues | 1876 | 1963 | Founded as the Saint-Laurent Blues as one of the original teams. Due to financial troubles following the Great War, merged with the Volonté Eagles in 1936 and moved to Volonté as the "Blue Eagles". Moved to Subercaseaux in 1946, briefly becoming the "Subercaseaux United" before moving back to Volonté for the 1954 season. Moved to Éclair in 1963 and adopted the original team's colours and name. | ||
Sainte-Chloé Sunshine | Port de la Sainte | Sainte-Chloé | Parc CBC | 1999 | ||||
Sainte-Geneviève Gendarmes | Sainte-Geneviève | Sainte-Chloé | Parc Balnéaire | 1947 | ||||
File:LOGO | Sermoni Fortunates | Sermoni | Bonaventure | XXXX Field | 1947 | |||
North | Appanno Lancers | Appanno | Bonaventure | XXXX Field | 1964 | |||
Carrefour Stars | Carrefour | Carucere | Préval Field | 1888 | 1890 | Also the de facto Carucerean national baseball team. | ||
File:Cuanstad Millers.png | Cuanstad Millers | Cuanstad | File:ImaguaFlag.png Imagua | Bank of the Orient Stadium | 1947 | |||
Terre-Belle Rays | Canicule | Sainte-Chloé | Parc Laurent | 1955 | 2003 | Originally called the "Citadelle Captains", the team moved in 2003 to the Terre-Belle region and rebranded itself as the Rays. | ||
File:Hammarvikbatslogo.png|40px]] | Hammarvik Bats | Hammarvik | File:Eldmark.png Eldmark | Bank of Asteria Arena | 1976 | |||
East | Arac Alligators | Arac | Satucin | Parc Piremont | 1976 | |||
Mathiasville Maroons | Mathiasville | Île d'Émeraude | XXXX Field | 1976 | ||||
Port-au-Grégoire Robins | Port-au-Grégoire | Île d'Émeraude | Champ Gautier | 1964 | established in 1964 as the "Ressortissants" (Nationals), rebranded as "Robins" in 1985 as an homage to Port-au-Grégoire native, musician, and cultural icon Robin Gautier | |||
Saint Clair Sugar Kings | Saint Clair | Île d'Émeraude | Stade de la Banque de l’Île d’Émeraude | 1999 | ||||
Saint-Thomas Lions | Saint-Thomas | Gaullica | XXXX Field | 1999 | Team from the Îles des Saints. |
Defunct Teams
From the League's foundation until the early 20th century, the League usually numbered around four or five teams, almost all located in neighborhoods or cities surrounding the capital city of Port de La Sainte. Throughout the early decades before the Great War, the League saw expansion, reaching 9 teams in 1926. Due to the Great War, four of these teams would play their last season in 1933, although the owners of two would go on to form a merger franchise for the 1936 season.
• Clermont Capitains (1876-1881)
• Saint-Laurent Blues (1876-1933)*
• Allègre Aces (1881-1884)
• Port Imperial Sailors (1882)
• Vichel Wanderers (1884-1889)
• Clémensat Carmelites (1888-1893, 1903-1905)
• Saint-Claude Sluggers (1893-1903)
• Gelles Grenadiers (1901, 1904)
• Sarry Saints (1906-1919)
• Domingue Toucans (1908-1915)
• Esternay Knights (1920-1933)
• Citadelle Cannoneers (1925-1933)
• Volonté Eagles (1926-1933)*
History
Founding
Cooperative Era (1906-1933)
Great War Era (1933-1947)
Expansion Era (1947-1977)
Contemprorary (1977-)
Season Structure
Regular-Season
Postseason
Arucian Series Records | ||||
Team | Number of Series won |
Last Series won |
Series played | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Sainte-Chloé Imperials | 27 | 2018 | 49 | |
Épernon Frères | 14 | 2015 | 17 | |
Mont-Éclair Blues† | 11 | 2019 | 23* | |
Tranquille Sugars | 9 | 1988 | 21 | |
Decouverte Navigators† | 8 | 1974 | 25 | |
Hammarvik Bats | 7 | 2016 | 9 | |
Sermoni Fortunates | 7 | 2005 | 7 | |
Escalade Cavaliers | 6 | 1951 | 11 | |
Carrefour Stars | 4 | 2011 | 8 | |
Terre-Belle Rays† | 4 | 2012 | 6 | |
Sainte-Geneviève Gendarmes | 3 | 1984 | 10 | |
Appanno Lancers | 3 | 1999 | 8 | |
Port-au-Grégoire Robins† | 3 | 2002 | 6 | |
Sainte-Chloé Sunshine | 3 | 2022 | 3 | |
Cuanstad Millers | 2 | 1994 | 4 | |
Sermoni Krakens | 1 | 2021 | 4 | |
Mathiasville Maroons | 1 | 2009 | 5 | |
Arac Alligators | 1 | 1997 | 2 | |
Esternay Knights‡ | 1 | 1930 | 1 | |
Sarry Saints‡ | 0 | 2 | ||
Saint Clair Sugar Kings | 0 | 1 | ||
Saint-Thomas Lions | 0 | 1 | ||
Domingue Toucans‡ | 0 | 1 | ||
† Totals include a team's record in a previous city or under another name. | ||||
‡ Team is no longer currently active. | ||||
* Two appearances as the Eagles, which merged with the Blues in 1936. |
Prior to 1906, the Arucian League hosted a single championship game which pitted the teams with the best record against each other. In 1906, following the Rizealand model, the League transformed the championship into the Arucian Series, becoming a best out of seven game competition, although drawn from the two teams with the best two records.
In 1947, the expansion of new teams saw the creation of two divisions, switching the Arucian Series to the teams which had the best records within their respective postion. Due to the increased number of teams, in 1965 the League implemented a best of seven divisional series between the top two teams in each division.
In 1975, the League expanded to four divisions. The divisional series was transformed to take the top team from every division, with East playing West and North playing South. The winners of the divisional series go on to play in the Arucian Series.
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