Sunday, September 15th, marked a historic moment for baseball in Kenya as the MbeleFX Nairobi Baseball Community Championship Series Final & Festival brought together the best teams and players in the region for the first-ever 18+ seniors regional baseball championship. The game, hosted by IfWeBuildIt.org and JKUAT at the Nairobi Field of Dreams, was a showdown for the ages.
The championship final featured the league’s two top teams, the undefeated Nairobi Wreckers (5-0) and Samurai United, a diverse team made up of Japanese expatriates, local talent from the Kabete Cares program, and standout pitcher Joseph Wani from South Sudan, a student at USIU. Samurai United came into the final with momentum after a strong late-season push and a narrow advancement over the third-place Nairobi Buffaloes, who had beaten the JKUAT Generals earlier in the day.
This final was not only a clash of teams but a duel between the league’s top pitchers. The Wreckers’ ace, Brian Muli, who boasted the lowest earned run average (ERA) in the league, went head-to-head with Samurai United’s Joseph Wani, who led the league in strikeouts.
Samurai United opened the scoring with a run in the first inning, but the Wreckers responded quickly, putting two runs on the board in the bottom of the first. By the 4th inning, however, Joseph Wani had taken command, earning the nickname “South Sudanese Stallion” with a dominant pitching performance. He racked up 7 strikeouts in 3 innings, frustrating the Wreckers’ powerful lineup and allowing Samurai United to stretch their lead to 6-2.
Despite being down, the Wreckers mounted a spirited comeback in the final inning. A stolen base put a runner at third, and an errant throw back to the pitcher opened up a chance for the Wreckers to steal home. But Samurai shortstop Oscar Gatume made a crucial play, picking up the loose ball and throwing out the runner at home to prevent the tying run from scoring. With one out left to get, Gatume once again rose to the occasion. He fielded a tough high-bouncing grounder on a short hop, scooped it up from his knees, and made a brilliant throw to first base to secure the final out.
Joseph Wani closed out his 4-inning performance with 10 strikeouts, shutting down the Wreckers’ lineup—the best in the league—and sealing Samurai United’s championship victory. The Samurai’s 6-5 win was a testament to their resilience, with Wani and Gatume leading the way in a thrilling conclusion to the MbeleFX Nairobi Baseball Championship.
Watch the full game replay here:
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