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FuzzyRussianHat · 08-16-2025, 08:13 PM

Hanover was the Northern Conference’s top seed for the third consecutive season and extended their impressive playoff streak to 11 years. It was the fifth time in six years that the Hitmen took the division crown, finishing 104-58 atop the East. It was also their third year in a row with the best overall record for the European Baseball Federation’s Elite Tier. Hanover led all of EBF in 2033 with 829 runs scored.

The division wasn’t a pushover though as both Kharkiv and Warsaw finished 97-65 as the first two wild cards. The Wildcats got their second playoff berth in three years, while the Killer Bees returned after having an eight-year streak thwarted in 2032. Warsaw allowed EBF’s fewest runs at 550, while Kharkiv’s pitching set an new EBF record for fewest walks (206) and best BB/9 (1.28). 97-65 was also good for the West Division title by Dublin. The Dinos had been a powerhouse earlier in the 21^st Century, but this ended a six-year playoff drought in the Irish capital.

Five back on Dublin was Rotterdam at 92-70, taking the third wild card. The Ravens got their third straight playoff berth and have only missed once in 13 years. Rotterdam also has a streak of winning seasons going back to 2017. The fourth and final wild card saw a tie at 91-71 between Edinburgh and Frankfurt. The Enforcers won the tiebreaker game for their first playoff berth since 2023. Edinburgh had only just gotten promoted back up from the European Second League in 2031.

Falling just short in the wild card race was defending conference champ Cologne (89-73), Tallinn (89-73), Antwerp (88-74), and Helsinki (86-76). Copenhagen had the worst record at 56-106 in the East Division and was relegated after a four-year run back in the Elite Tier. Stockholm was the next closest team in danger in the East at 63-99.

It was a competitive fight at the bottom in the West, but Brussels was the worst at 65-97 below Reykjavik (66-96), Birmingham (67-95), and Liverpool (71-91). The Beavers continued a roller-coaster ride, having just gotten promoted back up for 2033. Brussels had also spent 2028-31 in the top tier, but had been in E2L from 2022-27.

Cologne 1B Robert Frohlich won Northern Conference MVP in his eighth season. The 29-year old German righty led in his (205), home runs (58), RBI (141), total bases (411), OBP (.413), slugging (.694), OPS (1.107), and wRC+ (191). Frohlich had 115 runs, .346 average, and 9.1 WAR. He had signed an eight-year, $277,400,000 extension after the 2031 season to stick long-term with the Copperheads.

Takao “The Anvil” Watanabe was the Pitcher of the Year in his third year with Warsaw. The 29-year old, 6’7’’ lefty had shown promise in his native Japan, but became a free agent for 2030 after a partially torn UCL. The Wildcats gave him a big deal anyway for 2031 at five years and $148 million. Watanabe in 2033 led in ERA (1.90) and WHIP (0.82). He struck out 218 over 184.1 innings with a 11-5 record, 198 ERA+, and 5.7 WAR.

The first round of the playoffs had Rotterdam over Kharkiv 2-1 and Edinburgh over Warsaw 2-0. Both division champs prevailed in round two, but needed all five games as Hanover survived the Enforcers and Dublin outlasted the Ravens. For the Dinos, this was their first trip to the Northern Conference Championship since their 2022-24 three-peat.

It was the third straight trip for the Hitmen, who got upset in 2032 by Cologne and beat Rotterdam in 2031. The series went all seven games with top seed Hanover holding on for their third pennant (2028, 2031, 2033). It was the fourth consecutive year that a German team took the Northern Conference’s top prize.

Krakow made an explosive return to the top tier after spending the last two years in the European Second League. The 2032 E2L champs were the Southern Conference’s top seed in 2033 at 99-63 atop the East Division. Although the Canines had spent 28 of their first 33 seasons in the Elite Tier, they had never been a playoff team until now. Krakow had only posted a winning record four times prior, generally hovering in the lower-mid tier.

Barcelona earned the West Division title at 97-65, growing their playoff streak to seven seasons. The Bengals had a 2,536,268 season attendance, the second-best in conference history. Both second place finishers got wild cards at 92-70 with Lyon in the West and Budapest in the East. The Lords earned repeat wild cards while the Bombers ended an 18-year drought. Budapest had managed to avoid relegation despite said drought. Lyon was the conference’s highest-scoring team with 786 runs.

Three teams finished tied for the final two wild cards with Milan, Belgrade, and Munich each at 89-73. Defending EBF champ Zurich had a rare playoff miss as they and Thessaloniki both were 87-75. The Maulers and Bruisers both defeated the Mavericks in tiebreaker games to advance, ending Munich’s 13-year playoff streak.

Milan ended a 17-year drought and like Budapest, had avoided relegation despite that. Belgrade had just gotten promoted back up after a five-year stint in E2L. Ljubljana had been the top seed the prior two years with 113 and 108 wins, but their five-year streak ended with an 80-82 finish. Cluj-Napoca was also 80-82 despite allowing the conference’s fewest runs at 579.

Sarajevo at 56-106 had the worst record and was relegated. Sofia was 63-99 in the East, but got bailed out by the Salukis. In the West, Nantes got the boot at 68-94. The Trappers had a seven-year run in the EBF Elite and had only winning seasons before 2033 with four playoff berths. Sarajevo’s stint lasted three years, just missing the playoffs with 96 wins in 2031.

Lyon’s big offseason signing was 1B Attila Sebek, earning Southern Conference MVP in his debut in France. He had won the award in 2030 with Budapest, but cashed in for 2033 on an eight-year, $231 million free agent deal with the Lords. The 28-year old Czech lefty led in home runs (64), OBP (.444), slugging (.764), OPS (1.208), and wRC+ (238). His OPS was the eighth-best single season in EBF history and he’s one of a select few in world history with multiple seasons with a 1.200+ OPS. Sebek also had 189 hits, 122 runs, 139 RBI, and a .353 average.

Krakow’s Mert Dolezal won Pitcher of the Year in his fifth season. The 25-year old Austrian righty led in wins (21-5) and complete games (16). Dolezal had a 2.96 ERA over 258.2 innings, 259 strikeouts, 125 ERA+, and 6.3 WAR. The Canines rewarded him in the winter with a six-year, $140,800,000 extension.

Lyon edged Milan 2-1 and Belgrade topped Budapest 2-1 in the first round of the playoffs. Krakow bested the Bruisers in the second round 3-1, while the Lords upset Barcelona 3-1. Both teams earned their first-ever appearance in the Southern Conference Championship. Lyon got the road upset 4-1 over Krakow, becoming the first French team in the finals since Paris it all in 2014.

The 84^th European Championship brought the cup back to France with Lyon defeating Hanover 4-2. The Lords became the 32^nd different franchise to win it all and the fourth team to win that started with E2L’s inaugural 2005 season, joining the Hitmen, Chisinau, and Antwerp. This also continued a run of parity for the #1 spot as the seventh different champ in as many years.

SS Marian Ciupitu won finals MVP, having joined Lyon in 2032 after starting with Tirana. In 18 playoff starts, the 30-year old Romanian had 26 hits, 11 runs, 2 doubles, 2 homers, and 12 RBI. It was the eighth EBF title for a French team as Marseille had four (1981, 1985, 1986, 2009) and Paris had three (1970, 1998, 2014).

Other notes: Two playoff records were set in 2033. Lyon’s Hugo Cary had a bad one as he was caught stealing 13 times, although he did at least success 14 times. Hanover’s Manuel D’Alessio meanwhile set the record for singles with 25. He also had 32 hits, the third-most and three behind Lucas Falacheira’s record 35 from 2015.

Zagreb’s Aleksandr Parts became only the third player in world baseball history with 450+ career triples. He had 454, still three behind Carsten Dal for the EBF record. World hit king Fares Belaid was the world triples king with 472. Parts and Felix Timm became the 35^th and 36^th EBF batters with 1500 career RBI. Timm also was the 21^st member of the 600 home run club. Vince Corapi became the 48^th to reach 2500 hits.

Parts also picked up his position record 10^th Gold Glove at first base. CF Kamil Bufka and SS Ernst Scheuermann won their 8^th Gold Gloves and 3B Hans Wolf won his 7^th. In pitching milestones, Nejc Novak became the 31^st to 3500 strikeouts. Maksym Mavrov and Deitrich Hoft became the 14^th and 15^th to 300 saves.

Promotion/Relegation: Noticeable shifting was required as the four promoted teams from E2L all were Southern Conference additions. The full details can be found below.

08-16-2025, 08:13 PM	#2389
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,247	2033 in EBF Hanover was the Northern Conference’s top seed for the third consecutive season and extended their impressive playoff streak to 11 years. It was the fifth time in six years that the Hitmen took the division crown, finishing 104-58 atop the East. It was also their third year in a row with the best overall record for the European Baseball Federation’s Elite Tier. Hanover led all of EBF in 2033 with 829 runs scored. The division wasn’t a pushover though as both Kharkiv and Warsaw finished 97-65 as the first two wild cards. The Wildcats got their second playoff berth in three years, while the Killer Bees returned after having an eight-year streak thwarted in 2032. Warsaw allowed EBF’s fewest runs at 550, while Kharkiv’s pitching set an new EBF record for fewest walks (206) and best BB/9 (1.28). 97-65 was also good for the West Division title by Dublin. The Dinos had been a powerhouse earlier in the 21^st Century, but this ended a six-year playoff drought in the Irish capital. Five back on Dublin was Rotterdam at 92-70, taking the third wild card. The Ravens got their third straight playoff berth and have only missed once in 13 years. Rotterdam also has a streak of winning seasons going back to 2017. The fourth and final wild card saw a tie at 91-71 between Edinburgh and Frankfurt. The Enforcers won the tiebreaker game for their first playoff berth since 2023. Edinburgh had only just gotten promoted back up from the European Second League in 2031. Falling just short in the wild card race was defending conference champ Cologne (89-73), Tallinn (89-73), Antwerp (88-74), and Helsinki (86-76). Copenhagen had the worst record at 56-106 in the East Division and was relegated after a four-year run back in the Elite Tier. Stockholm was the next closest team in danger in the East at 63-99. It was a competitive fight at the bottom in the West, but Brussels was the worst at 65-97 below Reykjavik (66-96), Birmingham (67-95), and Liverpool (71-91). The Beavers continued a roller-coaster ride, having just gotten promoted back up for 2033. Brussels had also spent 2028-31 in the top tier, but had been in E2L from 2022-27. Cologne 1B Robert Frohlich won Northern Conference MVP in his eighth season. The 29-year old German righty led in his (205), home runs (58), RBI (141), total bases (411), OBP (.413), slugging (.694), OPS (1.107), and wRC+ (191). Frohlich had 115 runs, .346 average, and 9.1 WAR. He had signed an eight-year, $277,400,000 extension after the 2031 season to stick long-term with the Copperheads. Takao “The Anvil” Watanabe was the Pitcher of the Year in his third year with Warsaw. The 29-year old, 6’7’’ lefty had shown promise in his native Japan, but became a free agent for 2030 after a partially torn UCL. The Wildcats gave him a big deal anyway for 2031 at five years and $148 million. Watanabe in 2033 led in ERA (1.90) and WHIP (0.82). He struck out 218 over 184.1 innings with a 11-5 record, 198 ERA+, and 5.7 WAR. The first round of the playoffs had Rotterdam over Kharkiv 2-1 and Edinburgh over Warsaw 2-0. Both division champs prevailed in round two, but needed all five games as Hanover survived the Enforcers and Dublin outlasted the Ravens. For the Dinos, this was their first trip to the Northern Conference Championship since their 2022-24 three-peat. It was the third straight trip for the Hitmen, who got upset in 2032 by Cologne and beat Rotterdam in 2031. The series went all seven games with top seed Hanover holding on for their third pennant (2028, 2031, 2033). It was the fourth consecutive year that a German team took the Northern Conference’s top prize. Krakow made an explosive return to the top tier after spending the last two years in the European Second League. The 2032 E2L champs were the Southern Conference’s top seed in 2033 at 99-63 atop the East Division. Although the Canines had spent 28 of their first 33 seasons in the Elite Tier, they had never been a playoff team until now. Krakow had only posted a winning record four times prior, generally hovering in the lower-mid tier. Barcelona earned the West Division title at 97-65, growing their playoff streak to seven seasons. The Bengals had a 2,536,268 season attendance, the second-best in conference history. Both second place finishers got wild cards at 92-70 with Lyon in the West and Budapest in the East. The Lords earned repeat wild cards while the Bombers ended an 18-year drought. Budapest had managed to avoid relegation despite said drought. Lyon was the conference’s highest-scoring team with 786 runs. Three teams finished tied for the final two wild cards with Milan, Belgrade, and Munich each at 89-73. Defending EBF champ Zurich had a rare playoff miss as they and Thessaloniki both were 87-75. The Maulers and Bruisers both defeated the Mavericks in tiebreaker games to advance, ending Munich’s 13-year playoff streak. Milan ended a 17-year drought and like Budapest, had avoided relegation despite that. Belgrade had just gotten promoted back up after a five-year stint in E2L. Ljubljana had been the top seed the prior two years with 113 and 108 wins, but their five-year streak ended with an 80-82 finish. Cluj-Napoca was also 80-82 despite allowing the conference’s fewest runs at 579. Sarajevo at 56-106 had the worst record and was relegated. Sofia was 63-99 in the East, but got bailed out by the Salukis. In the West, Nantes got the boot at 68-94. The Trappers had a seven-year run in the EBF Elite and had only winning seasons before 2033 with four playoff berths. Sarajevo’s stint lasted three years, just missing the playoffs with 96 wins in 2031. Lyon’s big offseason signing was 1B Attila Sebek, earning Southern Conference MVP in his debut in France. He had won the award in 2030 with Budapest, but cashed in for 2033 on an eight-year, $231 million free agent deal with the Lords. The 28-year old Czech lefty led in home runs (64), OBP (.444), slugging (.764), OPS (1.208), and wRC+ (238). His OPS was the eighth-best single season in EBF history and he’s one of a select few in world history with multiple seasons with a 1.200+ OPS. Sebek also had 189 hits, 122 runs, 139 RBI, and a .353 average. Krakow’s Mert Dolezal won Pitcher of the Year in his fifth season. The 25-year old Austrian righty led in wins (21-5) and complete games (16). Dolezal had a 2.96 ERA over 258.2 innings, 259 strikeouts, 125 ERA+, and 6.3 WAR. The Canines rewarded him in the winter with a six-year, $140,800,000 extension. Lyon edged Milan 2-1 and Belgrade topped Budapest 2-1 in the first round of the playoffs. Krakow bested the Bruisers in the second round 3-1, while the Lords upset Barcelona 3-1. Both teams earned their first-ever appearance in the Southern Conference Championship. Lyon got the road upset 4-1 over Krakow, becoming the first French team in the finals since Paris it all in 2014. The 84^th European Championship brought the cup back to France with Lyon defeating Hanover 4-2. The Lords became the 32^nd different franchise to win it all and the fourth team to win that started with E2L’s inaugural 2005 season, joining the Hitmen, Chisinau, and Antwerp. This also continued a run of parity for the #1 spot as the seventh different champ in as many years. SS Marian Ciupitu won finals MVP, having joined Lyon in 2032 after starting with Tirana. In 18 playoff starts, the 30-year old Romanian had 26 hits, 11 runs, 2 doubles, 2 homers, and 12 RBI. It was the eighth EBF title for a French team as Marseille had four (1981, 1985, 1986, 2009) and Paris had three (1970, 1998, 2014). Other notes: Two playoff records were set in 2033. Lyon’s Hugo Cary had a bad one as he was caught stealing 13 times, although he did at least success 14 times. Hanover’s Manuel D’Alessio meanwhile set the record for singles with 25. He also had 32 hits, the third-most and three behind Lucas Falacheira’s record 35 from 2015. Zagreb’s Aleksandr Parts became only the third player in world baseball history with 450+ career triples. He had 454, still three behind Carsten Dal for the EBF record. World hit king Fares Belaid was the world triples king with 472. Parts and Felix Timm became the 35^th and 36^th EBF batters with 1500 career RBI. Timm also was the 21^st member of the 600 home run club. Vince Corapi became the 48^th to reach 2500 hits. Parts also picked up his position record 10^th Gold Glove at first base. CF Kamil Bufka and SS Ernst Scheuermann won their 8^th Gold Gloves and 3B Hans Wolf won his 7^th. In pitching milestones, Nejc Novak became the 31^st to 3500 strikeouts. Maksym Mavrov and Deitrich Hoft became the 14^th and 15^th to 300 saves. Promotion/Relegation: Noticeable shifting was required as the four promoted teams from E2L all were Southern Conference additions. The full details can be found below. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports The Level Playing Field: Alternate MLB History From 1884-Onward Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)