[FuzzyRussianHat]

Saitama dethroned Yokohama atop the Japan League North Division. The Sting earned their first division title at 96-66. The Yellow Jackets fell to fourth place at 80-82. Meanwhile, Kobe was a first time division winner in the South at 94-68, finishing two games better than defending EAB champ Fukuoka and three ahead of Hiroshima.

Frogs outfielder Kota Takuda won his third MVP award, leading Japan in OBP and WAR. Sendai’s Yoshimatsu Sakamoto was the Pitcher of the Year in his first year with the Samurai with 9.9 WAR, taking second in ERA and strikeouts. It was the second PotY for the 31-year old lefty, who also took the title in 1927 with Chiba.

In the Japanese League Championship Series, Saitama defeated Kobe in six games for their first league title in franchise history.



In Korea, defending league champ Pyongyang dominated the North with a 115-47 record, their second straight division title. The Pythons had the MVP in veteran Hyeon-Seong Kang, who won the batting title and added solid defense in center. Teammate Kil-Sung Min was the Pitcher of the Year, the first for the 24-year old.

Gwangju won their seventh straight South Division title at 101-61, setting up a rematch in the Korean League Championship Series. The Grays got the better of the Pythons this time around, taking it in six for their fourth Korean title. They’d add their first East Asian Baseball crown to the list, as they swept Saitama. This would mark the end of the Gwangju dynasty, as they wouldn’t make the playoffs again until the 1950s.





Other notes: on September 10, Seung-Won Cho of Seoul threw a perfect game, striking out 10 against Changwon. Hamhung’s Chikara Ohkubo became the first EAB pitcher to 3000 career strikeouts. In-Seong Kim, also playing for the Heat, became the second to reach 400 career home runs.