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For the 1950 season, East Asia Baseball instituted similar rule changes to the ones Beisbol Sudamerica had recently applied with the intent of increasing offensive production. In the Japan League, the batting average for the league went up from .232 to .247 with the changes and the league ERA went from 3.03 to 3.38. In the Korea League, the average went from .243 to .260 and the ERA went from 3.39 to 3.79. Runs per game in Japan went from 3.4 to 3.8 and in Korea went from 3.8 to 4.2.



Along with this explosion saw a record-setting season for Sapporo, finishing 121-41 atop the Japan League North Division. This was a Japanese record and only behind Hamhung’s 122-win 1926 for most wins in a season by an EAB team. This also gave the defending EAB champs their eighth playoff berth in nine years. In the South Division, Kitakyushu earned only their second ever playoff berth (1924). The Kodiaks finished 92-70, three games better than both defending division champ Kobe and Kyoto.

Sendai at 95-67 was second to Sapporo and boasted the league MVP in Maozhen Wang. The 27-year old 1B China had a career season with the league lead in runs (104), hits (213), average (.346), OBP (.388), and WAR (8.7), while adding 38 home runs and 98 RBI. The Swordfish meanwhile had Pitcher of the Year Yoko Nishii. The 30-year old veteran led in wins (22), strikeouts (283), quality starts (27), WHIP (.086), and K/BB (9.8) while adding 7.2 WAR and 2.14 ERA.



Things were chaotic in Korea with the war beginning between the recently created separate DPRK and ROK, but even as the conflict carried on, baseball was allowed to continue relatively uninterrupted. Incheon in the North Division won their first-ever division title with an impressive 113-49 season, while defending league champ Seoul was a distant second despite being 98-64. In the South Division, Daejeon earned only their second-ever playoff berth at 101-61, while last year’s division winner Changwon dropped to 78 wins in fourth. Daegu was second at 92-70.

Seoul LF Chong-Chun Pak won his third straight league MVP. The 28-year old led in RBI (134), slugging (.673), OPS (1.068), wRC+ (178), and WAR (7.8) while adding 40 home runs and 190 hits. Leading the Ducks to their division title was Ji-Yoon Park, getting his third Pitcher of the Year at age 29. He was one ERA point away from a Triple Crown, going 22-5 with a 2.27 ERA and 370 strikeouts. He added a league-best 11.1 WAR in 250 innings.

Sapporo’s dynasty continued as they cruised to a five game win over Kitakyushu in the Japan League Championship Series, giving the Swordfish their fifth league title in seven seasons. Meanwhile, the Korea League Championship Series was guaranteed a first-time winner. Incheon bested Daejeon in six games to advance. The East Asian Championship was a seven game classic and set a record for most combined wins between the two competitors with Incheon at 113 and Sapporo at 121. The series ended with the Inferno upsetting Sapporo to deny the repeat.





Other notes: On April 27, Seongnam’s Moon-Suk Ham threw a perfect game with 11 strikeouts against Daegu. Ulsan’s Ha-Jun Na had a 31-game hitting streak. Suwon’s Bum-Young Ahn became the sixth EAB hitter to 2500 career hits. Ju-Won An crossed 3500 strikeouts.