[FuzzyRussianHat]

Chiba had the best record in the Japan League in 1980, taking their second Capital Division title in three years. The Comets at 102-60 also had 254 team home runs, setting a JL record that would hold until 2002. Last year’s division champ Kawasaki was 89-73 with Yokohama one behind. In the North Division, Sapporo earned back-to-back titles with a 101-61 record. Kobe claimed a competitive Central Division at 96-66, one game ahead of Kyoto. It was the first playoff berth for the Blaze since 1965. Defending Japan League champ Nagoya was a distant third at 84-78. The weakest division winner was Fukuoka at 89-73 atop the West Division. For the Frogs, this ended a 50-year postseason drought dating back to their 1929 EAB title. That was not only the longest active drought, but the longest one in EAB history to that point.

Earning Japan League MVP was Chiba’s Tamatama Kurosawa. The 27-year old center fielder was the leader in runs (111), triples (19), total bases (378), and WAR (9.0), adding a .339 average and 41 home runs. Kyoto’s Shuichiro Sato won his third Pitcher of the Year, although his prior wins were back in 1972 and 1973. At age 32, he led in ERA (2.19), quality starts (26), FIP- (49), and WAR (9.4), adding 270 strikeouts over 226 innings and an 18-5 record. Also of note, Kyoto’s Norichika Arai became a three-time Reliever of the Year winner.

In the first round of the playoffs, Fukuoka stunned Chiba with a road sweep and Sapporo topped Kobe 3-0. The underdog Frogs prevailed in the Japan League Championship Series in a seven game thriller over Sapporo. For Fukuoka, it is their third league title with the others way back in 1928 and 1929.



Busan snapped an eight-year playoff drought as the Blue Jays finished 98-64, giving them the best record in the Korea League and the South Division title. Changwon was second at 92-70, which earned them the first wild card and their first playoff berth since 1965. Yongin was 91-75, followed by Daejeon at 87-75 and Daegu at 86-76. The Diamondbacks saw their seven year playoff streak ended.

In the North Division, Suwon and defending EAB champ Seoul tied at 91-71, while Hamhung was 90-72 and Seongnam was 90-72. This tied the Snappers and Seahawks both for the division title and with Yongin for the second wild card. Because of the tiebreaker game for the division, the winner would advance and the loser would drop below the Gold Sox, giving Yongin its first playoff berth since 1972. Suwon won the one-game playoff to eliminate the defending champs and earn back-to-back playoff berths.

Changwon had both the league MVP and the Pitcher of the Year. 1B Jun-Seong Noi won MVP with the 26-year old winning the batting title (.373) and leading in hits (227). He added 104 runs, 23 home runs, and 7.9 WAR. Seung-Yu Woo won Pitcher of the Year with the fourth-year righty leading in strikeouts (334), WHIP (0.93), shutouts (5), and wins (21-10). Woo had a 2.73 ERA over 280.2 innings and 6.6 WAR.

Both first round series went the distance with Busan surviving against Yongin and Suwon holding off Changwon. The Korea League Championship Series ended up being a dud as the Blue Jays swept the Snappers, making Suwon runner-up in back-to-back years. It was the first title for Busan since 1971 and their tenth overall.



In the 60^th East Asian Championship, Fukuoka continued their Cinderella season. 50 years since their last playoff appearance and only EAB title, the Frogs rolled 4-1 over Busan. CF Sougo Fujimoto earned the finals MVP after being only a part-time starter in the regular season. In 14 games and 11 playoff starts, he had 11 hits, 9 runs, 4 home runs, and 9 RBI. Fukuoka wouldn’t go another 50 years between playoff berths, but they would have to wait another 41 years for their next EAB title.



Other notes: LF Ki-Chin Park won his tenth straight Gold Glove. Makata Araki became the 22^nd EAB batter to 500 career home runs. 35 batters have now picked up 2500 hits as Ho Oh and Jin Takeda crossed the mark in 1980.