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FuzzyRussianHat · 11-25-2023, 06:33 AM

The top record in Eurasian Professional Baseball in 1983 went to Minsk at 107-55, leading the European League in both runs scored (593) and fewest allowed (399). The Miners were North Division champs and earned their 26^th playoff appearance through EPB’s first 29 seasons. St. Petersburg was a distant second at 91-71 in the division, but they took the second wild card spot, beating division foe Vilnius by four games and Warsaw by five. This snapped a three year playoff drought for the Polar Bears. Defending EL champ Kyiv won the South Division title at 100-62 and earned a sixth consecutive playoff berth. Kharkiv was four back at 96-66, easily getting the first wild card spot. For the Killer Bees, it is their third playoff berth in the last four seasons.

Kharkiv 1B Vyacheslav Afonin won the European League MVP. The fourth-year Ukrainian righty led in WAR (9.3), RBI (130), runs (90), total bases (373), and slugging (.598), adding a .300 average and 50 home runs. Only Kyiv’s Ilkin Hasanov beat him in homers, smacking 59 for the highest tally by an EPB slugger in nearly a decade. Pitcher of the Year went to Minsk’s Jaylan Harrell, who earned EPB’s fourth pitching Triple Crown season. Harrell was a 26-year old American who defected to the Soviet Union after playing college baseball at the University of Michigan. In his fourth season with the Miners, he had a 25-6 record, 1.44 ERA, and 354 strikeouts. Harrell also led the league in WHIP (0.72), quality starts (30), shutouts (7), FIP- (49), and WAR (11.5). Also of note, Kharkiv’s Maksym Badlo won his third Reliever of the Year, posting 8.3 WAR in 103 innings with 40 saves, 193 strikeouts, and a 0.61 ERA.

The first round playoff series were sweeps for the division champs with Minsk over St. Petersburg and Kyiv over Kharkiv. The European League Championship Series saw the Miners and Kings meet for the eighth time in the league final with both shooting for their eighth league title. Like their 1981 meeting, it was a seven game classic. The finale went 12 innings with visiting Kyiv taking it 5-4, earning back-to-back EL pennants and their fourth in six years.

The Asian League South Division ended in a three-way tie for first between Bishkek, Baku, and Dushanbe each at 94-68. The wild card race was such that all three earned a spot in the playoffs, but one-game tiebreakers were needed to determine the division champ. The Black Sox would defeat both the Blackbirds and the Dynamo to take their first division title since 1968, although it was their third playoff berth in four years. Dushanbe earned a third straight playoff berth and Baku got their third in five years. The Blackbirds officially were the #1 wild card and the Dynamo the #2. The top overall seed though was North Division champ Novosibirsk at 95-67, ending a 24-year playoff drought. Defending Soviet Series champ Krasnoyarsk was a non-factor, taking third at 83-79.

The Asian League’s top awards went to players that weren’t on playoff teams. Tbilisi center fielder Nikolai Sekhniashvili won MVP with the 26-year old Georgian leading in RBI (106), slugging (.573), and OPS (.924) while adding 7.8 WAR and 32 home runs. Ulaanbaatar’s Azer Sattarli won back-to-back Pitcher of the Year honors. The 29-year old Russian led in ERA (1.58), strikeouts (418), WHIP (0.65), K/BB (13.9), shutouts (11), and WAR (10.4). His WHIP was the second-best season in EPB history behind Artur Golub’s 0.63 in 1969. Among Sattarli’s shutouts was a 15 strikeout no-hitter against Krasnoyarsk on May 18.

Novosibirsk defeated Dushanbe 3-1 in the first round while Bishkek swept Baku 3-0. This sent the Black Sox to the Asian League Championship Series for the third time in four years, while it was only the second-time ever for the Nitros (1957). Bishkek claimed the series in six to deny Novosibirsk its first AL pennant and give the Black Sox their fifth (1964, 65, 67, 80, 83).

In the 29^th Soviet Series, Kyiv made quick work of Bishkek and finally took the title after taking runner up thrice in the prior five seasons. The Kings swept the Black Sox and became five time Soviet Series champs, adding to their cups from 1958, 59, 63, and 65. CF Atanas Dyakov was finals MVP with the 33-year old Bulgarian getting 16 hits, 4 runs, 2 doubles, and 3 triples over 14 playoff starts.

Other notes: Bishkek second-year pitcher Vasif Agharahimov had an opponent slugging percentage against him of .231, setting a single-season record that still stands in EPB as of 2037. Ivan Valev and Konrad Mazur became the fourth and fifth EPB sluggers to 600 career home runs. Andrzej Kosciuszko, Leonid Kharin, and Valev each got to 2500 hits, bringing it to 11 EPB batters to reach the mark. Valev also won his ninth Silver Slugger at DH. LF Artyom Kahn won his 11^th Gold Glove.

11-25-2023, 06:33 AM	#731
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,209	1983 in EPB The top record in Eurasian Professional Baseball in 1983 went to Minsk at 107-55, leading the European League in both runs scored (593) and fewest allowed (399). The Miners were North Division champs and earned their 26^th playoff appearance through EPB’s first 29 seasons. St. Petersburg was a distant second at 91-71 in the division, but they took the second wild card spot, beating division foe Vilnius by four games and Warsaw by five. This snapped a three year playoff drought for the Polar Bears. Defending EL champ Kyiv won the South Division title at 100-62 and earned a sixth consecutive playoff berth. Kharkiv was four back at 96-66, easily getting the first wild card spot. For the Killer Bees, it is their third playoff berth in the last four seasons. Kharkiv 1B Vyacheslav Afonin won the European League MVP. The fourth-year Ukrainian righty led in WAR (9.3), RBI (130), runs (90), total bases (373), and slugging (.598), adding a .300 average and 50 home runs. Only Kyiv’s Ilkin Hasanov beat him in homers, smacking 59 for the highest tally by an EPB slugger in nearly a decade. Pitcher of the Year went to Minsk’s Jaylan Harrell, who earned EPB’s fourth pitching Triple Crown season. Harrell was a 26-year old American who defected to the Soviet Union after playing college baseball at the University of Michigan. In his fourth season with the Miners, he had a 25-6 record, 1.44 ERA, and 354 strikeouts. Harrell also led the league in WHIP (0.72), quality starts (30), shutouts (7), FIP- (49), and WAR (11.5). Also of note, Kharkiv’s Maksym Badlo won his third Reliever of the Year, posting 8.3 WAR in 103 innings with 40 saves, 193 strikeouts, and a 0.61 ERA. The first round playoff series were sweeps for the division champs with Minsk over St. Petersburg and Kyiv over Kharkiv. The European League Championship Series saw the Miners and Kings meet for the eighth time in the league final with both shooting for their eighth league title. Like their 1981 meeting, it was a seven game classic. The finale went 12 innings with visiting Kyiv taking it 5-4, earning back-to-back EL pennants and their fourth in six years. The Asian League South Division ended in a three-way tie for first between Bishkek, Baku, and Dushanbe each at 94-68. The wild card race was such that all three earned a spot in the playoffs, but one-game tiebreakers were needed to determine the division champ. The Black Sox would defeat both the Blackbirds and the Dynamo to take their first division title since 1968, although it was their third playoff berth in four years. Dushanbe earned a third straight playoff berth and Baku got their third in five years. The Blackbirds officially were the #1 wild card and the Dynamo the #2. The top overall seed though was North Division champ Novosibirsk at 95-67, ending a 24-year playoff drought. Defending Soviet Series champ Krasnoyarsk was a non-factor, taking third at 83-79. The Asian League’s top awards went to players that weren’t on playoff teams. Tbilisi center fielder Nikolai Sekhniashvili won MVP with the 26-year old Georgian leading in RBI (106), slugging (.573), and OPS (.924) while adding 7.8 WAR and 32 home runs. Ulaanbaatar’s Azer Sattarli won back-to-back Pitcher of the Year honors. The 29-year old Russian led in ERA (1.58), strikeouts (418), WHIP (0.65), K/BB (13.9), shutouts (11), and WAR (10.4). His WHIP was the second-best season in EPB history behind Artur Golub’s 0.63 in 1969. Among Sattarli’s shutouts was a 15 strikeout no-hitter against Krasnoyarsk on May 18. Novosibirsk defeated Dushanbe 3-1 in the first round while Bishkek swept Baku 3-0. This sent the Black Sox to the Asian League Championship Series for the third time in four years, while it was only the second-time ever for the Nitros (1957). Bishkek claimed the series in six to deny Novosibirsk its first AL pennant and give the Black Sox their fifth (1964, 65, 67, 80, 83). In the 29^th Soviet Series, Kyiv made quick work of Bishkek and finally took the title after taking runner up thrice in the prior five seasons. The Kings swept the Black Sox and became five time Soviet Series champs, adding to their cups from 1958, 59, 63, and 65. CF Atanas Dyakov was finals MVP with the 33-year old Bulgarian getting 16 hits, 4 runs, 2 doubles, and 3 triples over 14 playoff starts. Other notes: Bishkek second-year pitcher Vasif Agharahimov had an opponent slugging percentage against him of .231, setting a single-season record that still stands in EPB as of 2037. Ivan Valev and Konrad Mazur became the fourth and fifth EPB sluggers to 600 career home runs. Andrzej Kosciuszko, Leonid Kharin, and Valev each got to 2500 hits, bringing it to 11 EPB batters to reach the mark. Valev also won his ninth Silver Slugger at DH. LF Artyom Kahn won his 11^th Gold Glove. __________________ 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)