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Dalian finished first in the CLB Northern League standings for the fifth consecutive season, a new record for consecutive first place finishes. The two-time defending China Series champs were 101-61, 15 games ahead of second place. Beijing took the second place spot at 86-76 for their second berth in three years. It was an incredible intense battle for second with Zhengzhou one game back, Hangzhou two back, Qingdao three back, Harbin four back, and three other teams six back.

Beijing Guangjun Ma picked up Northern League MVP. In his final season with the Bears and in China, the 33-year old righty won his eighth Gold Glove while adding 35 home runs, 91 RBI, a .265/.345/.519 slash, 181 wRC+, and 9.0 WAR. Dalian’s Khiron Somwang won Pitcher of the Year in his first full season. The 24-year old Thai righty led in ERA (1.46) and walks (107), adding a 16-8 record over 203.1 innings and 4.3 WAR. Also of note, Hangzhou’s Zhiming Cao won his third Reliever of the Year award, posting 41 saves and a 1.17 ERA with 174 strikeouts in 92 innings.



For the second time in three years, Wuhan had the top record in the Southern League as the Wolverines finished 97-65. For second, Xiamen (93-69) earned back-to-back playoff berths. The Mutts edged Macau by one game and Kunming by three games.

Macau two-way star Wei Qin won his fourth Southern League MVP and for the first time, also claimed Pitcher of the Year. On the mound, the 31-year old righty was the ERA leader at 1.25, adding a 16-6 record over 223 innings with 245 strikeouts and 6.4 WAR. At first base, Qin had 116 games with 23 home runs, a .223/.311/.432 slash, and 4.8 WAR. Addtionally, Wuhan’s Ryan Tarancon won a third consecutive Reliever of the Year. He had 41 saves with a 1.12 ERA over 96.2 innings and 159 strikeouts.

Dalian downed Xiamen 4-2 in the semifinal to send the Gold Dragons to their fifth consecutive China Series appearance. They’re the first team in CLB history to get five finals berths in a row. On the other side, Wuhan topped Beijing 4-2 to give the Wolverines their first-ever finals berth.



In the 24^th China Series, Dalian’s dynasty continued with a 4-2 victory over Wuhan. The Gold Dragons are the first CLB team to three-peat and the first to win four titles in five years. As of 2037, Dalian is still the only CLB team to accomplish those feats. CF Xiaofeng Liang won finals MVP, posting 9 hits, 2 runs, and 6 RBI in 12 playoff starts. There’s now also notably an 11-year streak of titles by a Northern League team.



Other notes: MVP Wei Qin won his ninth Silver Slugger. He has seven at pitcher and two at first base. 2B Liang Shang Guan won his seventh Silver Slugger.