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FuzzyRussianHat · 02-24-2024, 10:25 AM

Two-time defending East Asia Baseball champion Kitakyushu again had the best record in the Japan League. The Kodiaks finished 103-59 to secure a fifth consecutive West Division title. They impressively pulled this off despite Fukuoka going 96-66 and Hiroshima at 94-68. Because the JL only sees division champs advance, that left the Frogs and Hammerheads out of the playoffs despite having the second and third best overall record in the league. Tokyo took the Capital Division for the third successive season at 93-69. Kobe grabbed the Central Division at 90-72, topping defending division winner Kyoto by five games. In the North Division, Sapporo ended a four-year playoff drought with a 90-72 mark. Last year’s division winner Sendai was six games back. Niigata, the JL champ with 106 wins only three years earlier, bottomed out at 68 wins.

Veteran slugger Tsukasa Kato had a historic season for Kitakyushu, winning Japan League MVP. Kato had joined the Kodiaks in 1991on a massive seven-year, $10,240,000 deal after eight years with Hiroshima and a MVP season in 1987. In 1994, Kato became the new EAB home run king, smacking 72 dingers. This passed Carl Valdes’ top mark of 71 in 1972. Kato remarkably also led in home runs for the eighth time in his career and had his fifth season with 60+ bombs. The left-handed first baseman also led in RBI (129), walks (67), total bases (372), slugging (.658), OPS (.985), wRC+ (204), and WAR (8.1). Pitcher of the Year also went to Kitakyushu as Yutaka Kobayashi earned it for the first time. The 29-year old righty led in WHIP (0.86) and posted a 20-5 record, 2.00 ERA, 242.2 innings, 269 strikeouts, and 7.5 WAR.

The Kodiaks were taken to the brink in the first round of the playoffs, but survived 3-2 over Sapporo to earn a fifth consecutive Japan League Championship Series berth. Kobe clobbered Tokyo with a sweep, giving the Blaze their first JLCS berth since winning the 1984 pennant. Kobe couldn’t compete with the Kodiaks, who completed the three-peat bid in only five games. It is the sixth pennant for Kitakyushu, who joined Hiroshima (1968-70) and Sapporo (1949-51) as the only franchise to win three consecutive Japan League crowns.

Yongin snapped a six-year playoff drought and had the Korea League’s best record in 1994 at 103-59. This was a franchise record for the Gold Sox, getting their first South Division title since taking the pennant in 1985. They had fierce competition with both Ulsan and Busan finishing the regular season at 99-63. A tiebreaker game gave the Swallows the first wild card and the Blue Jays the second one. Both teams also ended notable playoff droughts with Ulsan’s dating back to 1987 and Busan’s to 1983. Defending KL champ Gwangju’s playoff streak ended at four as they finished 88-74. In the North Division, Suwon (100-62) earned three postseason spots in a row. Pyongyang was their closest competitor at 94-68, falling six short of the division and five from the wild card. Goyang at 84-78 also had their postseason streak end at three seasons. Bucheon, who was the KLCS runner-up in 1993, limped to a lousy 71-91 record.

Korea League MVP was Ulsan first baseman Byung-Tak Wie. Nicknamed “Penguin,” the 24-year old lefty led the KL with a 1.045 OPS and posted 8.2 WAR, 46 home runs, 116 RBI, and a .339 average. Ha-Ram Lee won his third Pitcher of the Year award. He started the season with a terrible Incheon squad, but was traded for five prospects in July to Busan. The combined effort for the 28-year old lefty saw a league-best 348 strikeouts and 0.91 WHIP. Lee also had 8.5 WAR over 257.1 innings with a 2.87 ERA and 16-14 record.

Yongin rolled Busan with a first round sweep, while Ulsan upset Suwon in a 3-2 battle. Neither team had been back to the Korea League Championship Series since their 1985 and 1987 KLCS encounters against each other. The Gold Sox had won in 1985, while the Swallows took it in 1987. For the 1994 meeting, Yongin defeated Ulsan 4-2 for the franchise’s fourth pennant.

In the 74^th East Asian Championship, Kitakyushu made history with their 4-2 victory over Yongin to complete the overall title three-peat. Fittingly, the new single-season home run king Tsukasa Kato also won both finals MVP and JLCS MVP. In 16 playoff games, Kato had 16 hits, 13 runs, 9 home runs, and 15 RBI. The nine homers was one short of the single postseason record. Kato also joined rare company as a two-time finals MVP, having also done it in 1992.

Kitakyushu’s run would go down as one of EAB’s all-time dynasties. They were only the second team to win three consecutive rings in EAB, joining Pyongyang (who won four from 1965-68). It wouldn’t be until Hamamatsu from 2034-36 that EAB would see another three-peat. Kodiaks fans would long for the early 1990s, as they wouldn’t win another pennant in the next 40 years.

Other notes: Hiroshima as a team stole 407 bases, which was the Japan League record until 2012. Yongin’s Si-Hun Lee had 241 hits and a .393 batting average. Both marks were second-best in an EAB season behind his own .411 average and 252 hits the prior season. Lee also had a 37-game hit streak, the fifth longest in EAB history. Shoji Ohbiki became the 15^th member of the 3000 hit club. Ju-Kan Yoo became the 24^th batter to 600 home runs. Woo-Hong Ryu became the 13^th to 4000 strikeouts. CF Yuma Akasaka won his ninth Silver Slugger.

02-24-2024, 10:25 AM	#1003
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,416	1994 in EAB Two-time defending East Asia Baseball champion Kitakyushu again had the best record in the Japan League. The Kodiaks finished 103-59 to secure a fifth consecutive West Division title. They impressively pulled this off despite Fukuoka going 96-66 and Hiroshima at 94-68. Because the JL only sees division champs advance, that left the Frogs and Hammerheads out of the playoffs despite having the second and third best overall record in the league. Tokyo took the Capital Division for the third successive season at 93-69. Kobe grabbed the Central Division at 90-72, topping defending division winner Kyoto by five games. In the North Division, Sapporo ended a four-year playoff drought with a 90-72 mark. Last year’s division winner Sendai was six games back. Niigata, the JL champ with 106 wins only three years earlier, bottomed out at 68 wins. Veteran slugger Tsukasa Kato had a historic season for Kitakyushu, winning Japan League MVP. Kato had joined the Kodiaks in 1991on a massive seven-year, $10,240,000 deal after eight years with Hiroshima and a MVP season in 1987. In 1994, Kato became the new EAB home run king, smacking 72 dingers. This passed Carl Valdes’ top mark of 71 in 1972. Kato remarkably also led in home runs for the eighth time in his career and had his fifth season with 60+ bombs. The left-handed first baseman also led in RBI (129), walks (67), total bases (372), slugging (.658), OPS (.985), wRC+ (204), and WAR (8.1). Pitcher of the Year also went to Kitakyushu as Yutaka Kobayashi earned it for the first time. The 29-year old righty led in WHIP (0.86) and posted a 20-5 record, 2.00 ERA, 242.2 innings, 269 strikeouts, and 7.5 WAR. The Kodiaks were taken to the brink in the first round of the playoffs, but survived 3-2 over Sapporo to earn a fifth consecutive Japan League Championship Series berth. Kobe clobbered Tokyo with a sweep, giving the Blaze their first JLCS berth since winning the 1984 pennant. Kobe couldn’t compete with the Kodiaks, who completed the three-peat bid in only five games. It is the sixth pennant for Kitakyushu, who joined Hiroshima (1968-70) and Sapporo (1949-51) as the only franchise to win three consecutive Japan League crowns. Yongin snapped a six-year playoff drought and had the Korea League’s best record in 1994 at 103-59. This was a franchise record for the Gold Sox, getting their first South Division title since taking the pennant in 1985. They had fierce competition with both Ulsan and Busan finishing the regular season at 99-63. A tiebreaker game gave the Swallows the first wild card and the Blue Jays the second one. Both teams also ended notable playoff droughts with Ulsan’s dating back to 1987 and Busan’s to 1983. Defending KL champ Gwangju’s playoff streak ended at four as they finished 88-74. In the North Division, Suwon (100-62) earned three postseason spots in a row. Pyongyang was their closest competitor at 94-68, falling six short of the division and five from the wild card. Goyang at 84-78 also had their postseason streak end at three seasons. Bucheon, who was the KLCS runner-up in 1993, limped to a lousy 71-91 record. Korea League MVP was Ulsan first baseman Byung-Tak Wie. Nicknamed “Penguin,” the 24-year old lefty led the KL with a 1.045 OPS and posted 8.2 WAR, 46 home runs, 116 RBI, and a .339 average. Ha-Ram Lee won his third Pitcher of the Year award. He started the season with a terrible Incheon squad, but was traded for five prospects in July to Busan. The combined effort for the 28-year old lefty saw a league-best 348 strikeouts and 0.91 WHIP. Lee also had 8.5 WAR over 257.1 innings with a 2.87 ERA and 16-14 record. Yongin rolled Busan with a first round sweep, while Ulsan upset Suwon in a 3-2 battle. Neither team had been back to the Korea League Championship Series since their 1985 and 1987 KLCS encounters against each other. The Gold Sox had won in 1985, while the Swallows took it in 1987. For the 1994 meeting, Yongin defeated Ulsan 4-2 for the franchise’s fourth pennant. In the 74^th East Asian Championship, Kitakyushu made history with their 4-2 victory over Yongin to complete the overall title three-peat. Fittingly, the new single-season home run king Tsukasa Kato also won both finals MVP and JLCS MVP. In 16 playoff games, Kato had 16 hits, 13 runs, 9 home runs, and 15 RBI. The nine homers was one short of the single postseason record. Kato also joined rare company as a two-time finals MVP, having also done it in 1992. Kitakyushu’s run would go down as one of EAB’s all-time dynasties. They were only the second team to win three consecutive rings in EAB, joining Pyongyang (who won four from 1965-68). It wouldn’t be until Hamamatsu from 2034-36 that EAB would see another three-peat. Kodiaks fans would long for the early 1990s, as they wouldn’t win another pennant in the next 40 years. Other notes: Hiroshima as a team stole 407 bases, which was the Japan League record until 2012. Yongin’s Si-Hun Lee had 241 hits and a .393 batting average. Both marks were second-best in an EAB season behind his own .411 average and 252 hits the prior season. Lee also had a 37-game hit streak, the fifth longest in EAB history. Shoji Ohbiki became the 15^th member of the 3000 hit club. Ju-Kan Yoo became the 24^th batter to 600 home runs. Woo-Hong Ryu became the 13^th to 4000 strikeouts. CF Yuma Akasaka won his ninth Silver Slugger. __________________ 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)