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The CLB Northern League saw a very intense battle for the top two spots. Last year’s first place finisher and China Series runner-up Xi’an ended up on top at 93-69. Zhengzhou at 91-71 narrowly grabbed the second place spot, ending an 18-year playoff drought for the Zips. Dalian’s dynasty came to an end as the four-time defending CLB champs tied for third with Qingdao at 90-72. The Gold Dragons would drop below .500 the next season to officially close their competitive window. Shanghai (87-75) and Harbin (85-77) were both also in the playoff hunt for much of the season.

Qingdao RF Hongbo Wan became a two-time Northern League MVP. The 27-year old lefty led in runs (103), total bases (322), slugging (.560), and WAR (10.9), while adding 37 home runs and a .913 OPS. Xi’an’s Momota Oichi won Pitcher of the Year and became CLB’s second-ever Triple Crown pitcher. The 24-year old righty from Japan had an 18-6 record, 1.66 ERA, and 377 strikeouts over 250 innings. Oichi also led the league in WHIP (0.76), FIP- (54), and WAR (8.8). Also of note, Hangzhou’s Zhiming Cao became the third CLB pitcher to win Reliever of the Year five times. It was perhaps his best season too with a 0.84 ERA over 96 innings, 175 strikeouts, 50 shutdowns, and 7.2 WAR.



The Southern League also saw a very tight battle at the top of the standings. Chengdu took first at 91-71 to end an eight-year playoff drought. Changsha was one back at 90-72, but snapped their own 18-year postseason drought. Xiamen (89-730, Macau (87-75), and Dongguan (85-77) each ended up on the outside. The Mutts saw their three-year streak ended.

Kunming was towards the bottom of the standings, but their LF Tao Yang couldn’t be denied as Southern League MVP. The 26-year old lefty led in runs (92), home runs (55), RBI (95), total bases (356), slugging (.650), OPS (.985), wRC+ (263), and WAR (12.0). Yang was the first CLB batter to cross 50+ homers since 1974, falling four short of the record. Changsha’s Jiuling Huang won Pitcher of the Year in his seventh season with the Cannons. He set two single-season records that still stand as of 2037 with a 3.9 H/9 and .131 opponents batting average. Huang led with 381 strikeouts, 0.60 WHIP, and 25 FIP-. He had a 15-5 record over 234.1 innings with a 1.19 ERA and 11.1 WAR.

The Northern League’s dominance over the Southern League continued in the 1995 playoff semifinals. Xi’an downed Changsha 4-1, while Zhengzhou upset Chengdu in a seven game thriller. Both NL teams have gotten to the China Series five times in the last six years. The Attack earned a repeat appearance, while it was the first time for the Zips.



In the 26^th China Series, Xi’an cruised to a sweep of Zhengzhou, giving the Attack its third CLB title (1974, 1976). Finals MVP was RF Yai “Sluggo” Chounlamany. The 29-year old had 10 hits, 5 runs, 4 home runs, and 7 RBI over 9 playoff starts.



Other notes: Dalian’s Liang Shang Guan became CLB’s first batter to record seven hits in a game. He went 7-9 on June 1 against Beijing. As of 2037, Shang Guan is the only CLB batter to achieve the feat. He also won his ninth Silver Slugger at second base. Foshan’s Jinlong Han became the third pitcher to strike out 20+ in a game, fanning 20 on August 2 against Hong Kong. Kunming’s Aleksandr Pshenichny had CLB’s 23^rd Perfect Game and first since 1990, striking out 10 against Wuhan on 8/24. Four of the five no-hitters in 1995 came at the expense of the Wolverines. P/1B Wei Qin won his 11^th Silver Slugger, tying him with fellow two-way star Nick Wei for the most in CLB to this point.