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FuzzyRussianHat · 03-13-2024, 03:44 AM

The EPB European League had the same four playoff teams as the prior year. Kharkiv again had the best overall record, dominating the South Division at 114-48. The North Division saw a swap as Minsk (100-62) took first and three-time defending EL champ Warsaw (97-65) got the first wild card. The Miners extended their impressive playoff streak to 16 seasons, while the Wildcats added their own solid streak to nine. Minsk also had historic pitching success, as their 370 runs are the fewest allowed in EPB history as of 2037. Their 1.99 ERA and 331 earned runs are second to the Miners’ 1990 campaign. The Killer Bees had their own impressive pitching record with a 0.845 team WHIP, a mark only bested by Minsk in 1999. At 92-70, Kyiv grabbed the second wild card and secured six straight playoff berths. Kazan finished one back with Sofia four games away.

European League MVP went to Minsk LF Wojciech Jezierski. The 27-year old Polish righty was the offensive WARlord (9.7) and led in OBP (.398), slugging (.579), OPS (.976), and wRC+ (211). He added 32 home runs and a .314 average. Kyiv’s Artem Makarevich won his third Pitcher of the Year in four seasons, posting a 24-8 record, 1.51 ERA, 285.1 innings, 383 strikeouts, and 11.9 WAR. It was the last season in EPB for the 33-year old Belarusian, who defected to MLB in the offseason on a four-year, $13,280,000 deal with Montreal. Also of note, Minsk’s Stefan Nesu set a single-season EPB ERA record of 1.05, which still stands as of 2037 as the lowest. He only had 163.1 innings due to injury, keeping his accumulations out of the award conversations.

Kharkiv beat their divisional and Ukrainian rival Kyiv 3-1 in the first round, sending the Killer Bees to repeat European League Championship Series appearances. Minsk swept Warsaw, ending the Wildcats’ bid for a fourth consecutive pennant. Kharkiv was the favorite again, but just like last year, they were upset. The Miners outlasted the Killer Bees in a seven game classic for Minsk’s first pennant since their 1988-91 four-peat. The Miners now have 13 pennants to their name with seven since the start of the 1980s.

In the Asian League, Almaty’s playoff streak became six years, winning the South Division and earning the top seed at 106-56. Defending EPB champ Irkutsk at 101-61 won a fifth straight North Division and improved to seven straight postseason berths. The Ice Cats had their own historic pitching staff, setting still-standing AL records for ERA (2.10), hits (995), and earned runs (346). Their 395 runs allowed and 1780 strikeouts are third-best in AL history. Interestingly enough, Omsk allowed only 1035 hits, the second-fewest ever by an AL team. Despite that, the Otters were only 82-80.

The first wild card went to Novosibirsk at 93-69. The Nitros also extended a lengthy playoff streak to six seasons. For the final spot, Tashkent and Ufa tied at 90-72 with Tbilisi at 88-74. The Tomcats won the tiebreaker game over the Fiends to earn repeat playoff bids. With that, the 1996 Eurasian Professional Baseball postseason field saw the rare occurrence of the same eight playoff teams as from the prior season.

Asian League MVP was Yerevan shortstop Iosif Kostandinov. In only his third full season, the 23-year old Russian righty led in doubles (38) and WAR (10.3), while adding a .305/.332/.473 slash. Pitcher of the Year was Irkutsk’s Temuujin Munkhuu, a big breakout for the 29-year old Mongolian righty. He had been a reliever until 1995, but broke out as a starter in 1996 with a league-best 1.39 ERA and 0.73 WHIP. Munkhuu had a 17-5 record over 252.1 innings with 357 strikeouts and 9.8 WAR.

Tashkent upset Almaty 3-2 in the first round, sending the Tomcats back to the Asian League Championship Series. The playoff yips continue for the Assassins, who have gotten knocked out six straight years in the first round. On the other side, Irkutsk swept Novosibirsk, sending the Ice Cats to a fifth straight ALCS. The Nitros have their own streak of futility with five straight first round exits. The ALCS rematch was a seven game thriller, but Irkutsk continued its’ hold on the top spot by topping Tashkent. The Ice Cats repeated and became the first team in Asian League history to win four pennants in five years. Irkutsk now has eight AL titles, second most to Bishkek’s nine.

Despite the relative successes of Irkutsk and Minsk, it was only the second time they had met for the EPB Championship. Back in 1956, the second-ever EPB season, the Miners prevailed 4-1. The 42^nd finale needed all seven games, but it was Minsk coming out on top over the defending champion Ice Cats. League MVP Wojciech Jezierski was also finals MVP, posting 20 hits, 9 runs, 3 doubles, 2 triples, 5 home runs, and 12 RBI over 17 playoff starts. The Miners are now nine-time champs (1956, 62, 66, 69, 85, 88, 90, 91, 96), passing Kyiv for the most.

Other notes: July 31 saw EPB’s 28^th perfect game and the first since 1989. Irkutsk’s Aleksandr Ghukasyan did it with 11 strikeouts against Novosibirsk. Tashkent’s Frantisek Kasa tied EPB’s single-game strikeout record, fanning 22 over 8.2 innings against Baku on July 30. Fredi Tamasi became the third pitcher to reach 300 career wins, retiring with 300 exactly. Igor Bury became the eighth to reach 250 wins. Dzmitry Kuliev became the 14^th to 500 home runs. Interestingly enough, no other player would get to 500 homers until 2010.

03-13-2024, 03:44 AM	#1056
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,410	1996 in EPB The EPB European League had the same four playoff teams as the prior year. Kharkiv again had the best overall record, dominating the South Division at 114-48. The North Division saw a swap as Minsk (100-62) took first and three-time defending EL champ Warsaw (97-65) got the first wild card. The Miners extended their impressive playoff streak to 16 seasons, while the Wildcats added their own solid streak to nine. Minsk also had historic pitching success, as their 370 runs are the fewest allowed in EPB history as of 2037. Their 1.99 ERA and 331 earned runs are second to the Miners’ 1990 campaign. The Killer Bees had their own impressive pitching record with a 0.845 team WHIP, a mark only bested by Minsk in 1999. At 92-70, Kyiv grabbed the second wild card and secured six straight playoff berths. Kazan finished one back with Sofia four games away. European League MVP went to Minsk LF Wojciech Jezierski. The 27-year old Polish righty was the offensive WARlord (9.7) and led in OBP (.398), slugging (.579), OPS (.976), and wRC+ (211). He added 32 home runs and a .314 average. Kyiv’s Artem Makarevich won his third Pitcher of the Year in four seasons, posting a 24-8 record, 1.51 ERA, 285.1 innings, 383 strikeouts, and 11.9 WAR. It was the last season in EPB for the 33-year old Belarusian, who defected to MLB in the offseason on a four-year, $13,280,000 deal with Montreal. Also of note, Minsk’s Stefan Nesu set a single-season EPB ERA record of 1.05, which still stands as of 2037 as the lowest. He only had 163.1 innings due to injury, keeping his accumulations out of the award conversations. Kharkiv beat their divisional and Ukrainian rival Kyiv 3-1 in the first round, sending the Killer Bees to repeat European League Championship Series appearances. Minsk swept Warsaw, ending the Wildcats’ bid for a fourth consecutive pennant. Kharkiv was the favorite again, but just like last year, they were upset. The Miners outlasted the Killer Bees in a seven game classic for Minsk’s first pennant since their 1988-91 four-peat. The Miners now have 13 pennants to their name with seven since the start of the 1980s. In the Asian League, Almaty’s playoff streak became six years, winning the South Division and earning the top seed at 106-56. Defending EPB champ Irkutsk at 101-61 won a fifth straight North Division and improved to seven straight postseason berths. The Ice Cats had their own historic pitching staff, setting still-standing AL records for ERA (2.10), hits (995), and earned runs (346). Their 395 runs allowed and 1780 strikeouts are third-best in AL history. Interestingly enough, Omsk allowed only 1035 hits, the second-fewest ever by an AL team. Despite that, the Otters were only 82-80. The first wild card went to Novosibirsk at 93-69. The Nitros also extended a lengthy playoff streak to six seasons. For the final spot, Tashkent and Ufa tied at 90-72 with Tbilisi at 88-74. The Tomcats won the tiebreaker game over the Fiends to earn repeat playoff bids. With that, the 1996 Eurasian Professional Baseball postseason field saw the rare occurrence of the same eight playoff teams as from the prior season. Asian League MVP was Yerevan shortstop Iosif Kostandinov. In only his third full season, the 23-year old Russian righty led in doubles (38) and WAR (10.3), while adding a .305/.332/.473 slash. Pitcher of the Year was Irkutsk’s Temuujin Munkhuu, a big breakout for the 29-year old Mongolian righty. He had been a reliever until 1995, but broke out as a starter in 1996 with a league-best 1.39 ERA and 0.73 WHIP. Munkhuu had a 17-5 record over 252.1 innings with 357 strikeouts and 9.8 WAR. Tashkent upset Almaty 3-2 in the first round, sending the Tomcats back to the Asian League Championship Series. The playoff yips continue for the Assassins, who have gotten knocked out six straight years in the first round. On the other side, Irkutsk swept Novosibirsk, sending the Ice Cats to a fifth straight ALCS. The Nitros have their own streak of futility with five straight first round exits. The ALCS rematch was a seven game thriller, but Irkutsk continued its’ hold on the top spot by topping Tashkent. The Ice Cats repeated and became the first team in Asian League history to win four pennants in five years. Irkutsk now has eight AL titles, second most to Bishkek’s nine. Despite the relative successes of Irkutsk and Minsk, it was only the second time they had met for the EPB Championship. Back in 1956, the second-ever EPB season, the Miners prevailed 4-1. The 42^nd finale needed all seven games, but it was Minsk coming out on top over the defending champion Ice Cats. League MVP Wojciech Jezierski was also finals MVP, posting 20 hits, 9 runs, 3 doubles, 2 triples, 5 home runs, and 12 RBI over 17 playoff starts. The Miners are now nine-time champs (1956, 62, 66, 69, 85, 88, 90, 91, 96), passing Kyiv for the most. Other notes: July 31 saw EPB’s 28^th perfect game and the first since 1989. Irkutsk’s Aleksandr Ghukasyan did it with 11 strikeouts against Novosibirsk. Tashkent’s Frantisek Kasa tied EPB’s single-game strikeout record, fanning 22 over 8.2 innings against Baku on July 30. Fredi Tamasi became the third pitcher to reach 300 career wins, retiring with 300 exactly. Igor Bury became the eighth to reach 250 wins. Dzmitry Kuliev became the 14^th to 500 home runs. Interestingly enough, no other player would get to 500 homers until 2010. __________________ 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)