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FuzzyRussianHat · 04-10-2024, 10:56 AM

Many other leagues had lowered their active roster size in recent years. East Asia Baseball took the opposite approach for the 1999 season, increasing it from 24 to 25 players. EAB had started with a 25-player roster, but lowered it to 24 after the 1966 season.

The Japan League’s #1 seed went to Kawasaki, who repeated as Capital Division champ at 97-65. It had been a very tough division recently, but both Yokohama and Tokyo plummeted from winning seasons in 1998 to only 69 wins in 1999. Defending East Asia Baseball champ Sapporo won the North Division for the sixth straight season. At 94-68, the Swordfish were three games better than Niigata. Kobe claimed the Central Division for the third consecutive season with their 93-69 mark. The Blaze were four ahead of Nagoya and six better than Osaka. After missing the playoffs the prior two seasons, Hiroshima reclaimed the West Division at 87-75. Last year’s division champ Kumamoto was a distant second at 80-82.

Japan League MVP went to Kawasaki’s Hyun-Jun Nahm The 26-year old right fielder led in home runs (64), walks (93), OBP (.418), OPS (1.136), wRC+ (236), and WAR (11.4). Nahm added 131 RBI and a .317 average. This season compelled the Killer Whales to give Nahm a five-year, $24,720,000 extension. Sapporo’s Morikazu Ichikawa repeated as Pitcher of the Year. The 28-year old two-way star led in wins (22-7), innings (278.2), strikeouts (379), K/BB (11.1), complete games (18), and WAR (7.6). He added a 2.52 ERA while also posting 35 home runs and 5.9 WAR in 129 games offensively. Ichikawa’s highlight was a 20 strikeout game against Kyoto, only the eighth time an EAB pitcher had fanned 20+.

Kawasaki swept Hiroshima and Sapporo swept Kobe in the first round, setting up a rematch in the Japan League Championship Series. The Swordfish were looking for a three-peat, but the Killer Whales got revenge and took the series 4-1. This was Kawasaki’s fifth pennant and first since 1982.

The Korea League’s South Division was top heavy with the top seed and both wild cards. After a surprising 80-win dud in 1998, Yongin led the way at 102-60. This was the fifth playoff berth in six years for the Gold Sox as well as their fourth 100+ win season in that stretch. Daegu (95-67) and Jeonju (94-68) ended up earning the wild cards while Busan (92-70) just missed the cut. The Diamondbacks earned repeat playoff spots while the Jethawks had their first berth since their 1988 championship season. Suwon dominated the North Division at 97-65, extending their playoff streak to four with seven berths in eight years. Defending KL champ Bucheon dropped to a distant second at 82-80 along with Seoul. Seongnam, the KLCS runner-up the prior year, fell to 80-82.

Although they missed the playoffs, Bucheon had the MVP in fourth-year left fielder Kazuo Satoh. He led in runs (137), RBI (136), total bases (444), OBP (.418), slugging (.735), OPS(1.153), wRC+ (207), and WAR (13.4). The WAR total was the third-best by a position player in EAB history at that point. Satoh also had 226 hits, 44 home runs, a .374 average, 77 stolen bases, and a Gold Glove. His 137 runs was tied for the fifth most in a season. Suwon veteran Yamato Fukunaga was Pitcher of the Year, leading in wins at 21-8. The 31-year old righty had a 3.23 ERA over 250.2 innings, 238 strikeouts, and 6.9 WAR.

Jeonju shocked Yongin with a first round sweep, while fellow wild card Daegu got the road upset over Suwon 3-1. The Diamondbacks hadn’t been to the Korea League Championship Series since their 1989 pennant, while the Jethawks hadn’t since their 1988 crown. Daegu dominated the KLCS, taking it over Jeonju in five games. The Diamondbacks became 12-time Korea League champs, tying Pyongyang for the most of any franchise.

Kawasaki and Daegu had actually met once before for the title with the Killer Whales winning 4-3 in 1941. The 79^th East Asian Championship was the first to go all seven games since 1993. This time, it was the Diamondbacks coming out on top to become five-time EAB champs (1953, 56, 73, 75, 99). This was the fourth time in five years that the eventual champ was a Korea League South Division team.

Other notes: Do-Yun En became the 22^nd batter to score 1500 career runs. Pitcher of the Year Morikazu Ichikawa became a six-time Silver Slugger winner by winning two in 1999, one as a pitcher and one at center field.

The offensive numbers dropped slightly in EAB from the 1980s to the 1990s. The Japan League had a 3.34 ERA and .246 batting average for the decade, which grade out as below average on the historic scale. The Korea League with the DH saw a .258 average and 3.78 ERA, a hair below being above average. While other world leagues would oscillate wildly in the coming decades, EAB would stay remarkably consistent over the next 30 years.

04-10-2024, 10:56 AM	#1141
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,640	1999 in EAB Many other leagues had lowered their active roster size in recent years. East Asia Baseball took the opposite approach for the 1999 season, increasing it from 24 to 25 players. EAB had started with a 25-player roster, but lowered it to 24 after the 1966 season. The Japan League’s #1 seed went to Kawasaki, who repeated as Capital Division champ at 97-65. It had been a very tough division recently, but both Yokohama and Tokyo plummeted from winning seasons in 1998 to only 69 wins in 1999. Defending East Asia Baseball champ Sapporo won the North Division for the sixth straight season. At 94-68, the Swordfish were three games better than Niigata. Kobe claimed the Central Division for the third consecutive season with their 93-69 mark. The Blaze were four ahead of Nagoya and six better than Osaka. After missing the playoffs the prior two seasons, Hiroshima reclaimed the West Division at 87-75. Last year’s division champ Kumamoto was a distant second at 80-82. Japan League MVP went to Kawasaki’s Hyun-Jun Nahm The 26-year old right fielder led in home runs (64), walks (93), OBP (.418), OPS (1.136), wRC+ (236), and WAR (11.4). Nahm added 131 RBI and a .317 average. This season compelled the Killer Whales to give Nahm a five-year, $24,720,000 extension. Sapporo’s Morikazu Ichikawa repeated as Pitcher of the Year. The 28-year old two-way star led in wins (22-7), innings (278.2), strikeouts (379), K/BB (11.1), complete games (18), and WAR (7.6). He added a 2.52 ERA while also posting 35 home runs and 5.9 WAR in 129 games offensively. Ichikawa’s highlight was a 20 strikeout game against Kyoto, only the eighth time an EAB pitcher had fanned 20+. Kawasaki swept Hiroshima and Sapporo swept Kobe in the first round, setting up a rematch in the Japan League Championship Series. The Swordfish were looking for a three-peat, but the Killer Whales got revenge and took the series 4-1. This was Kawasaki’s fifth pennant and first since 1982. The Korea League’s South Division was top heavy with the top seed and both wild cards. After a surprising 80-win dud in 1998, Yongin led the way at 102-60. This was the fifth playoff berth in six years for the Gold Sox as well as their fourth 100+ win season in that stretch. Daegu (95-67) and Jeonju (94-68) ended up earning the wild cards while Busan (92-70) just missed the cut. The Diamondbacks earned repeat playoff spots while the Jethawks had their first berth since their 1988 championship season. Suwon dominated the North Division at 97-65, extending their playoff streak to four with seven berths in eight years. Defending KL champ Bucheon dropped to a distant second at 82-80 along with Seoul. Seongnam, the KLCS runner-up the prior year, fell to 80-82. Although they missed the playoffs, Bucheon had the MVP in fourth-year left fielder Kazuo Satoh. He led in runs (137), RBI (136), total bases (444), OBP (.418), slugging (.735), OPS(1.153), wRC+ (207), and WAR (13.4). The WAR total was the third-best by a position player in EAB history at that point. Satoh also had 226 hits, 44 home runs, a .374 average, 77 stolen bases, and a Gold Glove. His 137 runs was tied for the fifth most in a season. Suwon veteran Yamato Fukunaga was Pitcher of the Year, leading in wins at 21-8. The 31-year old righty had a 3.23 ERA over 250.2 innings, 238 strikeouts, and 6.9 WAR. Jeonju shocked Yongin with a first round sweep, while fellow wild card Daegu got the road upset over Suwon 3-1. The Diamondbacks hadn’t been to the Korea League Championship Series since their 1989 pennant, while the Jethawks hadn’t since their 1988 crown. Daegu dominated the KLCS, taking it over Jeonju in five games. The Diamondbacks became 12-time Korea League champs, tying Pyongyang for the most of any franchise. Kawasaki and Daegu had actually met once before for the title with the Killer Whales winning 4-3 in 1941. The 79^th East Asian Championship was the first to go all seven games since 1993. This time, it was the Diamondbacks coming out on top to become five-time EAB champs (1953, 56, 73, 75, 99). This was the fourth time in five years that the eventual champ was a Korea League South Division team. Other notes: Do-Yun En became the 22^nd batter to score 1500 career runs. Pitcher of the Year Morikazu Ichikawa became a six-time Silver Slugger winner by winning two in 1999, one as a pitcher and one at center field. The offensive numbers dropped slightly in EAB from the 1980s to the 1990s. The Japan League had a 3.34 ERA and .246 batting average for the decade, which grade out as below average on the historic scale. The Korea League with the DH saw a .258 average and 3.78 ERA, a hair below being above average. While other world leagues would oscillate wildly in the coming decades, EAB would stay remarkably consistent over the next 30 years. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)