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FuzzyRussianHat · 07-03-2024, 12:48 PM

The Chinese Northern League was incredibly competitive in 2007 with only nine games separating first place from ninth place. Taking first was Dalian at 89-73, earning their third playoff berth in four years. Amazingly, the Gold Dragons earned first place despite having only a +8 run differential. They outperformed their expected W/L by seven games.

Beijing was second at 87-75, ending a four-year playoff drought for the Bears. Jinan also ended a four-year drought, taking the third and final playoff spot at 85-77. Xi’an ended up one game out of the final card at 84-78, followed by Nanjing and Tianjin at 82-80, Hangzhou and Qingdao at 81-81, and Shanghai at 80- 82. Zhengzhou, who made the semifinal the prior year, dropped to 11^th at 75-87.

Northern League MVP went to Dalian SS Juyu Liu in his fourth season. The 25-year old lefty led in the triple slash (.337/.410/.596), OPS (1.006), wRC+ (234), and WAR (12.0). Liu added 27 home runs and 28 doubles. He was rewarded with an eight-year, $35,020,000 extension in the offseason.

The Gold Dragons also had Cheng Song win his third Pitcher of the Year in four years. The 31-year old righty led in WHIP (0.75), complete games (16), shutouts (7), FIP- (47), and WAR (9.3). It was Song’s fifth time as the WARlord. He added a 1.64 ERA, 17-8 record, and 303 strikeouts over 241.1 innings.

Hong Kong had by far the best record in CLB at 107-55 atop the Southern League. It was a surprise as the Champions won only 75 the prior year and hadn’t been in the playoffs since their China Series runner-up in 1997. Dongguan was another surprise, taking second at 94-68. The Donkeys had missed the playoffs and been below .500 in the past four seasons.

Changsha managed to extend its playoff streak to five seasons by taking third at 91-71. The Cannons were the runner-up in 2006 and CLB champ the prior two years. Changsha finished four games better than reigning CLB champ Xiamen and six games ahead of Macau.

In his third season, Chengdu’s Yiteng Tang won Southern League MVP. The 22-year old right fielder led in runs (93), RBI (99), total bases (318), slugging (.575), OPS (.944), and wRC+ (226). Tang added 8.7 WAR, a .304 average, and 31 home runs.

The Cannons pitching staff allowed 939 hits, the second fewest in in CLB history behind Wuhan’s 926 from 1974. Changsha also had a 5.61 H/9, just edging the Wolverines for the league record. Lei Li led that effort, winning his fourth straight Pitcher of the Year. He led in ERA (1.40), WHIP (0.71), K/BB (10.8), complete games (20), FIP- (30), and WAR (11.2). Li also had 325 strikeouts and a 17-9 record in 237.2 innings.

In the first round of the playoffs, both third place teams upset their second place counterparts from the other league. Jinan beat Dongguan and Changsha topped Beijing, both 2-1. The Cannons earned their fifth straight appearance in the semifinal, while the Jumbos last got there in 2000. For the top seeds, it was Dalian’s second semi in four years and Hong Kong’s first since 1997.

Both semifinals ended up being seven game classics. Jinan upset Dalian to give the Jumbos their first-ever berth in the China Series. On the other side, Hong Kong and Changsha needed 13 innings to decide gave seven. In the bottom of the 13^th, catcher Xiangling Wang smacked a solo home run to win both the game and the series 4-3 for the Champions. HK earned its fourth trip to the finals (1978, 82, 97, 07).

The 38^th China Series also needed all seven games to decide it. 22 wins in the regular season separated top ranked Hong Kong from underdog Jinan. HK ultimately outlasted the Jumbos 4-3, giving the Champions their second CLB title (1982). It was the fourth title in a row by a Southern League team.

Other notes: CLB’s 38^th and 39^th perfect games were thrown in 2007. On May 14, Shenzhen’s Noor Nasir struck out 10 in his effort against Kunming. On June 22, Dalian’s Nouri Bani-Etemad did it with seven Ks against Shanghai. Both Cheng Song and Xirong Chen reached 3000 career strikeouts, making it 14 CLB pitchers to reach the mark.

Seok-Hyeon So became the 12^th to score 1000 runs. He played once more year to get to 1080, which sits 10^th place as of 2037. CF Martin Schindler won his seventh straight Gold Glove. Minghui Ruan won his seventh Silver Slugger in right field.

07-03-2024, 12:48 PM	#1393
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,201	2007 in CLB The Chinese Northern League was incredibly competitive in 2007 with only nine games separating first place from ninth place. Taking first was Dalian at 89-73, earning their third playoff berth in four years. Amazingly, the Gold Dragons earned first place despite having only a +8 run differential. They outperformed their expected W/L by seven games. Beijing was second at 87-75, ending a four-year playoff drought for the Bears. Jinan also ended a four-year drought, taking the third and final playoff spot at 85-77. Xi’an ended up one game out of the final card at 84-78, followed by Nanjing and Tianjin at 82-80, Hangzhou and Qingdao at 81-81, and Shanghai at 80- 82. Zhengzhou, who made the semifinal the prior year, dropped to 11^th at 75-87. Northern League MVP went to Dalian SS Juyu Liu in his fourth season. The 25-year old lefty led in the triple slash (.337/.410/.596), OPS (1.006), wRC+ (234), and WAR (12.0). Liu added 27 home runs and 28 doubles. He was rewarded with an eight-year, $35,020,000 extension in the offseason. The Gold Dragons also had Cheng Song win his third Pitcher of the Year in four years. The 31-year old righty led in WHIP (0.75), complete games (16), shutouts (7), FIP- (47), and WAR (9.3). It was Song’s fifth time as the WARlord. He added a 1.64 ERA, 17-8 record, and 303 strikeouts over 241.1 innings. Hong Kong had by far the best record in CLB at 107-55 atop the Southern League. It was a surprise as the Champions won only 75 the prior year and hadn’t been in the playoffs since their China Series runner-up in 1997. Dongguan was another surprise, taking second at 94-68. The Donkeys had missed the playoffs and been below .500 in the past four seasons. Changsha managed to extend its playoff streak to five seasons by taking third at 91-71. The Cannons were the runner-up in 2006 and CLB champ the prior two years. Changsha finished four games better than reigning CLB champ Xiamen and six games ahead of Macau. In his third season, Chengdu’s Yiteng Tang won Southern League MVP. The 22-year old right fielder led in runs (93), RBI (99), total bases (318), slugging (.575), OPS (.944), and wRC+ (226). Tang added 8.7 WAR, a .304 average, and 31 home runs. The Cannons pitching staff allowed 939 hits, the second fewest in in CLB history behind Wuhan’s 926 from 1974. Changsha also had a 5.61 H/9, just edging the Wolverines for the league record. Lei Li led that effort, winning his fourth straight Pitcher of the Year. He led in ERA (1.40), WHIP (0.71), K/BB (10.8), complete games (20), FIP- (30), and WAR (11.2). Li also had 325 strikeouts and a 17-9 record in 237.2 innings. In the first round of the playoffs, both third place teams upset their second place counterparts from the other league. Jinan beat Dongguan and Changsha topped Beijing, both 2-1. The Cannons earned their fifth straight appearance in the semifinal, while the Jumbos last got there in 2000. For the top seeds, it was Dalian’s second semi in four years and Hong Kong’s first since 1997. Both semifinals ended up being seven game classics. Jinan upset Dalian to give the Jumbos their first-ever berth in the China Series. On the other side, Hong Kong and Changsha needed 13 innings to decide gave seven. In the bottom of the 13^th, catcher Xiangling Wang smacked a solo home run to win both the game and the series 4-3 for the Champions. HK earned its fourth trip to the finals (1978, 82, 97, 07). The 38^th China Series also needed all seven games to decide it. 22 wins in the regular season separated top ranked Hong Kong from underdog Jinan. HK ultimately outlasted the Jumbos 4-3, giving the Champions their second CLB title (1982). It was the fourth title in a row by a Southern League team. Other notes: CLB’s 38^th and 39^th perfect games were thrown in 2007. On May 14, Shenzhen’s Noor Nasir struck out 10 in his effort against Kunming. On June 22, Dalian’s Nouri Bani-Etemad did it with seven Ks against Shanghai. Both Cheng Song and Xirong Chen reached 3000 career strikeouts, making it 14 CLB pitchers to reach the mark. Seok-Hyeon So became the 12^th to score 1000 runs. He played once more year to get to 1080, which sits 10^th place as of 2037. CF Martin Schindler won his seventh straight Gold Glove. Minghui Ruan won his seventh Silver Slugger in right field. __________________ 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)