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FuzzyRussianHat · 08-08-2024, 08:08 PM

Only one of the four playoff teams from 2009 in the Japan League made it back in 2010. The biggest shocker was reigning East Asian Baseball champ Nagoya, dropping from their impressive 117-45 mark to a mere 84-78. That was not enough to win the Central Division, which went to Kyoto at 86-76. The Kamikaze were the weakest division winner, ending a two-year playoff drought.

The top seed went to Kawasaki in the Capital Division at 102-60, ending a six-year drought for the Killer Whales. That ended Tokyo’s four-year streak winning the Capital Division, as the Tides fell to 79-83. Kumamoto also ended an 11-year playoff drought by winning a tight West Division at 90-72. The Monsters were three games ahead of defending division champ Fukuoka and seven better than Hiroshima.

The lone returning playoff team was Niigata, who cruised in a weak North Division at 89-73. The Green Dragons earned a fifth division title in a row and their ninth in ten years. They’re only the third team in Japan League history to earn nine playoff appearances in a ten year stretch, joining Hiroshima (1999-2008) and Sapporo (1979-1988).

Japan League MVP went to Kumamoto left fielder Sang-Jun Gang. In his eighth season with the Monsters, the 28-year old lefty led in runs (117), total bases (382), average (.349), slugging (.673), OPS (1.079), and wRC+ (221). Gang added 41 home runs, 11 RBI, 31 doubles, 15 triples, and 8.6 WAR.

Pitcher of the Year was Kawasaki’s Takeo Kobayashi. It was the breakout season for the 25-year old righty, who led in wins at 19-6. Kobayashi had a 2.11 ERA over 247.2 innings, 251 strikeouts, 156 ERA+, and 6.0 WAR.

Also of note, Fukuoka’s Heihachiro Okasawa joined Oki Tanaka as EAB’s only five-time Reliever of the Year winners. Okasawa won his consecutively and soon left for MLB at age 27 on a three-year, $28,000,000 deal with Philadelphia. He was a beast in six seasons for Fukuoka with 218 saves, a 1.26 ERA over 491 innings, 926 strikeouts, a 270 ERA+, and 33.5 WAR.

Kyoto stunned top seed Kawasaki with a first round sweep, while Kumamoto outlasted Niigata 3-2. The Kamikaze earned a second Japan League Championship Series appearance in four years. For the Monsters, their only prior JLCS was a defeat in 1988. Kyoto cruised to a 4-1 win over Kumamoto to end a 32-year title drought. The Kamikaze were now four-time champs, having won three from 1974-1977.

The top of the Korea League divisions saw intense battles with the top seed separated by three games from the #4 seed. Yongin very narrowly took the top overall seed, winning the South Division at 101-61. The Gold Sox were back in the playoffs after seeing their playoff streak ended at four in 2009. Yongin also set a new EAB record with 518 stolen bases as a team, blowing by the old high of 479 by Gwangju in 1992. This remains EAB’s all-time top mark.

Both Gwangju and Busan finished one game behind Yongin in the regular season at 100-62, while Daegu was competitive at 93-69. The Grays won the tiebreaker game for the first wild card, while the defending KL champ Blue Jays took the second spot. Gwangju’s playoff streak grew to three seasons.

Meanwhile, the North Division had a tie for first at 97-65 between Suwon and Seoul. Only the winner of the tiebreaker game would advance, as they both were two games short of the second wild card. The Snappers prevailed to earn repeat playoff berths.

Suwon’s A-Min Bae won his third Korea League MVP in four seasons. The 25-year old left fielder led in home runs (57), hits (214), runs (136), total bases (442), triple slash (.378/.436/.781), OPS (1.217), wRC+ (220), and WAR (12.4). His 127 RBI fell one shy of a Triple Crown season.

Yongin’s Chang-Hyun Pak was Pitcher of the Year, leading in wins at 24-9. The 26-year old righty had a 2.50 ERA over 241 innings, 265 strikeouts, 148 ERA+, and 7.6 WAR. Also notable was Busan’s Geon-Min Lee winning a third straight Reliever of the Year.

Top seed Yongin rolled to a 3-0 sweep of defending champ Busan, while Gwangju ousted Suwon 3-1. The Gold Sox earned a third Korea League Championship Series appearance in six years, while the Grays hadn’t gotten that far since their 1993 pennant. Yongin handled their divisional foe 4-1 for their second pennant in four years. The Gold Sox won their ninth league title (1970, 84, 85, 94, 95, 97, 01, 07, 10).

The 90^th East Asian Championship had Kyoto defeat Yongin 4-2, giving the Kamikaze their third EAB title (1974, 1976, 2010). Fifth-year CF Taiji Shoji was the finals MVP making 14 playoff starts with 29 hits, 16 runs, 3 doubles, 5 triples, 1 home run, 12 RBI, and 14 stolen bases. He tied EAB’s playoff record for steals.

Other notes: Gwangju’s Sawamura Umemoto threw two no-hitters in 2010, both against Changwon. The first on April 24 had 11 strikeouts and 1 walk, while the second had 10 Ks and no walks on September 21. He joined Ha-Ram Lee (1991) as the only EAB pitchers with multiple no-nos in the same season.

RF Soo-Geun Yim won his ninth Silver Slugger. It was his third in right field, while he had one at first base and five as a designated hitter. 2B Yoo Sen won his eighth consecutive Silver Slugger.

08-08-2024, 08:08 PM	#1502
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,360	2010 in EAB Only one of the four playoff teams from 2009 in the Japan League made it back in 2010. The biggest shocker was reigning East Asian Baseball champ Nagoya, dropping from their impressive 117-45 mark to a mere 84-78. That was not enough to win the Central Division, which went to Kyoto at 86-76. The Kamikaze were the weakest division winner, ending a two-year playoff drought. The top seed went to Kawasaki in the Capital Division at 102-60, ending a six-year drought for the Killer Whales. That ended Tokyo’s four-year streak winning the Capital Division, as the Tides fell to 79-83. Kumamoto also ended an 11-year playoff drought by winning a tight West Division at 90-72. The Monsters were three games ahead of defending division champ Fukuoka and seven better than Hiroshima. The lone returning playoff team was Niigata, who cruised in a weak North Division at 89-73. The Green Dragons earned a fifth division title in a row and their ninth in ten years. They’re only the third team in Japan League history to earn nine playoff appearances in a ten year stretch, joining Hiroshima (1999-2008) and Sapporo (1979-1988). Japan League MVP went to Kumamoto left fielder Sang-Jun Gang. In his eighth season with the Monsters, the 28-year old lefty led in runs (117), total bases (382), average (.349), slugging (.673), OPS (1.079), and wRC+ (221). Gang added 41 home runs, 11 RBI, 31 doubles, 15 triples, and 8.6 WAR. Pitcher of the Year was Kawasaki’s Takeo Kobayashi. It was the breakout season for the 25-year old righty, who led in wins at 19-6. Kobayashi had a 2.11 ERA over 247.2 innings, 251 strikeouts, 156 ERA+, and 6.0 WAR. Also of note, Fukuoka’s Heihachiro Okasawa joined Oki Tanaka as EAB’s only five-time Reliever of the Year winners. Okasawa won his consecutively and soon left for MLB at age 27 on a three-year, $28,000,000 deal with Philadelphia. He was a beast in six seasons for Fukuoka with 218 saves, a 1.26 ERA over 491 innings, 926 strikeouts, a 270 ERA+, and 33.5 WAR. Kyoto stunned top seed Kawasaki with a first round sweep, while Kumamoto outlasted Niigata 3-2. The Kamikaze earned a second Japan League Championship Series appearance in four years. For the Monsters, their only prior JLCS was a defeat in 1988. Kyoto cruised to a 4-1 win over Kumamoto to end a 32-year title drought. The Kamikaze were now four-time champs, having won three from 1974-1977. The top of the Korea League divisions saw intense battles with the top seed separated by three games from the #4 seed. Yongin very narrowly took the top overall seed, winning the South Division at 101-61. The Gold Sox were back in the playoffs after seeing their playoff streak ended at four in 2009. Yongin also set a new EAB record with 518 stolen bases as a team, blowing by the old high of 479 by Gwangju in 1992. This remains EAB’s all-time top mark. Both Gwangju and Busan finished one game behind Yongin in the regular season at 100-62, while Daegu was competitive at 93-69. The Grays won the tiebreaker game for the first wild card, while the defending KL champ Blue Jays took the second spot. Gwangju’s playoff streak grew to three seasons. Meanwhile, the North Division had a tie for first at 97-65 between Suwon and Seoul. Only the winner of the tiebreaker game would advance, as they both were two games short of the second wild card. The Snappers prevailed to earn repeat playoff berths. Suwon’s A-Min Bae won his third Korea League MVP in four seasons. The 25-year old left fielder led in home runs (57), hits (214), runs (136), total bases (442), triple slash (.378/.436/.781), OPS (1.217), wRC+ (220), and WAR (12.4). His 127 RBI fell one shy of a Triple Crown season. Yongin’s Chang-Hyun Pak was Pitcher of the Year, leading in wins at 24-9. The 26-year old righty had a 2.50 ERA over 241 innings, 265 strikeouts, 148 ERA+, and 7.6 WAR. Also notable was Busan’s Geon-Min Lee winning a third straight Reliever of the Year. Top seed Yongin rolled to a 3-0 sweep of defending champ Busan, while Gwangju ousted Suwon 3-1. The Gold Sox earned a third Korea League Championship Series appearance in six years, while the Grays hadn’t gotten that far since their 1993 pennant. Yongin handled their divisional foe 4-1 for their second pennant in four years. The Gold Sox won their ninth league title (1970, 84, 85, 94, 95, 97, 01, 07, 10). The 90^th East Asian Championship had Kyoto defeat Yongin 4-2, giving the Kamikaze their third EAB title (1974, 1976, 2010). Fifth-year CF Taiji Shoji was the finals MVP making 14 playoff starts with 29 hits, 16 runs, 3 doubles, 5 triples, 1 home run, 12 RBI, and 14 stolen bases. He tied EAB’s playoff record for steals. Other notes: Gwangju’s Sawamura Umemoto threw two no-hitters in 2010, both against Changwon. The first on April 24 had 11 strikeouts and 1 walk, while the second had 10 Ks and no walks on September 21. He joined Ha-Ram Lee (1991) as the only EAB pitchers with multiple no-nos in the same season. RF Soo-Geun Yim won his ninth Silver Slugger. It was his third in right field, while he had one at first base and five as a designated hitter. 2B Yoo Sen won his eighth consecutive 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)