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FuzzyRussianHat · 10-08-2024, 11:42 AM

Moscow and Rostov were again the playoff teams out of the European League, although they switched spots from 2014. The Mules took first at 103-59 and grew their streak of winning seasons to 17 years. The three-time defending EL champ Rhinos were second at 98-64, leading the league in scoring with 736 runs.

The next closest teams were Voronezh at 90-72 and St. Petersburg at 89-73. At 90 wins, the Zephyrs became the first of the 2008 expansion teams with a winning season. Kazan dropped to 78-84, which ended a 22-year streak of winning seasons for the Crusaders.

Rostov LF Igor Gorbatyuk won his second European League MVP in three years. The 30-year old Russian led in runs (117), home runs (40), walks (89), OBP (.428), slugging (.618), OPS (1.046), wRC+ (217) and WAR (10.1). Gorbatyuk also had a .319 average and 103 RBI.

Moscow’s Andrei Linev won Pitcher of the Year in his third season as a starter. The 24-year old Russian righty led in wins (21-5), strikeouts (305), K/BB (12.2), quality starts (27), shutouts (4), and WAR (7.2). Linev added a 2.00 ERA and 160 ERA+ over 260.2 innings.

The Asian League had an intense fight with four teams within four games of first place. Defending Eurasian Professional Baseball champ Omsk and Ufa finished tied for first at 95-67, guaranteeing a rematch in the ALCS. No tiebreaker game was used to determine the first place finisher, which went to the Fiends on the formula. It’s Ufa’s third-ever first place finish with the other two coming way back in the mid 1960s. For the Otters, they got their fifth playoff berth in six years.

Ulaanbaatar finished only one game back at 94-68 while Irkutsk was a close fourth at 91-71. The Boars allowed the fewest runs (495) and underperformed their expected win/loss total by seven games. Notable was the collapse of Yekaterinburg, who posted their first losing season since 1998. The Yaks were the worst in the AL at 65-97, their lowest win total in two decades.

Afzal Koveshnikov became the first EPB Triple Crown hitter in a decade with the tenth such season. This earned Asian League MVP for the Ulaanbaatar designated hitter in his second year as a full-time starter. The 24-year old Russian had 45 home runs, 108 RBI, and a .351 batting average. Koveshnikov also led in runs (105), hits (220), total bases (400), slugging (.638), OPS (1.034), wRC+ (204), and WAR (9.7).

Vladivostok’s Kaysar Alkhasov won Pitcher of the Year in his eighth season for the Shibas. The 30-year old Kazakh righty had an 18-8 record and 2.20 ERA over 253.1 innings with 256 strikeouts, a 149 ERA+, and 7.4 WAR. Vladivostok gave Alkhasov a five-year extension after the 2013 season, but would trade him in 2018 to Krasnoyarsk.

Both LCS matchups were 2014 rematches with both swapping winners in 2015. Moscow bested Rostov 4-2 in the European League final and Ufa topped Omsk 4-2 for the Asian League crown. The Mules earned their first pennant since 2010, but it was their sixth since 2005 and ninth overall. For the Fiends, this was their first-ever pennant.

In the 61^st EPB Championship, Ufa became the 20^th franchise to win it all, outlasting Moscow in a classic 4-3. It was the fifth different champ in five years in EPB. With the Fiends title, that leaves Novosibirsk as the only remaining charter EPB franchise without a title. CF Ibragim Zeynalov was finals MVP as the fourth-year lefty had 16 hits, 6 runs, 4 doubles, 2 homers, and 7 RBI in 13 playoff starts.

Other notes: Zero no-hitters were thrown in 2015, the first time that had ever happened in an EPB season. Ivan Mushailov became the seventh slugger to 1500 career RBI. RF Elbeyi Shevchenko won his eighth Gold Glove.

10-08-2024, 11:42 AM	#1682
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,412	2015 in EPB Moscow and Rostov were again the playoff teams out of the European League, although they switched spots from 2014. The Mules took first at 103-59 and grew their streak of winning seasons to 17 years. The three-time defending EL champ Rhinos were second at 98-64, leading the league in scoring with 736 runs. The next closest teams were Voronezh at 90-72 and St. Petersburg at 89-73. At 90 wins, the Zephyrs became the first of the 2008 expansion teams with a winning season. Kazan dropped to 78-84, which ended a 22-year streak of winning seasons for the Crusaders. Rostov LF Igor Gorbatyuk won his second European League MVP in three years. The 30-year old Russian led in runs (117), home runs (40), walks (89), OBP (.428), slugging (.618), OPS (1.046), wRC+ (217) and WAR (10.1). Gorbatyuk also had a .319 average and 103 RBI. Moscow’s Andrei Linev won Pitcher of the Year in his third season as a starter. The 24-year old Russian righty led in wins (21-5), strikeouts (305), K/BB (12.2), quality starts (27), shutouts (4), and WAR (7.2). Linev added a 2.00 ERA and 160 ERA+ over 260.2 innings. The Asian League had an intense fight with four teams within four games of first place. Defending Eurasian Professional Baseball champ Omsk and Ufa finished tied for first at 95-67, guaranteeing a rematch in the ALCS. No tiebreaker game was used to determine the first place finisher, which went to the Fiends on the formula. It’s Ufa’s third-ever first place finish with the other two coming way back in the mid 1960s. For the Otters, they got their fifth playoff berth in six years. Ulaanbaatar finished only one game back at 94-68 while Irkutsk was a close fourth at 91-71. The Boars allowed the fewest runs (495) and underperformed their expected win/loss total by seven games. Notable was the collapse of Yekaterinburg, who posted their first losing season since 1998. The Yaks were the worst in the AL at 65-97, their lowest win total in two decades. Afzal Koveshnikov became the first EPB Triple Crown hitter in a decade with the tenth such season. This earned Asian League MVP for the Ulaanbaatar designated hitter in his second year as a full-time starter. The 24-year old Russian had 45 home runs, 108 RBI, and a .351 batting average. Koveshnikov also led in runs (105), hits (220), total bases (400), slugging (.638), OPS (1.034), wRC+ (204), and WAR (9.7). Vladivostok’s Kaysar Alkhasov won Pitcher of the Year in his eighth season for the Shibas. The 30-year old Kazakh righty had an 18-8 record and 2.20 ERA over 253.1 innings with 256 strikeouts, a 149 ERA+, and 7.4 WAR. Vladivostok gave Alkhasov a five-year extension after the 2013 season, but would trade him in 2018 to Krasnoyarsk. Both LCS matchups were 2014 rematches with both swapping winners in 2015. Moscow bested Rostov 4-2 in the European League final and Ufa topped Omsk 4-2 for the Asian League crown. The Mules earned their first pennant since 2010, but it was their sixth since 2005 and ninth overall. For the Fiends, this was their first-ever pennant. In the 61^st EPB Championship, Ufa became the 20^th franchise to win it all, outlasting Moscow in a classic 4-3. It was the fifth different champ in five years in EPB. With the Fiends title, that leaves Novosibirsk as the only remaining charter EPB franchise without a title. CF Ibragim Zeynalov was finals MVP as the fourth-year lefty had 16 hits, 6 runs, 4 doubles, 2 homers, and 7 RBI in 13 playoff starts. Other notes: Zero no-hitters were thrown in 2015, the first time that had ever happened in an EPB season. Ivan Mushailov became the seventh slugger to 1500 career RBI. RF Elbeyi Shevchenko won his eighth Gold Glove. __________________ 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)