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FuzzyRussianHat · 10-09-2024, 11:50 AM

The Japan League’s top two records battled for the Capital Division crown with only the winner advancing to the playoffs. Yokohama and their high-powered offense took it at 101-61, leading the JL in runs scored at 777. Kawasaki, who allowed the fewest runs in East Asia Baseball at 464, fell two games short. The Yellow Jackets repeated as division champs. Chiba was also a contender in the division, taking third at 90-72. The second best division winner was Sendai, who cruised to a third consecutive North Division title at 93-69.

Hiroshima won a competitive West Division at 90-72, edging Kumamoto (85-77) and Fukuoka (84-78). The Hammerheads grabbed their fourth division win in a row. Osaka narrowly grabbed the Central Division at 87-75, beating Kobe (86-76). The Orange Sox ended an eight-year playoff drought. Defending EAB champ Kyoto finished five back at 82-80.

Hitoshi Kubota made history as EAB’s first-ever seven time MVP. The Hiroshima left fielder won his fourth Japan League MVP in a row, leading in slugging (.638), OPS (1.015), and wRC+ (204). The 32-year old switch hitter added 43 home runs, 107 RBI, a .311 average, and 7.2 WAR. Kubota won his ninth Silver Slugger in his 12^th year starting for the Hammerheads. He pulled off the MVP effort despite missing August to a fractured foot.

Osaka’s Nobuyoshi Yamauchi earned Pitcher of the Year in his fourth season. The 24-year old lefty led in strikeouts (314), quality starts (28), and WAR (7.5). Yamauchi added a 19-4 record over 248 innings, 1.89 ERA, and 178 ERA+.

Yokohama ousted Osaka 3-1 and Hiroshima stopped Sendai 3-1 in the first round of the playoffs. The Hammerheads earned their fourth consecutive Japan League Championship Series appearance, while the Yellow Jackets last made it in 1988. Yokohama ended their 26-year pennant drought, rolling Hiroshima 4-1. The win gave the Yellow Jackets eight league titles (1924, 26, 27, 65, 66, 86, 88, 2015).

Seongnam had the top mark in the Korea League at 96-66. Even though the Spiders were the defending league champs, this was their first North Division title since 2008. Seongnam allowed the fewest runs (542) and was tied with Changwon for the most scored (780). Pyongyang was five back at 91-71, which was the second-best record in the KL. The Pythons earned the first wild card for their second playoff appearance in three years.

At 90-72, Ulsan repeated as South Division champs and secured a fourth straight playoff berth. In a tight race for the second wild card, Hamhung (86-76) outlasted Incheon (85-77), Daejeon (85-77), and Changwon (83-79). The Heat ended a three-year playoff drought. The Crabs ended an eight-year run of losing seasons. Last year’s KLCS runner-up Gwangju finished 81-81, their first non-winning season since 2004.

Claiming Korea League MVP was Hamhung shortstop Kwang-Sik Oh, already in his fifth year at only age 23. Oh led in hits (225), doubles (45), average (.383), OBP (.415), and WAR (10.1). He added a 1.059 OPS, 182 wRC+, and 34 home runs. Oh played two more seasons for the Heat before leaving for a solid 13-year MLB run. He edged Gwangju RF Kunihiko Ishiguro for the MVP despite the latter’s 71 home runs and 144 RBI. Ishiguro had set the single-season HR record the prior year with 79 and joined Tsukasa Kato and Carl Valdes as the only EAB players with multiple 70 dinger seasons.

Seoul’s Do-Kyun Lee won his second Pitcher of the Year in three years, thriving despite the Seahawks’ 76-86 season. Lee was the first Triple Crown pitcher in EAB since Soo Moon in 2001 and posted only the 16^th pitching TC with a 27-8 record, 2.06 ERA, and 447 strikeouts. He shattered EAB’s single-season strikeout record of 397 held by two pitchers. Lee’s mark would get passed three year later by Toshikuni Kaikai. They both would post multiple 400 K seasons over the next decade.

For the 26-year old Lee, he also led in innings (275.2), WHIP (0.73), K/BB (19.4), quality starts (26), and WAR (11.8). He was one win shy of the single-season record and was only the third EAB pitcher to get to 27. Lee’s WAR mark was the fifth-best pitching season to that point and his 14.59 K/9 set a new record. He topped 15K in nine games and set a single-game record with 22 in 8.2 innings against Busan on April 27. Three pitchers had previously gotten to 21.

Seongnam topped Hamhung 3-1 and Ulsan edged Pyongyang 3-2 in the first round of the playoffs. The Spiders had a chance to repeat as Korea League Championship Series winners, while it was the Swallows first berth since 2001. Last year, Ulsan had the top seed but lost to Seongnam in the first round. For the second time in three years, the KLCS needed all seven games with the finale going extra innings.

It took 17 innings, but Ulsan got their revenge with a 7-6 marathon win. Although the Swallows had been a regular playoff team in the last 20 years, this was their first pennant since 1996. Ulsan became five-time KL champs (1936, 37, 87, 96, 15). The 2015 KL finale was tied for the second-longest game seven in pro baseball history, matching the 2001 Bolivar League final between Lima and Bogota. The world record was the 1973 Sundaland Championship game seven between Batam and Surabaya, which went an incredible 20 innings.

The 95^th East Asian Championship went to Yokohama 4-2 over Ulsan, ending an 87-year title drought for the Yellow Jackets. Their two other titles came in 1926 and 1927. Unsurprisingly, this was the longest gap between titles in EAB history. RF Renzo Takagi was finals MVP despite being a platoon guy. The 26-year old lefty had 12 playoff games and 3 starts, posting 8 hits, 8 runs, 4 extra base hits, and 8 RBI.

Other notes: Jeonju’s Takeo Nagai threw EAB’s 34^th perfect game on June 8 with 14 strikeouts against Seongnam. Chiba’s pitching staff surrendered only 196 walks all year with a 1.22 BB/9, setting a new EAB record. Ulsan’s Seo-U Kim set a bad playoff record for losses by going 0-4 in his five starts, posting a 5.85 ERA over 32.1 innings.

Soo-Geum Yim became EAB’s fourth member of the 800 home run club. For the 14^th time in his career, Yim topped 40 homers. He finished his age 36 season with 832, third to Lei Meng’s 897 and Hyeog-Jun Wi’s 873. Yim also was the fourth to cross 2000 RBI, ending the season at 2035. That put him third behind Wi’s 2097 and Meng’s 2089.

Yoo Sen became the 29^th to reach 1500 runs scored. Sen, Hitoshi Kubota, and Shigeyoshi Taguchi each reached 500 homers, a feat achieved by 63 in EAB. Hyun-Woo Park was the 29^th reliever to 300 saves. Dong-Hyun Jung and Sekien Ida both won their 200^th game, making that a 53-player club. SS Do-Hyeon Ju won his ninth Gold Glove. C Ha-Jun Au won his eighth Silver Slugger.

10-09-2024, 11:50 AM	#1685
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,491	2015 in EAB The Japan League’s top two records battled for the Capital Division crown with only the winner advancing to the playoffs. Yokohama and their high-powered offense took it at 101-61, leading the JL in runs scored at 777. Kawasaki, who allowed the fewest runs in East Asia Baseball at 464, fell two games short. The Yellow Jackets repeated as division champs. Chiba was also a contender in the division, taking third at 90-72. The second best division winner was Sendai, who cruised to a third consecutive North Division title at 93-69. Hiroshima won a competitive West Division at 90-72, edging Kumamoto (85-77) and Fukuoka (84-78). The Hammerheads grabbed their fourth division win in a row. Osaka narrowly grabbed the Central Division at 87-75, beating Kobe (86-76). The Orange Sox ended an eight-year playoff drought. Defending EAB champ Kyoto finished five back at 82-80. Hitoshi Kubota made history as EAB’s first-ever seven time MVP. The Hiroshima left fielder won his fourth Japan League MVP in a row, leading in slugging (.638), OPS (1.015), and wRC+ (204). The 32-year old switch hitter added 43 home runs, 107 RBI, a .311 average, and 7.2 WAR. Kubota won his ninth Silver Slugger in his 12^th year starting for the Hammerheads. He pulled off the MVP effort despite missing August to a fractured foot. Osaka’s Nobuyoshi Yamauchi earned Pitcher of the Year in his fourth season. The 24-year old lefty led in strikeouts (314), quality starts (28), and WAR (7.5). Yamauchi added a 19-4 record over 248 innings, 1.89 ERA, and 178 ERA+. Yokohama ousted Osaka 3-1 and Hiroshima stopped Sendai 3-1 in the first round of the playoffs. The Hammerheads earned their fourth consecutive Japan League Championship Series appearance, while the Yellow Jackets last made it in 1988. Yokohama ended their 26-year pennant drought, rolling Hiroshima 4-1. The win gave the Yellow Jackets eight league titles (1924, 26, 27, 65, 66, 86, 88, 2015). Seongnam had the top mark in the Korea League at 96-66. Even though the Spiders were the defending league champs, this was their first North Division title since 2008. Seongnam allowed the fewest runs (542) and was tied with Changwon for the most scored (780). Pyongyang was five back at 91-71, which was the second-best record in the KL. The Pythons earned the first wild card for their second playoff appearance in three years. At 90-72, Ulsan repeated as South Division champs and secured a fourth straight playoff berth. In a tight race for the second wild card, Hamhung (86-76) outlasted Incheon (85-77), Daejeon (85-77), and Changwon (83-79). The Heat ended a three-year playoff drought. The Crabs ended an eight-year run of losing seasons. Last year’s KLCS runner-up Gwangju finished 81-81, their first non-winning season since 2004. Claiming Korea League MVP was Hamhung shortstop Kwang-Sik Oh, already in his fifth year at only age 23. Oh led in hits (225), doubles (45), average (.383), OBP (.415), and WAR (10.1). He added a 1.059 OPS, 182 wRC+, and 34 home runs. Oh played two more seasons for the Heat before leaving for a solid 13-year MLB run. He edged Gwangju RF Kunihiko Ishiguro for the MVP despite the latter’s 71 home runs and 144 RBI. Ishiguro had set the single-season HR record the prior year with 79 and joined Tsukasa Kato and Carl Valdes as the only EAB players with multiple 70 dinger seasons. Seoul’s Do-Kyun Lee won his second Pitcher of the Year in three years, thriving despite the Seahawks’ 76-86 season. Lee was the first Triple Crown pitcher in EAB since Soo Moon in 2001 and posted only the 16^th pitching TC with a 27-8 record, 2.06 ERA, and 447 strikeouts. He shattered EAB’s single-season strikeout record of 397 held by two pitchers. Lee’s mark would get passed three year later by Toshikuni Kaikai. They both would post multiple 400 K seasons over the next decade. For the 26-year old Lee, he also led in innings (275.2), WHIP (0.73), K/BB (19.4), quality starts (26), and WAR (11.8). He was one win shy of the single-season record and was only the third EAB pitcher to get to 27. Lee’s WAR mark was the fifth-best pitching season to that point and his 14.59 K/9 set a new record. He topped 15K in nine games and set a single-game record with 22 in 8.2 innings against Busan on April 27. Three pitchers had previously gotten to 21. Seongnam topped Hamhung 3-1 and Ulsan edged Pyongyang 3-2 in the first round of the playoffs. The Spiders had a chance to repeat as Korea League Championship Series winners, while it was the Swallows first berth since 2001. Last year, Ulsan had the top seed but lost to Seongnam in the first round. For the second time in three years, the KLCS needed all seven games with the finale going extra innings. It took 17 innings, but Ulsan got their revenge with a 7-6 marathon win. Although the Swallows had been a regular playoff team in the last 20 years, this was their first pennant since 1996. Ulsan became five-time KL champs (1936, 37, 87, 96, 15). The 2015 KL finale was tied for the second-longest game seven in pro baseball history, matching the 2001 Bolivar League final between Lima and Bogota. The world record was the 1973 Sundaland Championship game seven between Batam and Surabaya, which went an incredible 20 innings. The 95^th East Asian Championship went to Yokohama 4-2 over Ulsan, ending an 87-year title drought for the Yellow Jackets. Their two other titles came in 1926 and 1927. Unsurprisingly, this was the longest gap between titles in EAB history. RF Renzo Takagi was finals MVP despite being a platoon guy. The 26-year old lefty had 12 playoff games and 3 starts, posting 8 hits, 8 runs, 4 extra base hits, and 8 RBI. Other notes: Jeonju’s Takeo Nagai threw EAB’s 34^th perfect game on June 8 with 14 strikeouts against Seongnam. Chiba’s pitching staff surrendered only 196 walks all year with a 1.22 BB/9, setting a new EAB record. Ulsan’s Seo-U Kim set a bad playoff record for losses by going 0-4 in his five starts, posting a 5.85 ERA over 32.1 innings. Soo-Geum Yim became EAB’s fourth member of the 800 home run club. For the 14^th time in his career, Yim topped 40 homers. He finished his age 36 season with 832, third to Lei Meng’s 897 and Hyeog-Jun Wi’s 873. Yim also was the fourth to cross 2000 RBI, ending the season at 2035. That put him third behind Wi’s 2097 and Meng’s 2089. Yoo Sen became the 29^th to reach 1500 runs scored. Sen, Hitoshi Kubota, and Shigeyoshi Taguchi each reached 500 homers, a feat achieved by 63 in EAB. Hyun-Woo Park was the 29^th reliever to 300 saves. Dong-Hyun Jung and Sekien Ida both won their 200^th game, making that a 53-player club. SS Do-Hyeon Ju won his ninth Gold Glove. C Ha-Jun Au won his eighth 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)