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FuzzyRussianHat · 12-08-2024, 11:52 AM

The Northern League was incredibly competitive in 2020 with only nine games separating first place from eighth place. Only four games separated the #1 seed from the first team out of the playoffs. The only team from the 2019 playoff field to make it back in 2020 was first place Shenyang at 92-70. The Swans grew their playoff streak to four seasons, but they had never finished first in the standings in Chinese League Baseball’s 51 year history. Shenyang allowed the fewest runs in CLB at 424.

Tying for second place one game back at 91-71 were both Nanjing and Xi’an. The Nuggets got their second playoff berth in three years, while the Attack ended a four-year drought. The fourth and final spot went to 89-73 Hangzhou, ending a five-year skid. Tianjin fell one game shy in fifth place, although the Jackrabbits’ 88-74 was their first winning season since 2012.

Just missing the cut was defending NL champ Changchun and last year’s first place squad Shijiazhuang both at 84-78 and Qingdao at 83-79. The Devils missed out despite being the top scoring team in CLB at 609 runs. The biggest drop was Harbin, who went from back-to-back wild cards to an abysmal 65-97, tied for last with Urumqi.

Two-way star Chuchuan Cao led the way yet again for Shenyang, earning his fourth Northern League MVP and his fifth Pitcher of the Year. The 31-year old lefty led in pitching WAR (9.6) for the seventh time and for the sixth consecutive year. Cao also led in WHIP (0.77), and shutouts (6). He added a 1.80 ERA over 255 innings, 151 ERA+, 334 strikeouts, and 17-10 record.

In the field (primarily LF), Cao had 133 games and 118 starts with 138 hits, 55 runs, a .786 OPS, 150 wRC+, and 4.9 WAR. He had a combined 14.5 WAR, which amazingly ranked seventh best of his nine pro seasons to date. As of 2037, Cao’s 2020 WAR total is the 65^th-best single season by any player in any world league. He holds three of the top seven spots and six of the top 26.

2020 was also special for Cao as he threw CLB’s 52^nd perfect game, striking out 12 against Jinan on June 26. He joined Bin Zhan and Guodong Lin as the CLB pitchers with two perfectos, as Cao tossed one back in 2016. Cao also joined Zhan, Lin, and four others in having three or more no-hitters, as Cao had a regular no-no in 2015. To this point, he had 87.3 pitching WAR and 55.0 offensive WAR. Cao’s combined 142.3 WAR ranked him second in CLB history behind only Junjie Hsiung’s 152.6.

Xi’an was the top team in the Northern League’s Round Robin at 5-1, sending them to the semifinal for the first time since winning it all in 2015. Shenyang and Nanjing tied for second at 3-3 while Hangzhou was 1-5. The Swans advanced over the Nuggets on the tiebreaker, earning a fourth straight semifinal trip. After losing three straight years, Shenyang finally broke through by defeating the Attack in a seven game classic. The Swans earned their third-ever trip to the China Series (1998, 2002).

Foshan secured the Southern League’s top record at 97-65. Although the Flyers have been a semifinalist in the prior two seasons, they had only finished atop the standings twice before (1980, 1996). Reigning China Series champ and two-time defending SL champ Hong Kong finished second at 93-69. The Champions saw impressive fan support, setting a new season attendance record of 1,990,028. While higher marks would happen in the NL, this remains the SL high as of 2037.

Close behind were Shantou (92-70) and Macau (91-71) for the third and fourth place spots. The Scorpions grew their playoff streak to five years while the Magicians ended a decade-long postseason drought. Macau had finished below 70 wins in each of the prior four seasons. Missing the playoff cut were Changsha and Nanning at 86-76, Wuhan at 85-77, Wenzhou at 84-78, and both Chongqing and Dongguan at 83-79. Notable was Kunming setting an all-time franchise worst at 55-107. The Muscle had been SL champ only four years earlier and hadn’t won fewer than 80 games in the prior seven years.

Veteran Foshan CF Zhen Zhang became a three-time Southern League MVP, having previously won it in 2015 and 2018. The 32-year old righty led in runs (99), total bases (369), slugging (.625), OPS (.979), wRC+ (223), and WAR (12.9). Zhang added 46 home runs, 109 RBI, and a .305 batting average. This was his sixth season with double-digit WAR and his fourth above 12.

Hong Kong’s Dalong Li earned Pitcher of the Year honors, leading in both ERA (1.49) and WHIP (0.77). The 28-year old righty had a 15-7 record, 236.1 innings, 233 strikeouts, 183 ERA+, and 7.0 WAR. The Champions would give him a four-year, $44,700,000 extension after the 2021 season.

Top seed Foshan had the top mark at 4-2 in the Round Robin with both Hong Kong and Macau at 3-3 and Shantou at 2-4. The Magicians had the tiebreaker to end the Champions’ hope at a third straight finals berth. Macau then upset Foshan 4-1 in the semifinal to earn their first China Series trip since 2010. The Flyers fell in the semi for the third straight year and have gone 1-6 all-time in the semifinal.

The 51^st China Series was guaranteed to crown the 20^th unique franchise as a first-time champ. Shenyang rolled 4-1 over Macau, finally giving Chuchuan Cao a championship ring along with his other accolades. Meanwhile the Magicians were now 0-6 all-time in their championship appearances with more runner-up finishes than any other CLB team. Second year pitcher Haiwei Kang was finals MVP, posting a 2.15 ERA over 37.2 playoff innings with 32 strikeouts.

Other notes: Boyu Long, Cheng Kang, and Youzu Linn each joined the 400 home run club, making nine members in CLB. Kang won his ninth consecutive Silver Slugger and his seventh in left field. Chuchuan Cao won his eighth Slugger as a pitcher.

12-08-2024, 11:52 AM	#1866
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,895	2020 in CLB The Northern League was incredibly competitive in 2020 with only nine games separating first place from eighth place. Only four games separated the #1 seed from the first team out of the playoffs. The only team from the 2019 playoff field to make it back in 2020 was first place Shenyang at 92-70. The Swans grew their playoff streak to four seasons, but they had never finished first in the standings in Chinese League Baseball’s 51 year history. Shenyang allowed the fewest runs in CLB at 424. Tying for second place one game back at 91-71 were both Nanjing and Xi’an. The Nuggets got their second playoff berth in three years, while the Attack ended a four-year drought. The fourth and final spot went to 89-73 Hangzhou, ending a five-year skid. Tianjin fell one game shy in fifth place, although the Jackrabbits’ 88-74 was their first winning season since 2012. Just missing the cut was defending NL champ Changchun and last year’s first place squad Shijiazhuang both at 84-78 and Qingdao at 83-79. The Devils missed out despite being the top scoring team in CLB at 609 runs. The biggest drop was Harbin, who went from back-to-back wild cards to an abysmal 65-97, tied for last with Urumqi. Two-way star Chuchuan Cao led the way yet again for Shenyang, earning his fourth Northern League MVP and his fifth Pitcher of the Year. The 31-year old lefty led in pitching WAR (9.6) for the seventh time and for the sixth consecutive year. Cao also led in WHIP (0.77), and shutouts (6). He added a 1.80 ERA over 255 innings, 151 ERA+, 334 strikeouts, and 17-10 record. In the field (primarily LF), Cao had 133 games and 118 starts with 138 hits, 55 runs, a .786 OPS, 150 wRC+, and 4.9 WAR. He had a combined 14.5 WAR, which amazingly ranked seventh best of his nine pro seasons to date. As of 2037, Cao’s 2020 WAR total is the 65^th-best single season by any player in any world league. He holds three of the top seven spots and six of the top 26. 2020 was also special for Cao as he threw CLB’s 52^nd perfect game, striking out 12 against Jinan on June 26. He joined Bin Zhan and Guodong Lin as the CLB pitchers with two perfectos, as Cao tossed one back in 2016. Cao also joined Zhan, Lin, and four others in having three or more no-hitters, as Cao had a regular no-no in 2015. To this point, he had 87.3 pitching WAR and 55.0 offensive WAR. Cao’s combined 142.3 WAR ranked him second in CLB history behind only Junjie Hsiung’s 152.6. Xi’an was the top team in the Northern League’s Round Robin at 5-1, sending them to the semifinal for the first time since winning it all in 2015. Shenyang and Nanjing tied for second at 3-3 while Hangzhou was 1-5. The Swans advanced over the Nuggets on the tiebreaker, earning a fourth straight semifinal trip. After losing three straight years, Shenyang finally broke through by defeating the Attack in a seven game classic. The Swans earned their third-ever trip to the China Series (1998, 2002). Foshan secured the Southern League’s top record at 97-65. Although the Flyers have been a semifinalist in the prior two seasons, they had only finished atop the standings twice before (1980, 1996). Reigning China Series champ and two-time defending SL champ Hong Kong finished second at 93-69. The Champions saw impressive fan support, setting a new season attendance record of 1,990,028. While higher marks would happen in the NL, this remains the SL high as of 2037. Close behind were Shantou (92-70) and Macau (91-71) for the third and fourth place spots. The Scorpions grew their playoff streak to five years while the Magicians ended a decade-long postseason drought. Macau had finished below 70 wins in each of the prior four seasons. Missing the playoff cut were Changsha and Nanning at 86-76, Wuhan at 85-77, Wenzhou at 84-78, and both Chongqing and Dongguan at 83-79. Notable was Kunming setting an all-time franchise worst at 55-107. The Muscle had been SL champ only four years earlier and hadn’t won fewer than 80 games in the prior seven years. Veteran Foshan CF Zhen Zhang became a three-time Southern League MVP, having previously won it in 2015 and 2018. The 32-year old righty led in runs (99), total bases (369), slugging (.625), OPS (.979), wRC+ (223), and WAR (12.9). Zhang added 46 home runs, 109 RBI, and a .305 batting average. This was his sixth season with double-digit WAR and his fourth above 12. Hong Kong’s Dalong Li earned Pitcher of the Year honors, leading in both ERA (1.49) and WHIP (0.77). The 28-year old righty had a 15-7 record, 236.1 innings, 233 strikeouts, 183 ERA+, and 7.0 WAR. The Champions would give him a four-year, $44,700,000 extension after the 2021 season. Top seed Foshan had the top mark at 4-2 in the Round Robin with both Hong Kong and Macau at 3-3 and Shantou at 2-4. The Magicians had the tiebreaker to end the Champions’ hope at a third straight finals berth. Macau then upset Foshan 4-1 in the semifinal to earn their first China Series trip since 2010. The Flyers fell in the semi for the third straight year and have gone 1-6 all-time in the semifinal. The 51^st China Series was guaranteed to crown the 20^th unique franchise as a first-time champ. Shenyang rolled 4-1 over Macau, finally giving Chuchuan Cao a championship ring along with his other accolades. Meanwhile the Magicians were now 0-6 all-time in their championship appearances with more runner-up finishes than any other CLB team. Second year pitcher Haiwei Kang was finals MVP, posting a 2.15 ERA over 37.2 playoff innings with 32 strikeouts. Other notes: Boyu Long, Cheng Kang, and Youzu Linn each joined the 400 home run club, making nine members in CLB. Kang won his ninth consecutive Silver Slugger and his seventh in left field. Chuchuan Cao won his eighth Slugger as a pitcher. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)