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FuzzyRussianHat · 12-11-2024, 11:43 AM

The Japan League’s top two teams by far were Osaka and Kyoto with only one able to advance to the playoffs as the Central Division champion. The Orange Sox narrowly took it at 102-60, while the Kamikaze had to stay home at 100-62. Osaka earned a sixth consecutive division title thanks to their league-best 728 runs scored. Kyoto was the first 100+ win team to miss the playoffs since the 2000 Orange Sox.

The next best two records finished tied atop the North Division standings at 90-72. After a one-game tiebreaker, Sapporo advanced and Saitama missed the cut. The Swordfish grew their playoff streak to three seasons. Fukuoka won a competitive West Division at 89-73, beating Hiroshima by three games. The Frogs ended a decade-long playoff drought. Last year’s JLCS runner-up Kitakyushu was third at 78-84.

Chiba allowed the fewest runs in EAB at 534, which allowed them to oust defending Japan League champ Kawasaki for the Capital Division. The Comets took it at 87-75 with the Killer Whales three back at 84-78. Chiba ended a six-year postseason drought.

Two years prior, Fukuoka’s Toshikuni Naikai had a 1.05 ERA, 460 strikeout, 17.4 WAR effort. That 2018 campaign set numerous EAB pitching records and was in the conversation as possibly the greatest pitching season in world history to that point. The debate would end after Naikai’s absurd 2020 outing, which would widely be viewed as the most dominant run ever for a pitcher. The 27-year old lefty won his fourth Japan League Pitcher of the Year and also claimed MVP honors.

Over 240.0 innings, Naikai led in ERA (0.64), strikeouts (445), WHIP (0.53), K/BB (20.2), quality starts (27), shutouts (7), ERA+ (528), FIP- (0), and WAR (18.5). At 19-1, poor run support kept him a win shy of a Triple Crown. Naikai set EAB single-season records for ERA, winning percentage (.950), WHIP (0.53), H/9 (3.98), triple slash (.131/.155/.197), opponent’s OPS (.352), and WAR for any player. His strikeout tally was the third-best in EAB, but his K/9 (16.69) was a new best that would only be beaten once by Naikai himself.

But not only were many of the rate stats EAB records, but they were world records. This was especially remarkable considering those leaderboards were exclusively filled with Austronesia Professional Baseball and Chinese League Baseball pitchers. Both of those leagues regularly had league ERAs in the 2.25-2.75 range. Naikai hit his marks against a Japan League with a 3.33 ERA. The rate stats required 162 innings to qualify.

Naikai’s 0.64 ERA beat the old best of 0.71 by CLB’s Zhiyuan Lai in 1975. Ching-Chen Yao’s 0.73 from APB in 2014 was the only other sub 0.80 season and there had only been 13 qualifying seasons below one. Naikai’s 528 ERA+ was truly absurd as even the absolute best starter efforts would have trouble getting to 300. An FIP- of zero was also something only ever seen with the small sample size by elite closers.

Other world records Naikai set was in WHIP, opponent’s on-base percentage, and pitching WAR. His opponent’s batting average ranked 6^th best, slugging 3^rd best, and OPS second best (to Yao’s 0.322 in 2014). Naikai’s H/9 was third best and his K/9 sits 3^rd as of 2037. He also had two games with 21 strikeouts and a one-hitter, effectively dragging Fukuoka into the postseason.

Naikai’s 18.5 WAR broke the previous record by a pitcher of 17.94, set by world strikeout king Mohamed Ramos in the 1936 Beisbol Sudamerica season. This was the second-highest WAR season by any player in any world league ever. The only season higher was Chuchuan Cao’s two-way effort of 21.6 in the 2013 CLB season, getting 12.0 pitching and 9.6 offensively. Apart from Cao’s season, you could credibly argue Naikai’s 2020 was the greatest individual effort in the history of professional baseball.

Top seed Osaka was taken to the limit by Chiba in the first round, but survived 3-2 to earn their third Japan League Championship Series appearance in four years. Naikai’s Fukuoka edged Sapporo 3-2 for the Frogs’ first JLCS since 2009. The Orange Sox held firm 4-2 over Fukuoka to secure their third pennant in four years. Osaka was the first team to win three JL titles in four years since Niigata (2003-06). It was also the 12^th pennant for the Orange Sox, ranking second only to Sapporo’s 14 among Japanese teams.

Busan shook up the Korea League by taking the top seed and South Division at 101-61. The Blue Jays hadn’t been a playoff team in a decade. The North Division had a tie for the top spot at 95-67 between Hamhung and defending East Asia Baseball champ Seongnam. The Heat won the tiebreaker game for their second playoff berth in six years and first division title since 1990. The Spiders got the first wild card, extending their playoff streak to four. Seongnam was the only KL team to make it back from the prior postseason.

Yongin and Changwon tied for the second wild card at 92-70 with only Jeonju (86-76) also somewhat in the mix. Tiebreaker games weren’t used for the wild card and the Gold Sox advanced on the formula and ended a nine-year drought. The Crabs’ streak ended a four years despite leading EAB at 828 runs scored. The Jethawks allowed the fewest runs at 558. Goyang and Seoul, who had the runner-up spots in the last four KLCS, both finished 72-90.

Korea League MVP went to Yongin 2B Soo Kang, who led in slugging (.688), OPS (1.078), wRC+ (195), and WAR (9.8). The 25-year old switch hitter had 97 runs, 39 home runs, 111 RBI, and a.370 average. It was his fifth and final season with the Gold Sox, as he left for Major League Baseball in the winter and signed an eight-year, $162,200,000 deal with Los Angeles.

Seongnam’s Yun-Jae Paek picked up Pitcher of the Year in his eighth season with the Spiders. The 29-year old righty led in wins at 21-10 and added a 2.63 ERA over 256.2 innings, 260 strikeouts, 143 ERA+, and 7.8 WAR. This effort got Paek paid, inking a six-year, $115,800,000 extension with Seongnam in the winter.

Yongin upset top seed Busan 3-1 in the first round, giving the Gold Sox their first Korea League Championship Series try since their 2010 pennant. Home field helped Hamhung survive 3-2 over division foe Seongnam, denying the Spiders’ three-peat bid. The Heat hadn’t been in the KLCS since 1976.

In a seven game classic, Hamhung outlasted Yongin 4-3 to end a 59-year pennant drought. It was the ninth title for the Heat, who had been a regular contender in EAB’s first 40 seasons. The two North Korean teams (Hamhung and Pyongyang) had been powerhouses in EAB’s earliest years, but neither had been to the final since the Pythons’ 1977 championship season.

In the 100^th East Asian Championship, Osaka and Hamhung were meeting for the third time in the finals. The Heat had won prior meetings in 1946 and in 1958, which was their most recent title. The Orange Sox would extend Hamhung’s title drought, taking the series 4-1 for their second title in three years. Osaka won its seventh EAB ring (1923, 1925, 1943, 1985, 1989, 2018, 2020), which was second most among all EAB teams behind only Pyongyang’s nine.

SS Tadashi Kawakita was the star of the postseason, winning both JLCS and finals MVP. The 28-year old joined Osaka in an offseason trade from Niigata and spent only 2020 with the Orange Sox. Kawakita made an impression in 16 playoff games with 18 hits, 8 runs, 3 doubles, 4 triples, 3 home runs, and 14 RBI. This effort earned Kawakita an eight-year, $96 million deal with Nagoya. That deal would ultimately be a bust, putting up only 2.2 total WAR with the Nightowls.

Other notes: Sadaharu Chiba won his third Japan League Reliever of the Year award, the first to hit that mark since 2008. Daejeon’s Gang-Min Chung had 57 doubles, falling two short of Hoten Furukawa’s 2005 record. Seoul’s Do-Kyun Lee had a 21 strikeout game, the third of his career. Si-Hun Choi and Takeo Nagai became the 59^th and 60^th pitchers to reach 200 career wins. Geon-U Kang was the 31^st closer to earn 300 saves.

Togai Kobayashi became the 44^th hitter to 1500 RBI and the 67^th to 500 home runs. Chul Park became the 33^rd to score 1500 runs. Jae-A Choi and Hyogo Murayama both got to 2500 hits, a mark achieved by 91 EAB batters. LF Hitoshi Kubota won his 11^th Silver Slugger.

12-11-2024, 11:43 AM	#1875
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,892	2020 in EAB The Japan League’s top two teams by far were Osaka and Kyoto with only one able to advance to the playoffs as the Central Division champion. The Orange Sox narrowly took it at 102-60, while the Kamikaze had to stay home at 100-62. Osaka earned a sixth consecutive division title thanks to their league-best 728 runs scored. Kyoto was the first 100+ win team to miss the playoffs since the 2000 Orange Sox. The next best two records finished tied atop the North Division standings at 90-72. After a one-game tiebreaker, Sapporo advanced and Saitama missed the cut. The Swordfish grew their playoff streak to three seasons. Fukuoka won a competitive West Division at 89-73, beating Hiroshima by three games. The Frogs ended a decade-long playoff drought. Last year’s JLCS runner-up Kitakyushu was third at 78-84. Chiba allowed the fewest runs in EAB at 534, which allowed them to oust defending Japan League champ Kawasaki for the Capital Division. The Comets took it at 87-75 with the Killer Whales three back at 84-78. Chiba ended a six-year postseason drought. Two years prior, Fukuoka’s Toshikuni Naikai had a 1.05 ERA, 460 strikeout, 17.4 WAR effort. That 2018 campaign set numerous EAB pitching records and was in the conversation as possibly the greatest pitching season in world history to that point. The debate would end after Naikai’s absurd 2020 outing, which would widely be viewed as the most dominant run ever for a pitcher. The 27-year old lefty won his fourth Japan League Pitcher of the Year and also claimed MVP honors. Over 240.0 innings, Naikai led in ERA (0.64), strikeouts (445), WHIP (0.53), K/BB (20.2), quality starts (27), shutouts (7), ERA+ (528), FIP- (0), and WAR (18.5). At 19-1, poor run support kept him a win shy of a Triple Crown. Naikai set EAB single-season records for ERA, winning percentage (.950), WHIP (0.53), H/9 (3.98), triple slash (.131/.155/.197), opponent’s OPS (.352), and WAR for any player. His strikeout tally was the third-best in EAB, but his K/9 (16.69) was a new best that would only be beaten once by Naikai himself. But not only were many of the rate stats EAB records, but they were world records. This was especially remarkable considering those leaderboards were exclusively filled with Austronesia Professional Baseball and Chinese League Baseball pitchers. Both of those leagues regularly had league ERAs in the 2.25-2.75 range. Naikai hit his marks against a Japan League with a 3.33 ERA. The rate stats required 162 innings to qualify. Naikai’s 0.64 ERA beat the old best of 0.71 by CLB’s Zhiyuan Lai in 1975. Ching-Chen Yao’s 0.73 from APB in 2014 was the only other sub 0.80 season and there had only been 13 qualifying seasons below one. Naikai’s 528 ERA+ was truly absurd as even the absolute best starter efforts would have trouble getting to 300. An FIP- of zero was also something only ever seen with the small sample size by elite closers. Other world records Naikai set was in WHIP, opponent’s on-base percentage, and pitching WAR. His opponent’s batting average ranked 6^th best, slugging 3^rd best, and OPS second best (to Yao’s 0.322 in 2014). Naikai’s H/9 was third best and his K/9 sits 3^rd as of 2037. He also had two games with 21 strikeouts and a one-hitter, effectively dragging Fukuoka into the postseason. Naikai’s 18.5 WAR broke the previous record by a pitcher of 17.94, set by world strikeout king Mohamed Ramos in the 1936 Beisbol Sudamerica season. This was the second-highest WAR season by any player in any world league ever. The only season higher was Chuchuan Cao’s two-way effort of 21.6 in the 2013 CLB season, getting 12.0 pitching and 9.6 offensively. Apart from Cao’s season, you could credibly argue Naikai’s 2020 was the greatest individual effort in the history of professional baseball. Top seed Osaka was taken to the limit by Chiba in the first round, but survived 3-2 to earn their third Japan League Championship Series appearance in four years. Naikai’s Fukuoka edged Sapporo 3-2 for the Frogs’ first JLCS since 2009. The Orange Sox held firm 4-2 over Fukuoka to secure their third pennant in four years. Osaka was the first team to win three JL titles in four years since Niigata (2003-06). It was also the 12^th pennant for the Orange Sox, ranking second only to Sapporo’s 14 among Japanese teams. Busan shook up the Korea League by taking the top seed and South Division at 101-61. The Blue Jays hadn’t been a playoff team in a decade. The North Division had a tie for the top spot at 95-67 between Hamhung and defending East Asia Baseball champ Seongnam. The Heat won the tiebreaker game for their second playoff berth in six years and first division title since 1990. The Spiders got the first wild card, extending their playoff streak to four. Seongnam was the only KL team to make it back from the prior postseason. Yongin and Changwon tied for the second wild card at 92-70 with only Jeonju (86-76) also somewhat in the mix. Tiebreaker games weren’t used for the wild card and the Gold Sox advanced on the formula and ended a nine-year drought. The Crabs’ streak ended a four years despite leading EAB at 828 runs scored. The Jethawks allowed the fewest runs at 558. Goyang and Seoul, who had the runner-up spots in the last four KLCS, both finished 72-90. Korea League MVP went to Yongin 2B Soo Kang, who led in slugging (.688), OPS (1.078), wRC+ (195), and WAR (9.8). The 25-year old switch hitter had 97 runs, 39 home runs, 111 RBI, and a.370 average. It was his fifth and final season with the Gold Sox, as he left for Major League Baseball in the winter and signed an eight-year, $162,200,000 deal with Los Angeles. Seongnam’s Yun-Jae Paek picked up Pitcher of the Year in his eighth season with the Spiders. The 29-year old righty led in wins at 21-10 and added a 2.63 ERA over 256.2 innings, 260 strikeouts, 143 ERA+, and 7.8 WAR. This effort got Paek paid, inking a six-year, $115,800,000 extension with Seongnam in the winter. Yongin upset top seed Busan 3-1 in the first round, giving the Gold Sox their first Korea League Championship Series try since their 2010 pennant. Home field helped Hamhung survive 3-2 over division foe Seongnam, denying the Spiders’ three-peat bid. The Heat hadn’t been in the KLCS since 1976. In a seven game classic, Hamhung outlasted Yongin 4-3 to end a 59-year pennant drought. It was the ninth title for the Heat, who had been a regular contender in EAB’s first 40 seasons. The two North Korean teams (Hamhung and Pyongyang) had been powerhouses in EAB’s earliest years, but neither had been to the final since the Pythons’ 1977 championship season. In the 100^th East Asian Championship, Osaka and Hamhung were meeting for the third time in the finals. The Heat had won prior meetings in 1946 and in 1958, which was their most recent title. The Orange Sox would extend Hamhung’s title drought, taking the series 4-1 for their second title in three years. Osaka won its seventh EAB ring (1923, 1925, 1943, 1985, 1989, 2018, 2020), which was second most among all EAB teams behind only Pyongyang’s nine. SS Tadashi Kawakita was the star of the postseason, winning both JLCS and finals MVP. The 28-year old joined Osaka in an offseason trade from Niigata and spent only 2020 with the Orange Sox. Kawakita made an impression in 16 playoff games with 18 hits, 8 runs, 3 doubles, 4 triples, 3 home runs, and 14 RBI. This effort earned Kawakita an eight-year, $96 million deal with Nagoya. That deal would ultimately be a bust, putting up only 2.2 total WAR with the Nightowls. Other notes: Sadaharu Chiba won his third Japan League Reliever of the Year award, the first to hit that mark since 2008. Daejeon’s Gang-Min Chung had 57 doubles, falling two short of Hoten Furukawa’s 2005 record. Seoul’s Do-Kyun Lee had a 21 strikeout game, the third of his career. Si-Hun Choi and Takeo Nagai became the 59^th and 60^th pitchers to reach 200 career wins. Geon-U Kang was the 31^st closer to earn 300 saves. Togai Kobayashi became the 44^th hitter to 1500 RBI and the 67^th to 500 home runs. Chul Park became the 33^rd to score 1500 runs. Jae-A Choi and Hyogo Murayama both got to 2500 hits, a mark achieved by 91 EAB batters. LF Hitoshi Kubota won his 11^th Silver Slugger. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)