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FuzzyRussianHat · 02-13-2025, 06:51 AM

After posting three consecutive losing seasons, Shenyang bounced back in 2025 and took first in the Northern League at 96-66. Last year’s NL runner-up Nanjing was second at 92-70 for their sixth playoff trip in eight years. Third went to Jinan at 90-72, ending an eight-year playoff drought for the Jumbos. Jinan led all of Chinese League Baseball with 607 runs scored.

The fourth and final playoff spot had a tie at 86-76 between Hangzhou and Tianjin. The Hens won the tiebreaker game to snap a four-year playoff drought and end the Jackrabbits’ three-year streak. 2024’s first place squad Dalian was sixth at 84-78, followed by Xi’an (83-79), and Harbin (82-80). Changchun at 81-81 allowed the NL’s fewest runs at 482. Reigning CLB champion Urumqi fell to tenth place at 78-84.

Nanjing 2B Kenny Sang became the fifth player in CLB history to win four MVPs. The 31-year old Hongkonger took the Northern League’s top honor again after previously winning in 2018, 19, and 22. In 2025, Sang led in home runs (52), runs (103), total bases (366), and slugging (.616). He added 181 hits, 97 RBI, .952 OPS, 213 wRC+ and 9.9 WAR. Sang also became the 12^th member of CLB’s 400 home run club and won his ninth consecutive Silver Slugger.

Jinan righty Boxuan Liu picked up Pitcher of the Year in his fourth season. The 26-year old led in complete games (18) and posted a 2.11 ERA over 273 innings, 16-11 record, 270 strikeouts, 136 ERA+, and 5.5 WAR. Liu had been drafted #1 overall by the Jumbos in the 2021 CLB Draft and was seemingly starting to hit his potential.

Nanjing fared best in the Round Robin at 4-2, earning repeat semifinal trips and their fourth in five years. Shenyang and Jinan were both 3-3 and Hangzhou was 2-4. The Swans advanced on the tiebreaker for their first semifinal appearance since 2021; which featured a loss to the Nuggets. Nanjing also bested Shenyang back in the 2018 semifinal. The Swans had home field advantage, but the Nuggets remained their kryptonite with Nanjing taking the semifinal 4-3. Nanjing secured their sixth trip to the China Series (1970, 1982, 1996, 2018, 2021, 2025).

The Southern League had a shake up as the top three teams all ended notable playoff droughts. Wuhan took first at 98-64 to end a six-year skid, leading the SL in scoring with 591 runs. Tying for second at 91-71 was Chongqing and Kunming. The Cavaliers snapped a decade-long drought while the Muscle ended a three-year one.

There was a three-way tie for the fourth and final spot at 87-75 between reigning SL champ Shantou, Xiamen, and Nanning. The Mutts won tiebreaker games against both to advance for the third straight year. Wenzhou (84-78), Shenzhen (83-79), and Macau (82-80) were each in the hunt as well. The Wild had the fewest runs allowed at 448. Guangzhou notably collapsed, going from back-to-back 90+ win seasons to a last place 66-96 in 2025.

Shenzhen 3B Faqing Zhang scored Southern League MVP honors in his fourth season, leading in WAR (12.5) and runs scored (98). The 26-year old righty had 34 homers, 90 RBI, 27 doubles, 19 triples, 48 stolen bases, .299/.347/.585 slash, and 206 wRC+. Zhang also hit for the cycle on September 25 against Guangzhou. He had been the #2 overall pick in the 2021 CLB Draft by the Spartans.

Repeating as Pitcher of the Year was Chengdu righty Zhiyang Zhuang. Still in only his third season, the 24-year old led in FIP- (50) and posted a 2.01 ERA over 228 innings, 15-10 record, 10 saves, 314 strikeouts, 135 ERA+, and 8.1 WAR. Zhuang notably tossed a no-hitter on May 23 against Dongguan with 11 strikeouts and one walk. Also worth a mention was Wenzhou’s Ying Flors winning his third Reliever of the Year, having previously won it in 2018 and 2020 for Wuhan.

The round robin was a deadlock with all four teams going 3-3. After sorting out tiebreakers, Chongqing and Xiamen advanced to the semifinal. The Mutts earned their third straight trip while the Cavaliers last made it in 2014. Xiamen was denied for the third consecutive year as Chongqing prevailed in a seven-game classic. The Cavaliers set the CLB record for longest gap between finals berths at 39 years, having taken runner-up back in 1983 and 1985.

The 56^th China Series saw Nanjing cruise to a 4-1 victory over Chongqing to become four-time champions (1996, 2018, 2021, 2025). The Nuggets became the fourth CLB franchise to win three titles over an eight year stretch. 2024 NL MVP Houzhi Ding was the star of the postseason, earning finals and semifinals MVP. In 18 playoff starts, the 27-year old first baseman had 24 hits, 12 runs, 3 doubles, 8 home runs, 16 RBI, 10 walks, 1.234 OPS, 266 wRC+, and 1.8 WAR.

Other notes: CLB’s 54^th and 55^th Perfect Games were thrown in 2025. On July 1, Kunming’s Zihao Sipaseuth did it with six strikeouts versus Nanning. Then on August 27, Xiamen’s Gelsomino Marciano fanned nine versus Shenzhen. Wenzhou’s Xueyu He struck out 20 in a no-hitter against Chongqing. This tied the record for Ks in a no-no (Jinlong Han also did it in 1997) and was the tenth 20+ K game in CLB history. Shijiazhuang’s offense drew only 235 walks all season, the second-worst in CLB history. 2B Yusheng Cai won his eighth Gold Glove.

02-13-2025, 06:51 AM	#2064
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,903	2025 in CLB After posting three consecutive losing seasons, Shenyang bounced back in 2025 and took first in the Northern League at 96-66. Last year’s NL runner-up Nanjing was second at 92-70 for their sixth playoff trip in eight years. Third went to Jinan at 90-72, ending an eight-year playoff drought for the Jumbos. Jinan led all of Chinese League Baseball with 607 runs scored. The fourth and final playoff spot had a tie at 86-76 between Hangzhou and Tianjin. The Hens won the tiebreaker game to snap a four-year playoff drought and end the Jackrabbits’ three-year streak. 2024’s first place squad Dalian was sixth at 84-78, followed by Xi’an (83-79), and Harbin (82-80). Changchun at 81-81 allowed the NL’s fewest runs at 482. Reigning CLB champion Urumqi fell to tenth place at 78-84. Nanjing 2B Kenny Sang became the fifth player in CLB history to win four MVPs. The 31-year old Hongkonger took the Northern League’s top honor again after previously winning in 2018, 19, and 22. In 2025, Sang led in home runs (52), runs (103), total bases (366), and slugging (.616). He added 181 hits, 97 RBI, .952 OPS, 213 wRC+ and 9.9 WAR. Sang also became the 12^th member of CLB’s 400 home run club and won his ninth consecutive Silver Slugger. Jinan righty Boxuan Liu picked up Pitcher of the Year in his fourth season. The 26-year old led in complete games (18) and posted a 2.11 ERA over 273 innings, 16-11 record, 270 strikeouts, 136 ERA+, and 5.5 WAR. Liu had been drafted #1 overall by the Jumbos in the 2021 CLB Draft and was seemingly starting to hit his potential. Nanjing fared best in the Round Robin at 4-2, earning repeat semifinal trips and their fourth in five years. Shenyang and Jinan were both 3-3 and Hangzhou was 2-4. The Swans advanced on the tiebreaker for their first semifinal appearance since 2021; which featured a loss to the Nuggets. Nanjing also bested Shenyang back in the 2018 semifinal. The Swans had home field advantage, but the Nuggets remained their kryptonite with Nanjing taking the semifinal 4-3. Nanjing secured their sixth trip to the China Series (1970, 1982, 1996, 2018, 2021, 2025). The Southern League had a shake up as the top three teams all ended notable playoff droughts. Wuhan took first at 98-64 to end a six-year skid, leading the SL in scoring with 591 runs. Tying for second at 91-71 was Chongqing and Kunming. The Cavaliers snapped a decade-long drought while the Muscle ended a three-year one. There was a three-way tie for the fourth and final spot at 87-75 between reigning SL champ Shantou, Xiamen, and Nanning. The Mutts won tiebreaker games against both to advance for the third straight year. Wenzhou (84-78), Shenzhen (83-79), and Macau (82-80) were each in the hunt as well. The Wild had the fewest runs allowed at 448. Guangzhou notably collapsed, going from back-to-back 90+ win seasons to a last place 66-96 in 2025. Shenzhen 3B Faqing Zhang scored Southern League MVP honors in his fourth season, leading in WAR (12.5) and runs scored (98). The 26-year old righty had 34 homers, 90 RBI, 27 doubles, 19 triples, 48 stolen bases, .299/.347/.585 slash, and 206 wRC+. Zhang also hit for the cycle on September 25 against Guangzhou. He had been the #2 overall pick in the 2021 CLB Draft by the Spartans. Repeating as Pitcher of the Year was Chengdu righty Zhiyang Zhuang. Still in only his third season, the 24-year old led in FIP- (50) and posted a 2.01 ERA over 228 innings, 15-10 record, 10 saves, 314 strikeouts, 135 ERA+, and 8.1 WAR. Zhuang notably tossed a no-hitter on May 23 against Dongguan with 11 strikeouts and one walk. Also worth a mention was Wenzhou’s Ying Flors winning his third Reliever of the Year, having previously won it in 2018 and 2020 for Wuhan. The round robin was a deadlock with all four teams going 3-3. After sorting out tiebreakers, Chongqing and Xiamen advanced to the semifinal. The Mutts earned their third straight trip while the Cavaliers last made it in 2014. Xiamen was denied for the third consecutive year as Chongqing prevailed in a seven-game classic. The Cavaliers set the CLB record for longest gap between finals berths at 39 years, having taken runner-up back in 1983 and 1985. The 56^th China Series saw Nanjing cruise to a 4-1 victory over Chongqing to become four-time champions (1996, 2018, 2021, 2025). The Nuggets became the fourth CLB franchise to win three titles over an eight year stretch. 2024 NL MVP Houzhi Ding was the star of the postseason, earning finals and semifinals MVP. In 18 playoff starts, the 27-year old first baseman had 24 hits, 12 runs, 3 doubles, 8 home runs, 16 RBI, 10 walks, 1.234 OPS, 266 wRC+, and 1.8 WAR. Other notes: CLB’s 54^th and 55^th Perfect Games were thrown in 2025. On July 1, Kunming’s Zihao Sipaseuth did it with six strikeouts versus Nanning. Then on August 27, Xiamen’s Gelsomino Marciano fanned nine versus Shenzhen. Wenzhou’s Xueyu He struck out 20 in a no-hitter against Chongqing. This tied the record for Ks in a no-no (Jinlong Han also did it in 1997) and was the tenth 20+ K game in CLB history. Shijiazhuang’s offense drew only 235 walks all season, the second-worst in CLB history. 2B Yusheng Cai won his eighth Gold Glove. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)