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FuzzyRussianHat · 04-26-2025, 06:27 PM

The Japan League’s Central Division was incredibly top heavy with Kobe (109-53) outlasting Kyoto (101-61) for first place and the top seed. The Blaze allowed the league’s fewest runs (516) while the Kamikaze scored the most (729). Both wild cards came from the Central with defending JL champ Nagoya next at 94-68. Kobe’s playoff streak grew to seven years. Kyoto had their second berth in three years and the Nightowls had their third in four.

Niigata dominated the North Division at 97-65 for the #2 seed, growing their playoff streak to three. Tokyo (93-69) took the Capital Division over Saitama (88-74) to end a five-year playoff drought. Hiroshima was the only team above .500 in the West Division at 90-72 to grow their division title streak to four. Okayama was notably second at 81-81, becoming the first of the 2025 expansion teams to get to .500. Fukuoka was notable at 79-83, their first losing campaign since 2017.

Niigata RF Masanori Fukuoka won his third Japan League MVP in four years, although he didn’t replicate his record-setting 2028. Still, the 27-year old lefty led in runs (117), triples (23), home runs (53), RBI (129), total bases (404), slugging (.682), OPS (1.039), and wRC+ (194). Fukuoka added 182 hits, .307 average, and 9.2 WAR.

The Green Dragons also had Takehiro Nakajima repeat as Pitcher of the Year. The 30-year old lefty led in WAR (11.5), and quality starts (28). Nakajima had a 1.98 ERA over 268.2 innings, 17-6 record, 301 strikeouts, and 177 ERA+.

In the wild card round, Kyoto edged Hiroshima 2-1 and Tokyo topped Nagoya 2-0. The top seeds prevailed in the divisional series with Kobe outlasting the Kamikaze 3-2 and Niigata downing Tokyo 3-1. The Blaze got their second Japan League Championship Series berth in five years, while the Green Dragons made it three straight. Kobe was the favorite at 109-55, but Niigata crushed them with a road sweep. The Green Dragons won their second pennant in three years and their eighth overall (1990, 1991, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2027, 2029).

Busan was again the Korea League’s top seed with their sixth straight South Division title at 105-57. The Blue Jays playoff streak grew to ten seasons, standing alone as the longest streak in East Asia Baseball history. Busan allowed the fewest runs in the KL at 530. Over in the North Division, reigning EAB champ Goyang made it a division title three-peat at 98-64.

Next behind the Green Sox in the North were Suwon (95-67) and Incheon (91-71), taking the first two wild cards. The Snappers ended a seven-year playoff drought and the Inferno grew their streak to four. The third wild card narrowly went to Yongin (86-76) for their second berth in three years. Changwon (85-77), Pyongyang (83-79), and Seongnam (83-79) missed the cut. Ulsan notably fell to 75-87 to prevent a fourth straight playoff trip.

Hamhung led the KL with 800 runs, but struggled to 76-86 by allowing the most at 837. 1B Toichi Kimura again powered the Heat’s offense and repeated as Korea League MVP. The 24-year old lefty led in runs scored (121), home runs (66), total bases (440), slugging (.710), OPS (1.069), and wRC+ (190). Kimura added 201 hits, 39 doubles, 145 RBI, and 9.1 WAR. He was already living up to the eight-year, $167,600,000 extension he got the prior November.

Ulsan’s Jin-Yu Jun won his third Pitcher of the Year in four seasons. In only his fifth year with the Swallows, Jun led in strikeouts (326), K/BB (13.6), FIP- (42), and WAR (11.1). He had a 2.55 ERA, 11-13 record, and 150 ERA+ over 240 innings.

In March, Jun signed a world record seven-year, $385 million extension with Ulsan. The later years of the deal were set to pay Jun $58 million annually. The Swallows appreciated Jun, but quickly realized they couldn’t afford that monster deal. Ulsan traded Jun in the offseason to Kobe for two prospects.

Yongin swept Incheon in the wild card round and gave top seed Busan a challenge, although the Blue Jays escaped with a 3-2 divisional series win. Suwon swept Goyang on the other side, giving the Snappers their first Korea League Championship Series trip since 2009. It was the fifth of the decade for Busan, who earned their third title of the 2020s with a 4-2 win over Suwon. The Blue Jays now had 14 KL pennants, second only to Daegu’s 16.

Despite their record playoff streak, the EAB title had eluded Busan with a drought going back to 1971. The losing streak continued as Niigata won the 109^th East Asian Championship 4-1 over the Blue Jays. The Green Dragons won their second title in three years and fifth overall (1991, 2006, 2008, 2027, 2029). 1B Ichiro Kojo was finals MVP, posting 22 hits, 8 runs, 6 doubles, 1 triple, 1 homer, and 9 RBI over 13 playoff starts.

Other notes: Hiroshima’s offense struck out 976 times all season, a new Japan League team best. Ga-On Kwan became the 8^th reliever to earn 400 career saves. Shin-Nin Ikegami was the 48^th pitcher to 3500 career strikeouts and the 70^th to 200 wins. Both SS Jae-Won Park and RF Chae-Yun Choi won their 10^th consecutive Gold Glove. They are among 13 players in EAB history with 10+ Gold Glove wins.

East Asia Baseball’s scoring environment remained remarkably steady with similar totals in the 2020s as they’ve had since the 1950s. The Japan League (sans DH) had a 3.37 ERA and .246 average for the decade, while the Korea League (with DH) had a 3.76 ERA and .257 average. The JL graded as below average for scoring on the historical scale while the KL was merely average. While EAB’s scoring was a bit lower in its first few decades, it hadn’t seen the major jumps that some of the other world leagues had seen.

04-26-2025, 06:27 PM	#2228
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,607	2029 in EAB The Japan League’s Central Division was incredibly top heavy with Kobe (109-53) outlasting Kyoto (101-61) for first place and the top seed. The Blaze allowed the league’s fewest runs (516) while the Kamikaze scored the most (729). Both wild cards came from the Central with defending JL champ Nagoya next at 94-68. Kobe’s playoff streak grew to seven years. Kyoto had their second berth in three years and the Nightowls had their third in four. Niigata dominated the North Division at 97-65 for the #2 seed, growing their playoff streak to three. Tokyo (93-69) took the Capital Division over Saitama (88-74) to end a five-year playoff drought. Hiroshima was the only team above .500 in the West Division at 90-72 to grow their division title streak to four. Okayama was notably second at 81-81, becoming the first of the 2025 expansion teams to get to .500. Fukuoka was notable at 79-83, their first losing campaign since 2017. Niigata RF Masanori Fukuoka won his third Japan League MVP in four years, although he didn’t replicate his record-setting 2028. Still, the 27-year old lefty led in runs (117), triples (23), home runs (53), RBI (129), total bases (404), slugging (.682), OPS (1.039), and wRC+ (194). Fukuoka added 182 hits, .307 average, and 9.2 WAR. The Green Dragons also had Takehiro Nakajima repeat as Pitcher of the Year. The 30-year old lefty led in WAR (11.5), and quality starts (28). Nakajima had a 1.98 ERA over 268.2 innings, 17-6 record, 301 strikeouts, and 177 ERA+. In the wild card round, Kyoto edged Hiroshima 2-1 and Tokyo topped Nagoya 2-0. The top seeds prevailed in the divisional series with Kobe outlasting the Kamikaze 3-2 and Niigata downing Tokyo 3-1. The Blaze got their second Japan League Championship Series berth in five years, while the Green Dragons made it three straight. Kobe was the favorite at 109-55, but Niigata crushed them with a road sweep. The Green Dragons won their second pennant in three years and their eighth overall (1990, 1991, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2027, 2029). Busan was again the Korea League’s top seed with their sixth straight South Division title at 105-57. The Blue Jays playoff streak grew to ten seasons, standing alone as the longest streak in East Asia Baseball history. Busan allowed the fewest runs in the KL at 530. Over in the North Division, reigning EAB champ Goyang made it a division title three-peat at 98-64. Next behind the Green Sox in the North were Suwon (95-67) and Incheon (91-71), taking the first two wild cards. The Snappers ended a seven-year playoff drought and the Inferno grew their streak to four. The third wild card narrowly went to Yongin (86-76) for their second berth in three years. Changwon (85-77), Pyongyang (83-79), and Seongnam (83-79) missed the cut. Ulsan notably fell to 75-87 to prevent a fourth straight playoff trip. Hamhung led the KL with 800 runs, but struggled to 76-86 by allowing the most at 837. 1B Toichi Kimura again powered the Heat’s offense and repeated as Korea League MVP. The 24-year old lefty led in runs scored (121), home runs (66), total bases (440), slugging (.710), OPS (1.069), and wRC+ (190). Kimura added 201 hits, 39 doubles, 145 RBI, and 9.1 WAR. He was already living up to the eight-year, $167,600,000 extension he got the prior November. Ulsan’s Jin-Yu Jun won his third Pitcher of the Year in four seasons. In only his fifth year with the Swallows, Jun led in strikeouts (326), K/BB (13.6), FIP- (42), and WAR (11.1). He had a 2.55 ERA, 11-13 record, and 150 ERA+ over 240 innings. In March, Jun signed a world record seven-year, $385 million extension with Ulsan. The later years of the deal were set to pay Jun $58 million annually. The Swallows appreciated Jun, but quickly realized they couldn’t afford that monster deal. Ulsan traded Jun in the offseason to Kobe for two prospects. Yongin swept Incheon in the wild card round and gave top seed Busan a challenge, although the Blue Jays escaped with a 3-2 divisional series win. Suwon swept Goyang on the other side, giving the Snappers their first Korea League Championship Series trip since 2009. It was the fifth of the decade for Busan, who earned their third title of the 2020s with a 4-2 win over Suwon. The Blue Jays now had 14 KL pennants, second only to Daegu’s 16. Despite their record playoff streak, the EAB title had eluded Busan with a drought going back to 1971. The losing streak continued as Niigata won the 109^th East Asian Championship 4-1 over the Blue Jays. The Green Dragons won their second title in three years and fifth overall (1991, 2006, 2008, 2027, 2029). 1B Ichiro Kojo was finals MVP, posting 22 hits, 8 runs, 6 doubles, 1 triple, 1 homer, and 9 RBI over 13 playoff starts. Other notes: Hiroshima’s offense struck out 976 times all season, a new Japan League team best. Ga-On Kwan became the 8^th reliever to earn 400 career saves. Shin-Nin Ikegami was the 48^th pitcher to 3500 career strikeouts and the 70^th to 200 wins. Both SS Jae-Won Park and RF Chae-Yun Choi won their 10^th consecutive Gold Glove. They are among 13 players in EAB history with 10+ Gold Glove wins. East Asia Baseball’s scoring environment remained remarkably steady with similar totals in the 2020s as they’ve had since the 1950s. The Japan League (sans DH) had a 3.37 ERA and .246 average for the decade, while the Korea League (with DH) had a 3.76 ERA and .257 average. The JL graded as below average for scoring on the historical scale while the KL was merely average. While EAB’s scoring was a bit lower in its first few decades, it hadn’t seen the major jumps that some of the other world leagues had seen. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)