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FuzzyRussianHat · 06-02-2025, 07:59 AM

Beginning in 2030, Eurasian Professional Baseball instituted rule changes designed to increase scoring output. EPB had been considered a below average to low scoring league generally compared to other world leagues. For the 2020s, EPB had a league ERA around 3.15 and a batting average around .242.

With the changes, EPB in the 2030s would have an ERA closer to the 3.65 range and batting averages around .258. This placed EPB into average scoring territory relative to other world leagues historically. EPB’s scoring was in a similar range when it was founded in 1955, but the scoring dropped soon with ERAs in the high twos for much of the 20^th Century before bumping into the low threes after 2006 rule changes.

Reigning EPB champ and two-time defending European League champ Volgograd crushed the competition with a franchise-best 113-49 record. The Voyagers were the first 110+ win team in the EL since Minsk in 1998 and the first in all of EPB since Krasnoyarsk in 2020. Volgograd led the league in runs (740) and fewest allowed (537), earning a third consecutive South Division title. It was their ninth division title in a decade.

Also for the third year running, Gomel won the North Division with a new franchise best at 98-64. It was a steep drop down to the wild cards with both Moscow and Samara advancing at 86-76. Voronezh at 82-80 was the first team out and the only other EL team above .500. The Mules earned repeat playoff trips while the Steelers made it four-in-a-row.

Moscow DH Yuri Demyan won European League MVP with a record breaking campaign. The 25-year old hometown favorite set the new EPB top mark for RBI with 145, passing Dzmitry Kuliev’s 141 which had stood since 1988. Demyan had 428 total bases, just missing Kuliev’s record 429 from the same year. Demyan also led in home runs (58), slugging (.668), OPS (1.047), wRC+ (189), and WAR (8.8).

The fourth-year starter also had 215 hits, 109 runs, and a .335 average. The Mules would give Demyan an eight-year, $97 million extension after the 2031 season.
Demyan was second in batting average in the EL, although he was far from a Triple Crown due to Voronezh’s Vladimir Pyatrenka at .378. Pyatrenka notably broke EPB’s single-season hits record with 241. The top mark had been Nikolay Denisov’s 239 since 1992.

Although Tel Aviv was 79-83, they had the Pitcher of the Year in Nikita Melnikov. The seventh-year righty from Kazakhstan led in ERA (1.87), innings (273.2), WHIP (0.87), K/BB (11.8), quality starts (29), complete games (18), FIP- (60), and WAR (9.6). Melnikov had a 21-9 record, 319 strikeouts, and 187 ERA+. He was the #1 overall draft pick in 2023 by the Aeros and would ink a five-year, $65,600,000 extension in the winter.

Also worth a mention, Volgograd’s Aleksei Kotyukh won his third Reliever of the Year award. The 33-year old has alternated between starting and relief for the Voyagers, even winning the ERA title in 2029 as a starter. Kotyukh led in saves with 39 in 2030 and also won ROTY in 2026 and 2028.

Volgograd escaped with a 3-2 first round victory over Samara, while Moscow upset Gomel 3-1. The Mules earned their first European League Championship Series trip since their 2025 pennant. The Voyagers were going for three straight titles and were a heavy favorite considering the 27 win difference between the teams. However, Moscow dethroned the reigning champs with a stunning 4-2 ELCS upset. It was the 14^th EL crown for the Russian capital (1967, 74, 75, 2005, 06, 07, 09, 10, 15, 16, 19, 21, 25, 30), second-most behind only Minsk (21).

Novosibirsk took the Asian League’s top seed at 102-60, winning the East Division for the first time since the 2000 realignment. The Nitros hadn’t posted a first place finish since 1991 and earned back-to-back playoff berths for the first time since the mid 1990s. Novosibirsk held off two-time defending AL champ Vladivostok, who easily got the first wild card at 96-66 for a third straight playoff trip. The Shibas allowed the fewest runs in EPB at 532.

Nur-Sultan was the top scoring team at 751 runs, pushing them to 94-68 for a fourth consecutive West Division title. Omsk was second at 89-73 to earn the second wild card, ending a two-year playoff drought. Irkutsk was the next closest competitor for the spot at 86-76, followed by last year’s wild card Khabarovsk at 81-81. For the Ice Cats, it was notably their first winning season since 2018.

Leading Novosibirsk to the top seed was Asian League MVP Timofei Kolarov. The 30-year old second baseman had debuted with the Nitros in 2020 after being the #1 overall draft pick in 2018. He had been a full-time starter since 2023. Kolarov led in home runs (47), RBI (109), slugging (.627), and WAR (8.0). The Russian righty added 179 hits, 96 runs, 32 doubles, .308 average, .964 OPS, and 179 wRC+.

Nur-Sultan’s Vardan Aslan won his second Pitcher of the Year in three seasons. The 26-year old Uzbek righty led in wins (21-10), innings (281.2), complete games (24), shutouts (5), and WAR (7.4). Aslan had a 2.72 ERA, 281 strikeouts, 127 ERA+, and 74 FIP-.

Novosibirsk swept Omsk in the first round and Vladivostok got the road upset 3-1 over Nur-Sultan. For the Nitros, this was their first Asian League Championship Series trip since 1991. However, home field advantage made no difference as the Shibas cruised to a 4-1 ALCS victory. Vladivostok is the first EPB team to win three consecutive pennants since Rostov (2012-14) and the first to do it in the AL since Yekaterinburg (2006-08).

The 76^th EPB Championship was a seven-game classic which saw Vladivostok outlast Moscow, bringing the cup to the Russian Far East for the second time in three years. The Mules fall to 5-9 all-time in their finals trips. Finals MVP was Argentine journeyman RF George Lemus, who came to the Shibas in 2029 after a brief run in MLB. The 30-year old had 16 playoff starts with 20 hits, 11 runs, 3 doubles, 4 triples, 3 homers, 12 RBI, and 1.025 OPS.

Other notes: Volgograd’s Marc Kubler had the lone no-hitter of 2030, striking out 18 with two walks against Rostov on September 29. He was one K short of the EPB record for strikeouts in a no-no. Svyatoslav Tyahnybok became the 12^th pitcher to 250 career wins and the 32^nd to 4000 strikeouts. Later in the year, Yevgeni Lyubimov also crossed 4000 Ks.

Yuri Lukashov and Bakhtiyar Dolukhanov became the 32^nd and 33^rd batters to 2500 hits. Brandon Chunchignorov became the 23^rd member of the 500 home run club. Robert Albrecht won his 9^th Gold Glove in center field. RF Timofei Averkin won his 12^th Silver Slugger, becoming the 4^th in EPB to win the award 12+ times at any spot. 3B Yerjanik Kostin won his 7^th Silver Slugger.

06-02-2025, 07:59 AM	#2266
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,882	2030 in EPB Beginning in 2030, Eurasian Professional Baseball instituted rule changes designed to increase scoring output. EPB had been considered a below average to low scoring league generally compared to other world leagues. For the 2020s, EPB had a league ERA around 3.15 and a batting average around .242. With the changes, EPB in the 2030s would have an ERA closer to the 3.65 range and batting averages around .258. This placed EPB into average scoring territory relative to other world leagues historically. EPB’s scoring was in a similar range when it was founded in 1955, but the scoring dropped soon with ERAs in the high twos for much of the 20^th Century before bumping into the low threes after 2006 rule changes. Reigning EPB champ and two-time defending European League champ Volgograd crushed the competition with a franchise-best 113-49 record. The Voyagers were the first 110+ win team in the EL since Minsk in 1998 and the first in all of EPB since Krasnoyarsk in 2020. Volgograd led the league in runs (740) and fewest allowed (537), earning a third consecutive South Division title. It was their ninth division title in a decade. Also for the third year running, Gomel won the North Division with a new franchise best at 98-64. It was a steep drop down to the wild cards with both Moscow and Samara advancing at 86-76. Voronezh at 82-80 was the first team out and the only other EL team above .500. The Mules earned repeat playoff trips while the Steelers made it four-in-a-row. Moscow DH Yuri Demyan won European League MVP with a record breaking campaign. The 25-year old hometown favorite set the new EPB top mark for RBI with 145, passing Dzmitry Kuliev’s 141 which had stood since 1988. Demyan had 428 total bases, just missing Kuliev’s record 429 from the same year. Demyan also led in home runs (58), slugging (.668), OPS (1.047), wRC+ (189), and WAR (8.8). The fourth-year starter also had 215 hits, 109 runs, and a .335 average. The Mules would give Demyan an eight-year, $97 million extension after the 2031 season. Demyan was second in batting average in the EL, although he was far from a Triple Crown due to Voronezh’s Vladimir Pyatrenka at .378. Pyatrenka notably broke EPB’s single-season hits record with 241. The top mark had been Nikolay Denisov’s 239 since 1992. Although Tel Aviv was 79-83, they had the Pitcher of the Year in Nikita Melnikov. The seventh-year righty from Kazakhstan led in ERA (1.87), innings (273.2), WHIP (0.87), K/BB (11.8), quality starts (29), complete games (18), FIP- (60), and WAR (9.6). Melnikov had a 21-9 record, 319 strikeouts, and 187 ERA+. He was the #1 overall draft pick in 2023 by the Aeros and would ink a five-year, $65,600,000 extension in the winter. Also worth a mention, Volgograd’s Aleksei Kotyukh won his third Reliever of the Year award. The 33-year old has alternated between starting and relief for the Voyagers, even winning the ERA title in 2029 as a starter. Kotyukh led in saves with 39 in 2030 and also won ROTY in 2026 and 2028. Volgograd escaped with a 3-2 first round victory over Samara, while Moscow upset Gomel 3-1. The Mules earned their first European League Championship Series trip since their 2025 pennant. The Voyagers were going for three straight titles and were a heavy favorite considering the 27 win difference between the teams. However, Moscow dethroned the reigning champs with a stunning 4-2 ELCS upset. It was the 14^th EL crown for the Russian capital (1967, 74, 75, 2005, 06, 07, 09, 10, 15, 16, 19, 21, 25, 30), second-most behind only Minsk (21). Novosibirsk took the Asian League’s top seed at 102-60, winning the East Division for the first time since the 2000 realignment. The Nitros hadn’t posted a first place finish since 1991 and earned back-to-back playoff berths for the first time since the mid 1990s. Novosibirsk held off two-time defending AL champ Vladivostok, who easily got the first wild card at 96-66 for a third straight playoff trip. The Shibas allowed the fewest runs in EPB at 532. Nur-Sultan was the top scoring team at 751 runs, pushing them to 94-68 for a fourth consecutive West Division title. Omsk was second at 89-73 to earn the second wild card, ending a two-year playoff drought. Irkutsk was the next closest competitor for the spot at 86-76, followed by last year’s wild card Khabarovsk at 81-81. For the Ice Cats, it was notably their first winning season since 2018. Leading Novosibirsk to the top seed was Asian League MVP Timofei Kolarov. The 30-year old second baseman had debuted with the Nitros in 2020 after being the #1 overall draft pick in 2018. He had been a full-time starter since 2023. Kolarov led in home runs (47), RBI (109), slugging (.627), and WAR (8.0). The Russian righty added 179 hits, 96 runs, 32 doubles, .308 average, .964 OPS, and 179 wRC+. Nur-Sultan’s Vardan Aslan won his second Pitcher of the Year in three seasons. The 26-year old Uzbek righty led in wins (21-10), innings (281.2), complete games (24), shutouts (5), and WAR (7.4). Aslan had a 2.72 ERA, 281 strikeouts, 127 ERA+, and 74 FIP-. Novosibirsk swept Omsk in the first round and Vladivostok got the road upset 3-1 over Nur-Sultan. For the Nitros, this was their first Asian League Championship Series trip since 1991. However, home field advantage made no difference as the Shibas cruised to a 4-1 ALCS victory. Vladivostok is the first EPB team to win three consecutive pennants since Rostov (2012-14) and the first to do it in the AL since Yekaterinburg (2006-08). The 76^th EPB Championship was a seven-game classic which saw Vladivostok outlast Moscow, bringing the cup to the Russian Far East for the second time in three years. The Mules fall to 5-9 all-time in their finals trips. Finals MVP was Argentine journeyman RF George Lemus, who came to the Shibas in 2029 after a brief run in MLB. The 30-year old had 16 playoff starts with 20 hits, 11 runs, 3 doubles, 4 triples, 3 homers, 12 RBI, and 1.025 OPS. Other notes: Volgograd’s Marc Kubler had the lone no-hitter of 2030, striking out 18 with two walks against Rostov on September 29. He was one K short of the EPB record for strikeouts in a no-no. Svyatoslav Tyahnybok became the 12^th pitcher to 250 career wins and the 32^nd to 4000 strikeouts. Later in the year, Yevgeni Lyubimov also crossed 4000 Ks. Yuri Lukashov and Bakhtiyar Dolukhanov became the 32^nd and 33^rd batters to 2500 hits. Brandon Chunchignorov became the 23^rd member of the 500 home run club. Robert Albrecht won his 9^th Gold Glove in center field. RF Timofei Averkin won his 12^th Silver Slugger, becoming the 4^th in EPB to win the award 12+ times at any spot. 3B Yerjanik Kostin won his 7^th Silver Slugger. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)