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FuzzyRussianHat · 12-22-2025, 08:00 AM

The Japan League’s top action came out of the Capital Division for much of the season. At the all-star break, Yokohama had the JL’s best record at 70-34 with reigning East Asian Baseball champ Saitama one back at 69-34. They remained ahead of the rest of the field with the Yellow Jackets pulling away late for the top seed at 107-55. Saitama at 102-60 was easily the first wild card with both squads earning repeat playoff trips. It was Yokohama’s first division title since 2017.

Sapporo atop the North Division got the #2 seed at 102-60. The Swordsmen won a third straight division title and got a fourth playoff spot in a row. Hamamatsu earned the Central Division for the sixth successive season at 100-62. The Chickenhawks led in run differential (+240) and runs scored (868), the latter being the third-most runs in a JL season ever. Their .288 team batting average was second-best in Japanese history and their .332 OBP was third.

The weakest division winner was Fukuoka at 91-71, who under-performed their expected win/loss by 11 with a 20-34 record in one-run games. Regardless, the Frogs made it a West Division three-peat, topping 85-77 Hiroshima by six games. Three teams fought for the second wild card with the Capital Division’s third place squad Kawasaki narrowly taking it.

The Killer Whales at 92-70 had the best second half of any team at 39-19 and allowed the fewest runs in EAB at 497. Their division title and 100+ win season streak snapped at five, but the playoff streak grew to eight seasons. Sendai and Osaka, both second in their divisions, were both one back at 91-71. The Orange Sox were 8-2 to end the year, but couldn’t quite take the spot. Although the seeding changed, the 2038 playoff field in Japan was the same as the prior year.

Hamamatsu CF Issei Sakamoto won Japan League MVP and was nearly unanimous with teammate 1B Mitsuru Ishida poaching only one first place vote from him. The 27-year old righty was a huge free agent signing for the Chickenhawks after previously playing with Yokohama and Ulsan. They had given him a huge eight-year, $255,500,000 deal hoping he’d bounce back after missing a month the prior year to an elbow injury.

Sakamoto led the league in runs (137), hits (233), triples (29), total bases (390), stolen bases (90), batting average (.366), and WAR (12.1). He added 24 doubles, 25 home runs, 110 RBI, 1.014 OPS, and 190 wRC+. The runs were tied for the 8^th-best single season in EAB history and it was one of only 17 seasons by an EAB position player with 12+ WAR. Sakamoto also had a 4.6 zone rating and 1.017 EFF, providing positive defense in center along with his bat.

Saitama’s Kunihiko Ozawa won Pitcher of the Year with 34 first place votes, while three other pitchers split the remaining six top votes. Amazingly Sendai’s Atsuo Sugaya was sixth in voting despite leading in strikeouts (379) and WAR (8.1). It was Kawasaki’s Kiyohiro Yoshioka who won the ERA title at 1.73, although he had fewer innings than the other contenders.

In his fourth season for the Sting, Ozawa was the leader in wins (22-7) and quality starts (26). The 26-year old righty had a 2.43 ERA over 244.2 innings, 322 strikeouts, 147 ERA+, 72 FIP-, and 6.8 WAR. Ozawa had been the #15 pick in the 2034 EAB Draft by the Saitama and had already given them four strong seasons. He was signed after the 2036 campaign to a six-year, $93,200,000 extension.

As a division champ, Fukuoka had home field and the one-game bonus despite being 11 wins worse than Saitama in the wild card round. The Sting had also swept them in six games in the regular season, so many expected the defending champs to roll. Saitama opened the series with a 7-5 road win, but the Frogs responded with a 7-6 win. In game three, Fukuoka scored seven between innings 6-7 en route to a 8-5 win, completing the 3-1 upset over the defending champ.

Kawasaki opened with a 7-6 road win in ten innings over Hamamatsu in a dramatic affair. The Killer Whales went ahead with four runs in the eighth inning, but the Chickenhawks got one back in the ninth to tie. Kawasaki scored twice in the top of the tenth inning. Hamamatsu got one back with a solo homer on the first pitch of the bottom half and got the next batter to second, but he was ultimately stranded.

Hamamatsu was down 5-1 in game two, but they got two in the eighth and three in the ninth for a walkoff 6-5 win. The dramatic final swing was a three-run homer by Mitsuru Ishida which narrowly cleared the left field fence at 339 feet. Hamamatsu then held on 4-3 in game three, giving them the series as they started with the one-game bonus as a division champ.

Sapporo rolled to a 6-2 win over Hamamatsu to start the divisional series. They needed a sacrifice fly in game two in the ninth to force extras at 6-6. With two outs in the bottom of the 14^th, Ji-Uk Ryu’s solo homer gave the Swordfish the 7-6 walkoff win. The series shifted to Hamamatsu and the Chickenhawks unleashed in a 13-4 result in game three.

Game four went extras with a Takayasu Nakatani two-run homer proving decisive in a ten-inning, 7-5 win for Sapporo. With the 3-1 series win, the Swordfish earned their first trip to the Japan League Championship Series since their 2026 title. Hamamatsu has had back-to-back divisional round exits since their historic three-peat and the legendary 126-36 season and Grand Champion run in 2036.

Top seed Yokohama opened with a 3-1 win over Fukuoka, but the Frogs surprised them with a 2-0 upset in game two. Fukuoka then claimed game three at home 7-2 to put the Yellow Jackets on the brink. However, Yokohama’s 3-2 result in game four got extended the series back to their home diamond.

Starter Yozo Harada was injured in the fifth inning, but ultimately four pitchers combined in a three-hit shutout by the Yellow Jackets. Three runs in the eighth gave them the extra padding in a 4-0 win, giving the Yellow Jackets their first JLCS appearance since their 2016 pennant. They had home field advantage over Sapporo and had won the season series 4-2.

Yokohama’s pitching was excellent initially with 6-1 and 4-0 home wins to open the series. Sapporo reversed the trend extremely as the series shifted north, winning the next three by 11-7, 8-2, and 14-3 margins. Game six was back to being competitive with a tied 2-2 score from innings 7-11. In the 12^th, Sapporo’s Rikuto Utada singled on the first pitch, then was knocked in by Michinori Maeda’s RBI double. Yokohama got a one-out single in the bottom half, but their other batters all struck out looking.

The 3-2 Sapporo road win gave them the series in six games, ending their 11 year title drought. The Swordfish have been Japan’s best team overall with the most pennants (17) and JLCS trips (31). They had previous titles in 1922, 32, 33, 44, 45, 47, 49, 50, 51, 56, 81, 83, 97, 98, 2024, 26, and 38). CF Rikuto Utada was series MVP, going 10-24 with 3 homers and 7 RBI. Ji-U Ryu notably was 10-27 with 4 homers and 10 RBI.

12-22-2025, 08:00 AM	#2635
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,234	2038 EAB Japan League The Japan League’s top action came out of the Capital Division for much of the season. At the all-star break, Yokohama had the JL’s best record at 70-34 with reigning East Asian Baseball champ Saitama one back at 69-34. They remained ahead of the rest of the field with the Yellow Jackets pulling away late for the top seed at 107-55. Saitama at 102-60 was easily the first wild card with both squads earning repeat playoff trips. It was Yokohama’s first division title since 2017. Sapporo atop the North Division got the #2 seed at 102-60. The Swordsmen won a third straight division title and got a fourth playoff spot in a row. Hamamatsu earned the Central Division for the sixth successive season at 100-62. The Chickenhawks led in run differential (+240) and runs scored (868), the latter being the third-most runs in a JL season ever. Their .288 team batting average was second-best in Japanese history and their .332 OBP was third. The weakest division winner was Fukuoka at 91-71, who under-performed their expected win/loss by 11 with a 20-34 record in one-run games. Regardless, the Frogs made it a West Division three-peat, topping 85-77 Hiroshima by six games. Three teams fought for the second wild card with the Capital Division’s third place squad Kawasaki narrowly taking it. The Killer Whales at 92-70 had the best second half of any team at 39-19 and allowed the fewest runs in EAB at 497. Their division title and 100+ win season streak snapped at five, but the playoff streak grew to eight seasons. Sendai and Osaka, both second in their divisions, were both one back at 91-71. The Orange Sox were 8-2 to end the year, but couldn’t quite take the spot. Although the seeding changed, the 2038 playoff field in Japan was the same as the prior year. Hamamatsu CF Issei Sakamoto won Japan League MVP and was nearly unanimous with teammate 1B Mitsuru Ishida poaching only one first place vote from him. The 27-year old righty was a huge free agent signing for the Chickenhawks after previously playing with Yokohama and Ulsan. They had given him a huge eight-year, $255,500,000 deal hoping he’d bounce back after missing a month the prior year to an elbow injury. Sakamoto led the league in runs (137), hits (233), triples (29), total bases (390), stolen bases (90), batting average (.366), and WAR (12.1). He added 24 doubles, 25 home runs, 110 RBI, 1.014 OPS, and 190 wRC+. The runs were tied for the 8^th-best single season in EAB history and it was one of only 17 seasons by an EAB position player with 12+ WAR. Sakamoto also had a 4.6 zone rating and 1.017 EFF, providing positive defense in center along with his bat. Saitama’s Kunihiko Ozawa won Pitcher of the Year with 34 first place votes, while three other pitchers split the remaining six top votes. Amazingly Sendai’s Atsuo Sugaya was sixth in voting despite leading in strikeouts (379) and WAR (8.1). It was Kawasaki’s Kiyohiro Yoshioka who won the ERA title at 1.73, although he had fewer innings than the other contenders. In his fourth season for the Sting, Ozawa was the leader in wins (22-7) and quality starts (26). The 26-year old righty had a 2.43 ERA over 244.2 innings, 322 strikeouts, 147 ERA+, 72 FIP-, and 6.8 WAR. Ozawa had been the #15 pick in the 2034 EAB Draft by the Saitama and had already given them four strong seasons. He was signed after the 2036 campaign to a six-year, $93,200,000 extension. As a division champ, Fukuoka had home field and the one-game bonus despite being 11 wins worse than Saitama in the wild card round. The Sting had also swept them in six games in the regular season, so many expected the defending champs to roll. Saitama opened the series with a 7-5 road win, but the Frogs responded with a 7-6 win. In game three, Fukuoka scored seven between innings 6-7 en route to a 8-5 win, completing the 3-1 upset over the defending champ. Kawasaki opened with a 7-6 road win in ten innings over Hamamatsu in a dramatic affair. The Killer Whales went ahead with four runs in the eighth inning, but the Chickenhawks got one back in the ninth to tie. Kawasaki scored twice in the top of the tenth inning. Hamamatsu got one back with a solo homer on the first pitch of the bottom half and got the next batter to second, but he was ultimately stranded. Hamamatsu was down 5-1 in game two, but they got two in the eighth and three in the ninth for a walkoff 6-5 win. The dramatic final swing was a three-run homer by Mitsuru Ishida which narrowly cleared the left field fence at 339 feet. Hamamatsu then held on 4-3 in game three, giving them the series as they started with the one-game bonus as a division champ. Sapporo rolled to a 6-2 win over Hamamatsu to start the divisional series. They needed a sacrifice fly in game two in the ninth to force extras at 6-6. With two outs in the bottom of the 14^th, Ji-Uk Ryu’s solo homer gave the Swordfish the 7-6 walkoff win. The series shifted to Hamamatsu and the Chickenhawks unleashed in a 13-4 result in game three. Game four went extras with a Takayasu Nakatani two-run homer proving decisive in a ten-inning, 7-5 win for Sapporo. With the 3-1 series win, the Swordfish earned their first trip to the Japan League Championship Series since their 2026 title. Hamamatsu has had back-to-back divisional round exits since their historic three-peat and the legendary 126-36 season and Grand Champion run in 2036. Top seed Yokohama opened with a 3-1 win over Fukuoka, but the Frogs surprised them with a 2-0 upset in game two. Fukuoka then claimed game three at home 7-2 to put the Yellow Jackets on the brink. However, Yokohama’s 3-2 result in game four got extended the series back to their home diamond. Starter Yozo Harada was injured in the fifth inning, but ultimately four pitchers combined in a three-hit shutout by the Yellow Jackets. Three runs in the eighth gave them the extra padding in a 4-0 win, giving the Yellow Jackets their first JLCS appearance since their 2016 pennant. They had home field advantage over Sapporo and had won the season series 4-2. Yokohama’s pitching was excellent initially with 6-1 and 4-0 home wins to open the series. Sapporo reversed the trend extremely as the series shifted north, winning the next three by 11-7, 8-2, and 14-3 margins. Game six was back to being competitive with a tied 2-2 score from innings 7-11. In the 12^th, Sapporo’s Rikuto Utada singled on the first pitch, then was knocked in by Michinori Maeda’s RBI double. Yokohama got a one-out single in the bottom half, but their other batters all struck out looking. The 3-2 Sapporo road win gave them the series in six games, ending their 11 year title drought. The Swordfish have been Japan’s best team overall with the most pennants (17) and JLCS trips (31). They had previous titles in 1922, 32, 33, 44, 45, 47, 49, 50, 51, 56, 81, 83, 97, 98, 2024, 26, and 38). CF Rikuto Utada was series MVP, going 10-24 with 3 homers and 7 RBI. Ji-U Ryu notably was 10-27 with 4 homers and 10 RBI. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports The Level Playing Field: Alternate MLB History From 1884-Onward Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)