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FuzzyRussianHat · 12-22-2025, 06:45 PM

The Korea League was extremely top heavy as Goyang, Gwangju, and Ulsan each won 110+ games in a fierce fight for the top seed. They each absolutely rolled to division titles with the defending KL champ Green Sox getting their fourth straight crown in the North. They extended their playoff streak to 12 seasons with 10 division titles. The Swallows won a third straight Southeast Division and grew the playoff streak to four. The Grays got their sixth Southwest Division crown in a row.

At the all-star break, Goyang narrowly was the best of the three at 72-31, followed by the Swallows at 72-32 and Grays at 69-35. All three remained strong in the second half, but the Green Sox narrowly kept the edge at 112-50 while the others were 110-52. Goyang had the best run differential in East Asia Baseball at +277 with the most runs scored (867) and their pitching staff had 1709 strikeouts and a 10.45 K/9, both single-season KL records.

Gwangju and Ulsan had split their six regular season games, but the margin of victory was 30-21 in favor of the Grays thanks to a 10-0 drubbing in their first meeting. This gave Gwangju the #2 seed and a bye, forcing the Swallows to play someone in the wild card round. Although it was fully expected that Ulsan would advance and set up a divisional round showdown with the Grays.

The only competitive division was the Central with Yongin (101-61) holding on over Suwon (97-65). The Gold Sox were 14-3 in extra-inning games, helping them win eight games more than their expected win/loss. Yongin ended an eight-year playoff drought and won their first division title since 2010. The Snappers got the first wild card, giving them eight playoff trips in the last ten years.

A 38-21 record after the all-star break gave Gimhae the narrow edge for the second wild card at 94-68, holding off Seongnam (93-69) and Pyongyang (87-75). The Spiders were right with Yongin and Suwon in the division at the break, but a 1-9 run in early August sank them despite allowing the KL’s fewest runs at 555. The Golden Angels earned their first-ever playoff trip since joining with the 2030 expansion. Also worth a notice was Busan at 80-82, which was their first losing record since 2019. They’ve missed the playoffs back-to-back following their record 17-year postseason streak.

Suwon’s Ye-Seung Lee was the unanimous Korea League MVP and became a two-time winner, having also done it in 2034. The 32-year old 1B led in home runs (64), RBI (139), total bases (434), slugging (.713), OPS (1.078), wRC+ (210), and WAR (10.4). In his tenth year as a full-timer for the Snappers, Lee had 201 hits, 124 runs, 31 doubles, and a .330 average. Lee is signed through 2042 on a $269 million deal, although he does have an opt out option next year.

Ulsan’s Jin-Yu Jun made history as a six-time Pitcher of the Year winner, a feat previously only met by Yu-Geon Moon, Toshikuni Naikai, and Aiya Kodama. Jun had won in 2026, 27, and 29 with the Swallows, then took the honor in 2032 and 34 with Kobe. Ulsan gave him a record-setting $385 million extension in March 2029, but traded him to the Blaze by October due to financial woes. He returned to Ulsan last year, won the ERA title and was second in POTY voting. For 2038, he got 30 first place votes, while Changwon’s Wan Ahn got nine and Goyang’s Sang-Soo Lee had one.

Many were shocked that Jun won it so firmly considering Ahn earned his second Triple Crown in three seasons and only the 22^nd by an EAB pitcher. Ahn beat out Jun by a mere fraction for the ERA title at 1.938 versus 1.939. On a middling Crabs squad, Ahn also had the most wins at 24-6 and strikeouts at 351. Jun had him narrowly beat for WAR (10.1 to 9.9) and FIP (1.85 to 1.97). It was Lee who actually led in both WAR (10.7) and FIP (1.68).

Jun had 341 strikeouts over 246 innings with a 22-5 record and led in WHIP (0.77) and K/BB (10.0). He also had a 206 ERA+ and 46 FIP- at age 35 against the strong field. Jun became the 22^nd EAB ace with 4000 career strikeouts and the 6th with 120+ WAR. Now at 120.31, Jun is two strong years or one amazing year from passing Jae-Hoon Seon’s 132.37 as the EAB leader in pitching WAR. His return deal with Ulsan was $121 million over five years.

Pyongyang’s Eun-Jae Chong was Reliever of the Year and also notable as the only the second ROTY winner in the KL with a sub-one ERA in the 21^st Century. His 6.9 WAR was sixth among all KL pitchers as the 31-year old had a 0.60 ERA, 34 saves, and 173 strikeouts in 89.2 innings. Chong’s WAR is the fourth-best by a Reliever of the Year winner in EAB.

Yongin had home field and the one-game bonus against Suwon in the first round and narrowly avoided collapse in an 8-7 game one win. The Snappers successfully rallied in a 6-3 second contest, but the Gold Sox rolled to 7-1 in game three to advance. In the clincher, 23-year old Kunio Ogawa had a three-hit complete game with six strikeouts.

Ulsan was the heavy favorite on the other side with Gimhae and won the opener 8-4. The Golden Angels surprised them 5-3 in game two and forced extras in game three. Myung Lee’s RBI single in the tenth ended the series with a 2-1 final. This set up the highly anticipated Ulsan/Gwangju showdown in the divisional round. With both teams 110-52, it is almost certainly the most wins between two teams playing in the playoffs outside of the championship or LCS.

The Swallows started with a 2-0 road win as POTY Jin-Yu Jun tossed 8.2 scoreless innings with 6 hits and 10 Ks. Gwangju rallied in game two with a Seong-Heon Ryou two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game at 3-3. In the tenth, Yun-Jae Pin got a one-out and single and stole his way to third to set up the walkoff sacrifice fly.

The series shifted to Ulsan for a 5-3 Swallows win on Si-Won Joon’s complete game. Game four was then a stunning 11-2 rout for Ulsan to clinch the series and their second trip to the Korea League Championship Series in three years. The Swallows were looking to end a 22-year playoff drought. Despite a six-year playoff streak, the Grays have only gotten to the KLCS once in that stretch with no titles to show for it.

The other side looked like it might be short after Goyang mauled Yongin 16-0 in the opener. Six of their 20 hits in game went deep with Sung-Hoon Ma smacking three. Impressively, the Gold Sox battled back with a 4-2 road win in game two, forcing the Green Sox to take a game on the road. Goyang did just that with a tight 6-5 score in game three, followed by an 8-1 blowout to seal it.

Goyang was going for the repeat and were in the KLCS for the sixth time of their 12-year playoff streak. Although the Green Sox were two games better in the regular season, Ulsan had won the season series 4-2. Goyang opened strong with 4-1 and 8-5 wins on their home diamond. The series shifted and Ulsan took game three 7-5, capped off with a three-run Jun-Hu Ryuk walkoff homer. That would ultimately be the only real moment of the series for the Swallows.

Game four was a 2-0 Goyang road win with a two-hit, 11 strikeout shutout by Sun-Ho Yim. Russ Peng’s complete game was strong on the other side with 11 Ks and 8 hits, but two runs allowed in the eighth was enough for the L. The Green Sox got the better of great pitching again to seal the series with a 3-1 win in game five. Sang-Soo Lee gave up one run and three hits over 7.2 innings, then Ji-Hoon Park retired the next four for the save. Lee had a 0.57 ERA and 14 strikeouts over his two victories on the mound.

Series MVP was given to 37-year old 1B Han Yi, the three-time league MVP in his first season with Goyang. The veteran joined in search of the elusive ring which he hadn’t gotten in his earlier stints between Gwangju, Jeju, Cheongju, and Yongin. Yi was 7-18 with 3 homers and 9 RBI in the series. The Green Sox became eight-time Korean champs (1991, 2008, 11, 12, 28, 30, 37, 38). They’re the first repeat KL winner since Busan in 2023-24.

12-22-2025, 06:45 PM	#2636
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,218	2038 EAB Korea League The Korea League was extremely top heavy as Goyang, Gwangju, and Ulsan each won 110+ games in a fierce fight for the top seed. They each absolutely rolled to division titles with the defending KL champ Green Sox getting their fourth straight crown in the North. They extended their playoff streak to 12 seasons with 10 division titles. The Swallows won a third straight Southeast Division and grew the playoff streak to four. The Grays got their sixth Southwest Division crown in a row. At the all-star break, Goyang narrowly was the best of the three at 72-31, followed by the Swallows at 72-32 and Grays at 69-35. All three remained strong in the second half, but the Green Sox narrowly kept the edge at 112-50 while the others were 110-52. Goyang had the best run differential in East Asia Baseball at +277 with the most runs scored (867) and their pitching staff had 1709 strikeouts and a 10.45 K/9, both single-season KL records. Gwangju and Ulsan had split their six regular season games, but the margin of victory was 30-21 in favor of the Grays thanks to a 10-0 drubbing in their first meeting. This gave Gwangju the #2 seed and a bye, forcing the Swallows to play someone in the wild card round. Although it was fully expected that Ulsan would advance and set up a divisional round showdown with the Grays. The only competitive division was the Central with Yongin (101-61) holding on over Suwon (97-65). The Gold Sox were 14-3 in extra-inning games, helping them win eight games more than their expected win/loss. Yongin ended an eight-year playoff drought and won their first division title since 2010. The Snappers got the first wild card, giving them eight playoff trips in the last ten years. A 38-21 record after the all-star break gave Gimhae the narrow edge for the second wild card at 94-68, holding off Seongnam (93-69) and Pyongyang (87-75). The Spiders were right with Yongin and Suwon in the division at the break, but a 1-9 run in early August sank them despite allowing the KL’s fewest runs at 555. The Golden Angels earned their first-ever playoff trip since joining with the 2030 expansion. Also worth a notice was Busan at 80-82, which was their first losing record since 2019. They’ve missed the playoffs back-to-back following their record 17-year postseason streak. Suwon’s Ye-Seung Lee was the unanimous Korea League MVP and became a two-time winner, having also done it in 2034. The 32-year old 1B led in home runs (64), RBI (139), total bases (434), slugging (.713), OPS (1.078), wRC+ (210), and WAR (10.4). In his tenth year as a full-timer for the Snappers, Lee had 201 hits, 124 runs, 31 doubles, and a .330 average. Lee is signed through 2042 on a $269 million deal, although he does have an opt out option next year. Ulsan’s Jin-Yu Jun made history as a six-time Pitcher of the Year winner, a feat previously only met by Yu-Geon Moon, Toshikuni Naikai, and Aiya Kodama. Jun had won in 2026, 27, and 29 with the Swallows, then took the honor in 2032 and 34 with Kobe. Ulsan gave him a record-setting $385 million extension in March 2029, but traded him to the Blaze by October due to financial woes. He returned to Ulsan last year, won the ERA title and was second in POTY voting. For 2038, he got 30 first place votes, while Changwon’s Wan Ahn got nine and Goyang’s Sang-Soo Lee had one. Many were shocked that Jun won it so firmly considering Ahn earned his second Triple Crown in three seasons and only the 22^nd by an EAB pitcher. Ahn beat out Jun by a mere fraction for the ERA title at 1.938 versus 1.939. On a middling Crabs squad, Ahn also had the most wins at 24-6 and strikeouts at 351. Jun had him narrowly beat for WAR (10.1 to 9.9) and FIP (1.85 to 1.97). It was Lee who actually led in both WAR (10.7) and FIP (1.68). Jun had 341 strikeouts over 246 innings with a 22-5 record and led in WHIP (0.77) and K/BB (10.0). He also had a 206 ERA+ and 46 FIP- at age 35 against the strong field. Jun became the 22^nd EAB ace with 4000 career strikeouts and the 6th with 120+ WAR. Now at 120.31, Jun is two strong years or one amazing year from passing Jae-Hoon Seon’s 132.37 as the EAB leader in pitching WAR. His return deal with Ulsan was $121 million over five years. Pyongyang’s Eun-Jae Chong was Reliever of the Year and also notable as the only the second ROTY winner in the KL with a sub-one ERA in the 21^st Century. His 6.9 WAR was sixth among all KL pitchers as the 31-year old had a 0.60 ERA, 34 saves, and 173 strikeouts in 89.2 innings. Chong’s WAR is the fourth-best by a Reliever of the Year winner in EAB. Yongin had home field and the one-game bonus against Suwon in the first round and narrowly avoided collapse in an 8-7 game one win. The Snappers successfully rallied in a 6-3 second contest, but the Gold Sox rolled to 7-1 in game three to advance. In the clincher, 23-year old Kunio Ogawa had a three-hit complete game with six strikeouts. Ulsan was the heavy favorite on the other side with Gimhae and won the opener 8-4. The Golden Angels surprised them 5-3 in game two and forced extras in game three. Myung Lee’s RBI single in the tenth ended the series with a 2-1 final. This set up the highly anticipated Ulsan/Gwangju showdown in the divisional round. With both teams 110-52, it is almost certainly the most wins between two teams playing in the playoffs outside of the championship or LCS. The Swallows started with a 2-0 road win as POTY Jin-Yu Jun tossed 8.2 scoreless innings with 6 hits and 10 Ks. Gwangju rallied in game two with a Seong-Heon Ryou two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game at 3-3. In the tenth, Yun-Jae Pin got a one-out and single and stole his way to third to set up the walkoff sacrifice fly. The series shifted to Ulsan for a 5-3 Swallows win on Si-Won Joon’s complete game. Game four was then a stunning 11-2 rout for Ulsan to clinch the series and their second trip to the Korea League Championship Series in three years. The Swallows were looking to end a 22-year playoff drought. Despite a six-year playoff streak, the Grays have only gotten to the KLCS once in that stretch with no titles to show for it. The other side looked like it might be short after Goyang mauled Yongin 16-0 in the opener. Six of their 20 hits in game went deep with Sung-Hoon Ma smacking three. Impressively, the Gold Sox battled back with a 4-2 road win in game two, forcing the Green Sox to take a game on the road. Goyang did just that with a tight 6-5 score in game three, followed by an 8-1 blowout to seal it. Goyang was going for the repeat and were in the KLCS for the sixth time of their 12-year playoff streak. Although the Green Sox were two games better in the regular season, Ulsan had won the season series 4-2. Goyang opened strong with 4-1 and 8-5 wins on their home diamond. The series shifted and Ulsan took game three 7-5, capped off with a three-run Jun-Hu Ryuk walkoff homer. That would ultimately be the only real moment of the series for the Swallows. Game four was a 2-0 Goyang road win with a two-hit, 11 strikeout shutout by Sun-Ho Yim. Russ Peng’s complete game was strong on the other side with 11 Ks and 8 hits, but two runs allowed in the eighth was enough for the L. The Green Sox got the better of great pitching again to seal the series with a 3-1 win in game five. Sang-Soo Lee gave up one run and three hits over 7.2 innings, then Ji-Hoon Park retired the next four for the save. Lee had a 0.57 ERA and 14 strikeouts over his two victories on the mound. Series MVP was given to 37-year old 1B Han Yi, the three-time league MVP in his first season with Goyang. The veteran joined in search of the elusive ring which he hadn’t gotten in his earlier stints between Gwangju, Jeju, Cheongju, and Yongin. Yi was 7-18 with 3 homers and 9 RBI in the series. The Green Sox became eight-time Korean champs (1991, 2008, 11, 12, 28, 30, 37, 38). They’re the first repeat KL winner since Busan in 2023-24. __________________ 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)