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Hiroshima’s dynasty in the Japan League was disrupted in 1971 as the three-time defending league champs dropped to 81-81, fifth in the South Division. With their absence, Kitakyushu took first place at 100-62, beating Nagoya by six games. For the Kodiaks, this is their first playoff berth since 1955. Meanwhile in the North Division, Kawasaki cruised to the crown at 104-58, back in the postseason after missing the prior two years. Defending division champ Sendai was a distant second at 93-69.

Sapporo was third at 89-73, but they had the Japan League MVP and Pitcher of the Year. Sosuke Hoshizawa won back-to-back MVPs and was the WARlord at 10.8. The 22-year old centerfielder had a 1.022 OPS and .320 average, 45 home runs, 116 RBI, and 100 runs. Pitcher of the Year was 27-year old Eikichi Utsubo in his sixth and final season of his first run with the Swordfish. He was the leader in ERA (2.10) and wins (20-8), and second in strikeouts at 312. He had a 0.86 WHIP and 7.8 WAR over 270.1 innings. Utsubo would leave for MLB and Montreal in 1972.



The Korea League had two division winners that snapped lengthy playoff droughts. Busan won the South Division at 96-66, ending Yongin’s five-year run on top. The defending league champ Gold Sox and Daegu tied for second at 88-74. Seongnam won the North Division at 95-67, two games ahead of Pyongyang and seven better than last year’s division winner Hamhung. For the Blue Jays, it is their first playoff berth since winning the EAB title in 1944, and it is the first berth for the Spiders since 1952.

Suwon has the longest playoff drought in Korea going back to 1935 and stunk at 70-92 in 1971, but the Snappers had the league MVP in Si-Heon Kang. The 27-year old lefty was a two-way player, getting 4.7 WAR, 199 strikeouts, and a 2.63 ERA over 256.1 innings on the mound. In right field over 100 games, he had 4.8 WAR, a .924 OPS, 28 home runs, and 65 RBI. Busan’s Cheng Yang was the Pitcher of the Year. The third-year Chinese lefty led in wins at 22-6, strikeouts at 307, and WAR at 7.8. Yang added a 2.68 ERA in 272.1 innings.

In the 1971 Japan League Championship Series, Kitakyushu downed Kawasaki in six games. It is the third title for the Kodiaks, who also won it in 1954 and 1955. The Korea League Championship Series had a Busan sweep of Seongnam. It is the ninth league title for the Blue Jays and the first since their 1930s and early 1940s dynasty run.



In the 51^st East Asia Championship, Busan bested Kitakyushu 4-1. The Blue Jays are now five team EAB champs (1933, 1938, 1942, 1944, 1971). Finals MVP was RF Seung-Hyeok Jang, who had signed with Busan in the offseason after nine seasons with Sendai. In nine playoff games, Jang had 11 hits, 6 runs, 3 home runs, and 8 RBI.



Other notes: Dong-Ju Hahn became the second EAB batter to 3500 career hits. In his final season, Hahn finished with 3585 hits, second to Byung-Oh Tan’s 3871. Man-Hee Cho became the fifth EAB hitter to 3000 career hits and the ninth to 1500 runs scored. Yoriyuki Kono and Masaru Oya both crossed 600 home runs, bringing it to 11 players in the club in EAB. Kono and three others crossed 1500 RBI, making it 15 batters to have done son.

Sang-Hun Joon became the second EAB pitcher to 4500 strikeouts. He finished the year at 4502 and would pass Michiro Yabuta’s all-time mark of 4608 the next year. Two-way player Totaro Uchiyama won his eighth Silver Slugger as a pitcher. 2B Min-Hyeok Shin won his 12^th Silver Slugger, SS Kyung-Hwan Choi won his tenth, and C Jung-Soo Chen won his ninth.