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FuzzyRussianHat · 07-16-2024, 06:58 AM

Hiroshima’s streak of West Division titles was ended at eight seasons in 2007. In 2008, the Hammerheads reclaimed the thrown at 106-56. They fended off a very strong field of Kitakyushu (94-68), Fukuoka (89-73), and Kumamoto (87-75) and were the only EAB team to allow fewer than 500 runs.

Nagoya was the #2 seed, winning the Central Division at 95-67. The Nightowls were 11 games ahead of Kobe and ended a seven-year playoff drought. Niigata won a third straight North Division at 93-69, 13 games better than their nearest foe. The Green Dragons earned their seventh playoff berth of the 2000s.

The Capital Division was again the “Crapital” Division. Tokyo won the Japan League last year despite only going 82-80 to win the division. The Tides took the top spot for the third straight year, but did it with an abysmal 78-84. Chiba at 72-90 was the closest foe. This wasn’t even the weakest division title in history for Tokyo, who won a pennant in 1995 at 74-88.

Hiroshima’s Hitoshi Kubota repeated as Japan League MVP and became the sixth EAB batter to earn a Triple Crown. The 25-year old switch-hitting left fielder he 51 home runs, 127 RBI, and a .325 average. Kubota also led in total bases (375), slugging (.666), and OPS (1.070) while posting 8.0 WAR and a 201 wRC+.

Kitakyushu’s Sekien Ida won Pitcher of the Year, leading in ERA (1.49), WHIP (0.79), K/BB (13.0), FIP- (33), and WAR (10.0). It was Ida’s second POTY, having also won in 2004. The 30-year old had a 17-8 record over 205 innings, 286 strikeouts, and a 227 ERA+. This earned him a six-year, $47,400,000 extension in the offseason from the Kodiaks.

Also of note, Fukuoka’s Heihachiro Okasawa won a third straight Reliever of the Year. He had a 0.77 ERA, 43 saves, and 6.6 WAR. That was the third-lowest ERA ever posted by a Japan League ROTY winner. It was the first sub-one ERA for a JL award winner since 1992.

Niigata outlasted Nagoya 3-2 in the first round, sending the Green Dragons to their fifth Japan League Championship Series of the 2000s. Despite a weak record again, Tokyo stunned Hiroshima 3-1 for a third straight JLCS. The Hammerheads’ playoff woes continue with no pennants despite nine playoff berths in ten years. In that stretch, they’ve gone one-and-done seven times.

Niigata would cruise to a 4-1 win over Tokyo to claim a fourth Japan League pennant in six years (2003, 2004, 2006, 2008). It was the sixth title for the Green Dragons since joining EAB in the 1978 expansion, having also won the JL in 1990 and 1991.

Defending East Asia Baseball champ Yongin had the Korea League’s best record at 100-62, extending their playoff streak to four seasons. The Gold Sox won the South Division by only one game, fending off 99-63 Gwangju. The Grays easily took the first wild card, earning their first playoff berth since their 1993 pennant. Last year’s division champ Ulsan plummeted to 74-88, while Busan went from a 97-win wild card to a mere 84-78.

Four teams were in the mix in a competitive North Division. Seongnam (97-65) took first, bouncing back after repeat losing seasons. Goyang was second at 94-68, narrowly taking the second wild card and ending a two-year playoff skid. Both Seoul and Suwon finished one behind at 93-69. That ended a four-year playoff streak for the Seahawks, who had won the pennant from 2004-06 and were KLCS runner-up in 2007.

In 2007, Suwon LF A-Min Bae became the first Triple Crown hitter in EAB since 1966. He repeated the feat in 2008 and became the only hitter to do it twice. Still in only his third season, the 23-year old repeated as Korea League MVP with 61 home runs, 137 RBI, and a .385 average.

Bae also led in runs (132), total bases (449), OBP (.436), slugging (.805), OPS (1.240), wRC+ (238), and WAR (13.6). The WAR mark was the third-best season in EAB history by a position player and the OPS ranked second all-time to that point. The .805 slugging did set a new EAB single-season record that would only be passed once in 2028.

Gwangju’s Se-Dol Cheon won Pitcher of the Year honors, repeating as ERA champ with a career-best 1.69. Cheon added 6.9 WAR and a 217 ERA+ over 218.2 innings with a 20-4 record and 218 strikeouts. The Grays would give him a six-year, $68,600,000 extension before the 2010 season, but later injuries sadly derailed his efforts.

Goyang upset defending champ Yongin with a first round sweep, while Seongnam swept Gwangju. The Spiders had made the Korea League Championship Series recently in 2003 in 2004, but the Green Sox hadn’t since their lone 1991 pennant. Goyang kept rolling, ousting their divisional rival 4-1 for their second-ever KL championship.

Goyang’s only other East Asian Championship appearance was in 1991, when Niigata earned their first-ever title. The Green Dragons again denied the Green Sox their first-ever title, taking the 88^th championship in a seven game classic. Niigata won their second title in three years and their third overall. LF Ye-Jun Moon was finals MVP with 17 playoff starts, 21 hits, 10 runs, 5 extra base hits, and 14 stolen bases. The 14 steals matched the EAB playoff record set in 1964.

Other notes: EAB’s 33^rd perfect game came on August 19 as Pyongyang’s Purevsukh Tomorbaatar struck out six against Daegu. LF Munenao Abe won his seventh Gold Glove.

07-16-2024, 06:58 AM	#1431
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,808	2008 in EAB Hiroshima’s streak of West Division titles was ended at eight seasons in 2007. In 2008, the Hammerheads reclaimed the thrown at 106-56. They fended off a very strong field of Kitakyushu (94-68), Fukuoka (89-73), and Kumamoto (87-75) and were the only EAB team to allow fewer than 500 runs. Nagoya was the #2 seed, winning the Central Division at 95-67. The Nightowls were 11 games ahead of Kobe and ended a seven-year playoff drought. Niigata won a third straight North Division at 93-69, 13 games better than their nearest foe. The Green Dragons earned their seventh playoff berth of the 2000s. The Capital Division was again the “Crapital” Division. Tokyo won the Japan League last year despite only going 82-80 to win the division. The Tides took the top spot for the third straight year, but did it with an abysmal 78-84. Chiba at 72-90 was the closest foe. This wasn’t even the weakest division title in history for Tokyo, who won a pennant in 1995 at 74-88. Hiroshima’s Hitoshi Kubota repeated as Japan League MVP and became the sixth EAB batter to earn a Triple Crown. The 25-year old switch-hitting left fielder he 51 home runs, 127 RBI, and a .325 average. Kubota also led in total bases (375), slugging (.666), and OPS (1.070) while posting 8.0 WAR and a 201 wRC+. Kitakyushu’s Sekien Ida won Pitcher of the Year, leading in ERA (1.49), WHIP (0.79), K/BB (13.0), FIP- (33), and WAR (10.0). It was Ida’s second POTY, having also won in 2004. The 30-year old had a 17-8 record over 205 innings, 286 strikeouts, and a 227 ERA+. This earned him a six-year, $47,400,000 extension in the offseason from the Kodiaks. Also of note, Fukuoka’s Heihachiro Okasawa won a third straight Reliever of the Year. He had a 0.77 ERA, 43 saves, and 6.6 WAR. That was the third-lowest ERA ever posted by a Japan League ROTY winner. It was the first sub-one ERA for a JL award winner since 1992. Niigata outlasted Nagoya 3-2 in the first round, sending the Green Dragons to their fifth Japan League Championship Series of the 2000s. Despite a weak record again, Tokyo stunned Hiroshima 3-1 for a third straight JLCS. The Hammerheads’ playoff woes continue with no pennants despite nine playoff berths in ten years. In that stretch, they’ve gone one-and-done seven times. Niigata would cruise to a 4-1 win over Tokyo to claim a fourth Japan League pennant in six years (2003, 2004, 2006, 2008). It was the sixth title for the Green Dragons since joining EAB in the 1978 expansion, having also won the JL in 1990 and 1991. Defending East Asia Baseball champ Yongin had the Korea League’s best record at 100-62, extending their playoff streak to four seasons. The Gold Sox won the South Division by only one game, fending off 99-63 Gwangju. The Grays easily took the first wild card, earning their first playoff berth since their 1993 pennant. Last year’s division champ Ulsan plummeted to 74-88, while Busan went from a 97-win wild card to a mere 84-78. Four teams were in the mix in a competitive North Division. Seongnam (97-65) took first, bouncing back after repeat losing seasons. Goyang was second at 94-68, narrowly taking the second wild card and ending a two-year playoff skid. Both Seoul and Suwon finished one behind at 93-69. That ended a four-year playoff streak for the Seahawks, who had won the pennant from 2004-06 and were KLCS runner-up in 2007. In 2007, Suwon LF A-Min Bae became the first Triple Crown hitter in EAB since 1966. He repeated the feat in 2008 and became the only hitter to do it twice. Still in only his third season, the 23-year old repeated as Korea League MVP with 61 home runs, 137 RBI, and a .385 average. Bae also led in runs (132), total bases (449), OBP (.436), slugging (.805), OPS (1.240), wRC+ (238), and WAR (13.6). The WAR mark was the third-best season in EAB history by a position player and the OPS ranked second all-time to that point. The .805 slugging did set a new EAB single-season record that would only be passed once in 2028. Gwangju’s Se-Dol Cheon won Pitcher of the Year honors, repeating as ERA champ with a career-best 1.69. Cheon added 6.9 WAR and a 217 ERA+ over 218.2 innings with a 20-4 record and 218 strikeouts. The Grays would give him a six-year, $68,600,000 extension before the 2010 season, but later injuries sadly derailed his efforts. Goyang upset defending champ Yongin with a first round sweep, while Seongnam swept Gwangju. The Spiders had made the Korea League Championship Series recently in 2003 in 2004, but the Green Sox hadn’t since their lone 1991 pennant. Goyang kept rolling, ousting their divisional rival 4-1 for their second-ever KL championship. Goyang’s only other East Asian Championship appearance was in 1991, when Niigata earned their first-ever title. The Green Dragons again denied the Green Sox their first-ever title, taking the 88^th championship in a seven game classic. Niigata won their second title in three years and their third overall. LF Ye-Jun Moon was finals MVP with 17 playoff starts, 21 hits, 10 runs, 5 extra base hits, and 14 stolen bases. The 14 steals matched the EAB playoff record set in 1964. Other notes: EAB’s 33^rd perfect game came on August 19 as Pyongyang’s Purevsukh Tomorbaatar struck out six against Daegu. LF Munenao Abe won his seventh Gold Glove. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)