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FuzzyRussianHat · 05-30-2025, 05:31 AM

Two teams were clear standouts in the Northern League; Harbin and Jinan. The Hellcats narrowly had the top record again, winning the new Northeast Division at 103-59. Harbin had a tough fight in the division with 95-67 Changchun, who became the first victim to miss the playoffs under the new wild card free system. The Hellcats set a new Chinese League Baseball attendance record with 2,090,696 tickets solid, besting the previous high set the prior year by Zhengzhou (2,049,265).

Reigning CLB champ Shenyang was a very distant third in the Northeast at 82-80. The Swans allowed the fewest runs in the NL at 508, but only scored 533. For the Jumbos, they rolled to the East Central Division at 102-60 to end a two-year playoff drought. Jinan made their own history, breaking CLB’s team on-base percentage record at .317. It was also the Jumbos’ first-ever 100+ win campaign. Last year’s NL runner-up Tianjin tied with Beijing for second in the division at 85-77.

Zhengzhou claimed the West Division at 92-70, earning their fourth playoff trip in five years. The Southeast Division was the NL’s weak link as Shanghai narrowly advanced at 83-79 over Hangzhou at 82-80. It was an impressive turnaround for the Seawolves, who hadn’t been above .500 since 2022 and hadn’t been a playoff team since 2017. Their 12-year playoff drought had been tied with Chengdu for the longest active skid in CLB.

The Zips took the top awards, led by Northern League MVP Harvey Chong. The 31-year old Hong Kong native was in his 11^th season for Zhengzhou and his ninth starting at first base. Chong led in total bases (413) while adding 210 hits, 109 runs, 58 home runs, 123 RBI, .327/.363/.642 slash, 192 wRC+, and 9.0 WAR. He also notably had a 23-game hitting streak in the fall.

Chong beat out Xiamen’s Liren Poh for the top honor. Poh had him beat for home runs (61) and RBI (130), but had lower advanced stats (.922 OPS, 163 wRC+, 6.7 WAR). Still, Poh’s effort was only the sixth 60+ homer season in CLB history to that point and only the sixth 130+ RBI campaign.

Second-year righty Jianglong An won Pitcher of the Year for the Zips, having led in ERA (1.80), and WAR (7.0). The fourth overall pick in the 2028 CLB Draft, An had been used as a closer the prior year. In 2030, An also had a 19-8 record, 234.2 innings, 254 strikeouts, and 180 ERA+. He was renowned for being “effectively wild,” with stellar stuff and movement (especially with his cutter), but lousy control.

In the new Triple Round Robin playoff format, Harbin took the top honor at 7-2. Both Jinan and Shanghai finished 4-5 while Zhengzhou was 3-6. The tiebreaker sent the Hellcats forward for their first semifinal trip since 2013. For the Jumbos, this was their first since 2016. Harbin had home field advantage, but Jinan dominated the Northern League Championship 4-1, advancing to the China Series for only the second time (2007).

The Southern League in 2030 arguably highlighted the problem with the four division system as the league’s top three records were all in the Central. Chongqing was the clear #1 at 100-62, earning their fifth playoff berth in six years. The Cavaliers hadn’t taken the top seed since 1985. Defending SL champ Changsha at 92-70 and Wuhan at 91-71 both missed the playoffs. The Cannons had allowed the SL’s fewest runs at 452.

The next best division winner was Guangzhou at 87-75 atop the Southwest, fending off Nanning (81-81) and Foshan (80-82). The Gamecocks ended a five-year playoff drought. In the Southeast, Hong Kong (86-76) edged out Xiamen (85-77). The Champions ended a six-year playoff drought, having not won more than 71 games in a season during that rough run.

The Mutts missed the playoffs for only the second time in eight years despite leading the SL with 665 runs scored. In the East Division, Wenzhou (83-79) took first by one game over last year’s top seed and SL runner-up Dongguan (82-80). The Wild ended a five year playoff drought.

Southern League MVP went to fifth-year Guangzhou center fielder Wo-Shi Hsu. The 27-year old from Taiwan led in stolen bases (82) and WAR (10.3). Hsu added 196 hits, 95 runs, 30 doubles, 14 triples, 30 home runs, .322/.374/.565 slash, and 187 wRC+. He had been selected third in the 2025 CLB Draft by the Gamecocks.

Chongqing’s Bin Li won his second Pitcher of the Year, having previously done it in 2026. The 28-year old righty led in WHIP (0.83) and posted a 2.27 ERA over 241.1 innings, 17-9 record, 291 strikeouts, and 138 ERA+. The lanky 6’8’’ Li had signed a six-year, $59,900,000 extension with the Cavaliers back after the 2027 campaign.

Guangzhou (7-2) and Wenzhou (6-3) emerged from the Triple Round Robin while Hong Kong (3-6) and top seed Chongqing (2-7) were ousted. The 2009 expansion Wild had never made it this far, while the Gamecocks’ last semifinal trip was in 2023. Wenzhou rolled 4-1 over Guangzhou for their first-ever Southern League pennant. CLB had continued to show impressive parity with 29 of the 32 teams having advanced to the China Series at least once in its 61-year history. Only 2009 expansion Shijiazhuang and the two brand new teams hadn’t made it yet.

The Jinan versus Wenzhou matchup also guaranteed the 23^rd different franchise to win it all. The Jumbos took the 62^nd China Series 4-2 over the Wild with an unlikely finals MVP in 1B Wenfeng Liu. He had been their first round pick in 2025, but still hadn’t made his CLB debut to that point. Liu’s debut came in the playoffs with 10 starts, 10 hits, 7 runs, 3 home runs, 9 RBI, 1.013 OPS, and 0.7 WAR.

Amazingly, Liu won finals MVP and would never play a CLB regular season game. The Jumbos cut him in 2033 and he’d bounce around as a rarely used bench piece in other leagues. Jinan notably had closer Federico Pagani tie the CLB playoff saves record (8) while Xinhui Liu tied the doubles record (8).

Other notes: Shijiazhuang set new Northern League pitching worsts for runs allowed (727) and team WHIP (1.351). Guangzhou set a new Southern League best for team triples (113). Xiku Yan became the 15^th member of the 400 home run club. Yan and Tao Cai became the 18^th and 19^th to 1000 runs scored. Cai and Xiku Yan became the 17^th and 18^th batters to 2000 career hits.

05-30-2025, 05:31 AM	#2263
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,279	2030 in CLB Two teams were clear standouts in the Northern League; Harbin and Jinan. The Hellcats narrowly had the top record again, winning the new Northeast Division at 103-59. Harbin had a tough fight in the division with 95-67 Changchun, who became the first victim to miss the playoffs under the new wild card free system. The Hellcats set a new Chinese League Baseball attendance record with 2,090,696 tickets solid, besting the previous high set the prior year by Zhengzhou (2,049,265). Reigning CLB champ Shenyang was a very distant third in the Northeast at 82-80. The Swans allowed the fewest runs in the NL at 508, but only scored 533. For the Jumbos, they rolled to the East Central Division at 102-60 to end a two-year playoff drought. Jinan made their own history, breaking CLB’s team on-base percentage record at .317. It was also the Jumbos’ first-ever 100+ win campaign. Last year’s NL runner-up Tianjin tied with Beijing for second in the division at 85-77. Zhengzhou claimed the West Division at 92-70, earning their fourth playoff trip in five years. The Southeast Division was the NL’s weak link as Shanghai narrowly advanced at 83-79 over Hangzhou at 82-80. It was an impressive turnaround for the Seawolves, who hadn’t been above .500 since 2022 and hadn’t been a playoff team since 2017. Their 12-year playoff drought had been tied with Chengdu for the longest active skid in CLB. The Zips took the top awards, led by Northern League MVP Harvey Chong. The 31-year old Hong Kong native was in his 11^th season for Zhengzhou and his ninth starting at first base. Chong led in total bases (413) while adding 210 hits, 109 runs, 58 home runs, 123 RBI, .327/.363/.642 slash, 192 wRC+, and 9.0 WAR. He also notably had a 23-game hitting streak in the fall. Chong beat out Xiamen’s Liren Poh for the top honor. Poh had him beat for home runs (61) and RBI (130), but had lower advanced stats (.922 OPS, 163 wRC+, 6.7 WAR). Still, Poh’s effort was only the sixth 60+ homer season in CLB history to that point and only the sixth 130+ RBI campaign. Second-year righty Jianglong An won Pitcher of the Year for the Zips, having led in ERA (1.80), and WAR (7.0). The fourth overall pick in the 2028 CLB Draft, An had been used as a closer the prior year. In 2030, An also had a 19-8 record, 234.2 innings, 254 strikeouts, and 180 ERA+. He was renowned for being “effectively wild,” with stellar stuff and movement (especially with his cutter), but lousy control. In the new Triple Round Robin playoff format, Harbin took the top honor at 7-2. Both Jinan and Shanghai finished 4-5 while Zhengzhou was 3-6. The tiebreaker sent the Hellcats forward for their first semifinal trip since 2013. For the Jumbos, this was their first since 2016. Harbin had home field advantage, but Jinan dominated the Northern League Championship 4-1, advancing to the China Series for only the second time (2007). The Southern League in 2030 arguably highlighted the problem with the four division system as the league’s top three records were all in the Central. Chongqing was the clear #1 at 100-62, earning their fifth playoff berth in six years. The Cavaliers hadn’t taken the top seed since 1985. Defending SL champ Changsha at 92-70 and Wuhan at 91-71 both missed the playoffs. The Cannons had allowed the SL’s fewest runs at 452. The next best division winner was Guangzhou at 87-75 atop the Southwest, fending off Nanning (81-81) and Foshan (80-82). The Gamecocks ended a five-year playoff drought. In the Southeast, Hong Kong (86-76) edged out Xiamen (85-77). The Champions ended a six-year playoff drought, having not won more than 71 games in a season during that rough run. The Mutts missed the playoffs for only the second time in eight years despite leading the SL with 665 runs scored. In the East Division, Wenzhou (83-79) took first by one game over last year’s top seed and SL runner-up Dongguan (82-80). The Wild ended a five year playoff drought. Southern League MVP went to fifth-year Guangzhou center fielder Wo-Shi Hsu. The 27-year old from Taiwan led in stolen bases (82) and WAR (10.3). Hsu added 196 hits, 95 runs, 30 doubles, 14 triples, 30 home runs, .322/.374/.565 slash, and 187 wRC+. He had been selected third in the 2025 CLB Draft by the Gamecocks. Chongqing’s Bin Li won his second Pitcher of the Year, having previously done it in 2026. The 28-year old righty led in WHIP (0.83) and posted a 2.27 ERA over 241.1 innings, 17-9 record, 291 strikeouts, and 138 ERA+. The lanky 6’8’’ Li had signed a six-year, $59,900,000 extension with the Cavaliers back after the 2027 campaign. Guangzhou (7-2) and Wenzhou (6-3) emerged from the Triple Round Robin while Hong Kong (3-6) and top seed Chongqing (2-7) were ousted. The 2009 expansion Wild had never made it this far, while the Gamecocks’ last semifinal trip was in 2023. Wenzhou rolled 4-1 over Guangzhou for their first-ever Southern League pennant. CLB had continued to show impressive parity with 29 of the 32 teams having advanced to the China Series at least once in its 61-year history. Only 2009 expansion Shijiazhuang and the two brand new teams hadn’t made it yet. The Jinan versus Wenzhou matchup also guaranteed the 23^rd different franchise to win it all. The Jumbos took the 62^nd China Series 4-2 over the Wild with an unlikely finals MVP in 1B Wenfeng Liu. He had been their first round pick in 2025, but still hadn’t made his CLB debut to that point. Liu’s debut came in the playoffs with 10 starts, 10 hits, 7 runs, 3 home runs, 9 RBI, 1.013 OPS, and 0.7 WAR. Amazingly, Liu won finals MVP and would never play a CLB regular season game. The Jumbos cut him in 2033 and he’d bounce around as a rarely used bench piece in other leagues. Jinan notably had closer Federico Pagani tie the CLB playoff saves record (8) while Xinhui Liu tied the doubles record (8). Other notes: Shijiazhuang set new Northern League pitching worsts for runs allowed (727) and team WHIP (1.351). Guangzhou set a new Southern League best for team triples (113). Xiku Yan became the 15^th member of the 400 home run club. Yan and Tao Cai became the 18^th and 19^th to 1000 runs scored. Cai and Xiku Yan became the 17^th and 18^th batters to 2000 career hits. __________________ 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)