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FuzzyRussianHat · 07-06-2025, 07:48 AM

Only three wins separated the four playoff teams in Eurasian Professional Baseball’s European League. The top two records were both in the North Division, led by reigning EL champ Moscow at 95-67. The Mules were one game better than 94-68 Kazan, who ended a three-year playoff berth. It was Moscow’s third straight playoff trip, but they hadn’t won a division crown since 2021. The Mules allowed the EL’s fewest runs (575) and the Crusaders scored the most (745).

Over in the South Division, Krasnodar was first at 93-69 with Samara one back at 92-70. The Steamers earned their first playoff trip since their back-to-back pennants in 2017-18. The Steelers meanwhile grew their postseason streak to five years. Tel Aviv was also in the mix and the first team out at 88-74, tying a franchise-best for wins by the 2020 expansion Aeros.

Volgograd notably fell hard after their franchise-best 113 wins the prior year, finishing 76-86. This was only the second time since 2020 that the Voyagers missed the playoffs or had a losing season. Gomel notably fell off after taking three straight North Division titles, dropping to 73-89 in 2031.

Nizhny Novgorod was a lackluster 73-89 despite an outstanding third season by European League MVP Maksim Krutov. The 25-year old Russian left fielder won a Gold Glove and led in runs (112), home runs (51), RBI (131), OBP (.419), slugging (.710), OPS (1.129), wRC+ (214), and WAR (11.3). Krutov had 191 hits, 24 doubles, 13 triples, 59 stolen bases, and a .344 average; missing the Triple Crown by .022. Krutov had been the #1 overall pick in the 2028 EPB Draft by the Ninjas and was living up to the hype.

Kazan’s Oleh Kravets won Pitcher of the Year, posting the top WAR (8.4) and FIP- (64). The 28-year old Russian righty had an 18-9 record, 2.59 ERA, 138 ERA+, 260.2 innings, and 316 strikeouts. Also of note, Volgograd’s Aleksei Kotyukh became the eighth closer in EPB history to win Reliever of the Year four times. He led with 32 saves in 2031 and had a 1.75 ERA over 77.1 innings with 113 Ks and 4.3 WAR.

Moscow outlasted Samara 3-2 in the first round while Krasnodar downed Kazan 3-1, pitting the division champs against each other in the European League Championship Series. The Mules’ repeat bid was successful with a 4-1 victory over the Steamers. The Russian capital earned its 12^th pennant of the 21^st Century and 15^th overall.

The top four records in the Asian League were all in the East Division. Novosibirsk narrowly repeated as the top seed at 95-67, finishing one game better than the three-time defending AL champ and reigning EPB champ Vladivostok. The Nitros led all of EPB with 781 runs, while the Shibas had the fewest runs allowed at 522. Novosibirsk’s playoff streak grew to three seasons and Vladivostok’s to four.

Khabarovsk (89-73) held off Ulaanbaatar (87-75) for the second wild card, giving the Rockets their second wild card in three years. Over in the West Division, Ufa (85-77) took first over Omsk (83-79), and four-time defending division champ Nur-Sultan (80-82). The Fiends ended a 12 year postseason drought.

Novosibirsk RF Jabir Abdul won Asian League MVP in his fourth season and third as a starter. The 23-year old Israeli led in runs (113), RBI (111), and total bases (375). Abdul added 203 hits, 34 doubles, 12 triples, 38 homers, .974 OPS, 174 wRC+, and 7.2 WAR.

Vladivostok’s Airat Mamedov won Pitcher of the Year in his tenth year in the Shibas rotation, posting a 16-6 record, 2.22 ERA, 207 innings, 257 strikeouts, 163 ERA+, and 6.5 WAR. The 31-year old Uzbek signed a seven-year, $111,600,000 extension to remain with Vladivostok for the long haul. His teammate Kazybek Orazow notably won his third consecutive Reliever of the Year, posting 36 saves, 1.35 ERA, 106.2 innings, 173 Ks, and 6.0 WAR.

Both first round matchups needed all five games. Novosibirsk survived against Khabarovsk, while Ufa used its home field advantage to dethrone the reigning champ Vladivostok. The Nitros earned a repeat trip to the Asian League Championship Series, while the Fiends hadn’t made it that far since 2018. Novosibirsk was denied again despite the #1 seed, falling to Ufa in a seven-game classic. It was only the third pennant for the Fiends, who won in 2015 and 2016.

Incidentally, both of Ufa’s prior finals trips saw faceoffs with Moscow that needed all seven games. The Fiends won their lone title in the 2015 encounter, while the Mules won in 2016 for their most recent EPB ring. Round three in the 77^th EPB Championship also needed all seven games with Ufa coming out on top over Moscow. The Mules are now 5-10 all-time in their finals trips.

LF Daniel Correia was a surprise finals MVP for Ufa. The 30-year old from Portugal had joined the Fiends in 2025, but had only been an occasional starter. Correia started all 19 playoff games and got 24 hits, 12 runs, 2 doubles, 1 triple, 3 homers, and 6 RBI. Moscow’s Yakov Starenkyi also notably set new EPB playoff records for hits (30) and singles (21).

Other notes: Moscow’s Georgi Mezin tossed EPB’s 34^th perfect game and the first since 2022, fanning eight on May 23 against Tel Aviv. For only the 11^th time in EPB, there was a four home run game as Yacub Hristov of Krasnodar did it on August 23 against Samara. The feat hadn’t happened since 2017. Anatoliy Dmitrenko became EPB’s 34^th member of the 2500 hit club. CF Robert Albrecht won his 10^th consecutive Gold Glove, tying the position record. RF Dmitri Khodakovsky won his 7^th Silver Slugger

07-06-2025, 07:48 AM	#2308
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,035	2031 in EPB Only three wins separated the four playoff teams in Eurasian Professional Baseball’s European League. The top two records were both in the North Division, led by reigning EL champ Moscow at 95-67. The Mules were one game better than 94-68 Kazan, who ended a three-year playoff berth. It was Moscow’s third straight playoff trip, but they hadn’t won a division crown since 2021. The Mules allowed the EL’s fewest runs (575) and the Crusaders scored the most (745). Over in the South Division, Krasnodar was first at 93-69 with Samara one back at 92-70. The Steamers earned their first playoff trip since their back-to-back pennants in 2017-18. The Steelers meanwhile grew their postseason streak to five years. Tel Aviv was also in the mix and the first team out at 88-74, tying a franchise-best for wins by the 2020 expansion Aeros. Volgograd notably fell hard after their franchise-best 113 wins the prior year, finishing 76-86. This was only the second time since 2020 that the Voyagers missed the playoffs or had a losing season. Gomel notably fell off after taking three straight North Division titles, dropping to 73-89 in 2031. Nizhny Novgorod was a lackluster 73-89 despite an outstanding third season by European League MVP Maksim Krutov. The 25-year old Russian left fielder won a Gold Glove and led in runs (112), home runs (51), RBI (131), OBP (.419), slugging (.710), OPS (1.129), wRC+ (214), and WAR (11.3). Krutov had 191 hits, 24 doubles, 13 triples, 59 stolen bases, and a .344 average; missing the Triple Crown by .022. Krutov had been the #1 overall pick in the 2028 EPB Draft by the Ninjas and was living up to the hype. Kazan’s Oleh Kravets won Pitcher of the Year, posting the top WAR (8.4) and FIP- (64). The 28-year old Russian righty had an 18-9 record, 2.59 ERA, 138 ERA+, 260.2 innings, and 316 strikeouts. Also of note, Volgograd’s Aleksei Kotyukh became the eighth closer in EPB history to win Reliever of the Year four times. He led with 32 saves in 2031 and had a 1.75 ERA over 77.1 innings with 113 Ks and 4.3 WAR. Moscow outlasted Samara 3-2 in the first round while Krasnodar downed Kazan 3-1, pitting the division champs against each other in the European League Championship Series. The Mules’ repeat bid was successful with a 4-1 victory over the Steamers. The Russian capital earned its 12^th pennant of the 21^st Century and 15^th overall. The top four records in the Asian League were all in the East Division. Novosibirsk narrowly repeated as the top seed at 95-67, finishing one game better than the three-time defending AL champ and reigning EPB champ Vladivostok. The Nitros led all of EPB with 781 runs, while the Shibas had the fewest runs allowed at 522. Novosibirsk’s playoff streak grew to three seasons and Vladivostok’s to four. Khabarovsk (89-73) held off Ulaanbaatar (87-75) for the second wild card, giving the Rockets their second wild card in three years. Over in the West Division, Ufa (85-77) took first over Omsk (83-79), and four-time defending division champ Nur-Sultan (80-82). The Fiends ended a 12 year postseason drought. Novosibirsk RF Jabir Abdul won Asian League MVP in his fourth season and third as a starter. The 23-year old Israeli led in runs (113), RBI (111), and total bases (375). Abdul added 203 hits, 34 doubles, 12 triples, 38 homers, .974 OPS, 174 wRC+, and 7.2 WAR. Vladivostok’s Airat Mamedov won Pitcher of the Year in his tenth year in the Shibas rotation, posting a 16-6 record, 2.22 ERA, 207 innings, 257 strikeouts, 163 ERA+, and 6.5 WAR. The 31-year old Uzbek signed a seven-year, $111,600,000 extension to remain with Vladivostok for the long haul. His teammate Kazybek Orazow notably won his third consecutive Reliever of the Year, posting 36 saves, 1.35 ERA, 106.2 innings, 173 Ks, and 6.0 WAR. Both first round matchups needed all five games. Novosibirsk survived against Khabarovsk, while Ufa used its home field advantage to dethrone the reigning champ Vladivostok. The Nitros earned a repeat trip to the Asian League Championship Series, while the Fiends hadn’t made it that far since 2018. Novosibirsk was denied again despite the #1 seed, falling to Ufa in a seven-game classic. It was only the third pennant for the Fiends, who won in 2015 and 2016. Incidentally, both of Ufa’s prior finals trips saw faceoffs with Moscow that needed all seven games. The Fiends won their lone title in the 2015 encounter, while the Mules won in 2016 for their most recent EPB ring. Round three in the 77^th EPB Championship also needed all seven games with Ufa coming out on top over Moscow. The Mules are now 5-10 all-time in their finals trips. LF Daniel Correia was a surprise finals MVP for Ufa. The 30-year old from Portugal had joined the Fiends in 2025, but had only been an occasional starter. Correia started all 19 playoff games and got 24 hits, 12 runs, 2 doubles, 1 triple, 3 homers, and 6 RBI. Moscow’s Yakov Starenkyi also notably set new EPB playoff records for hits (30) and singles (21). Other notes: Moscow’s Georgi Mezin tossed EPB’s 34^th perfect game and the first since 2022, fanning eight on May 23 against Tel Aviv. For only the 11^th time in EPB, there was a four home run game as Yacub Hristov of Krasnodar did it on August 23 against Samara. The feat hadn’t happened since 2017. Anatoliy Dmitrenko became EPB’s 34^th member of the 2500 hit club. CF Robert Albrecht won his 10^th consecutive Gold Glove, tying the position record. RF Dmitri Khodakovsky won his 7^th Silver Slugger __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)