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FuzzyRussianHat · 07-07-2025, 08:41 PM

Niigata took the Japan League’s top seed at 107-55, earning a fourth consecutive North Division crown and their fifth straight playoff berth. The #2 seed went to Tokyo at 99-63, grabbing a third consecutive Capital Division crown. The Tides had to hold off a strong charge from Kawasaki at 96-66. The Killer Whales easily snagged the first wild card for their first postseason berth and winning season in a decade.

Hiroshima secured their fifth West Division crown in six years at 97-65, growing their playoff streak to six. Kobe claimed the Central Division at 95-67, extending their postseason streak to nine years. This was the longest playoff streak in Japan League history and it was their seventh division crown of the run. The Blaze and Green Dragons were tied for the fewest runs allowed in the JL at 509. Kobe also had 1832 strikeouts as a pitching staff, the second-highest total in all of EAB history. Their 11.02 K/9 ranked as the third best.

It was a crowded mess for the final card spot. Sendai at 87-75 emerged ahead of Kitakyushu (86-76), defending East Asia Baseball champ Nagoya (85-77), Osaka (84-78), Kyoto (82-80), Chiba (81-81), and Saitama (81-81). The Samurai snapped a 14-year playoff drought. The Nightowls had their streak ended at three years, although they managed a tenth straight winning season. The Comets were the top scoring team in the league at 744 runs.

Masanori Fukuoka’s dominance continued for Niigata with his fourth Japan League MVP (2026, 28, 29, 31). The 29-year old left fielder led in runs (126), home runs (69), RBI (140), total bases (472), slugging (.781), OPS (1.164), wRC+ (241), and WAR (12.0). Fukuoka added 205 hits, 24 doubles, 18 triples, and a .339 average.

He was second in batting average, but Chiba’s Kentaro Takagi had a big lead at .374 to deny a Triple Crown. Most of those marks were the second-best in Fukuoka’s career, behind only his bonkers 2028 campaign that had the record-setting 1.364 OPS and 16.5 WAR. Fukuoka also notably had a four home run came on June 18 against Sapporo, the 16^th such game in EAB history.

The Green Dragons also saw another Pitcher of the Year win for Takehiro Nakajima, who also won in 2028 and 2029. The 32-year old lefty led in wins at 22-7 and shutouts with eight. Nakajima had a 1.70 ERA, 227.1 innings, 240 strikeouts, 208 ERA+, and 7.1 WAR. Niigata gave him a five-year, $137 million extension the following July, rewarding a guy they took seventh overall way back in the 2020 EAB Draft.

The wild card round saw Kobe over Kawasaki 3-0 and a 3-1 upset for Sendai against Hiroshima. The Samurai then shocked Tokyo 3-2 in the divisional round. Sendai hadn’t gotten to the Japan League Championship Series since their lone EAB title back in 1978. The Samurai had only won the pennant twice before, having also done it in 1953.

Maybe even more shocking was top seed Niigata getting swept 3-0 by Kobe. The Blaze got revenge for two years prior, when they were the top seed at 109-53 and got bounced by the Green Dragons in the JLCS. Sendai continued their Cinderella run, defeating Kobe 4-2 for the Japan League crown. Despite their nine-year playoff streak, the Blaze have zero pennants to show for it.

Busan continued the longest playoff streak in all of EAB history to 12 seasons, taking the Korea League’s top seed at 106-56. The Blue Jays were Southeast Division champ and won their eighth straight division crown. They have averaged an impressive 102.4 wins per season across the streak. Even still, the top seed wasn’t a guarantee for Busan, especially with a top-heavy North Division.

Defending KL champ Goyang and Pyongyang again had a fierce fight at the top. Last year, the Green Sox won it with 112 wins to the Pythons’ 109. This time, both ended the regular season even at 101-61. In the one-game playoff, Pyongyang prevailed to prevent Goyang from extending their division title streak to five years. Seoul was also right in the mix at 96-66, tying with the Southeast’s Ulsan for the second wild card. The Seahawks won that tiebreaker game to earn repeat wild card trips.

Suwon claimed the Central Division at 99-63, four games ahead of 95-67 Seongnam. The Snappers repeated and earned their third straight division title, while the Spiders fell one game short in the wild card race. In the Southwest, Jeonju repeated at 96-66, besting Gwangju by seven games. This meant the 2031 playoff field was the same as the 2030 one in the KL, although the seeding switched around. Seoul was the top scoring team with 813 runs and Ulsan allowed the fewest at 493.

Korea League MVP went to Suwon DH Su-Yeon Han in his second year starting. The 22-year old lefty led in runs (131), home runs (66), total bases (456), slugging (.711), OPS (1.095), wRC+ (199), and WAR (9.7). Han added 218 hits, 36 doubles, 140 RBI, and a .340 average. His was one of only 15 seasons in EAB history with 66+ dingers. The Snappers didn’t need any more proof points for Han, inking him to an eight-year, $332,500,000 extension the following April to become one of baseball’s richest players.

Suwon also had the Pitcher of the Year Mitsumasa Suzuki, who was the WARlord at 8.8. The 25-year old righty had an 18-6 record, 1.99 ERA, 267 innings, 339 strikeouts, and 189 ERA+. The Snappers couldn’t afford to keep both him and Han though with Suzuki leaving that winter for free agency. He would earn a six-year, $201,300,000 deal with Kawasaki.

Goyang survived 3-2 over Jeonju in the first round and Suwon swept Seoul. The Snappers were promptly swept by Pyongyang in the divisional round, giving the Pythons their first trip to the Korea League Championship Series since 2013. The reigning champion Green Sox kept going with an intense 3-2 upset of top seed Busan, giving them a shot at a third pennant in four years.

The KLCS was an all-timer that went the distance and needed extra innings in game seven. In the 11^th inning, Takeshi Hoshino had a walk-off RBI single to win it 5-4 for Pyongyang over Goyang. The series had also started off with a walkoff winner by Hoshino, a three-run homer back in a 6-3 game one. The Pythons had acquired the former Gold Glove 2B from Bucheon in a summer trade, moving him to shortstop for the second half. It was Pyongyang’s 14^th pennant and first since way back in 1977.

Regardless of who won the 111^th East Asian Championship, it would end a title drought dating back to the 1970s for the winner. Pyongyang defeated Sendai 4-2 to end their 53-year skid, becoming the first North Korean team to win it all since 1977. 2030 Rookie of the Year RF Dong-Uk Seung was finals MVP, getting 18 hits, 8 runs, 5 doubles, 1 triple, 4 homers, and 16 RBI over 16 playoff starts.

The Pythons had been a powerhouse in EAB’s earlier years, having won the title in 1921, 24, 61, 62, 65, 66, 67, 68, and 77. Pyongyang became the first EAB team with ten championship wins; Sapporo is the next closest at eight. They also made world history, joining MLB’s San Diego (11); CABA’s Mexico City (11), EPB’s Minsk (14), WAB’s Kano (12), SAB’s Ahmedabad (13), and Kyiv (10: 8 in EPB, 2 in EBF) as the only franchises with 10+ overall titles.

Other notes: 2031 had EAB’s 44^th and 45^th perfect games. On April 2, Jeju’s Sung Chung did it with six strikeouts facing Ulsan. Then on August 27, Kobe’s Torazo Fuchizawa was perfect with nine Ks facing Osaka. There have notably been seven EAB perfect games since 2027.

In other pitching milestones, Nobuyoshi Yamauchi became the 5^th EAB ace to 300 career wins and the first since 2005. He played one final poor partial season with Nagoya with a 4.67 ERA over 81 innings. Before that, Yamauchi was dominant with Osaka from 2012-24 and largely strong from 2025-30 with Kobe.

Yamauchi finished with a 302-145 record, 2.42 ERA, 4252.2 innings, 5107 strikeouts, and 111.1 WAR. As of 2037, Yamauchi is tied for 5^th in wins, 2^nd in strikeouts, and 8^th in pitching WAR in EAB history. On the world stage, he’s one of only 46 guys to breach 300 wins, one of 44 to 5000+ strikeouts, and one of only 22 to achieve both feats.

In hitting milestones, I-Sol Chang became the 76^th member of the 500 home run club. Natsuo Suyama became the 50^th to reach 1500 RBI and Min-Jae Lim was the 100^th to reach 2500 hits. SS Jae-Won Park won his 12^th consecutive Gold Glove. He is one of only five in EAB history with 12+ Gold Gloves at any spot and is one away from tying Han-Gyeol Bu’s 13 for the most by a shortstop.

07-07-2025, 08:41 PM	#2311
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,035	2031 in EAB Niigata took the Japan League’s top seed at 107-55, earning a fourth consecutive North Division crown and their fifth straight playoff berth. The #2 seed went to Tokyo at 99-63, grabbing a third consecutive Capital Division crown. The Tides had to hold off a strong charge from Kawasaki at 96-66. The Killer Whales easily snagged the first wild card for their first postseason berth and winning season in a decade. Hiroshima secured their fifth West Division crown in six years at 97-65, growing their playoff streak to six. Kobe claimed the Central Division at 95-67, extending their postseason streak to nine years. This was the longest playoff streak in Japan League history and it was their seventh division crown of the run. The Blaze and Green Dragons were tied for the fewest runs allowed in the JL at 509. Kobe also had 1832 strikeouts as a pitching staff, the second-highest total in all of EAB history. Their 11.02 K/9 ranked as the third best. It was a crowded mess for the final card spot. Sendai at 87-75 emerged ahead of Kitakyushu (86-76), defending East Asia Baseball champ Nagoya (85-77), Osaka (84-78), Kyoto (82-80), Chiba (81-81), and Saitama (81-81). The Samurai snapped a 14-year playoff drought. The Nightowls had their streak ended at three years, although they managed a tenth straight winning season. The Comets were the top scoring team in the league at 744 runs. Masanori Fukuoka’s dominance continued for Niigata with his fourth Japan League MVP (2026, 28, 29, 31). The 29-year old left fielder led in runs (126), home runs (69), RBI (140), total bases (472), slugging (.781), OPS (1.164), wRC+ (241), and WAR (12.0). Fukuoka added 205 hits, 24 doubles, 18 triples, and a .339 average. He was second in batting average, but Chiba’s Kentaro Takagi had a big lead at .374 to deny a Triple Crown. Most of those marks were the second-best in Fukuoka’s career, behind only his bonkers 2028 campaign that had the record-setting 1.364 OPS and 16.5 WAR. Fukuoka also notably had a four home run came on June 18 against Sapporo, the 16^th such game in EAB history. The Green Dragons also saw another Pitcher of the Year win for Takehiro Nakajima, who also won in 2028 and 2029. The 32-year old lefty led in wins at 22-7 and shutouts with eight. Nakajima had a 1.70 ERA, 227.1 innings, 240 strikeouts, 208 ERA+, and 7.1 WAR. Niigata gave him a five-year, $137 million extension the following July, rewarding a guy they took seventh overall way back in the 2020 EAB Draft. The wild card round saw Kobe over Kawasaki 3-0 and a 3-1 upset for Sendai against Hiroshima. The Samurai then shocked Tokyo 3-2 in the divisional round. Sendai hadn’t gotten to the Japan League Championship Series since their lone EAB title back in 1978. The Samurai had only won the pennant twice before, having also done it in 1953. Maybe even more shocking was top seed Niigata getting swept 3-0 by Kobe. The Blaze got revenge for two years prior, when they were the top seed at 109-53 and got bounced by the Green Dragons in the JLCS. Sendai continued their Cinderella run, defeating Kobe 4-2 for the Japan League crown. Despite their nine-year playoff streak, the Blaze have zero pennants to show for it. Busan continued the longest playoff streak in all of EAB history to 12 seasons, taking the Korea League’s top seed at 106-56. The Blue Jays were Southeast Division champ and won their eighth straight division crown. They have averaged an impressive 102.4 wins per season across the streak. Even still, the top seed wasn’t a guarantee for Busan, especially with a top-heavy North Division. Defending KL champ Goyang and Pyongyang again had a fierce fight at the top. Last year, the Green Sox won it with 112 wins to the Pythons’ 109. This time, both ended the regular season even at 101-61. In the one-game playoff, Pyongyang prevailed to prevent Goyang from extending their division title streak to five years. Seoul was also right in the mix at 96-66, tying with the Southeast’s Ulsan for the second wild card. The Seahawks won that tiebreaker game to earn repeat wild card trips. Suwon claimed the Central Division at 99-63, four games ahead of 95-67 Seongnam. The Snappers repeated and earned their third straight division title, while the Spiders fell one game short in the wild card race. In the Southwest, Jeonju repeated at 96-66, besting Gwangju by seven games. This meant the 2031 playoff field was the same as the 2030 one in the KL, although the seeding switched around. Seoul was the top scoring team with 813 runs and Ulsan allowed the fewest at 493. Korea League MVP went to Suwon DH Su-Yeon Han in his second year starting. The 22-year old lefty led in runs (131), home runs (66), total bases (456), slugging (.711), OPS (1.095), wRC+ (199), and WAR (9.7). Han added 218 hits, 36 doubles, 140 RBI, and a .340 average. His was one of only 15 seasons in EAB history with 66+ dingers. The Snappers didn’t need any more proof points for Han, inking him to an eight-year, $332,500,000 extension the following April to become one of baseball’s richest players. Suwon also had the Pitcher of the Year Mitsumasa Suzuki, who was the WARlord at 8.8. The 25-year old righty had an 18-6 record, 1.99 ERA, 267 innings, 339 strikeouts, and 189 ERA+. The Snappers couldn’t afford to keep both him and Han though with Suzuki leaving that winter for free agency. He would earn a six-year, $201,300,000 deal with Kawasaki. Goyang survived 3-2 over Jeonju in the first round and Suwon swept Seoul. The Snappers were promptly swept by Pyongyang in the divisional round, giving the Pythons their first trip to the Korea League Championship Series since 2013. The reigning champion Green Sox kept going with an intense 3-2 upset of top seed Busan, giving them a shot at a third pennant in four years. The KLCS was an all-timer that went the distance and needed extra innings in game seven. In the 11^th inning, Takeshi Hoshino had a walk-off RBI single to win it 5-4 for Pyongyang over Goyang. The series had also started off with a walkoff winner by Hoshino, a three-run homer back in a 6-3 game one. The Pythons had acquired the former Gold Glove 2B from Bucheon in a summer trade, moving him to shortstop for the second half. It was Pyongyang’s 14^th pennant and first since way back in 1977. Regardless of who won the 111^th East Asian Championship, it would end a title drought dating back to the 1970s for the winner. Pyongyang defeated Sendai 4-2 to end their 53-year skid, becoming the first North Korean team to win it all since 1977. 2030 Rookie of the Year RF Dong-Uk Seung was finals MVP, getting 18 hits, 8 runs, 5 doubles, 1 triple, 4 homers, and 16 RBI over 16 playoff starts. The Pythons had been a powerhouse in EAB’s earlier years, having won the title in 1921, 24, 61, 62, 65, 66, 67, 68, and 77. Pyongyang became the first EAB team with ten championship wins; Sapporo is the next closest at eight. They also made world history, joining MLB’s San Diego (11); CABA’s Mexico City (11), EPB’s Minsk (14), WAB’s Kano (12), SAB’s Ahmedabad (13), and Kyiv (10: 8 in EPB, 2 in EBF) as the only franchises with 10+ overall titles. Other notes: 2031 had EAB’s 44^th and 45^th perfect games. On April 2, Jeju’s Sung Chung did it with six strikeouts facing Ulsan. Then on August 27, Kobe’s Torazo Fuchizawa was perfect with nine Ks facing Osaka. There have notably been seven EAB perfect games since 2027. In other pitching milestones, Nobuyoshi Yamauchi became the 5^th EAB ace to 300 career wins and the first since 2005. He played one final poor partial season with Nagoya with a 4.67 ERA over 81 innings. Before that, Yamauchi was dominant with Osaka from 2012-24 and largely strong from 2025-30 with Kobe. Yamauchi finished with a 302-145 record, 2.42 ERA, 4252.2 innings, 5107 strikeouts, and 111.1 WAR. As of 2037, Yamauchi is tied for 5^th in wins, 2^nd in strikeouts, and 8^th in pitching WAR in EAB history. On the world stage, he’s one of only 46 guys to breach 300 wins, one of 44 to 5000+ strikeouts, and one of only 22 to achieve both feats. In hitting milestones, I-Sol Chang became the 76^th member of the 500 home run club. Natsuo Suyama became the 50^th to reach 1500 RBI and Min-Jae Lim was the 100^th to reach 2500 hits. SS Jae-Won Park won his 12^th consecutive Gold Glove. He is one of only five in EAB history with 12+ Gold Gloves at any spot and is one away from tying Han-Gyeol Bu’s 13 for the most by a shortstop. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)