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FuzzyRussianHat · 07-27-2025, 10:13 PM

Three of the four division champs in the Japan League were within only two games of each other while fighting for the top seed. Central Division winner Kobe ended up first at 101-61, growing their JL-record playoff streak to ten years. Last year’s #1 seed Niigata was next at 100-62 atop the North Division, extending their own streak to six seasons. Chiba meanwhile took the Capital Division at 99-63 to end a four-year postseason drought.

The weakest division winner was Kitakyushu at 95-67 in the West, who earned their second playoff trip in three years. They had the smallest margin of victory with Hiroshima two back at 93-69. That was enough to give the Hammerheads the first wild card for a seventh straight playoff berth. Hiroshima led the league in scoring at 726 runs while the Kodiaks and Green Dragons allowed the fewest with both at 493.

Kawasaki at 92-70 ended up the second wild card, fending off Tokyo (91-71) and defending Japan League champ Sendai (91-71). The Killer Whales picked up repeat wild cards, while the Tides had their playoff streak ended at three seasons. Also in the mix were Utsunomiya (89-73), Nagoya (86-76), Hamamatsu (85-77), and Osaka (85-77). Although they fell short, the Nightowls notably had their 11^th straight losing season. Also notable was Saitama’s collapse to 53-109, as they had won 80+ games all but once between 2017-31.

The Undertakers and Chickenhawks were the first of the 2025 expansion teams to post a winning record. Leading Utsunomiya’s effort was Japan League MVP Takefumi Hayashi, the #1 overall pick from the 2028 EAB Draft. The 24-year old first baseman led in runs (111), doubles (50), total bases (398), triple slash (.370/.443/.691), OPS (1.134), wRC+ (245), and WAR (12.1). Hayashi had 213 hits, 12 triples, 37 homers, and 96 RBI. He also notably had a four home run game on July 3 facing Sendai, the 18^th such game in East Asia Baseball history.

Kobe’s Jin-Yu Jun won his fourth Pitcher of the Year, having previously won in 2026, 2027, and 2029 in the Korea League with Ulsan. He was traded to Kobe for 2030 and won the ERA title in 2031 at 1.66, although he was second in voting. Jun won his third ERA title in 2032 at 1.54, which ranked as the 30^th-best qualifying season in EAB’s history.

Jun also led in WHIP (0.72), K/BB (13.2), FIP- (48), and WAR (8.5). He had a 19-5 record with 12 saves over 216.2 innings with 290 strikeouts. It was the seventh consecutive season that Jun led his league in pitching WAR. It was also one of only 15 seasons in EAB history with an WHIP of 0.72 or lower.

The wild card round saw a 3-1 Hiroshima win over Kitakyushu and 3-1 Chiba victory against Kawasaki. Both winners then earned surprising 3-2 upsets in the divisional round. The Hammerheads ousted the top seed Kobe while the Comets downed Niigata. The playoff failures continued to the Blaze, who haven’t won a pennant over their decade-long postseason streak.

Hiroshima had seen similar misfortune with no titles from 2026-31 despite a playoff streak. They had been Japan League Championship Series runner-up in 2026 and 2027, but hadn’t been back until now. For Chiba, this was their first JLCS since 2023. The Comets clobbered the Hammerheads 4-1 in the JLCS to end a 44-year pennant drought. Chiba became six-time Japan League kings (1952, 61, 62, 63, 87, 2032).

Three teams finished even at 103-59 for the top seed in the Korea League; Goyang, Suwon, and Busan. Those teams didn’t have easy roads in their divisions either with the Green Sox winning by only two games and the Blue Jays by four. The tiebreaker formula was critical, especially since only the top two earned byes. The seeding ended up with Busan #1, Goyang #2, and Suwon #3.

Busan extended their EAB-record playoff streak to 13 seasons with their ninth straight division title and fifth consecutive 100+ win season. Ulsan was a competitive second at 99-63, which landed the second wild card slot to end a three-year playoff drought.

Goyang’s playoff streak moved to six seasons with their fifth division crown in six years. Reigning EAB champ Pyongyang at 101-61 got the first wild card, extending their run of playoff trips and 100+ win seasons both to three. For Suwon, they got a fourth playoff trip in a row. Seongnam (95-67) and Incheon (92-70) were next in the Central Division and the first teams out in the wild card race. The Snappers were the KL’s top scoring team at 815 runs and the Inferno allowed the fewest at 561.

The Southwest Division was also competitive, but filled with mediocrity as all five teams had losing records. Cheongju’s 80-82 was the best of the bunch, holding off Jeonju (78-84), Gwangju (76-86), and Jeju (75-87). The Checkers notably were the first of the 2030 expansion teams to secure a playoff berth, a difficult feat for only your third season.

Suwon RF Su-Yeon Han repeated as Korea League MVP. The 23-year old lefty led in runs (121), OBP (.426), slugging (.728), OPS (1.154), and wRC+ (207). Han had 207 hits, 28 doubles, 55 home runs, 118 RBI, .371 average, and 10.0 WAR. In April, the Snappers made him one of the richest players in professional baseball on an eight-year, $332,500,000 extension.

Pitcher of the Year was Si-Won Joon in his third season with Incheon. The 29-year old lefty had spent his first six years with Saitama before joining the Inferno in 2030 on a seven-year, $153,200,000 free agent deal. Joon started the season strong with a no-hitter on March 21 with 18 strikeouts and two walks against Bucheon.

For the seventh time, Joon was the strikeout leader with 360. He also won his first ERA title (2.14) and led in WAR (9.7) and FIP- (52) for the first time. Joon had a 17-8 record over 252 innings with a 179 ERA+, missing the Triple Crown by three wins.

80-win Cheongju shocked defending EAB champ Pyongyang 3-2 in the wild card round, while Suwon topped Ulsan 3-1. The Checkers gave top seed Busan a fierce battle, but the Blue Jays escaped 3-2 in the divisional round. The Snappers outlasted Goyang 3-2 on the other side of the bracket.

Suwon earned their third Korea League Championship Series trip in four years, although their pennant drought dated back to 1992. Busan’s last trip was 2029, beating the Snappers that year for the title. The Blue Jays rolled again in the rematch 4-1 for their fourth pennant in a decade. Busan became 15-time Korean champs (1933, 34, 38, 39, 40, 42, 43, 44, 71, 80, 2009, 23, 24, 29, 32), second only to Daegu’s 16.

Despite three pennants in the 2020s, Busan had taken the ultimate prize since way back in 1971. The Blue Jays ended that 60-year drought by claiming the 112^th East Asian Championship 4-1 over Chiba. Busan became six-time EAB champs, having also won in 1933, 38, 42, and 44. 2B Seong-Jun Mho was finals MVP in his second year with the Blue Jays, signing after spending his first six seasons in Seoul. In 15 playoff starts, Mho had 14 hits, 7 runs, 2 doubles, 1 triple, 4 homers, and 11 RBI.

Although Suwon was defeated, league MVP Su-Yeon Han notably had a historic postseason that including MVP honors for the JLCS and the first two rounds. He had a 1.163 slugging percentage, breaking the playoff record in EAB (20+ plate appearances required). In 13 starts, Han had 19 hits, 14 runs, 9 homers, 2 doubles, 1 triple, and 11 RBI. He was one homer short of the playoff record set by Hyeog-Jun Wi in 1969.

Other notes: Kunihiko Ishiguro became only the 3^rd member of EAB’s 900 home run club and the 6^th EAB slugger with 2000 career RBI. The 39-year old Slugger joined Niigata for 2032 and hit 35 dingers, passing Hitoshi Kubota’s 905 for #2 on the EAB leaderboard. At 908, Ishiguro was now 13 away from Soo-Geun Yim’s 921. He became the 21^st in pro baseball history with 900+ homers. Ishiguro also was at 2006 RBI and still needed a few more seasons to catch Yim’s 2279.

Ishiguro was 33 runs from 2000 and only 43 away from Byung-Oh Tan’s EAB record of 2010 runs. In 2032, he also became the 26^th member of the 3000 hit club, although Tan’s 3871 was a long way away. Ishiguro was still solid in 2032 with .855 OPS and 4.7 WAR and was ready to return for 2033 with the Green Dragons at age 40.

In other milestones, Iemitsu Naiya became the 77^th member of the 500 home run club and the 101^st to reach 2500 hits. Tadami Nakano became the 33^rd reliever to reach 300 saves. Seong-Ho Lee was the 113rd pitcher with 3000 strikeouts. SS Jae-Won Park won his 13^th consecutive Gold Glove, becoming only the 26^th player in world history to win the award 13+ times. He’s the fourth EAB player to do so and tied Han-Gyeol Bu’s position record. RF Chae-Yun Choi won his 12^th and final Gold Glove.

Hyeon-Min Song of Daejeon had the 17^th four home run game in EAB history on May 16 facing Jeju. Maebashi struggled to 51-111 and set Japan League all-time pitching worsts for earned runs (741) and team WHIP (1.487). Their 14 saves also tied the EAB all-time low. No one wanted to see the young Bunnies squad stink it up, as their 765,988 season attendance was also a JL worst.

07-27-2025, 10:13 PM	#2349
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,003	2032 in EAB Three of the four division champs in the Japan League were within only two games of each other while fighting for the top seed. Central Division winner Kobe ended up first at 101-61, growing their JL-record playoff streak to ten years. Last year’s #1 seed Niigata was next at 100-62 atop the North Division, extending their own streak to six seasons. Chiba meanwhile took the Capital Division at 99-63 to end a four-year postseason drought. The weakest division winner was Kitakyushu at 95-67 in the West, who earned their second playoff trip in three years. They had the smallest margin of victory with Hiroshima two back at 93-69. That was enough to give the Hammerheads the first wild card for a seventh straight playoff berth. Hiroshima led the league in scoring at 726 runs while the Kodiaks and Green Dragons allowed the fewest with both at 493. Kawasaki at 92-70 ended up the second wild card, fending off Tokyo (91-71) and defending Japan League champ Sendai (91-71). The Killer Whales picked up repeat wild cards, while the Tides had their playoff streak ended at three seasons. Also in the mix were Utsunomiya (89-73), Nagoya (86-76), Hamamatsu (85-77), and Osaka (85-77). Although they fell short, the Nightowls notably had their 11^th straight losing season. Also notable was Saitama’s collapse to 53-109, as they had won 80+ games all but once between 2017-31. The Undertakers and Chickenhawks were the first of the 2025 expansion teams to post a winning record. Leading Utsunomiya’s effort was Japan League MVP Takefumi Hayashi, the #1 overall pick from the 2028 EAB Draft. The 24-year old first baseman led in runs (111), doubles (50), total bases (398), triple slash (.370/.443/.691), OPS (1.134), wRC+ (245), and WAR (12.1). Hayashi had 213 hits, 12 triples, 37 homers, and 96 RBI. He also notably had a four home run game on July 3 facing Sendai, the 18^th such game in East Asia Baseball history. Kobe’s Jin-Yu Jun won his fourth Pitcher of the Year, having previously won in 2026, 2027, and 2029 in the Korea League with Ulsan. He was traded to Kobe for 2030 and won the ERA title in 2031 at 1.66, although he was second in voting. Jun won his third ERA title in 2032 at 1.54, which ranked as the 30^th-best qualifying season in EAB’s history. Jun also led in WHIP (0.72), K/BB (13.2), FIP- (48), and WAR (8.5). He had a 19-5 record with 12 saves over 216.2 innings with 290 strikeouts. It was the seventh consecutive season that Jun led his league in pitching WAR. It was also one of only 15 seasons in EAB history with an WHIP of 0.72 or lower. The wild card round saw a 3-1 Hiroshima win over Kitakyushu and 3-1 Chiba victory against Kawasaki. Both winners then earned surprising 3-2 upsets in the divisional round. The Hammerheads ousted the top seed Kobe while the Comets downed Niigata. The playoff failures continued to the Blaze, who haven’t won a pennant over their decade-long postseason streak. Hiroshima had seen similar misfortune with no titles from 2026-31 despite a playoff streak. They had been Japan League Championship Series runner-up in 2026 and 2027, but hadn’t been back until now. For Chiba, this was their first JLCS since 2023. The Comets clobbered the Hammerheads 4-1 in the JLCS to end a 44-year pennant drought. Chiba became six-time Japan League kings (1952, 61, 62, 63, 87, 2032). Three teams finished even at 103-59 for the top seed in the Korea League; Goyang, Suwon, and Busan. Those teams didn’t have easy roads in their divisions either with the Green Sox winning by only two games and the Blue Jays by four. The tiebreaker formula was critical, especially since only the top two earned byes. The seeding ended up with Busan #1, Goyang #2, and Suwon #3. Busan extended their EAB-record playoff streak to 13 seasons with their ninth straight division title and fifth consecutive 100+ win season. Ulsan was a competitive second at 99-63, which landed the second wild card slot to end a three-year playoff drought. Goyang’s playoff streak moved to six seasons with their fifth division crown in six years. Reigning EAB champ Pyongyang at 101-61 got the first wild card, extending their run of playoff trips and 100+ win seasons both to three. For Suwon, they got a fourth playoff trip in a row. Seongnam (95-67) and Incheon (92-70) were next in the Central Division and the first teams out in the wild card race. The Snappers were the KL’s top scoring team at 815 runs and the Inferno allowed the fewest at 561. The Southwest Division was also competitive, but filled with mediocrity as all five teams had losing records. Cheongju’s 80-82 was the best of the bunch, holding off Jeonju (78-84), Gwangju (76-86), and Jeju (75-87). The Checkers notably were the first of the 2030 expansion teams to secure a playoff berth, a difficult feat for only your third season. Suwon RF Su-Yeon Han repeated as Korea League MVP. The 23-year old lefty led in runs (121), OBP (.426), slugging (.728), OPS (1.154), and wRC+ (207). Han had 207 hits, 28 doubles, 55 home runs, 118 RBI, .371 average, and 10.0 WAR. In April, the Snappers made him one of the richest players in professional baseball on an eight-year, $332,500,000 extension. Pitcher of the Year was Si-Won Joon in his third season with Incheon. The 29-year old lefty had spent his first six years with Saitama before joining the Inferno in 2030 on a seven-year, $153,200,000 free agent deal. Joon started the season strong with a no-hitter on March 21 with 18 strikeouts and two walks against Bucheon. For the seventh time, Joon was the strikeout leader with 360. He also won his first ERA title (2.14) and led in WAR (9.7) and FIP- (52) for the first time. Joon had a 17-8 record over 252 innings with a 179 ERA+, missing the Triple Crown by three wins. 80-win Cheongju shocked defending EAB champ Pyongyang 3-2 in the wild card round, while Suwon topped Ulsan 3-1. The Checkers gave top seed Busan a fierce battle, but the Blue Jays escaped 3-2 in the divisional round. The Snappers outlasted Goyang 3-2 on the other side of the bracket. Suwon earned their third Korea League Championship Series trip in four years, although their pennant drought dated back to 1992. Busan’s last trip was 2029, beating the Snappers that year for the title. The Blue Jays rolled again in the rematch 4-1 for their fourth pennant in a decade. Busan became 15-time Korean champs (1933, 34, 38, 39, 40, 42, 43, 44, 71, 80, 2009, 23, 24, 29, 32), second only to Daegu’s 16. Despite three pennants in the 2020s, Busan had taken the ultimate prize since way back in 1971. The Blue Jays ended that 60-year drought by claiming the 112^th East Asian Championship 4-1 over Chiba. Busan became six-time EAB champs, having also won in 1933, 38, 42, and 44. 2B Seong-Jun Mho was finals MVP in his second year with the Blue Jays, signing after spending his first six seasons in Seoul. In 15 playoff starts, Mho had 14 hits, 7 runs, 2 doubles, 1 triple, 4 homers, and 11 RBI. Although Suwon was defeated, league MVP Su-Yeon Han notably had a historic postseason that including MVP honors for the JLCS and the first two rounds. He had a 1.163 slugging percentage, breaking the playoff record in EAB (20+ plate appearances required). In 13 starts, Han had 19 hits, 14 runs, 9 homers, 2 doubles, 1 triple, and 11 RBI. He was one homer short of the playoff record set by Hyeog-Jun Wi in 1969. Other notes: Kunihiko Ishiguro became only the 3^rd member of EAB’s 900 home run club and the 6^th EAB slugger with 2000 career RBI. The 39-year old Slugger joined Niigata for 2032 and hit 35 dingers, passing Hitoshi Kubota’s 905 for #2 on the EAB leaderboard. At 908, Ishiguro was now 13 away from Soo-Geun Yim’s 921. He became the 21^st in pro baseball history with 900+ homers. Ishiguro also was at 2006 RBI and still needed a few more seasons to catch Yim’s 2279. Ishiguro was 33 runs from 2000 and only 43 away from Byung-Oh Tan’s EAB record of 2010 runs. In 2032, he also became the 26^th member of the 3000 hit club, although Tan’s 3871 was a long way away. Ishiguro was still solid in 2032 with .855 OPS and 4.7 WAR and was ready to return for 2033 with the Green Dragons at age 40. In other milestones, Iemitsu Naiya became the 77^th member of the 500 home run club and the 101^st to reach 2500 hits. Tadami Nakano became the 33^rd reliever to reach 300 saves. Seong-Ho Lee was the 113rd pitcher with 3000 strikeouts. SS Jae-Won Park won his 13^th consecutive Gold Glove, becoming only the 26^th player in world history to win the award 13+ times. He’s the fourth EAB player to do so and tied Han-Gyeol Bu’s position record. RF Chae-Yun Choi won his 12^th and final Gold Glove. Hyeon-Min Song of Daejeon had the 17^th four home run game in EAB history on May 16 facing Jeju. Maebashi struggled to 51-111 and set Japan League all-time pitching worsts for earned runs (741) and team WHIP (1.487). Their 14 saves also tied the EAB all-time low. No one wanted to see the young Bunnies squad stink it up, as their 765,988 season attendance was also a JL worst. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)