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FuzzyRussianHat · 08-16-2025, 08:57 AM

For the third straight year, Moscow was the European League’s top seed and the North Division champ. The Mules finished 99-63 to extend their playoff streak to five seasons, finishing second in both runs scored (691) and fewest allowed (575). Moscow had a 1,961,429 season attendance, second-best in Eurasian Professional Baseball history behind their own 2,005,017 from the prior year.

Over in the South Division, defending EPB champ Voronezh (92-70) edged out Volgograd (91-71) for first place. Both earned repeat playoff trips but switched spots in the standings. The Voyagers were the top scoring team with 725 runs and the Zephyrs allowed the fewest at 557. For Volgograd, they now have 12 playoff berths in the last 14 years.

It was a steep drop to the second wild card spot with Minsk (84-78) taking it over Tel Aviv (82-80), Samara (81-81), and Gomel (80-82). The Miners ended a four-year playoff drought and bounced back after a franchise-worst 57-105 the prior year. Nizhny Novgorod, last year’s ELCS runner-up, dropped to 74-88.

Moscow’s big offseason acquisition was OF Dmitri Khodakovsky, who had won seven Silver Sluggers in the outfield for Samara. The Mules gave him a five-year, $86 million contract and were rewarded as he won European League MVP as a designated hitter. It was his second MVP, having done it way back in 2024 with the Steelers.

The 33-year old Russian lefty led in runs (114), home runs (60), RBI (125), and total bases (423). Khadakovsky had 204 hits, a .328/.370/.680 slash, 196 wRC+, and 9.1 WAR. It was only the eighth time in EPB history that a slugger had 60+ homers and it hadn’t happened since 1993. He also won his eighth Silver Slugger.

Pitcher of the Year was Voronezh’s Sergei Stepanov, who led in wins (20-4), ERA (2.25), WHIP (0.86), shutouts (5), and FIP- (62). The fourth-year righty struck out 254 over 215.2 innings with 161 ERA+ and 7.3 WAR.

Minsk shocked Moscow 3-2 in the first round of the playoffs, giving the Mules back-to-back one-and-dones despite being the top seed. Voronezh held off Volgograd 3-1 on the other side of the bracket to keep their repeat hope intact. The Miners continued their unexpected hot streak and swept the Zephyrs in the European League Championship Series.

It was a remarkable turnaround for Minsk after suffering their worst-ever campaign the prior year. They led all EPB teams with 22 pennants, ending a five-year drought (1955, 56, 62, 64, 66, 69, 81, 85, 88, 89, 90, 91, 96, 2000, 01, 02, 03, 04, 08, 11, 27, 33).

The Asian League was incredibly top heavy with both division winners lapping the field. Ufa repeated as top seed at 107-55 and won a third consecutive West Division title. The Fiends were 28 games ahead of the next closest divisional rival and led in both runs scored (781) and fewest allowed (574). Novosibirsk won the East Division by 13 games at 99-63. The Nitros extended their playoff streak to five seasons and division title streak to four.

Only two other teams had winning records and thus snagged the two wild cards with Irkutsk at 86-76 and Ulaanbaatar at 83-79. Khabarovsk was next closest at 81-81, then Omsk at 79-83. Defending AL champ Vladivostok, who had won four pennants in the prior five seasons, fell to 74-88. The Ice Cats ended a 24-year playoff drought and the Boars snapped a six-year skid. Irkutsk’s drought had been the longest active one in EPB with that distinction now on to Rostov at 17 seasons.

Ufa DH Konstantin Antonov repeated as Asian league MVP, leading in runs (113), home runs (51), total bases (389), OBP (.389), slugging (.671), OPS (1.060), and wRC+ (191). The 25-year old Belarusian lefty was second in the AL for batting average (.329), RBI (121), hits (191) and WAR (8.4).

Novosibirsk lefty Denis Kropotkin won Pitcher of the Year, leading in strikeouts (296), FIP- (58), and WAR (8.4). The 26-year old Russian was second in wins (21-1) and ERA (1.87) over 236 innings. He missed the Triple Crown by nine ERA points and two wins. Kropotkin’s .955 winning percentage was a new EPB single-season record. It was only the ninth time in world baseball history that a pitcher recorded only one loss while winning 20+ games.

The top seeds prevailed in the first round with Ufa sweeping Ulaanbaatar and Novosibirsk surviving a fierce 3-2 challenge by Irkutsk. The Fiends earned a third consecutive trip to the Asian League Championship Series, setting up a 2031 rematch with the Nitros. Ufa was the underdog that year and had upset Novosibirsk in a seven-game classic. The 2033 rematch also went all seven games, but this time the Fiends won over the Nitros with home field advantage. Ufa became four-time AL champs (2015, 16, 31, 33).

In the 79^th EPB Championship, Minsk returned to the throne with one more playoff upset. The 84-win Miners held off 107-win Ufa in seven games for a historic 15^th title (1956, 62, 66, 69, 85, 88, 90, 91, 96, 2000, 01, 02, 11, 27, 33). The Belarusian capital is the first franchise in world history to win their league’s overall title 15 times.

Finals MVP was 27-year old RF Rashhad Bairyyev. The Kazakh righty in 16 playoff starts had 25 hits, 10 runs, 3 doubles, 4 homers, and 11 RBI. In defeat, Ufa’s Konstantin Antonov set the EPB playoff record with 12 walks drawn. Two bad pitching playoff records were set as well in 2033. Minsk’s Talgat Suleimenov allowed 19 walks and Ufa’s Fikrat Ismailov allowed 9 home runs.

Other notes: In his penultimate season, OF/DH Timofei Averkin passed Nikolay Kargopolcev (5741) to become the EPB leader in total bases. He had become the hits leader the prior year. After spending 2009-33 between Krasnoyarsk and Volgograd, Averkin would return to his original term Perm in 2034 for his 20^th season at age 40.

Averkin was still solid in 2032 with the Voyagers, getting 31 homers, .861 OPS, and 5.0 WAR. He finished the season with 1632 runs and 1680 RBI, putting him within striking distance of the EPB records. Averkin is behind only Igor Gorbatyuk’s 1669 runs scored. He sits fifth in RBI, but the record 1755 by Ivan Mushailov is only 75 away. Averkin also became the 25^th member of the 500 home run club.

EPB’s 35^th perfect game came on May 9 by Vladivostok’s Lev Soldatenko with 13 Ks against Ulaanbaatar. Perm’s offense drew only 231 walks all season, a new EPB low. Nehor Pomerantz became the 62^nd pitcher with 200 wins. CF Robert Albrecht won his 12^th consecutive Gold Glove. He has the position record and is only one of six at any position in EPB with 12+ Gold Gloves.

The legendary Nizami Aghazade played his final season of professional baseball at age 45 in EPB, although it was a rough going. The nine-time Asian Baseball Federation MVP with Dushanbe had spent the last five years in Major League Baseball still playing at a high level, although dealing with injuries. Aghazade fell off in his lone EPB season with Nizhny Novgorod with .597 OPS and -0.9 WAR over 153 games.

It lowered his combined career WAR to 202.0, which is still good for fourth in all of professional baseball history behind only SS Harvey Coyle (234.9), SS/2B Jimmy Caliw (214.0), and SP Mohamed Ramos (205.1). Since he had been gone from ABF for more than five years and was immediately eligible, Aghazade was an obvious lock for their Hall of Fame in 2034.

08-16-2025, 08:57 AM	#2388
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,499	2033 in EPB For the third straight year, Moscow was the European League’s top seed and the North Division champ. The Mules finished 99-63 to extend their playoff streak to five seasons, finishing second in both runs scored (691) and fewest allowed (575). Moscow had a 1,961,429 season attendance, second-best in Eurasian Professional Baseball history behind their own 2,005,017 from the prior year. Over in the South Division, defending EPB champ Voronezh (92-70) edged out Volgograd (91-71) for first place. Both earned repeat playoff trips but switched spots in the standings. The Voyagers were the top scoring team with 725 runs and the Zephyrs allowed the fewest at 557. For Volgograd, they now have 12 playoff berths in the last 14 years. It was a steep drop to the second wild card spot with Minsk (84-78) taking it over Tel Aviv (82-80), Samara (81-81), and Gomel (80-82). The Miners ended a four-year playoff drought and bounced back after a franchise-worst 57-105 the prior year. Nizhny Novgorod, last year’s ELCS runner-up, dropped to 74-88. Moscow’s big offseason acquisition was OF Dmitri Khodakovsky, who had won seven Silver Sluggers in the outfield for Samara. The Mules gave him a five-year, $86 million contract and were rewarded as he won European League MVP as a designated hitter. It was his second MVP, having done it way back in 2024 with the Steelers. The 33-year old Russian lefty led in runs (114), home runs (60), RBI (125), and total bases (423). Khadakovsky had 204 hits, a .328/.370/.680 slash, 196 wRC+, and 9.1 WAR. It was only the eighth time in EPB history that a slugger had 60+ homers and it hadn’t happened since 1993. He also won his eighth Silver Slugger. Pitcher of the Year was Voronezh’s Sergei Stepanov, who led in wins (20-4), ERA (2.25), WHIP (0.86), shutouts (5), and FIP- (62). The fourth-year righty struck out 254 over 215.2 innings with 161 ERA+ and 7.3 WAR. Minsk shocked Moscow 3-2 in the first round of the playoffs, giving the Mules back-to-back one-and-dones despite being the top seed. Voronezh held off Volgograd 3-1 on the other side of the bracket to keep their repeat hope intact. The Miners continued their unexpected hot streak and swept the Zephyrs in the European League Championship Series. It was a remarkable turnaround for Minsk after suffering their worst-ever campaign the prior year. They led all EPB teams with 22 pennants, ending a five-year drought (1955, 56, 62, 64, 66, 69, 81, 85, 88, 89, 90, 91, 96, 2000, 01, 02, 03, 04, 08, 11, 27, 33). The Asian League was incredibly top heavy with both division winners lapping the field. Ufa repeated as top seed at 107-55 and won a third consecutive West Division title. The Fiends were 28 games ahead of the next closest divisional rival and led in both runs scored (781) and fewest allowed (574). Novosibirsk won the East Division by 13 games at 99-63. The Nitros extended their playoff streak to five seasons and division title streak to four. Only two other teams had winning records and thus snagged the two wild cards with Irkutsk at 86-76 and Ulaanbaatar at 83-79. Khabarovsk was next closest at 81-81, then Omsk at 79-83. Defending AL champ Vladivostok, who had won four pennants in the prior five seasons, fell to 74-88. The Ice Cats ended a 24-year playoff drought and the Boars snapped a six-year skid. Irkutsk’s drought had been the longest active one in EPB with that distinction now on to Rostov at 17 seasons. Ufa DH Konstantin Antonov repeated as Asian league MVP, leading in runs (113), home runs (51), total bases (389), OBP (.389), slugging (.671), OPS (1.060), and wRC+ (191). The 25-year old Belarusian lefty was second in the AL for batting average (.329), RBI (121), hits (191) and WAR (8.4). Novosibirsk lefty Denis Kropotkin won Pitcher of the Year, leading in strikeouts (296), FIP- (58), and WAR (8.4). The 26-year old Russian was second in wins (21-1) and ERA (1.87) over 236 innings. He missed the Triple Crown by nine ERA points and two wins. Kropotkin’s .955 winning percentage was a new EPB single-season record. It was only the ninth time in world baseball history that a pitcher recorded only one loss while winning 20+ games. The top seeds prevailed in the first round with Ufa sweeping Ulaanbaatar and Novosibirsk surviving a fierce 3-2 challenge by Irkutsk. The Fiends earned a third consecutive trip to the Asian League Championship Series, setting up a 2031 rematch with the Nitros. Ufa was the underdog that year and had upset Novosibirsk in a seven-game classic. The 2033 rematch also went all seven games, but this time the Fiends won over the Nitros with home field advantage. Ufa became four-time AL champs (2015, 16, 31, 33). In the 79^th EPB Championship, Minsk returned to the throne with one more playoff upset. The 84-win Miners held off 107-win Ufa in seven games for a historic 15^th title (1956, 62, 66, 69, 85, 88, 90, 91, 96, 2000, 01, 02, 11, 27, 33). The Belarusian capital is the first franchise in world history to win their league’s overall title 15 times. Finals MVP was 27-year old RF Rashhad Bairyyev. The Kazakh righty in 16 playoff starts had 25 hits, 10 runs, 3 doubles, 4 homers, and 11 RBI. In defeat, Ufa’s Konstantin Antonov set the EPB playoff record with 12 walks drawn. Two bad pitching playoff records were set as well in 2033. Minsk’s Talgat Suleimenov allowed 19 walks and Ufa’s Fikrat Ismailov allowed 9 home runs. Other notes: In his penultimate season, OF/DH Timofei Averkin passed Nikolay Kargopolcev (5741) to become the EPB leader in total bases. He had become the hits leader the prior year. After spending 2009-33 between Krasnoyarsk and Volgograd, Averkin would return to his original term Perm in 2034 for his 20^th season at age 40. Averkin was still solid in 2032 with the Voyagers, getting 31 homers, .861 OPS, and 5.0 WAR. He finished the season with 1632 runs and 1680 RBI, putting him within striking distance of the EPB records. Averkin is behind only Igor Gorbatyuk’s 1669 runs scored. He sits fifth in RBI, but the record 1755 by Ivan Mushailov is only 75 away. Averkin also became the 25^th member of the 500 home run club. EPB’s 35^th perfect game came on May 9 by Vladivostok’s Lev Soldatenko with 13 Ks against Ulaanbaatar. Perm’s offense drew only 231 walks all season, a new EPB low. Nehor Pomerantz became the 62^nd pitcher with 200 wins. CF Robert Albrecht won his 12^th consecutive Gold Glove. He has the position record and is only one of six at any position in EPB with 12+ Gold Gloves. The legendary Nizami Aghazade played his final season of professional baseball at age 45 in EPB, although it was a rough going. The nine-time Asian Baseball Federation MVP with Dushanbe had spent the last five years in Major League Baseball still playing at a high level, although dealing with injuries. Aghazade fell off in his lone EPB season with Nizhny Novgorod with .597 OPS and -0.9 WAR over 153 games. It lowered his combined career WAR to 202.0, which is still good for fourth in all of professional baseball history behind only SS Harvey Coyle (234.9), SS/2B Jimmy Caliw (214.0), and SP Mohamed Ramos (205.1). Since he had been gone from ABF for more than five years and was immediately eligible, Aghazade was an obvious lock for their Hall of Fame in 2034. __________________ 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)