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FuzzyRussianHat · 09-23-2025, 08:24 AM

Defending European Champion and defending Baseball Grand Champion Warsaw repeated as the Northern Conference’s top seed at 103-59 atop the East Division. The Wildcats had the best record in the entire European Baseball Federation Elite Tier and allowed the fewest runs in EBF at 553. Warsaw also was the NC’s top scorer with 774 runs. They won the division by 15 games for their fourth playoff trip in five years.

West Division champ Dublin gave them a run for the top seed at 101-61. The Dinos grew their playoff streak to three with their second division crown of the run. All four wild cards came out of the West with Hamburg (94-68), Cardiff (91-71), Cologne (90-72), and Antwerp (89-73) advancing. The first three teams to miss the cut came from the East with Helsinki (88-74), Oslo (87-75), and last year’s conference runner-up Berlin (86-76).

It was an impressive return for the Hammers, who were the 2034 European Second League champ. Hamburg hadn’t been above .500 in the Elite Tier since 2026 and it was their first playoff trip since 2023. The Crew and Copperheads both earned repeat playoff trips while the Airedales ended a five-year drought. Notable was Rotterdam at 80-82 and Hanover at 76-86, ending long runs for both teams of winning seasons. The Ravens hadn’t posted a losing season since 2016 and the Hitmen since 2022. Edinburg, a wild card the last two seasons, notably dropped as well to 76-86.

Manchester was by far the worst team at 59-103 in the West, suffering relegation after 17 seasons in the EBF Elite. The Crushers had been a playoff team from 2028-31, but had dropped off in recent years. Lodz was last in the East at 67-95, finishing just behind Prague (70-92) and Gothenburg (72-90). The Legion had a seven-year stint in the top tier, but was unable to post a winning season.

Stockholm was a non-factor at 76-86, but they had the Northern Conference MVP Harvey Smith. The 24-year old Englishman repeated as a Gold Glove winner at third base and led in runs (123), hits (223), total bases (438), OPS (1.121), wRC+ (206), and WAR (11.7). Smith smacked 60 home runs with 127 RBI, 27 doubles, and a .367/.401/.720 slash. He had to fend off some big boppers to take MVP with Antwerp’s Bohuslav Vlasko smacking 70 homers and Wroclaw’s Adam Nebowski with 68. Vlasko was only the eighth in EBF history with a 70+ homer campaign.

Warsaw’s Takao Watanabe won his second Pitcher of the Year in three years. The 31-year old Japanese lefty led in wins (19-6), FIP- (58), and WAR (7.2). Watanabe had a 2.20 ERA, 209 innings, 291 strikeouts, and 169 ERA+. He posted 28.9 WAR over five seasons in Poland, having arrived after playing his first five years in his native Japan. Watanabe would cash in as a free agent for 2036 and stay in Europe on a six-year, $165,200,000 deal with Dublin.

Cardiff beat Cologne and Hamburg topped Antwerp in the first round of the playoffs, both by 2-0 margins. The division champs prevailed in round two with Dublin surviving 3-2 against the Hammers and Warsaw over the Crew 3-1. The Dinos earned their second Northern Conference Championship trip in three years and the Wildcats were shooting for the repeat.

In a seven-game classic, Dublin dethroned the defending champ Warsaw to become 12-time conference champs. That leads all NC teams and ended one of the Dinos’ longer pennant droughts at ten seasons. The only teams with more pennants are the Southern Conference’s Zurich and Munich, who have 13 each. Dublin has eight pennants in the 21^st Century.

Krakow claimed the top seed in the Southern Conference at a franchise-best 102-60 and led all teams with 878 runs. The Canines have three straight playoff berths and two East Division titles since getting promoted back up for 2033. Barcelona at 99-63 won the West Division, bouncing back after having their seven-year playoff streak thwarted in 2034. The Bengals allowed the conference’s fewest runs with 568.

Getting the first three wild cards outright were Budapest (96-66), Zurich (94-68), and Belgrade (94-68). The Bombers got a third straight wild card, while the Mountaineers earned their fourth berth in five years and the Bruisers got their second in three years. The final spot saw a tie at 92-70 between Zaragoza and Bucharest, two teams both in their second year back in the Elite Tier. The Gold Hawks won the tiebreaker game to advance for their first playoff trip since 2017. The only other teams in the wild card hunt were 87-75 Lyon and 86-76 Thessaloniki, which ended a three-year streak for the Lords.

The three worst records in the conference were in the East Division, but only last place suffers relegation. That fate fell to Lviv at 63-99, who were behind Odesa (66-96), Chisinau (66-96), and Tirana (67-95). The Lunkers lasted only one year in the EBF Elite, having been the 2034 E2L runner-up. Naples at 67-95 was the clear last place in the West, falling back to the Second League after only a two-year return.

In his first year as a full-time starter, Krakow LF Rafal Mazurek won Southern Conference MVP. The hometown hero had been a part-time starter in the prior three seasons. Mazurek led in total bases (427), triple slash (.383/.418/.712), OPS (1.129), and wRC+ (218). The 25-year old Pole added 230 hits, 124 runs, 25 doubles, 23 triples, 42 homers, 124 RBI, and 10.6 WAR. Mazurek’s childhood dream came through with the Canines picked him 38^th in the 2031 EBF Draft. He would commit to his hometown Krakow after the 2036 season on an eight-year, $177,500,000 extension, although he would suffer a torn PCL in August 2036.

Pitcher of the Year was 6’8’’ German righty Karl-Heinz Wege in his fifth season with Zurich. The 30-year old led in WAR (9.2), quality starts (25), shutouts (6), and FIP- (55). Wede had a 14-6 record, 2.21 ERA, 169 ERA+, 240 innings, and 263 strikeouts. This was a contract year for Wege, who had arrived in Switzerland in a 2031 trade from Sofia. He would sign in the winter with Belgrade for $153,600,000 over six years.

Zurich swept Belgrade 2-0 and Budapest swept Zaragoza in the first round. The division champs held firm 3-1 in the second round with Krakow over the Mountaineers and Barcelona over the Bombers. Despite eight playoff trips in nine years, this was only the second Southern Conference Championship trip of that run for the Bengals. Their pennant drought went back to 2015.

The Canines had never been a playoff team prior to starting their current three-year streak. Krakow’s first conference finals trip was the 2033 defeat to Lyon. In a fierce seven-game battle, the Canines outlasted Barcelona for their first pennant. With their title, 41 different franchises will have competed in the European Championship.

Krakow became the 34^th club to win it all, surviving in seven games facing Dublin in the 86^th European Championship. The defeat puts the Dinos at 7-5 all-time in their finals trips. The Canines were the ninth different champ in as many years, but kept the cup in Poland following Warsaw’s 2034 triumph.

Conference MVP Rafal Mazurek had a big postseason for his hometown club and was conference finals MVP. In 18 starts, he had 32 hits, 12 runs, 6 doubles, 2 triples, 3 homers, 7 RBI, 1.114 OPS, 219 wRC+, and 1.5 WAR. The hit tally was the third-highest in EBF playoff history. Finals MVP was Dublin 1B Sal Kirwan in a losing effort, who had 11 hits, 8 runs, 5 homers, and 8 RBI in 13 playoff games.

Other notes: Wilmer Hottinen and Rabiola Lierta both had four home run games, a feat now accomplished 22 times in EBF. Mark Schroder became the 22^nd member of the 600 home run club and the 37^th to 1500 RBI. Danut Alecsandrescu became the 49^th to reach 500 homers and Stanislav Sahakyan was the 50^th.

In pitching notables, Nejc Novak was the 12^th to reach 4000 strikeouts and Vijay Wesley was the 18^th to 300 saves. CF Kamil Bufka won his 10^th Gold Glove and 1B Waldemar Riemers grabbed his 8^th. Bufka is one of six at any position in EBF with 10+ GGs and the leading center fielder.

Promotion/Relegation: See the image below for the teams moving up and down in the European baseball pyramid following the 2035 season.

09-23-2025, 08:24 AM	#2462
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 3,064	2035 in EBF Defending European Champion and defending Baseball Grand Champion Warsaw repeated as the Northern Conference’s top seed at 103-59 atop the East Division. The Wildcats had the best record in the entire European Baseball Federation Elite Tier and allowed the fewest runs in EBF at 553. Warsaw also was the NC’s top scorer with 774 runs. They won the division by 15 games for their fourth playoff trip in five years. West Division champ Dublin gave them a run for the top seed at 101-61. The Dinos grew their playoff streak to three with their second division crown of the run. All four wild cards came out of the West with Hamburg (94-68), Cardiff (91-71), Cologne (90-72), and Antwerp (89-73) advancing. The first three teams to miss the cut came from the East with Helsinki (88-74), Oslo (87-75), and last year’s conference runner-up Berlin (86-76). It was an impressive return for the Hammers, who were the 2034 European Second League champ. Hamburg hadn’t been above .500 in the Elite Tier since 2026 and it was their first playoff trip since 2023. The Crew and Copperheads both earned repeat playoff trips while the Airedales ended a five-year drought. Notable was Rotterdam at 80-82 and Hanover at 76-86, ending long runs for both teams of winning seasons. The Ravens hadn’t posted a losing season since 2016 and the Hitmen since 2022. Edinburg, a wild card the last two seasons, notably dropped as well to 76-86. Manchester was by far the worst team at 59-103 in the West, suffering relegation after 17 seasons in the EBF Elite. The Crushers had been a playoff team from 2028-31, but had dropped off in recent years. Lodz was last in the East at 67-95, finishing just behind Prague (70-92) and Gothenburg (72-90). The Legion had a seven-year stint in the top tier, but was unable to post a winning season. Stockholm was a non-factor at 76-86, but they had the Northern Conference MVP Harvey Smith. The 24-year old Englishman repeated as a Gold Glove winner at third base and led in runs (123), hits (223), total bases (438), OPS (1.121), wRC+ (206), and WAR (11.7). Smith smacked 60 home runs with 127 RBI, 27 doubles, and a .367/.401/.720 slash. He had to fend off some big boppers to take MVP with Antwerp’s Bohuslav Vlasko smacking 70 homers and Wroclaw’s Adam Nebowski with 68. Vlasko was only the eighth in EBF history with a 70+ homer campaign. Warsaw’s Takao Watanabe won his second Pitcher of the Year in three years. The 31-year old Japanese lefty led in wins (19-6), FIP- (58), and WAR (7.2). Watanabe had a 2.20 ERA, 209 innings, 291 strikeouts, and 169 ERA+. He posted 28.9 WAR over five seasons in Poland, having arrived after playing his first five years in his native Japan. Watanabe would cash in as a free agent for 2036 and stay in Europe on a six-year, $165,200,000 deal with Dublin. Cardiff beat Cologne and Hamburg topped Antwerp in the first round of the playoffs, both by 2-0 margins. The division champs prevailed in round two with Dublin surviving 3-2 against the Hammers and Warsaw over the Crew 3-1. The Dinos earned their second Northern Conference Championship trip in three years and the Wildcats were shooting for the repeat. In a seven-game classic, Dublin dethroned the defending champ Warsaw to become 12-time conference champs. That leads all NC teams and ended one of the Dinos’ longer pennant droughts at ten seasons. The only teams with more pennants are the Southern Conference’s Zurich and Munich, who have 13 each. Dublin has eight pennants in the 21^st Century. Krakow claimed the top seed in the Southern Conference at a franchise-best 102-60 and led all teams with 878 runs. The Canines have three straight playoff berths and two East Division titles since getting promoted back up for 2033. Barcelona at 99-63 won the West Division, bouncing back after having their seven-year playoff streak thwarted in 2034. The Bengals allowed the conference’s fewest runs with 568. Getting the first three wild cards outright were Budapest (96-66), Zurich (94-68), and Belgrade (94-68). The Bombers got a third straight wild card, while the Mountaineers earned their fourth berth in five years and the Bruisers got their second in three years. The final spot saw a tie at 92-70 between Zaragoza and Bucharest, two teams both in their second year back in the Elite Tier. The Gold Hawks won the tiebreaker game to advance for their first playoff trip since 2017. The only other teams in the wild card hunt were 87-75 Lyon and 86-76 Thessaloniki, which ended a three-year streak for the Lords. The three worst records in the conference were in the East Division, but only last place suffers relegation. That fate fell to Lviv at 63-99, who were behind Odesa (66-96), Chisinau (66-96), and Tirana (67-95). The Lunkers lasted only one year in the EBF Elite, having been the 2034 E2L runner-up. Naples at 67-95 was the clear last place in the West, falling back to the Second League after only a two-year return. In his first year as a full-time starter, Krakow LF Rafal Mazurek won Southern Conference MVP. The hometown hero had been a part-time starter in the prior three seasons. Mazurek led in total bases (427), triple slash (.383/.418/.712), OPS (1.129), and wRC+ (218). The 25-year old Pole added 230 hits, 124 runs, 25 doubles, 23 triples, 42 homers, 124 RBI, and 10.6 WAR. Mazurek’s childhood dream came through with the Canines picked him 38^th in the 2031 EBF Draft. He would commit to his hometown Krakow after the 2036 season on an eight-year, $177,500,000 extension, although he would suffer a torn PCL in August 2036. Pitcher of the Year was 6’8’’ German righty Karl-Heinz Wege in his fifth season with Zurich. The 30-year old led in WAR (9.2), quality starts (25), shutouts (6), and FIP- (55). Wede had a 14-6 record, 2.21 ERA, 169 ERA+, 240 innings, and 263 strikeouts. This was a contract year for Wege, who had arrived in Switzerland in a 2031 trade from Sofia. He would sign in the winter with Belgrade for $153,600,000 over six years. Zurich swept Belgrade 2-0 and Budapest swept Zaragoza in the first round. The division champs held firm 3-1 in the second round with Krakow over the Mountaineers and Barcelona over the Bombers. Despite eight playoff trips in nine years, this was only the second Southern Conference Championship trip of that run for the Bengals. Their pennant drought went back to 2015. The Canines had never been a playoff team prior to starting their current three-year streak. Krakow’s first conference finals trip was the 2033 defeat to Lyon. In a fierce seven-game battle, the Canines outlasted Barcelona for their first pennant. With their title, 41 different franchises will have competed in the European Championship. Krakow became the 34^th club to win it all, surviving in seven games facing Dublin in the 86^th European Championship. The defeat puts the Dinos at 7-5 all-time in their finals trips. The Canines were the ninth different champ in as many years, but kept the cup in Poland following Warsaw’s 2034 triumph. Conference MVP Rafal Mazurek had a big postseason for his hometown club and was conference finals MVP. In 18 starts, he had 32 hits, 12 runs, 6 doubles, 2 triples, 3 homers, 7 RBI, 1.114 OPS, 219 wRC+, and 1.5 WAR. The hit tally was the third-highest in EBF playoff history. Finals MVP was Dublin 1B Sal Kirwan in a losing effort, who had 11 hits, 8 runs, 5 homers, and 8 RBI in 13 playoff games. Other notes: Wilmer Hottinen and Rabiola Lierta both had four home run games, a feat now accomplished 22 times in EBF. Mark Schroder became the 22^nd member of the 600 home run club and the 37^th to 1500 RBI. Danut Alecsandrescu became the 49^th to reach 500 homers and Stanislav Sahakyan was the 50^th. In pitching notables, Nejc Novak was the 12^th to reach 4000 strikeouts and Vijay Wesley was the 18^th to 300 saves. CF Kamil Bufka won his 10^th Gold Glove and 1B Waldemar Riemers grabbed his 8^th. Bufka is one of six at any position in EBF with 10+ GGs and the leading center fielder. Promotion/Relegation: See the image below for the teams moving up and down in the European baseball pyramid following the 2035 season. __________________ 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)