[MrNFL_FanIQ]

Defending Eurasian Professional Baseball champ Minsk took top honors in the European League again, finishing 99-63. This grew the Miners’ playoff streak to 21 seasons, tying EBF’s Zurich for the longest streak in any pro league. Moscow ended a 13-year playoff drought, taking the wild card at 88-74. Kazan fell two games short of the Mules with St. Petersburg six back. The Crusaders had their four-year playoff streak snapped.

European League MVP went to Kazan veteran SS Gleb Khassanov. The 31-year old had Gold Glove winning defense, helping him to lead in WAR at 11.3. Khassanov also led in runs (89), and doubles (37), while adding 25 home runs and 172 wRC+.

Minsk’s Markiyan Konoplya repeated as Pitcher of the Year and repeated as a Triple Crown winner. The 27-year old Ukrainian righty posted only the sixth Triple Crown by an EPB pitcher and became the first to do it twice, posting a 22-6 record, 1.72 ERA, and 342 strikeouts over 277.2 innings. Konoplya also led in WHIP (0.83), quality starts (31), shutouts (6), FIP- (51), and WAR (10.7). In addition, Konoplya won a Gold Glove.



Defending Asian League champ Yekaterinburg finished atop the standings again, this time going 103-59. The Yaks earned a third consecutive playoff berth. Krasnoyarsk got second at 97-65, ending a playoff drought dating back to 1988. Last year’s wild card Omsk finished third, five back on the Cossacks at 92-70.

Yekaterinburg ace Matvey Ivanov won his third straight Asian League Pitcher of the Year and also earned league MVP. The 26-year old Russian lefty led in ERA (1.85), strikeouts (363), WHIP (0.81), quality starts (27), FIP- (49), and WAR (11.2). He added a 21-10 record over 278 innings.

In the European League Championship Series, Minsk downed Moscow 4-2 to repeat as champs. The Miners now have 15 pennants to their name. The Asian League Championship Series had Krasnoyarsk upset Yekaterinburg in six games. It was the fourth pennant for the Cossacks, who hadn’t taken the AL since their lone EPB championship ring in 1982.



In the 47^th EPB Championship, Minsk repeated as champion, although they had to work for it as Krasnoyarsk forced all seven games. The Miners became 11-time champs (1956, 62, 66, 69, 85, 88, 90, 91, 96, 2000, 01). Finals MVP was LF Ryuunosuke Sugawara, a Japanese veteran who joined Minsk in 1999 after starting in East Asia Baseball. In 13 playoff starts, Sugawara had 18 hits, 7 runs, 2 doubles, 4 home runs, and 11 RBI.



Other notes: EL MVP Gleb Khassanov won his eighth Silver Slugger. RF Sapar Durdyek won his seventh.