
After surprising many by winning the 1992 East Asia Championship at 85-77, Kitakyushu posted the Japan League’s best record in 1993. The Kodiaks were 102-60, which extended their West Division streak to four seasons. In the North Division, 93-69 Sendai snapped an eight-year playoff drought. Niigata, repeat league champions only two years prior, dropped to 79-83. At 92-70, Kyoto won the Central Division to end a 15-year playoff drought, which had been the JL’s second-longest active skid. Defending division champ Nagoya was five games back. And in the Capital Division, Tokyo earned repeat titles with an 87-75 mark. Kawasaki was their closest competitor at 82 wins.
24-year old Kyoto right fielder Pikushi Tamaki won Japan League MVP. He led the league in runs (135), home runs (63), RBI (133), total bases (429), slugging (.735), OPS (1.102), wRC+ (230), and WAR (11.3). Kitakyushu’s Junzo Yamanoue earned repeat Pitcher of the Year honors. He led in wins at 20-8, plus strikeouts (313), quality starts (26), complete games (18), FIP- (58), and WAR (9.1). Yamanoue added a 2.01 ERA over 264 innings. Also of note, Nagoya’s Kei Fujisawa won his third Reliever of the Year in his fifth season. He had 21 WAR in these impressive seasons, but sadly injuries would make Fujisawa largely irrelevant for the rest of his run.
Kitakyushu topped Tokyo 3-1 in the first round of the playoffs, sending the Kodiaks to a fourth consecutive Japan League Championship Series appearance. Kyoto swept Sendai, giving the Kamikaze their first JCLS berth since their mid 1970s dynasty. In a seven-game classic, Kitakyushu outlasted Kyoto, making the Kodiaks repeat JL champs.

Defending Korea League champ Suwon improved upon their record as a wild card last year. At 104-58, the Snappers won the North Division and had the top mark in EAB. Goyang (99-63) and Bucheon (98-64) both gave them very good runs, earning those teams the wild card spots. The Green Sox extended their postseason streak to three seasons, while the Bolts earned a third berth in four years. In the South Division, Gwangju secured a fourth consecutive division title with a 94-68 record. Yongin finished just one back on the division at 93-69, five shy of the second wild card. Ulsan and Daegu both saw solid efforts at 90-72.
Pyongyang was just below .500, but their third-year right fielder Jung-Sang Ryu was Korea League MVP. He led the league in runs (129), home runs (59), total bases (403), slugging (.726), and WAR (11.2), and also won a Gold Glove. Ryu’s power allowed him to beat out Si-Hun Lee for the award despite Lee’s record-breaking performance. The second-year Yongin 3B became the first EAB player to bat over .400 with a .411 average. This still holds as the EAB record as of 2037. Lee also had 252 hits, breaking the old record of 238 from Dong-Ju Hahn. Lee’s mark is third best still in EAB as of 2037.
Pitcher of the Year was Gwangju’s Futoshi Sakamaki. The 26-year old righty led the league in strikeouts (397), innings (274.1), K/BB (22.1), and WAR (8.3). The 397 strikeouts tied the single-season record set by Jae-Min Lee back in 1976. This remained the top mark until 2015. Sakamaki also had a 2.17 ERA and 17-11 record. Unfortunately, a second torn rotator cuff suffered in 1994 would keep Sakamaki out all of 1995 and 1996, and he’d never return to form. Also of note, his Grays teammate Hachiro Koga became a three-time Reliever of the Year winner.
Bucheon stunned Suwon with a 3-1 upset in the first round, giving the Bolts their second Korea League Championship Series berth in four years. Gwangju earned a repeat trip, surviving in five against Goyang. The Grays had less trouble with Bucheon, as Gwangju secured the KLCS 4-1. It was the fifth pennant for the Grays, but they hadn’t won the pennant since all the way back in 1930.

The 73rd East Asian Championship ended up as a seven-game thriller. Gwangju wanted their first ring in two generations, but Kitakyushu’s repeat bid prevailed. It was the second title period for the Kodiaks, who were the first team to repeat as EAB champs since Hiroshima in 1969-70. CF Yeo-Jun Park was the finals MVP, a surprise hero that had only made 34 regular season starts in his career and only 14 in 1993. He only started three playoff games and played in 14, but went 10-22 with 6 runs, 2 triples, 2 home runs, and 6 RBI. Park would never be a full-time starter in his career, but he secured a spot in Kitakyushu’s lore.

Other notes: Bucheon’s Yoriyoshi Goto had the 29th EAB Perfect Game and the first since 1982. On May 25, he struck out 10 against Ulsan. Woo-Hong Ryu became the ninth EAB pitcher to 250 wins.
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