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The 1937 EAB Hall of Fame Class was the largest and most storied yet in that HOF’s short history. Two had previously gone in and this time, three made it, including an inner-circle level pitcher in Zeshin Saito at 99.0%. Also getting in on the first ballot was pitcher Yasushi Matsu****a at 83.0% and 1B Moon-Hwan Lee at 69.3%.



Zeshin Saito – Starting Pitcher – Osaka Orange Sox – 99.0% First Ballot.

Zeshin Saito was a 5’10’’, 190 pound left handed pitcher born in Osaka, Japan. Saito had 94-96 mph velocity and strong movement, alternating between a fastball, curveball, and changeup. His amateur and semi-pro career was around his hometown of Osaka and when East Asia Baseball was officially founded in 1921, he signed up with the hometown Orange Sox, where he’d spend his entire EAB career.

His official debut came at age 25 and he excelled immediately with 11.7 WAR, 342 strikeouts, and 28 quality starts out of 31. He won both Pitcher of the Year and league MVP. In 1923, he won both awards again and was a huge part of Osaka winning their first EAB Championship. In 1925, he won his third Pitcher of the Year and the Orange Sox won their second championship. This season, he earned the Triple Crown with 25 wins, 1.46 ERA, and 345 strikeouts.

His first five seasons saw 53.9 WAR and 1656 strikeouts. The rest of his career wasn’t that dominant as he entered his 30s, but he was still an excellent starting pitcher and perpetual all-star. In 1931, a partially torn labrum and shoulder inflammation contributed to a rough season, leading Saito to retire in the offseason at age 36.

His final line: 183-69, 1.85 ERA, 2481.1 innings with 3020 strikeouts and 83.0 WAR. His 1.85 ERA is the best career ERA of any EAB Hall of Fame starting pitcher, although his relatively short career keeps him off many of the leaderboards. He was the second pitcher to 3000 career strikeouts and threw four no-hitters, including the second EAB perfect game in 1921. A beloved local legend with his #22 retired in his hometown Osaka, Saito is a well-deserved Hall of Famer as one the first elite EAB pitchers.



Yasushi Matsu****a – Starting Pitcher – Yokohama Yellow Jackets – 83.0% First Ballot

Yasushi Matsu****a is a 5’11’’, 200 pound right handed pitcher from the small town of Toba in Mie Prefecture in Japan. His pitches topped out in the mid-90s in velocity and he expertly mixed up a fastball, slider, curveball, and changeup.

His East Asia Baseball career didn’t officially begin until age 27 when EAB was created in 1921. He signed with Daegu for his EAB debut and spent four seasons with the Diamondbacks. He twice had 10+ WAR seasons, helping them to win two Korean League South Division titles. He was third in Pitcher of the Year voting in 1924, which allowed him to get a big contract with Yokohama, who just won the Japan League, in free agency.

Starting with the Yellow Jackets at age 31, he spent seven seasons there in what became his signature run. Yokohama was a Japanese dynasty in the 1920s, winning six straight North Division titles. The Yellow Jackets were EAB champions in 1926 and 1927 with Matsu****a having big playoff runs in both. In 1929 at age 35, he won his lone Pitcher of the Year, posting a career best 1.63 ERA. In 1931 at age 37, a partially torn UCL ended his career.

His final line was 174-96, 2.53 ERA over 2517.2 innings with 2730 strikeouts and a 74.5 WAR. He only had a decade of official stats, but put up solid numbers in that stretch and played a big part in Yokohama’s 1920s dynasty. This earned Matsu****a a spot in the EAB Hall of Fame.



Moon-Hwan Lee – First Baseman – Saitama Sting – 69.3% First Ballot

Moon-Hwan Lee was a 5’10’’, 200 pound left-handed first baseman from the South Korean capital Seoul. The first hitter inducted into EAB’s Hall of Fame, Lee was a pure power hitter. He wasn’t a great contact hitter and struck out a lot, but he was an excellent home run hitter when he made contact. Solid at drawing walks, he wasn’t much of a baserunner. A career first baseman, he was a solid glove there, twice winning the Gold Glove.

Lee became well known for his power in his amateur and semi-pro days in Korea with him entering the newly formed East Asia Baseball at age 25 with Changwon. He spent five seasons with the Crabs and in his EAB debut, hit 54 home runs and 136 RBI. In 1923, Changwon won the Korean League title. In his five years there, Lee had 220 home runs, 692 hits, 26.2 WAR, and 539 RBI.

At age 30 entering 1926, Lee signed a free agent deal with Saitama. He spent his final six EAB seasons with the Sting and ended up inducted for his time there. His Saitama debut was his best season, leading Japan in home runs (51), RBI (110), runs (94), and walks (87). This earned him his lone MVP and one of his three Silver Sluggers. He led again in both homers and RBI in 1930 as the Sting won the Japan League title.

With Saitama, Lee had 730 hits, 284 home runs, 593 RBI, and 43.4 WAR. In his last year there, he hit 50 home runs and became the first EAB player to 500 career dingers. The year prior, he was the first to 1000 career RBI. He left for America in 1932 at age 36, signing for big money with Oklahoma City. But his poor contact hitting sunk him with -1.9 WAR in his lone MLB season, retiring at year’s end.

At retirement, Lee was the EAB All-time home run hitter with 504 dingers, getting passed by Danzu Min in 1941. He had 1422 hits, 969 runs, 1132 RBI, 802 walks, a .237/.333/.539 slash line and 69.5 WAR. His poor average hurt him with some voters and his power totals would get passed in the coming years, but being the first to 500 homers and 1000 RBI in a low-offense era earns consideration. He only got 69.3%, but it was enough for a first ballot selection for Moon-Hwan Lee.