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FuzzyRussianHat · 04-13-2023, 06:08 PM

The 1952 East Asia Baseball Hall of Fame class had three players inducted, each on their first ballot. SP Seung-Mo Kim was the lone no-doubter, getting the nod nearly unanimously at 99.4%. Joining him were closer Sung-Hyo Lee at 74.3% and SP Takashi Katayanagi at 69.8%. Closer Osamu Kurokawa had a nice debut at 58.3% with two others, SS Jun-Yeong Dang and 2B Sang-U Yoon crossing 50%.

Dropped after his 10^th try on the ballot was SP Ping’an Xie. The lefty from China split his 14 year career between Kobe and Saitama and had a 185-148 record, 2.60 ERA, 3299 strikeouts, and 70.1 WAR. Pretty solid, but he never won any awards and was thought of by many as a “Hall of Very Good” level guy. He peaked at 53.2% on his penultimate attempt on the ballot.

Seung-Mo Kim – Starting Pitcher – Hiroshima Hammerheads – 99.4% First Ballot

Seung-Mo Kim was a 5’9’’, 180 pound left-handed pitcher from Changwon, South Korea. Kim was known for excellent pinpoint control, which allowed him to thrive despite only having 90-92 mph velocity on his fastball. He also had a respectable slider and changeup. Kim was a solid defensive pitcher and good at holding runners. He was signed as an amateur as a teenager with Hiroshima in 1923 and made his debut in 1927.

Kim became a full-time starter in 1928 and was second in Rookie of the Year voting. He was a solid reliable starter for the Hammerheads who had seven seasons of 6+ WAR. In 1938, he won Pitcher of the Year with a league-best 1.75 ERA, 23-7 record, and 7.8 WAR. He also led in ERA in 1935, strikeouts in 1936, and WAR in 1934. Kim took second in Pitcher of the Year voting in 1935. In total with Hiroshima, he had a 193-135 record, 2.44 ERA, 3337 strikeouts, and 78.6 WAR. His #4 uniform would get retired as well.

Kim finally got a chance at the postseason at age 32 in 1939 and helped the Hammerheads win the EAB Championship. In his postseason run, he was 3-0 with a 1.23 ERA over 22 innings with 24 strikeouts. Kim was reliable health-wise generally, although he missed most of 1932 with a fractured elbow. In 1941, a torn back muscle put him out most of that season. Worried about his effectiveness and age post-injury, Kim was traded to Kyoto straight up for SS Yoo-Geol Park.

In his one year with the Kamikaze, Kim earned his 200^th career win and 3500^th strikeout. He moved back to Korea at age 36 to join Busan for the 1943 season, fresh off an EAB title. Kim had a career resurgence as in 1944, he led the league in ERA (2.27) with a 7.8 WAR, finishing second in Pitcher of the Year voting. The Blue Jays won the Korean title in both 1943 and 1944 and won the EAB title in 44. With Busan, Kim became the second EAB pitcher to reach 250 career wins and the fourth to 4000 strikeouts. At age 39, he signed with his hometown Changwon to a three-year deal, but only played in 1946 as his productivity fell off and he suffered a partially torn labrum in the summer. Kim retired at age 40.

The final statistics: 261-171, 2.47 ERA, 3994.2 innings, 4294 strikeouts, 575 walks, 409/552 quality starts, and 103.7 WAR. At retirement, he was one of three pitchers to have 100+ career WAR. It’s surprising that he only won Pitcher of the Year once considering his excellent statistics. He did this without having excellent velocity either, a master of pinpoint control and changing speeds. Seung-Mo Kim was an easy first ballot choice at 99.4%.

Sung-Hyo Lee – Closer – Chiba Comets – 74.3% First Ballot

Sung-Hyo Lee was a 6’1’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Seoul, South Korea. He was a fireballer with 99-101 mph velocity on a cutter that he mixed with a curveball. His movement wasn’t anything special and his control was spotty early in his career, but the speed on the cutter earned him plenty of strikeouts and groundballs. Although talented, he was considered by some to lack work ethic and intelligence. He was signed in 1929 as an amateur teenage free agent by Chiba and made his debut for the Comets in 1934 at age 21.

By his second season, Lee was the full-time closer and held that role for his entire EAB run. Chiba was a bottom-tier team, but Lee led Japan in saves twice in his Comets run, finishing second in Reliever of the Year voting in 1935 and 1937. He was traded in summer 1940 to Fukuoka and again finished second in Reliever of the Year voting. After spending 1941 with the Frogs, he signed a three-year deal for the 1942 season with Busan. Lee was second in Reliever of the year in 1942 and third in 1944, but he did finally win the award in 1943.

Although he’s inducted with Chiba as that was his longest tenure, he’s perhaps best known for the three years as the closer with Busan as this was the final part of their dynasty. The Blue Jays won the Korea League all three years Lee was there and took the EAB title in 1942 and 44. He had 13 saves in 21 postseason appearances with a 1.70 ERA over 37 innings and 58 strikeouts, certainly playing an important role. He put up 15 WAR and 113 saves with the Blue Jays, while adding 26.6 WAR and 218 saves in his six and change years with Chiba.

This marked the end of his EAB stats as with World War II ending, he was able to try his hand at Major League Baseball. He spent some time as a closer, but bounced around and had limited success over six seasons. He signed with Portland, was traded to Milwaukee, signed again with Portland, and was traded to Indianapolis. He still would return home to Korea as he played for the South Korean team on their 1947-50 World Baseball Championship squads, posting a 3.00 ERA over 42 innings with 71 strikeouts. Lee retired at age 38.

Over his whole pro career, he had 2.41 ERA, 453 saves, and 48.9 WAR. For just EAB, had ended with 378 saves, a 2.14 ERA, 1613 strikeouts over 1052.1 innings, and 44.2 WAR. He was fourth in EAB saves at retirement despite leaving in his early 30s and might have had a shot as an inner-circle EAB closer had he stayed. Still, even in just a decade of work, Lee earned a first ballot induction at 74.3%.

Takashi Katayanagi – Starting Pitcher – Yokohama Yellow Jackets – 69.8% First Ballot

Takashi Katayanagi was a 5’6’’, 185 pound left-handed pitcher from Fujieda, a small city in Japan’s Shizuoka Prefecture. His top pitch was a cutter that reached 97-99 mph and was very difficult to hit. He added a respectable slider and changeup to throw batters off balance. Katayanagi was a hard worker and a good defensive pitcher who was excellent at holding runners. He attended nearby Toaki University Junior College and was selected 13^th overall by Yokohama in the 1930 EAB Draft.

He pitched seven innings in 1931 and then was a fairly unsuccessful reliever the next two seasons. He became a regular starter in 1934 and finally hit his stride as an ace-level pitcher in 1935. In 1936 and 1937, he led Japan in ERA and WHIP. He never won Pitcher of the Year in his career, but took third in 1936 and second in 1937, 1940, and 1941. In his time with Yokohama from 1931-39, he was 95-70 with a 2.53 ERA, 1613 strikeouts, and 28.6 WAR. He also tossed a no hitter in 1938 against Kyoto with 11 strikeouts and one walk.

Katayanagi was traded for the 1940 season to Daejeon and after one strong season with the Ducks, left for free agency. Nagoya signed him for six seasons starting in 1941 at age 30. The Nightowls had won the 1940 EAB championship and got to the playoffs in 1941, but fell in the JLCS; Katayanagi’s only playoff experience. Nagoya fell off a bit as did Katayanagi, who was barely replacement level in 1944 at age 33. He spent two more seasons as a rarely used reliever who dealt with injury issues, opting to retire at the end of the 1946 season at age 35.

His final statistics: 173-114, 2.55 ERA, 2646.1 innings, 2785 strikeouts, 471 walks, 253/350 quality starts, and 54.4 WAR. He had about a nine year run as a legitimate ace, but had a relatively short and unremarkable career otherwise by the usual Hall of Fame standards. Of the starters that are in, he’s usually forgotten or pointed out as one of the weakest inductees. Still, the voters decided Katayanagi was not only deserving, but a first ballot selection, making the cut at 69.8%.

04-13-2023, 06:08 PM	#241
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,829	1952 EAB Hall of Fame The 1952 East Asia Baseball Hall of Fame class had three players inducted, each on their first ballot. SP Seung-Mo Kim was the lone no-doubter, getting the nod nearly unanimously at 99.4%. Joining him were closer Sung-Hyo Lee at 74.3% and SP Takashi Katayanagi at 69.8%. Closer Osamu Kurokawa had a nice debut at 58.3% with two others, SS Jun-Yeong Dang and 2B Sang-U Yoon crossing 50%. Dropped after his 10^th try on the ballot was SP Ping’an Xie. The lefty from China split his 14 year career between Kobe and Saitama and had a 185-148 record, 2.60 ERA, 3299 strikeouts, and 70.1 WAR. Pretty solid, but he never won any awards and was thought of by many as a “Hall of Very Good” level guy. He peaked at 53.2% on his penultimate attempt on the ballot. Seung-Mo Kim – Starting Pitcher – Hiroshima Hammerheads – 99.4% First Ballot Seung-Mo Kim was a 5’9’’, 180 pound left-handed pitcher from Changwon, South Korea. Kim was known for excellent pinpoint control, which allowed him to thrive despite only having 90-92 mph velocity on his fastball. He also had a respectable slider and changeup. Kim was a solid defensive pitcher and good at holding runners. He was signed as an amateur as a teenager with Hiroshima in 1923 and made his debut in 1927. Kim became a full-time starter in 1928 and was second in Rookie of the Year voting. He was a solid reliable starter for the Hammerheads who had seven seasons of 6+ WAR. In 1938, he won Pitcher of the Year with a league-best 1.75 ERA, 23-7 record, and 7.8 WAR. He also led in ERA in 1935, strikeouts in 1936, and WAR in 1934. Kim took second in Pitcher of the Year voting in 1935. In total with Hiroshima, he had a 193-135 record, 2.44 ERA, 3337 strikeouts, and 78.6 WAR. His #4 uniform would get retired as well. Kim finally got a chance at the postseason at age 32 in 1939 and helped the Hammerheads win the EAB Championship. In his postseason run, he was 3-0 with a 1.23 ERA over 22 innings with 24 strikeouts. Kim was reliable health-wise generally, although he missed most of 1932 with a fractured elbow. In 1941, a torn back muscle put him out most of that season. Worried about his effectiveness and age post-injury, Kim was traded to Kyoto straight up for SS Yoo-Geol Park. In his one year with the Kamikaze, Kim earned his 200^th career win and 3500^th strikeout. He moved back to Korea at age 36 to join Busan for the 1943 season, fresh off an EAB title. Kim had a career resurgence as in 1944, he led the league in ERA (2.27) with a 7.8 WAR, finishing second in Pitcher of the Year voting. The Blue Jays won the Korean title in both 1943 and 1944 and won the EAB title in 44. With Busan, Kim became the second EAB pitcher to reach 250 career wins and the fourth to 4000 strikeouts. At age 39, he signed with his hometown Changwon to a three-year deal, but only played in 1946 as his productivity fell off and he suffered a partially torn labrum in the summer. Kim retired at age 40. The final statistics: 261-171, 2.47 ERA, 3994.2 innings, 4294 strikeouts, 575 walks, 409/552 quality starts, and 103.7 WAR. At retirement, he was one of three pitchers to have 100+ career WAR. It’s surprising that he only won Pitcher of the Year once considering his excellent statistics. He did this without having excellent velocity either, a master of pinpoint control and changing speeds. Seung-Mo Kim was an easy first ballot choice at 99.4%. Sung-Hyo Lee – Closer – Chiba Comets – 74.3% First Ballot Sung-Hyo Lee was a 6’1’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Seoul, South Korea. He was a fireballer with 99-101 mph velocity on a cutter that he mixed with a curveball. His movement wasn’t anything special and his control was spotty early in his career, but the speed on the cutter earned him plenty of strikeouts and groundballs. Although talented, he was considered by some to lack work ethic and intelligence. He was signed in 1929 as an amateur teenage free agent by Chiba and made his debut for the Comets in 1934 at age 21. By his second season, Lee was the full-time closer and held that role for his entire EAB run. Chiba was a bottom-tier team, but Lee led Japan in saves twice in his Comets run, finishing second in Reliever of the Year voting in 1935 and 1937. He was traded in summer 1940 to Fukuoka and again finished second in Reliever of the Year voting. After spending 1941 with the Frogs, he signed a three-year deal for the 1942 season with Busan. Lee was second in Reliever of the year in 1942 and third in 1944, but he did finally win the award in 1943. Although he’s inducted with Chiba as that was his longest tenure, he’s perhaps best known for the three years as the closer with Busan as this was the final part of their dynasty. The Blue Jays won the Korea League all three years Lee was there and took the EAB title in 1942 and 44. He had 13 saves in 21 postseason appearances with a 1.70 ERA over 37 innings and 58 strikeouts, certainly playing an important role. He put up 15 WAR and 113 saves with the Blue Jays, while adding 26.6 WAR and 218 saves in his six and change years with Chiba. This marked the end of his EAB stats as with World War II ending, he was able to try his hand at Major League Baseball. He spent some time as a closer, but bounced around and had limited success over six seasons. He signed with Portland, was traded to Milwaukee, signed again with Portland, and was traded to Indianapolis. He still would return home to Korea as he played for the South Korean team on their 1947-50 World Baseball Championship squads, posting a 3.00 ERA over 42 innings with 71 strikeouts. Lee retired at age 38. Over his whole pro career, he had 2.41 ERA, 453 saves, and 48.9 WAR. For just EAB, had ended with 378 saves, a 2.14 ERA, 1613 strikeouts over 1052.1 innings, and 44.2 WAR. He was fourth in EAB saves at retirement despite leaving in his early 30s and might have had a shot as an inner-circle EAB closer had he stayed. Still, even in just a decade of work, Lee earned a first ballot induction at 74.3%. Takashi Katayanagi – Starting Pitcher – Yokohama Yellow Jackets – 69.8% First Ballot Takashi Katayanagi was a 5’6’’, 185 pound left-handed pitcher from Fujieda, a small city in Japan’s Shizuoka Prefecture. His top pitch was a cutter that reached 97-99 mph and was very difficult to hit. He added a respectable slider and changeup to throw batters off balance. Katayanagi was a hard worker and a good defensive pitcher who was excellent at holding runners. He attended nearby Toaki University Junior College and was selected 13^th overall by Yokohama in the 1930 EAB Draft. He pitched seven innings in 1931 and then was a fairly unsuccessful reliever the next two seasons. He became a regular starter in 1934 and finally hit his stride as an ace-level pitcher in 1935. In 1936 and 1937, he led Japan in ERA and WHIP. He never won Pitcher of the Year in his career, but took third in 1936 and second in 1937, 1940, and 1941. In his time with Yokohama from 1931-39, he was 95-70 with a 2.53 ERA, 1613 strikeouts, and 28.6 WAR. He also tossed a no hitter in 1938 against Kyoto with 11 strikeouts and one walk. Katayanagi was traded for the 1940 season to Daejeon and after one strong season with the Ducks, left for free agency. Nagoya signed him for six seasons starting in 1941 at age 30. The Nightowls had won the 1940 EAB championship and got to the playoffs in 1941, but fell in the JLCS; Katayanagi’s only playoff experience. Nagoya fell off a bit as did Katayanagi, who was barely replacement level in 1944 at age 33. He spent two more seasons as a rarely used reliever who dealt with injury issues, opting to retire at the end of the 1946 season at age 35. His final statistics: 173-114, 2.55 ERA, 2646.1 innings, 2785 strikeouts, 471 walks, 253/350 quality starts, and 54.4 WAR. He had about a nine year run as a legitimate ace, but had a relatively short and unremarkable career otherwise by the usual Hall of Fame standards. Of the starters that are in, he’s usually forgotten or pointed out as one of the weakest inductees. Still, the voters decided Katayanagi was not only deserving, but a first ballot selection, making the cut at 69.8%. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)