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The 1954 East Asia Baseball Hall of Fame class had two players inducted, both representing Busan. Pitcher Yu-Geon Moon was a near unanimous pick at 99.3%, while 2B Sang-U Yoon just made the cut on his third attempt at 69.0%. Closer Osamu Kurokawa barely missed the 66% threshold on his third attempt at 65.6%. No one else was above 50%.



One player was dropped after his 10^th time on the ballot in closer Youta Kumagai. He only played eight EAB seasons but had 261 saves, a 1.46 ERA, and 29.1 WAR with one Reliever of the Year. Had he not left for MLB, he might have accumulated the numbers needed, but his run was too short. He peaked at 41.6% on his second ballot.



Yu-Geon Moon – Starting Pitcher – Busan Blue Jays – 99.3% First Ballot

Yu-Geon Moon was a 5’7’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Gwangju, South Korea. The stocky lefty was an all-time elite pitcher with 97-99 mph velocity and a dominant fastball. He mixed in a slider, forkball, and changeup and very rarely had a bad start. Moon was a team captain, known for his tireless work ethic and incredible leadership skills. He led Korea in ERA seven times, WHIP five times, quality starts six times, and WAR five times.

Moon attended Chung-Ang University in Seoul and after a great college career, was drafted fifth in the 1929 EAB Draft by Busan. He’d spend his entire 19-year professional career with the Blue Jays. After making 10 starts in his rookie year, Moon became the ace in year two and went on to have 6+ WAR seasons 14 times in 15 years, only missing the mark in 1941 due to injury. Moon won Pitcher of the Year a record seven times, taking the top spot in 1932, 35, 37, 39, 40, 42, and 44. He also finished third in 1934 and 1943.

Busan had a Korea League dynasty with Moon leading the way. During his career, they made the playoffs 10 times, winning the Korea League title eight times (33, 34, 38, 39, 40, 42, 43, 44) and the EAB title four times (33, 38, 42, 44) In the postseason, he had a 13-10 record, 3.00 ERA, 207 innings, 246 strikeouts, 33 walks, and 3.7 WAR. He retired as the postseason EAB leader in strikeouts and was still second as of 2037 despite expanded postseasons to come. His 13 wins was also first at retirement.

Incredibly durable, Moon missed significant time for first time in 1941 at age 33 thanks to radial nerve compression in his throwing elbow. He bounced right back though with his sixth Pitcher of the Year in 1942 and continued to dominate. A torn labrum in late 1947 and bone chips in 1948 finally made Moon wind down, retiring after the 1948 season at age 40.

The final stats: 283-127, 2.41 ERA, 3745.1 innings, 4452 strikeouts, 693 walks, 374/535 quality starts, and 116.7 WAR. At retirement, he was the all-time wins leader, second in strikeouts, and second in WAR among pitchers. He was the only seven-time Pitcher of the Year winner in Korea League history and only one other EAB pitcher would match that in the 2020s. Moon is forever a legend in Busan as the ace of a decade-plus dynasty and a player in the conversation for EAB’s best-ever pitcher. At 99.3% on his first ballot, Moon is an inner-circle Hall of Famer.



Sang-U Yoon – Second Baseman – Busan Blue Jays – 69.0% Third Ballot

Sang-U Yoon was a 5’10’’, 205 pound right-handed second baseman from Mungyeong, a small city in central South Korea. Yoon was a solid reliable power hitter with respectable contact ability and good baserunning. He didn’t draw many walks and struck out a bit more than average. He spent roughly half of his career as a designated hitter and half in the field, primarily at second base. Defensively, Yoon was thought of as below average to poor. He was outspoken, making him a polarizing figure among fans and teammates.

Yoon was signed by Yokohama as an amateur and made his debut at age 20 in 1928. He saw limited action in three seasons with the Yellow Jackets, getting traded for the 1931 season to Busan. He’d become known as a key part of the Blue Jays dynasty, winning four Silver Sluggers (three at 2B, one as a DH) and taking second in MVP voting in 1932 and third in 1943. He was an ironman, making 145+ starts in 13 straight seasons. He was rarely a league leader, but a consistent bat with around 30 home runs and 30 doubles per year.

As mentioned above with Yu-Geon Moon, Busan was a Korean dynasty in the 1930s and early 1940s. In the postseason, Yoon in 101 playoff games had 87 hits, 39 runs, 22 doubles, 11 home runs, 40 RBI, and 15 stolen bases. In the 1944 KLCS at age 36, he won series MVP. He had a power surge in 1943, leading the league with career bests in home runs (48) and RBI (127). After that surge, age began to catch him and he began to struggle. He was released after the 1945 season and played one final year at age 1946 with Suwon, retiring at age 39.

The final stats: 2556 hits, 1276 runs, 444 doubles, 463 home runs, 1442 RBI, a .275/.304/.487 slash and 62.3 WAR. He’s lower on the statistical leaderboards than a lot of Hall of Famers, but was a key regular starter for a Busan franchise that won eight Korea League titles and four EAB titles in his tenure. The lower totals meant it took him three tries to make it in, but his third attempt got Yoon just above the threshold for the Hall of Fame at 69.0%.