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The 1977 East Asia Baseball Hall of Fame class was a remarkable one with three first ballot picks above 95%. 2B Dong-Ju Hahn had the highest percentage at 99.1%, followed by LF Lei Meng at 98.2% and 1B Masaru Oya at 95.5%. The only other player above 50% was 2B Su-Yeon Park at 53.5% on his first ballot.



Two players were dropped from the ballot after ten failed ballots. Closer Yo****oshi Nishimoto was the 1956 Reliever of the Year and with five teams in 14 years had a 2.59 ERA, 332 saves, 1351 strikeouts, and 21.1 WAR. He led the league in saves four times, but didn’t have the longevity or dominance to stand out, peaking at 44.5% on his sixth try before ending at 14.7%. Also dropped was Shiro Kusakaba, a Pitcher of the Year winner in 1956. With 14 years between Kobe and Sapporo, he had a 147-91 record, 2.56 ERA, 2573 strikeouts in 2259.2 innings, and 55.4 WAR. With a few more years of production, he might have gotten the nod. Kusakabe peaked at 42.1% on his third ballot before ending at 10.8%.



Dong-Ju Hahn – Second Baseman – Ulsan Swallows – 99.1% First Ballot

Dong-Ju Hahn was a 6’0’’, 200 pound right-handed second baseman from Gimpo, a city of around 300,000 people bordering Incheon in northwestern South Korea. Hahn was renowned as a stellar contact hitter that was excellent at avoiding strikeouts. His gap power was legendary, leading the Korea League in doubles 11 times while also adding 15-25 triples per year and 10-15 home runs per year. Hahn very rarely drew walks, but still got on base plenty and had respectable speeds, although his aggressiveness on the basepaths meant he got caught stealing more than he got steals. Hahn played most at second base, along with occasional starts at third base or designated hitter. He was viewed as a poor defender, but his bat and excellent durability made him the top second baseman of his day.

Hahn attended Woosung High School and was a top prospect as a teenager, getting picked seventh overall in the 1950 East Asia Baseball Draft by Busan. He didn’t sign with the Blue Jays and went to Japan to play collegiately at Rikkio University. When Hahn was back eligible in the 1953 draft, he was picked by Ulsan ninth overall. He’d spend his entire pro career with the Swallows and started 128+ games in all but one of his 18 seasons there. Hahn took second in Rookie of the Year voting and won six Silver Sluggers (1955, 56, 57, 58, 59, 65).

Hahn led the Korea League in hits eight times, including five straight years from 1955-59. He was the batting champion four times, peaking with a .389 average in 1959, setting the then single-season record. In 1958, he tied the single-season record with 235 hits, then broke the record with 238 the next year. That held as the single-season hits record until 1994. Hahn set the single-season doubles record with 57 in 1959, which held until 2005. As of 2037, he had three of the top seven seasons in doubles. Despite these records, Hahn never finished top three in the MVP voting.

Hahn was popular and well known in South Korea, but Ulsan only made the playoffs twice in his run (1960, 1962) with early exits. He played on the South Korean World Baseball Championship teams from 1956-69, although usually as a backup with 18 hits in 13 starts. In 1964, a fractured rib ended up knocking him out half the season. He bounced back as the full-time starter for another seven years with pretty consistent production.

Hahn finally started to wind down a bit in his last two years, although prior there was a thought he might be able to catch the hit-king Byung-Oh Tan at 3871. Hahn became the second EAB batter to 3500 career hits and retired second to Tan at 3585. He opted to retire after the 1971 season at age 39 and would see his #60 uniform retired soon after. Hahn’s penchant for doubles was remarkable though as he’d finish with 778, well beyond the then second place mark of 575 by Tan. He remains the EAB all-time doubles leader by a firm margin and retired as the world leader. As of 2037, he has the fifth most doubles in any league.

The final stats for Hahn: 3585 hits, 1403 runs, 778 doubles, 303 triples, 210 home runs, 1573 RBI, a .342/.364/.535 slash, wRC+ of 146, and 93.8 WAR. At retirement, he had the best batting average of any qualifying EAB player as well. Hahn had an incredibly unique skillset that made him a no-doubt Hall of Famer at 99.1% on his first ballot.



Lei “Wolf” Meng – Left Field – Changwon Crabs – 98.2% First Ballot

Lei Meng was a 6’0’’, 200 pound right-handed hitting left fielder from Nanchang, a city of six million people in east central China. Meng was the premiere power hitter both in East Asia Baseball and in pro baseball overall in the 1950s and 1960s. Meng led the Korea League in home runs five teams and had 11 seasons with 50+ dingers. On top of this, he was a solid contact hitter and pretty quick baserunner that could also stretch out singles into doubles and triples. Despite his power, Meng didn’t draw many walks and struck out more than you’d like. He was a career left fielder and considered a solid defender. Meng also was an ironman who started 140+ games in all but his first and final seasons, allowing him to emerge as EAB’s home run king.

Meng left China shortly after World War II ended and his power was noticed, leading to a college career for the University of Tokyo. With the regional restrictions in the first three rounds of the EAB Draft (Koreans to Korean team, Japanese to Japanese teams), Meng wasn’t eligible to be picked until the fourth round. He was the first pick of the round, 92^nd overall, by Changwon in the 1952 Draft. Meng spent his entire pro career with the Crabs and became beloved and renowned both locally and around the baseball world.

After only 12 home runs as a rookie, he hit 37 in year two and hit 36+ for the next 17 seasons. Meng led the league with 60 home runs in 1956, then had a career-best 63 in 185. He led in homers five times, RBI four times, runs twice, total bases six times, slugging four times, wRC+ three times, and WAR thrice; winning 13 Silver Sluggers (1955-65, 67). 1956 was his first MVP with career bests in 10.9 WAR, 197 wRC+, and 1.100 OPS.

Meng took second in MVP voting in 1957, then won the award for the second time in 1958 with 10.6 WAR, 63 home runs, and 146 RBI. He took third in 1959 MVP voting, then second in 1960, 61, 62, and 63. In 1965 at age 34, Meng won his third MVP with 60 home runs, 146 RBI, and 9.6 WAR.

From 1956 to 1965, he had 8+ WAR, 48+ home runs, 100+ RBI, and a .300+ average in every season. During that prime, Changwon became a contender in the Korea League. They made the playoffs seven times from 1957-65, winning the league title in 1959, 1963, and 1964. In 1963, the Crabs won the EAB title for the second time in franchise history. In 61 playoff games, Meng had 59 hits, 32 runs, 10 home runs, and 27 RBI. He also went home to China for four editions of the World Baseball Championship from 1966-69.

Changwon stopped contending towards the end of the 1960s, but fans still had their eyes on Meng as he racked up the totals. In 1966, Meng became the fifth EAB hitter to 700 career home runs. Soon after, he’d become the EAB home run king and the first to reach 800. Meng pulled away from the field and retired with 897, well beyond Ju-An Pak and Young-Hwan Sha’s 760. Meng also became the first EAB hitter to 2000+ career RBI and the fourth to 3000 career hits, passing Byung-Oh Tan as the RBI king with 2089. His average dropped in his later years, but he still smacked a league-best 51 home runs at age 39. Meng would fall into a backup role the year after and retired after the 1971 campaign at age 40. Naturally, his #25 uniform was immediately retired by Changwon.

Meng’s final stats: 3151 hits, 1909 runs, 429 doubles, 897 home runs, 2089 RBI, 507 stolen bases, a .288/.332/.604 slash, wRC+ of 155, and 121.9 WAR. His 897 homers was second most of any pro player, behind only Prometheo Garcia’s 928 between CABA and MLB. He remained the EAB home run king until the 2010s and is still fourth as of 2037. Meng was the RBI king until 1983 and still is fourth as of 2037 as well. At retirement, Meng was also third in runs scored, fourth in hits, and sixth in batting WAR. He remains one of the renowned sluggers in EAB history, well deserving of the first ballot induction at 98.2%.



Masaru”Trashmaster” Oya – First Baseman – Tokyo Tides – 95.3% First Ballot

Masaru Oya was a 6’0’’, 200 pound right-handed hitting first baseman from Tokyo, Japan. He was an excellent home run hitter that averaged around 40-50 homers per year for most of his run. Oya was an above average to good contact hitter who was respectable at drawing walks and okay at avoiding strikeouts. He wasn’t a great baserunner and only got around 25-30 doubles per year despite. Oya was a career first baseman and considered a terrible defender. His was incredibly durable though, playing 145+ games per year in every season except for his first two.

Oya attended Meishu Gakuen Hitachi High School and was a star there, earning attention as a teenager. He was picked third overall by his hometown Tokyo Tides in the 1954 East Asia Baseball Draft. The Tides kept him on the reserve roster for his first few seasons, making his debut officially with 16 at-bats in 1956 at age 20. He was a part time starter in 1958, then became a full-time starter every year after. Oya’s first full-time season as a starter saw a career best 55 home runs, along with a league leading 119 RBI, 389 total bases, and 204 wRC+. He won his first of five Silver Sluggers and took second in MVP voting. Oya never won the top award, but would also finish third in 1962. His Silver Sluggers were 1959, 60, 62, 66, and 71.

Oya offered consistent power with eleven straight seasons with 40+ home runs and 100+ RBI. He led the league in home runs and RBI twice, OPS twice, slugging twice, wRC+ thrice, and runs once. He had 10 seasons of 6+ WAR. Oya was very popular with Tokyo, who never made the playoffs in his tenure. He also played for Japan in the World Baseball Championship from 1959-64 with 46 hits, 41 runs, 26 home runs, and 46 RBI.

In 1970 at age 34, Oya had his first real down season, only hitting 28 home runs and 64 RBI despite being healthy. This would end his Tokyo tenure, which saw 2095 hits, 1195 runs, 576 home runs, 1319 RBI, and 80.0 WAR. The Tides opted to trade Oya after the season for two prospects to Kitakyushu. He’d maintain a good relation with the franchise and his #15 uniform would be retired, keeping him as one of the lone positives from a weak era in Japan’s capital.

Oya spent only 1971 with the Kodiaks, but he saw a career resurgence with his final Silver Slugger, smacking 50 home runs and leading the Japan League with 106 runs, a 1.022 OPS, and 192 wRC+. Oya got to play in the postseason for the only time in his career as Kitakyushu won the Japan League, falling later in the EAB final to Busan. Oya became a free agent after this and had suitors in Major League Baseball, signing a three-year, $946,000 deal with Cincinnati. He hit 41 homers in his first year with the Reds, but he had negative value the next year. Oya opted to retire after the 1973 season at age 37.

For his EAB career, Oya had 2265 hits, 1301 runs, 339 doubles, 626 home runs, 1434 RBI, a .294/.361/.597 slash, wRC+ of 179, and 88.1 WAR. He was the 11^th EAB batter to 600 career home runs and almost quietly put up an impressive power resume. Oya’s numbers are dwarfed by his Hall of Fame classmate Lei Meng, but were still more than impressive enough for the voters to also put him in as a slam dunk first ballot selection at 95.5%.