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The 1987 ballot for the East Asia Baseball Hall of Fame saw two players get inducted, although both only thinly crossed the 66% threshold to make it in. Pitcher Yun-Jin Lee did receive the first ballot nod with 71.8%. 3B Hiromichi Ono on his fourth go got the bump just across the line at 68.0%. Only one other was even above 50% in this group with closer Kyeong Pyo at 60.2% on his second attempt.



Two fell off the ballot after ten failed attempts. 1B Katsutaka Saito’s career was brief with 13 seasons total and only around nine years worth of starts, posting three Gold Gloves, one Silver Slugger, 1510 hits, 910 runs, 409 home runs, 1054 RBI, and 56.2 WAR. He definitely lacked the longevity and wasn’t dominant enough to get more than 24.4% on his second ballot, ending at 9.7%.

LF Ji-U Shin also fell off the ballot, ending at 5.0% after peaking at 25.7% on his second go. He had a 21-year career primarily with Busan and was notable for being the all-time leader in walks drawn at retirement with 1549, leading the league nine times. He had one Silver Slugger, 2535 hits, 1525 runs, 465 home runs, 1487 RBI, a .253/.352/.470 slash and 64.3 WAR. Although he still is second all-time in walks as of 2037 and won two titles, he lacked other accolades or dominance. Shin also had lower accumulations than one might expect over 20 years.



Yu-Jin Lee – Starting Pitcher – Seongnam Spiders – 71.8% First Ballot

Yu-Jin Lee was a 5’9’’, 165 pound left-handed starting pitcher from Bucheon, South Korea. He had very good stuff with 95-97 mph peak velocity, along with above average movement and decent control. Lee’s curveball was incredible and his slider was great too, mixed with a respectable fastball and okay changeup. He was a very smart pitcher who knew how to expertly pick his spots. Lee was very good at holding runners, but was otherwise terrible defensively. Injuries would plague his career, but he managed to still put together an impressive resume.

At age 16, Lee was signed by Seongnam as an amateur free agent. After a few years in the developmental academy, he debuted in 1967 at age 21 with 124.2 okay innings. He only saw nine starts the next season as the Spiders wanted to develop him more. Lee was ready to be a full-timer in 1969, but elbow inflammation cost him half the season. Still, he posted 5.0 WAR in only 23 appearances, showing his potential to be an ace. However, Lee’s career would be in doubt with a partially torn UCL in late May 1970.

He had an impressive return season in 1971, leading the Korea League in ERA and WHIP and taking second in Pitcher of the Year voting. Seongnam even managed to end an 18-year playoff drought this season. But in late August, Lee suffered a full tear of his UCL and went on the shelf another ten months. He came back in the spring of 1972 and was still great, leading again in ERA and taking second in Pitcher of the Year voting.

1973 finally saw Lee put it all together with a full excellent season. He posted the seventh Triple Crown season by an EAB pitcher and the first since 1952 with a 20-4 record, 1.99 ERA, and 360 strikeouts. Lee was also the WARlord at 9.4 and won Pitcher of the Year. He finally had a streak of good health for the next few seasons, although he never matched that peak production. Lee didn’t lead the league again or earn award looks, but he earned a five-year contract extension and gave the Spiders consistent solid production. In total with Seongnam, Lee had a 144-94 record, 2.93 ERA, 2270 innings, 2770 strikeouts, and 57.2 WAR. The Spiders would later retire his #1 uniform.

Seongnam had a few decent seasons in the 1970s, but ultimately Lee never had a chance to throw a playoff pitch. The Spiders had fallen back into mediocrity at the end of the decade and opted to trade Lee to Saitama before the 1979 season. The 33-year old Lee was a alright back-end starter for the Sting that year, but missed most of 1980 to a torn back muscle. Elbow inflammation cost him much of 1981, although he was relegated to the bullpen when healthy for a good chunk. He retired after the 1981 season at age 35. Lee’s stats with the Sting had a 3.84 ERA, 22-19 record, 368.1 innings, 381 strikeouts, and 4.0 WAR.

In total, Lee had a 166-113 record, 3.06 ERA, 2638.1 innings, 3151 strikeouts to 712 walks, 230/356 quality starts, 81 FIP-, and 61.2 WAR. He’s one of the more surprising inductees when you compare his stats to other pitchers that earned the nod. Lee didn’t have the longevity to accumulate and his peak was very short, although leading in ERA three straight seasons is impressive. A very unremarkable 1987 ballot helped his cause too, but either way, Lee can say he was a first ballot inductee with 71.8%.



Hiromichi Ono – Third Base – Kawasaki Killer Whales – 68.0% Fourth Ballot

Hiromichi Ono was a 6’3’’, 200 pound right-handed third baseman from Imabari, Japan; a city with around 150,000 people in the southwestern Ehime Prefecture. Ono was a very solid contact hitter who was good at avoiding strikeouts, although he was below average at drawing walks. He had good gap power and usually got you around 30 doubles per year while also providing around 20-25 home runs per season. Ono was a slower baserunner and often was criticized for a lack of hustle and drive. He was a career third baseman with a very strong arm, but poor range. Statistically, Ono graded out as a reliably average defender.

Ono attended Keio University in Yokohama and drew much attention ahead of the 1960 East Asia Baseball Draft. Sendai selected him second overall and would serve a bench role with the Samurai in 1961. Ono earned the starting job the next year and held it for the next four years with Sendai, winning Silver Sluggers in 1963 and 1965. In total with his original team, Ono had 761 hits, 295 runs, 140 doubles, 98 home runs, 341 RBI, a .308/.342/.491 slash, and 25.2 WAR.

Although very solid on the field, Ono didn’t get along with Sendai’s staff and was vocal about the team’s lack of success. He had two years left before he’d be eligible for free agency, but the Samurai decided a trade was in their best interest. Ono was moved for the 1966 season to Tokyo for three prospects. His Tides debut saw a league and career best 42 doubles, earning his third Silver Slugger. He fell off a bit though in 1967, hampered by back troubles. In two years with Tokyo, Ono had 10.1 WAR, 333 hits, 123 runs, and a .821 OPS.

Ono became a free agent at age 29 and signed a six-year, $1,122,000 deal with defending Japan League champ Kawasaki to begin his most famous run. He delivered a career year in his Killer Whales debut, leading in hits (214) and winning a batting title (.346) and his fourth Silver Slugger. Ono had a nice postseason, but Kawasaki fell in the JLCS to Hiroshima. He was on track for an even better season in 1969, but suffered a ruptured MCL in August. Ono still won his fifth Silver Slugger despite playing only 99 games, posting a career best 1.021 OPS and 202 wRC+.

They only made the playoffs one other time in Ono’s tenure, but he’d win additional Silver Sluggers in 1970 and 71. Ono was second in 1971 MVP voting, his only time as a finalist. That year, he won his second batting title and led again in hits while posting career bests in runs and WAR. Ono still had a solid 1972 and earned a five-year contract extension, but a concussion knocked him out much of 1973. Other injuries cost him time in the rest of his Kawasaki run, including a torn PCL to start 1976. His final year with the Killer Whales was 1977, where he earned his 1000^th run scored and 2500^th hit.

In total with Kawasaki, Ono had 1412 hits, 615 runs, 223 doubles, 184 home runs, 671 RBI, a .321/.362/.509 slash, and 51.8 WAR. He was well liked enough that his #19 uniform would later be retired. Ono’s bat was merely average though in his final season and the 39 year old was traded to Yokohama for the 1978 season. He rode the bench most of the year and retired at age 39.

Ono’s final stats: 2540 hits, 1049 runs, 430 doubles, 323 home runs, 1192 RBI, a .314/.354/.497 slash, 148 wRC+, and 87.8 WAR. They were solid totals, but nothing that really stood out among the field of other Hall of Famers. Ono was viewed as a top batting third baseman of the era, but his lack of playoff notables or gaudy power numbers put him on the borderline. He was never below 56%, but stayed in the upper 50% range for his first three ballots. With a quieter 1987 group, Ono got just enough of a bump to get across the 66% threshold and earn a fourth ballot induction at 68.0%.