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Eurasian Professional Baseball welcomed three players into the Hall of Fame on the first ballot in 1989. Leading the way was pitcher Nikita Zubrilin at 97.5%, followed by fellow pitchers Kristiyan Filipov and Anatoli Agakerimzade at 83.8% and 70.4%, respectively. Three others were above 50%, but short of the 66% requirement. 2B Ali Alasgarov had 55.6% in his seventh ballot, SP Serhiy Belov was at 53.1% on his fifth attempt, and SP Maksim Ekstrem got 52.7% in his debut.



One player was dropped after his tenth ballot in CF Edgars Lika. The Latvian was extremely popular in his 20 year career with seven teams, most notably with Kyiv. He had 2617 hits, 1429 runs, 427 doubles, 423 home runs, 1301 RBI, a .248/.315/.439 slash, and 105.9 WAR. He also won nine Gold Gloves, six Silver Sluggers, five championships, and two LCS MVPs. Despite this impressive resume, Lika didn’t get much traction with a peak of 47.4% on his second ballot and finish at 13.0%. Some felt his accumulations were too low for his longevity and he lacked the sexy stats. His defense and walks helped make him fourth in hitting WAR when he fell off the ballot and he’s still ninth best as of 2037. Yet, that wasn’t enough to get the nod.



Nikita Zubrilin – Starting Pitcher – Minsk Miners – 97.5% First Ballot

Nikita Zubrilin was a 6’2’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Orsha, Belarus, a city of around 100,000 people in the northeastern part of the country. He was a hard thrower with 99-101 mph peak velocity with solid stuff and control, along with decent movement. Zubrilin had a five pitch arsenal of fastball, curveball, splitter, cutter, and knuckle curve. He had very nice stamina and was viewed as a durable and reliable arm most of his run.

As a teenage amateur in Belarus, Zubrilin would often travel west to the capital Minsk for baseball camps. Scouts from the Miners were impressed by his potential and he was signed to a developmental deal in 1963. Zubrilin would debut at age 21 in 1967 with limited appearances in his first three seasons. He showed great promise, but it was hard to crack the lineup of the powerhouse Minsk squad. Zubrilin wouldn’t get used in the 1969 postseason, but he’d earn ultimately his only EPB ring this season. 1968 marked the start of his appearances for Belarus in the World Baseball Championship. From 1968-83, he tossed 215 innings with a 3.73 ERA, 250 strikeouts, and 4.1 WAR.

Zubrilin became a full-time starter in 1970 and hold that role for the next decade plus. He was consistently a top end pitcher, although rarely a league leader. 1974 saw career highs and league bests in strikeouts (359) and WAR (9.5), although he was third in Pitcher of the Year voting. He was also third in 1973, second in 1975, and third in 1976. Zubrilin did finally win the award in 1979 with a 1.86 ERA, 8.4 WAR season. The highlight of this season was throwing EPB’s 18^th Perfect Game with eight strikeouts on May 21 against Kyiv.

Minsk remained a consistent contender in the 1970s, but it was a decade of disappointment as they couldn’t get beyond the European League Championship Series despite making nine playoff appearances and four ELCS berths in the decade. Zubrilin’s playoff stats saw a 2.86 ERA over 138.2 innings with a 6-9 record, 148 strikeouts, 19 walks, and 2.3 WAR. He remained steady all that time and was appreciated as a local Belarusian player. Zubrilin’s #10 uniform would be retired at the end of his career.

In 1981, Minsk finally overcame their playoff struggles and won the European League title, falling in the Soviet Series to Dushanbe. Sadly, Zubrilin wouldn’t be a part of the playoff run with a torn UCL in September putting him out 13 months. This was the end of his run with the Miners, who let him go that offseason. Zubrilin signed with Moscow for 1982, but never was healthy enough to pitch for them. He then joined Bucharest in 1983 for his comeback effort. Zubrilin had some decent moments with the Broncos, but was average at best by this point. He decided to retire here at age 37.

Zubrilin’s final stats: 237-149 record, 2.53 ERA, 3731.2 innings, 3991 strikeouts, 619 walks, 319/449 quality starts, 215 complete games, 77 FIP-, and 91.7 WAR. He wasn’t considered THE pitcher of his era, but his resume certainly was plenty impressive when it was all said and done. The voters didn’t need much convincing, putting Zubrilin in on the first ballot with 97.5%.



Kristiyan “Doom” Filipov – Starting Pitcher – Ulaanbaatar Boars – 83.8% First Ballot

Kristiyan Filipov was a 6’0’’, 180 pound right-handed starting pitcher form Varna, Bulgaria’s third largest city, located along the western banks of the Black Sea. His nickname “Doom” came from his fascination with doomsday topics and media. Filipov had overpowering stuff, which made up for often average movement and control. He had a stellar fastball that topped out in the 97-99 mph range and mixed it with a terrific slider and a good splitter. Filipov had respectable stamina and was solid at holding runners.

Filipov was noticed by a scout from Ulaanbaatar in 1967 as a 16-year old amateur. He made the choice to sign then and made the big move from Bulgaria all the way to Mongolia. After spending five years in their academy, Filipov made his debut in 1972 with a split between the rotation and bullpen. He moved to a full-time start with respectable results in 1973, but saw a setback in 1974 with a torn meniscus costing him hall the season. Although far from home, Filipov did return to Bulgaria for the World Baseball Championship from 1972-84. He made 32 appearances with 141.1 innings, a 4.90 ERA, 175 strikeouts, and 0.1 WAR.

1975 saw Filipov emerge as a legitimate ace and in 1976, he won his lone Pitcher of the Year, leading the Asian League with career bests in strikeouts (412) and WAR (9.7). That was a season of highlights, starting with a no-hitter with 14 strikeouts and one walk in August against Chelyabinsk. From there, Ulaanbaatar went on a playoff run that culminated in the franchise’s first (and as of 2037, only) EPB championship. Filipov had a strong postseason with a 2.53 ERA over 32 innings with 50 strikeouts.

Filipov wouldn’t be an award finalist in the rest of his career, although he did lead the AL in ERA in 1977 and both strikeouts and WHIP in 1969. The Boars fell into the mid-tier for these years, but Filipov remained solid. In total with Ulaanbaatar, he had a 104-72 record, 2.14 ERA, 1688.2 innings, 2281 strikeouts, and 46.2 WAR. For his role in helping the Boars win the title, Filipov’s #22 uniform would later be retired. His run there ended after the 1979 season, as Filipov entered free agency at age 30.

He ended up signing a four-year, $1,510,000 deal with Asgabat, who had just won the Soviet Series in 1979. Filipov ultimately pitched three seasons with the Alphas, posting a 2.19 ERA, 48-29 record, 796 innings, 1058 strikeouts, and 22.8 WAR. In 1980, he tossed his second career no-hitter, striking out 16 with one walk in late June against Yerevan. Asgabat made the playoffs twice while he was there, but were one-and-done both times. The Alphas opted to trade Filipov before the final year of his deal for five prospects to Novosibirsk.

Filipov had one good season with the Nitros, who got to the ALCS that year. However, he struggled with a 5.18 ERA in the postseason and wasn’t brought back. At age 34, Filipov was a free agent again and had a diverse array of suitors. The 1980s marked the first time that players in the Soviet Bloc had the ability to explore elsewhere and Filipov found a buyer in MLB’s Cleveland Cobras. They were sold on him being a big player and signed him to a four-year, $4,260,000 deal.

Sadly, Filipov’s MLB tenure was immediately snake bitten with a damaged elbow ligament in June 1984, altohough he had been merely average before the injury. This knocked him out 12 months and Cleveland ended up cutting their losses in summer 1985. Filipov did return in late 1985 with 13 innings in Philadelphia. New Orleans gave him a shot in 1986, but he was abysmal and realized it was time to hang it up at age 36.

For his EPB run, Filipov had a 165-111 record, 2.14 ERA, 2730.2 innings, 3672 strikeouts, 551 walks, 263/344 quality starts, 69 FIP- (nice), and 76.6 WAR. His innings and accumulations weren’t as high as some others who got inducted, but his ERA and rate stats certainly were worthy of a look. The votes were impressed enough to give Filipov the first ballot induction at 83.8%, becoming only the second Bulgarian inductee.



Anatoli Agakerimzade – Starting Pitcher – St. Petersburg Polar Bears – 70.4% First Ballot.

Anatoli Agakerimzade was a 6’0’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Almaty, the largest city and former capital of Kazakhstan. His calling card was pinpoint control, which allowed him to thrive despite having merely average stuff and slightly above average movement. Agakerimzade’s velocity peaked in the 95-97 mph range with a fastball, changeup, cutter combo. His changeup was his best pitch with an excellent ability to change speeds with an extreme flyball tendency.

Although Agakerimzade is remembered pretty much exclusively for his time with St. Petersburg, that’s not where his pro career began. He was picked 25^th overall in the 1968 EPB Draft by Bishkek. Agakerimzade debuted with four forgettable relief appearances in 1969. Still hoping to contend after winning three Asian League titles in the 1960s, the Black Sox traded Agakerimzade straight up for veteran shortstop Yuri Symanski to St. Petersburg.

Agakerimzade was iffy in his first year with the Polar Bears as a part-time starter, but turned into an ace in 1971 with the European League lead in ERA (1.81) and wins (21-7). This earned him Pitcher of the Year honors and helped St. Petersburg to a wild card, their first playoff berth in seven years. The Polar Bears went on an unexpected playoff tear and won it all, defeating Agakerimzade’s hometown club Almaty in the Soviet Series. He had a solid postseason with a 3-1 record over 30 innings with a 2.40 ERA and 26 strikeouts.

Agakerimzade was never quite as dominant in the rest of his career and wasn’t a Pitcher of the Year finalist ever again. He still consistently provided quality starts, leading in that stat three times in his career. In the mid 1970s, St. Petersburg experimented with putting him in the bullpen, although that trial ended after the 1976 season. Agakerimzade would also return home and pitch for the Kazakh national team from 1974-83 in the World Baseball Championship. In 134 WBC innings, he had a 4.37 ERA, 131 strikeouts, and 0.9 WAR.

The Polar Bears went on a six-year playoff streak from 1974-79, winning the European League title in both 1976 and 1977. In 1977, they won 108 games and claimed the Soviet Series. Agakerimzade’s playoff stats were a mixed back, posting a 3.28 ERA over 85 innings with 78 strikeouts and 2.0 WAR. His consistent performance was still an important part of their 1970s success and St. Petersburg would retire his #21 uniform at the end of his career. He stayed steady and even had a career high 290.1 innings and 32 quality starts in 1982 at age 36. Sadly, in his third start of 1983, Agakerimzade suffered a ruptured UCL. He opted to retire that winter at age 37 instead of trying a comeback.

Agakerimzade’s final stats: 208-121 record, 2.49 ERA, 3081 innings, 2703 strikeouts to 408 walks, 294/374 quality starts, a FIP- of 86, and 58.9 WAR. His stats were certainly the most borderline of the guys who got in with the 1989 Hall of Fame class and he lacked dominance. But Agakerimzade’s steady production as a key member for a strong decade for one franchise did some heavy lifting. He was a narrow first ballot selection, but got in with 70.4% to round out EPB’s 1989 crew.