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East Asia Baseball’s Hall of Fame added two guys in 1991 on their first ballots. RF Makata Araki was a no-doubter, getting 98.7%. Joining him was SP Kimio Ito with 81.4%. SP Ho-In Koh was close to the 66% mark on his second ballot, but just short with 61.9%. No other players were above 50%.



The lone player dropped after ten ballots was 1B Carl Valdes, who peaked at 28.6% on his second ballot and finished at 11.1%. Valdes made his mark in history when he became EAB’s single season home run king in 1972 with 71 and when he hit 70 in 1974. The Filipino lefty didn’t stick around long enough to get accumulations and didn’t have a ton of value outside of dingers. In around a decade with Sapporo and a partial year with Busan, Valdes had 1236 hits, 810 runs, 453 home runs, 972 RBI, a .257/.306/.585 slash, and 43.9 WAR. At his peak, he was one of the world’s top power hitters, but Valdes didn’t sustain it long enough to earn the spot. He would remain the home run king until 1994 and as of 2037 is still tied for fifth most in an EAB season.



Makata Araki – Right Field – Yokohama Yellow Jackets – 98.7% First Ballot

Makata Araki was a 6’4’’, 200 pound left-handed right fielder from Sendai, Japan; the capital of the Miyagi Prefecture. Araki was an excellent home run hitter who smacked 40+ dingers in each his first 12 seasons. He was also a solid contact hitter and had a great knack for drawing walks, although his strikeout rate was subpar. Araki had okay gap power with around 25 doubles/triples per year. For a big powerful guy, he had shockingly good speed and baserunning instincts. Araki was a career right fielder and considered above average with the glove. He was very durable, but did annoy some teammates and fans over the years with a weak work ethic and lack of leadership. Still, Araki’s skillset made him very popular in Yokohama, where he spent his entire pro career.

Araki would get drafted out of Hosei University by the Yellow Jackets with the second overall pick in the 1970 EAB Draft. He was a full-time starter immediately with 5.7 WAR and 43 home runs in his debut season, although he also led the Japan League in strikeouts. Still, this powerful start to his career earned him the 1971 Rookie of the Year. Araki would go onto lead Japan in runs scored thrice, homers twice, walks five times, total bases once, OBP twice, slugging four times, OPS five times, wRC+ thrice, and WAR once. He had seven seasons worth 9+ WAR.

Araki would win MVP twice in his career, taking it in 1978 and 1981. He was a regular finalist, taking third in 1973, 1974, and 1975; second in 1976, and second in 1979. He won six Silver Sluggers (1974-76, 78-79, 81). Three times, Araki hit 61 home runs (1974, 76, 79) with 60 dingers in 1978. Later in his career, he made appearances for Japan in the World Baseball Championship. Araki had 53 games played from 1978-83 with 43 hits, 25 runs, 18 home runs, 32 RBI, 32 walks, and 2.0 WAR.

Despite Araki’s efforts, he never got to play in the postseason in his career. Yokohama even had eight straight winning seasons from 1975-82, but they could never get over the hump. Some thought Araki might leave in free agency, but at age 31, he got the bag and signed a six-year, $2,904,000 contract extension. His decline began in 1983 as his power plummeted to a career worst 22 home runs. Araki was a bit better the next year, but he’d be relegated to a bench role in the final year of his deal. He decided to retire after the 1985 season at age 37. Yokohama would immediately retire his #31 uniform and he remains a popular figure with many fans.

Araki’s final stats: 2066 hits, 1400 runs, 260 doubles, 680 home runs, 1396 RBI, 958 walks, 633 stolen bases, a .287/.372/.631 slash, 185 wRC+, and 109.4 WAR. He was the 18^th EAB batter to 600 home runs and was one of only 15 guys above 100+ hitting WAR at induction. Araki at induction was also one of four guys to have 600+ homers and 600+ stolen bases. As of 2037, he’s one of only six EAB Hall of Famers with a career OPS above 1.000. He didn’t have the longevity or playoff accolades to get included in many of the inner circle conversations, but Araki was clearly one of the finest sluggers in EAB history. His induction was a slam dunk at 98.7% on his first ballot.



Kimio Ito – Starting Pitcher – Kobe Blaze – 81.4% First Ballot

Kimio Ito was a 5’10’’, 180 pound right-handed pitcher from Komaki, Japan; a city of around 148,000 people in Aichi Prefecture. Ito was known for having excellent control with good stuff at his peak and decent movement. His velocity peaked at 96-98 mph with his most impressive pitch being the screwball. Ito mixed it with a sinker, slider, and changeup. His stamina was decent and his defense was solid. Ito was a very intelligent pitcher and used that and his pinpoint control to continue to succeed even as his stuff diminished.

Ito was a hot property even at Osaka Toin High School. In the 1965 EAB Draft, Sendai selected him third overall. However, Ito opted to instead go to Aichi Sangyo University in Nagoya. When eligible next in 1968, he was again picked third overall, this time by Kobe. Ito signed with the Blaze and would spend his entire pro career with Kobe. His made his debut with four lousy starts in 1969, then was a full-time starter each year after.

Ito was iffy in his first full season, but he settled into a rhythm after that. 1973 was his finest season, leading the Japan League in WAR (9.0) and quality starts (26). This earned a second place finish in Pitcher of the Year voting. He ultimately never won the top award and was a consistently above average guy for the next decade or so, never leading in any major statistics. Kobe was good in the 1970s with eight winning seasons, but they couldn’t earn a playoff spot thanks to Kyoto’s dynasty run. Ito was committed to the Blaze, signing a six-year extension before the 1972 season and then a four-year extension in 1981.

Recurring back spasms would start to cost Ito a few weeks each season as he entered his 30s. The back troubles caused his stuff to fall off a bit, but Ito’s control improved and kept him in the rotation. He led in K/BB from 1980-82. Kobe finally ended their playoff drought to start the 1980s with three division titles from 1980-82, although they only got to the JLCS in 1981, falling to Sapporo.

In 1983, Kobe missed the playoffs, but Ito led in WIHP for the first time in his career. The next year, he put together a full season with a career best 1.99 ERA at age 36. Ito was second in Pitcher of the Year voting for the second time and the Blaze earned a division title. Kobe would win the Japan League title, falling to Yongin in the EAB championship. Ito posted a solid 2.29 ERA over 39.1 playoff innings in the run. This would be his last hurrah, as he put up mediocre numbers in 1985 and his first losing season since his rookie year. Ito opted to retire at age 38 after the season and immediately saw his #7 uniform retired as a key cog for Kobe for 16 years.

Ito’s final stats: 216-162 record, 3.02 ERA, 3591.2 innings, 3649 strikeouts to 620 walks, 310/467 quality starts, 86 FIP-, and 70.9 WAR. Ito was never super dominant, which shows in his accumulations being towards the middle-to-bottom among other EAB Hall of Fame pitchers. But he was as steady as they come with voters also appreciating his loyalty to Kobe. Ito earned the first ballot look at 81.4% as the second member of EAB’s 1991 Hall of Fame class.