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The 1992 Eurasian Professional Baseball Hall of Fame class saw three starting pitchers earn first ballot inductions. Ihor Polvaliy led the way with 98.4%, joined by Viktor Paidoverov at 91.2% and Murat Muradov at 77.0%. Two others were above 50% with LF Emin Ismayilov at 59.3% on his second ballot and SP Maksim Ekstrem at 57.1% on his fourth go.



Dropped after ten failed ballots was 2B Ali Alasgarov, who won seven Silver Sluggers and a MVP in his 21-year career. Primarily with Minsk and Tashkent, Alasgarov debuted on the ballot at 60.5%, but never got closer and ended at 48.6%. He had 1983 hits, 1145 runs, 306 doubles, 209 triples, 359 home runs, 1108 RBI, 674 stolen bases, a .282/.346/.529 slash, and 79.2 WAR. Despite a long career, Alasgarov was plagued by injuries and had more partial seasons than full ones, keeping his accumulations low enough to sink his candidacy.

Also dropped was closer Elgiz Gulyamov, who won three Reliever of the Year awards over 16 seasons with Ulaanbaatar and nine other teams. He debuted at 59.0% and got to 62.8% in his second time, but plummeted after and closed at 36.3%. Gulyamov had 376 saves and 451 shutdowns, a 2.01 ERA, 1048.2 innings, 1426 strikeouts, 231 walks, and 43.0 WAR. His numbers were comparable to other Hall of Fame relievers, but he ended up on the outside.



Ihor “Fireman” Polvaliy – Starting Pitcher – Kyiv Kings – 98.4% First Ballot

Ihor Polvaliy was a 6’0’’, 205 pound left-handed pitcher from Gomel, the second largest city in Belarus with around 500,000 people. It is in the southeast of the country near the Russian and Ukrainian borders. Nicknamed “Fireman” for his offseason volunteering for the local fire station, Polvaliy had excellent control with solid movement and stuff. His primary pitch was an impressive 94-96 mph cutter that he mixed with a good changeup and okay slider. Polvaliy had solid stamina and was viewed generally as durable, throwing 250+ innings in 10 seasons and 200+ in all 12 of his pro seasons. He was also considered a very intelligent pitcher and became very popular in Eastern Europe.

He was a top prospect out of the college ranks ahead of the 1973 EPB Draft and was picked 19^th overall by Warsaw. Polvaliy and the Wildcats couldn’t come to terms and he returned for an additional collegiate season. Eligible again in 1974, Kyiv picked him 17^th overall. Polvaliy signed and moved to the Ukrainian capital, located about four and a half hours south of his home town in Belarus. He’d be a very popular player both in Ukraine for his time with the Kings and back in his home country.

Polvaliy was a full-time starter immediately and an immediate success, leading the European League with 10.5 WAR in his debut. On May 10, he tossed a 10 strikeout, two walk no-hitter against Prague. Polvaliy won Rookie of the Month four times and Pitcher of the Month in 1975. This ultimately earned him a rare distinction of not only winning Rookie of the Year, but taking Pitcher of the Year as well. The Kings bounced back from a losing season the prior year and made it to the ELCS, falling to Moscow.

Kyiv became a consistent contender during Polvaliy’s run with eight playoff appearances and five division titles over ten years. The Kings won four European League titles (1978, 79, 82, 83) and secured the Soviet Series title in 1983. In the playoffs with Kyiv, Polvaliy had a 12-8 record over 194.1 innings with a 2.45 ERA, 191 strikeouts, 21 walks, and 4.5 WAR. He also regularly pitched in the World Baseball Championship with Belarus. From 1974-86, he had a 13-5 record over 170.2 innings, 1.85 ERA, 187 strikeouts, and 6.5 WAR. Polvaliy was third in WBC Best Pitcher voting in 1980, posting a 0.32 ERA and 33 strikeouts over 28 innings.

Polvaliy led the league in WAR and FIP- in each of his first three seasons. He led in K/BB five times, WHIP four straight years from 1976-79; ERA three times from 1977-79, and wins twice. Polvaliy won Pitcher of the Year four times with Kyiv (1975, 76, 78, 80) and was second in 1977, third in 79, and second in 1985. After the 1979 season, Polvaliy signed a five-year, $1,612,000 deal with the Kings.

In total in a decade with Kyiv, Polvaliy had an 180-91 record, 1.86 ERA, 2722.2 innings, 2899 strikeouts to 284 walks, 63 FIP-, and 87.1 WAR. The Kings would later retire his #11 uniform and he’d remain a popular figure, but his time ended there after the 1984 as they couldn’t come to financial terms. At age 34, Polvaliy signed a four-year, $2,960,000 deal with Bucharest. This doubled his peak yearly salary from $362,000 in his best year with Kyiv to $740,000. The Broncos were the defending Soviet Series champ and in an arms race with the Kings for the South Division title.

The deal seemed like a winner in the first year as Polvaliy had his typical great season and took second in Pitcher of the Year voting. Bucharest won the division over Kyiv, but went one-and-done in the playoffs. But in 1986, Polvaliy had a pronounced decline despite being healthy. His ERA swelled up to 3.76, far worse than his previous worst season of 2.22. Polvaliy was moved to the bullpen for the playoffs as Bucharest again suffered a first round exit. He decided that this wasn’t satisfactory and didn’t want to hang around if he wasn’t going to be elite, retiring that winter at age 36. He had a 2.89 ERA and 11.9 WAR in his two Broncos seasons.

In total, Polvaliy had a 213-114 record, 2.02 ERA, 3214 innings, 3357 strikeouts to 353 walks, 310/379 quality starts, 160 complete games, 65 FIP-, and 99.0 WAR. Even with a relatively short career compared to most Hall of Fame pitchers, his accumulations don’t look out of place. Polvaliy had the seventh most pitching WAR among EPB inductees when he went in. He doesn’t get the attention some of his longer tenured contemporaries get, but Polvaliy was incredibly elite in his prime and a big part of Kyiv’s success. The voters certainly recognized this for a 98.4% first ballot selection as the star of the 1992 class.



Viktor Paidoverov – Starting Pitcher – Almaty Assassins – 91.2% First Ballot

Viktor Paidoverov was a 6’0’’, 195 pound left-handed pitcher Kirove, Ukraine. Renamed to Pivnichne in 2016, it is a small town of around 9,000 people in the eastern Donetsk Oblast. Paidoverov was a hard thrower with 98-100 peak velocity, using his powerful stuff to success while having above average movement and merely okay control. He had a four pitch arsenal of slider, forkball, splitter, and cutter. Paidoverov was durable with 15+ straight seasons with 200 innings and respectable stamina. He was good at holding runners and defense as well. Paidoverov was well liked in clubhouses as a smart, hardworking and honest player.

Paidoverov was spotted as a teenage amateur by a scout from Moscow, signing with the Mules at age 16 in June 1962. He never played in the Russian capital though and many fans don’t realize he started there. After a few years in the academy, Paidoverov was traded with another prospect in late 1965 to Almaty for veteran OF Eldar Vdovichenko. Paidoverov debuted with 22 innings in 1966 at age 20 for the Assassins. He earned a full-time starting gig the next year and was viewed as an ace-level guy by 1968.

Paidoverov never won Pitcher of the Year and the closest he came was a second place finish in 1970. That year, he led the Asian League in ERA with 1.67. It was really his only time as a league leader, but he stayed steady and reliable with ten seasons worth 6+ WAR, ten seasons with 300+ strikeouts, and eight seasons with an ERA at 2.25 or lower. Paidoverov also returned home to Ukraine for the World Baseball Championship from 1969-83, posting a 2.58 ERA over 132.1 innings with 153 strikeouts and 3.9 WAR.

Paidoverov was a big part in Almaty establishing a dynasty run in the 1970s that saw eight straight playoff appearances from 1971-78 and four division titles. The Assassins won the Asian League pennant in a three-peat from 1971-73, then fell in the ALCS the next three years. Almaty won back-to-back Soviet Series titles in 1972 and 1973. Paidoverov was a solid playoff pitcher, posting a 2.18 ERA and 10-8 record over 177.2 playoff innings with 193 strikeouts, 40 walks, and 4.6 WAR.

Paidoverov had signed a six-year contract extension worth $1,452,000 in mid 1975 and carried on with his consistent success. Almaty’s window ran out and they dropped to the bottom of the standings by 1981. That year was also the first time Paidoverov’s production had dipped significantly from solid to merely average. The Assassins decided to move on from Paidoverov as they began their rebuild, but he would later be honored with his #23 uniform’s retirement and remembered by fans in Kazhakstan as an important part in Almaty’s 1970s success.

EPB had recently opened up so players could explore foreign leagues and Paidoverov interestingly enough had the attention of the Mexican League. The 36-year old signed in 1982 to a one-year, $464,000 deal with Ecatepec. Paidoverov was merely okay, then went to Puebla in 1983. He was mediocre with the Pumas, becoming a free agent again. Paidoverov signed with Hermosillo and spent 1984 there as a part-time starter with again uninspiring stats.

His final stop in Mexico came in 1985 with Merida, which would be his best statistical season in CABA although over a small sample size. His season ended in July with radial nerve compression. For his CABA career, he had a 23-42 record, 3.52 ERA, 556.2 innings, 378 strikeouts, and 4.3 WAR. Paidoverov wasn’t ready to reitre yet and went back to EPB, signing with Chelyabinsk. He posted 22.2 forgettable innings in relief with the Cadets and retired that winter at age 41.

Paidoverov’s final stats in EPB (and almost exclusively with Almaty) was a 241-143 record, 2.32 ERA, 3816.2 innings, 4379 strikeouts, 835 walks, 367/475 quality starts, 140 complete games, 77 FIP-, and 91.7 WAR. At induction, he had the sixth most wins and strikeouts of any EPB Hall of Famer. Paidoverov’s stats wouldn’t be at the top of any leaderboards and he wasn’t typically a league leader, but he was very good for a long while and an indispensible part of Almaty’s 1970s dynasty. The voters were easily solid on his resume and gave him the first ballot selection with 91.2%.



Murat Muradov – Starting Pitcher – Bishkek Black Sox – 77.0% First Ballot

Murat Muradov was a 5’11’’, 195 pound right-handed pitcher from Turkmenabat, the second largest city in Turkmenistan with around 524,000 people in the country’s northeast. He was the second Turkmen EPB Hall of Famer along with 1979 inductee Anmam Charyyew. Muradov wasn’t outstanding at anything, but was considered above average to good in terms of stuff, movement, and control. His fastball peaked in the 96-98 mph range and was mixed with a solid splitter and changeup, along with an okay slider. He did have excellent stamina, leading the league in complete games thrice and innings pitched twice. Muradov was sometimes viewed as being a bit lazy, but he still put up a strong career regardless.

Muradov was one of the most impressive Central Asian prospects ahead of 1973’s EPB Draft. He ended up going east to Kyrgyzstan, picked seventh overall by Bishkek. The Black Sox used him primarily in the bullpen with some starts as a rookie, seeing mixed results. He was a full-time starter in year two and for the remainder of his 13 year career.

The highlight of his Bishkek tenure came with the Pitcher of the Year award in 1978. That season, he led the Asian League with 1.70 ERA and posted 7.7 WAR. Muradov wasn’t an award finalist in the rest of his Black Sox run, but did four seasons with 300+ strikeouts and three seasons worth 6+ WAR. He also made World Baseball Championship appearances in 1977-78 with Turkmenistan, who generally didn’t have the roster to qualify for the event.

Bishkek had been a mid-tier team in most of Muradov’s tenure, but they snapped an 11-year playoff drought with a wild card in 1980. The Black Sox went on a surprise run to the Asian League title, falling in the Soviet Series to Kharkiv. Muradov had an excellent postseason with a 1.41 ERA over five starts, a 3-2 record, 44.2 innings, 43 strikeouts, and 0.9 WAR. This would ultimately be his only postseason starts in his career.

Muradov had one more season with Bishkek in 1981, which missed the playoffs. They would become a regular contender throughout the 1980s, but Muradov decided to enter free agency at age 31. With the Black Sox, he had a 128-116 record, 2.57 ERA, 2156.2 innings, 2235 strikeouts, and 41.9 WAR. Bishkek would opt to retire his #18 uniform later on, largely due to his part in the 1980 AL pennant season.

Muradov signed a five-year, $2,900,000 deal with Irkutsk. The Ice Cats were terrible for much of his tenure, but he got well paid with his $580,000 annual salary looking much fatter than his $326,000 peak with Bishkek. Muradov pitched well for them, posting 8.2 WAR in both 1983 and 1984 and taking third in 1983 Pitcher of the Year voting. 1984 was one of his finer years, although his 10-21 record doesn’t reflect it. Against his former squad Bishkek on July 14, Muradov tossed a no-hitter with 12 strikeouts and no walks, only missing the perfect game because of a fielding error.

He only pitched three seasons in Irkutsk, posting a 46-46 record, 2.36 ERA, 873.1 innings, 957 strikeouts, and 21.9 WAR. The struggling Ice Cats held a fire sale after the 1984 season and traded Muradov to Ulaanbaatar for two prospects. The Boars had gotten to the ALCS in 1984 and hoped Muradov could get them across the line, but they were just above .500 and missed the playoffs in his two years. He had a respectable 1985, but saw a career-worst 3.38 ERA in 1986. Muradov’s original Irkutsk contract was ending and he decided to retire with it at age 36. He posted a 3.16 ERA, 21-28 record, 487 innings, 474 strikeouts, and 8.1 WAR with Ulaanbaatar.

For his full career, Muradov had a 195-190 record, 2.60 ERA, 3517 innings, 3666 strikeouts, 621 walks, 286/408 quality starts, 258 complete games, 84 FIP-, and 71.9 WAR. He was definitely the weakest of the three pitchers in the 1992 HOF class and was on the lower end of inductees, but his numbers didn’t look out of place by any means. The voters who cared about win-loss record held some sympathy, knowing he would’ve been a 200+ win guy easily on better teams. The EPB voters love pitchers and Muradov did enough to round out the 1992 class with a 77.0% first ballot selection.