[FuzzyRussianHat]

The 1993 ballot for the East Asia Baseball Hall of Fame very nearly ended up blank. One player just crossed the 66% threshold to earn a spot with pitcher Ho-In Koh grabbing 69.1% on his fourth ballot. The best debut was closer Yeong-U Oum at 55.9%. Three other guys were just above 50% on their second ballots with 1B Naomichi Yamamoto (52.0%), 1B Yuma Watanbe (51.6%), and SP Hisataka Otsuka (50.0%). No players were dropped after ten failed ballots.



Ho-In Koh – Starting Pitcher – Kitakyushu Kodiaks – 69.1% Fourth Ballot

Ho-In Koh was a 6’0’’, 185 pound right-handed pitcher from Jecheon, a city of around 130,000 in central South Korea known as a major railway junction. Koh had excellent control with good stuff and above average movement. His velocity peaked in the 97-99 mph range with an excellent fastball mixed with a great changeup and decent knuckle curve. Koh was viewed as fairly durable with respectable stamina. He was a scrappy sparkplug type, always willing to give extra effort.

Koh was a rare Korean player that spent the vast majority of his EAB career in Japan. He was signed as a teenage amateur in late 1961 by Kitakyushu and made his debut as a reliever in 1966 at age 21. Koh earned a spot in the rotation the next year and was a regular starter for the next decade, pitching 200+ innings each year.

His early 20s were his most impressive seasons, leading Japan in ERA, WHIP, and WAR in 1970. That earned Koh his lone Pitcher of the Year honor. He took second in 1969 and 1971 as well. 1969 also earned him a world title with South Korea in the World Baseball Championship, although he struggled in limited relief. His only other WBC appearances came in 1980. Koh was great in the 1971 playoffs with a 1.53 ERA over 17.2 for Kitakyushu. The Kodiaks won the JL pennant, falling in the EAB Championship to Busan. This run would sadly be Koh’s only playoff appearances for his career.

He remained solid for Kitakyushu in the next few seasons, leading in strikeouts in 1974 with 299. The Kodiaks would bottom out though in 1975 and look to rebuild. Koh was coming up on free agency as well and the team figured they wouldn’t be able to keep him around at the expected asking price. In total with Kitakyushu, Koh had a 137-88 record, 2.68 ERA, 2067 innings, 2244 strikeouts, and 56.7 WAR. It was a solid enough run that they would opt to retire his #12 uniform in 1984.

In July 1975, Kitakyushu traded Koh for prospects to Sapporo. The Swordfish just missed the playoffs, but Koh finished as the league leader in both strikeouts and innings. A free agent at age 31, Koh attracted considerable attention both domestically and abroad. The big MLB payday was hard to pass up and he signed a six-year, $2,894,000 deal with Philadelphia.

Koh’s productivity in his Phillies debut season was mediocre at best. He was a bit more efficient in his second year, but a hamstring injury cost him two months. He didn’t live up to what Philadelphia was looking for, posting a 3.94 ERA over 441 innings. The Phillies traded Koh for the 1978 season to Tampa for 2B Smoke Hagen and LF Antoine Crawford. He would play out the rest of the contract with the Thunderbirds.

He didn’t fare much better in his first two seasons with Tampa, although his third season in 1980 saw a nice improvement. In total with the Thunderbirds, he had a 35-43 record, 4.27 ERA, 698.1 innings, 435 strikeouts, and 9.3 WAR. It was looking like he had finally found his footing in MLB, but disaster struck on September 7, 1980. Koh suffered a damaged elbow ligament, putting him on the shelf for 13 months. He finished out his contract with Tampa in 1981, but never saw the field.

Now 37, the scrappy Koh was determined to make a comeback. Atlanta gave him a chance on a one-year, $1,100,000 deal. A few injuries cost him about two months, but he was still a passable back-end starter. This ended his MLB tenure with a 4.14 ERA, 61-82 record, 1319.2 innings, 883 strikeouts, and 16.9 WAR. Koh returned to EAB and signed a three-year, $2,050,000 deal with Seoul. Shoulder inflammation knocked him out for 1983 after his second start. Koh then was primarily a reliever in 1984 with lousy results. He opted to retire that winter at age 39.

For his entire pro career, Koh had a 212-177 record, 3.28 ERA, 3618.1 innings, 3357 strikeouts, 686 walks, 267/461 quality starts, 82 FIP-, and 76.6 WAR. For just his EAB tenure, Koh had a 151-95 record, 2.79 ERA, 2298.2 innings, 2474 strikeouts, 356 walks, 179/286 quality starts, 72 FIP-, and 59.7 WAR. His rate stats fit in with some other Hall of Famers, but his accumulations were on the low end, in part since he left for MLB. If his MLB stats counted in EAB, he probably would’ve been a solid choice. However, many voters thought he wasn’t good enough long enough. Koh never was below 60%, but he fell just short on his first three ballots. The fourth ballot with weaker competition allowed Koh to sway over another voter or two, getting in at 69.1% as the lone member of EAB’s 1993 class.