I still want to strangle everyone who uses "the" in front of "MLB." I'll forgive it in a Japanese translation, but everyone else has no excuse. Y'all have been warned.

Those Bulwers teams were fun to watch back in the day, weren't they?

The God is not pleased.

I wonder if Japanese HOF voters take into account a player's performance in MLB.

If not, you have to wonder how Kaz Sasaki made it with only 627+ NPB innings in his career.

I wonder if Japanese HOF voters take into account a player's performance in MLB.

Yes, they do. Nomo and Sasaki are the first two players to split their careers between NPB and MLB to be elected, although Wally Yonamine played in the PCL before playing in Japan.

Nomo is only the THIRD player to be inducted in their first year of eligibility - even Shigeo Nagashima and Isao Harimoto had to wait!

Nomo, who was a star for the Kintetsu Buffaloes and Los Angeles Dodgers, is the third person to be selected in his first year of eligibility (following Victor Starffin in 1960 and Sadaharu Oh in 1994). He is the youngest person to be inducted, at age of 45 years, 4 months, surpassing the late Tetsuharu Kawakami (at 45 years, 8 months).

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2014/01/17/baseball/nomo-elected-to-japan-hall-of-fame/#.UtmgRU3TmM8

That rookie year for Nomo (MVP, Sawamura Award, Rookie of the Year) is just amazing...

I wonder if Japanese HOF voters take into account a player's performance in MLB.


Yes, they do.

I assume there are people on Japanese baseball websites saying "WELL THAT'S NOT RATIONAL. WHAT'S NEXT, INDUCTING GOOSE GOSSAGE?"

The Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame includes a lot of people who never played professional baseball in Japan. There are far more administrators/coaches than in the US Hall, and there are quite a few college players from the early days before pro ball was started in 1936. One of this year's inductees, Choichi Aida, never played in NPB, but was a college coach, umpire, and administrator after WW2. They have also inducted Americans who have impacted the game, such as Horace Wilson, who is credited with introducing baseball to Japan in the 1870s, and Lefty O'Doul, for his decades-long relationship with Japanese baseball.

Wow, I missed Nomo's first no-no. I wish there was some consideration in the US HOF for Nomo, given his status as the first Japanese player to come thorough the posting system. But reality is, his overall career didn't merit any (much like another dodger-mania).

Nomo wasn't posted, he used a loophole in his contract. He retired from his Japanese team, then was free to sign with the Dodgers. Doesn't change your overall point. A few years from now the Hall should have a display devoted to Nomo, Ichiro, Matsui, Murakami, and other NBP players who came over to play in MLB.

The hall should have that already. A display honouring those who came over from Japan showing how they impacted the game would just be logical. Should be ones for Caribbean players and other areas too.

Never saw him trailblaze.

The hall should have that already. A display honouring those who came over from Japan showing how they impacted the game would just be logical. Should be ones for Caribbean players and other areas too.

Fair enough, but I was thinking that it'd be nice if they went all out when/if Ichiro gets voted into the Hall by having an exhibit on Japanese baseball. Have bits on early 1900's tours of Japan, Lefty O'Doul, Sadaharu Oh, Nomo, etc.

The last time I went to the hall they did have an exhibit on Caribbean players. I'm not sure if it is temporary or permanent, but they had displays on all the countries, videos of players talking about baseball in their home country, etc. There's more info on the HoF website here.

I read the headline as "Kurt Suzuki" and was really confused.

Primey for #5.

Has anybody here visited the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame?

Never saw him trailblaze.

I did. It looked like a balk.