[FuzzyRussianHat]

Two starting pitchers were firm first ballot Hall of Famers with the 1972 class for Eurasian Professional Baseball. Taleh Ismailov (98.0%) and Kirill Edelman (96.4%) were the additions to the Hall. Two other pitchers were above 50% on their second attempts, but just short with Skerdi Hoxha (60.2%) and Andrei Doman (52.2%). No players were dropped after a tenth ballot.



Taleh Ismailov – Starting Pitcher – Irkutsk Ice Cats – 98.0% First Ballot

Taleh Ismailov was a 6’1’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Stepnogorsk, a town of around 45,000 in north central Kazakhstan. Ismailov had great movement with respectable control and above average stuff with a peak velocity around 95-97 mph. He had an extreme groundball tendency with his arsenal of a slider, curveball, forkball, and sinker. In his prime, Ismailov had strong stamina and durability with a great work ethic.

Ismailov started playing amateur and semi-pro baseball in his early 20s around Kazakhstan, which was one of the states within the Soviet Union at that time. He was 27 years old when Eurasian Professional Baseball was formed in 1955 and Ismailov was signed by Irkutsk on a five-year, $146,000 deal. The Ice Cats were an early Asian League contender and Ismailov was an ace, leading the league in WAR his first two seasons.

In 1956, Ismailov had the first EPB Triple Crown season with a 28-4 record, 1.81 ERA, and 340 strikeouts. He had a staggering 14.2 WAR, which as of 2037 is still the single-season EPB record for a pitching season. Irkutsk won the Asian League, falling to Minsk in the Soviet Series. This season earned Ismailov both Pitcher of the Year and league MVP. He’d finish third in Pitcher of the Year in 1958. In his five years with the Ice Cats, he had a 109-43 record, 2.63 ERA, 1381.1 innings, 1515 strikeouts, and 48.6 WAR. He also pitched for Kazakhstan in the World Baseball Championship from 1956-64, posting an 8-3 record and 2.69 ERA in 97 innings with 98 strikeouts and 3.8 WAR. In the 1959 edition, he tossed 16 shutout innings in two starts.

Ismailov became a free agent at age 32 and signed for 1960 to a five-year, $400,00 deal with Moscow. He continued to excel with the Mules, taking third in Pitcher of the Year voting in both 1961 and 1962 and winning it for the second time in 1963. In 1963, he led the European League with a career-best 1.73 ERA and posted 10.1 WAR. The Mules made it to the ELCS that year and had four playoff appearances in his tenure, although they didn’t get to the Soviet Series. His final Moscow stats had a 87-36 record, 2.15 ERA, 1160 innings, 1173 strikeouts, and 40.4 WAR.

The 37-year old was a free agent again for 1965 with his Moscow contract completed and he joined Warsaw on a two-year, $228,000. Ismailov had a solid debut season with the Wildcats, but fell off noticeably in his second year, opting to retire after the 1966 season at age 39. He had a 2.61 ERA and 7.2 WAR in his two seasons with Warsaw.

Ismailov’s final stats: 221-93 record, 2.44 ERA, 2906 innings, 3012 strikeouts, 279/364 quality starts, FIP- of 64, and 96.3 WAR. Even without having his early 20s seasons, his tallies still look great on the Hall of Fame leaderboard even years later. Ismailov was the first pitcher to EPB to reach 200 career wins and the first Kazakh Hall of Famer with an impressive 98.0% of the vote.



Kirill “Mayday” Edelman – Starting Pitcher – Dushanbe Dynamo – 96.4% First Ballot

Kirill Edelman was a 6’0’’, 205 pound left-handed starting pitcher from Krasnodar, city of more around 900,000 people in southern Russia not far from the Black Sea. He had 93-95 mph peak velocity with a fastball, slider, and changeup. Edelman’s stuff was considered good with above average movement and control. He had excellent stamina and durability and was a great leader with a strong work ethic.

Edelman was 27-years old when EPB was formed in 1955. He had emerged in Southern Russia as a top pitcher in the semi-pro circuit and was signed to a four-year, $121,600 for the inaugural season with Yekaterinburg. He had a strong debut season and helped the Yaks win the first Soviet Series, taking third in Pitcher of the Year voting. Edelman took second in 1957 voting and in four years with Yekaterinburg, had a 78-37 record, 2.71 ERA, 1091.1 innings, 1249 strikeouts, and 33.2 WAR.

Edelman entered free agency at age 31 and joined Dushanbe on a six-year deal worth $444,000 starting in 1959. In 1960, he won his lone Pitcher of the Year and also took second in MVP voting. The Dynamo would go onto win the Soviet Series and Edelman earned finals MVP. He was dominant in the postseason, posting a 4-0 record and 0.50 ERA in four starts with 42 strikeouts in 36 innings. All four starts were complete games with two shutouts. Dushanbe would fall off in the following years, although Edelman remained excellent. He finished in five seasons with an 84-66 record, 2.67 ERA, 1625 strikeouts in 1395.1 innings, and 44.6 WAR.

In the last year of his contract, the 36-year old Edelman was traded for five prospects to Bucharest. He had one great season with the Broncos, then signed with Moscow on a two-year deal. He had a great 1965 with the Mules, but had forearm inflammation put him out most of 1966. A setback to this injury ended Edelman’s career at age 39.

Edelman’s final stats: 202-126, 2.64 ERA, 3141.1 innings, 3524 strikeouts, 615 walks, 270/376 quality starts, 190 complete games, FIP- of 68, and 95.6 WAR. Like his Hall of Fame classmate Ismailov, his totals still look great even with his official career starting in his late 20s. Edelman was a big part of two EPB champion teams and is well worthy of being the first Russian-born Hall of Famer, a first ballot pick at 96.4%.