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Three first ballot selections were made for the Eurasian Professional Baseball Hall of Fame in 1976. All three additions were pitchers with Arutyun Lezjov at 98.8%, Andriy Kovalenko at 93.4%, and Maxim Alakbarov at 86.1%. Three others were above 50% with pitcher Skerdi Hoxha just shy of the 66% threshold again with 63.4% in his sixth attempt. Pitcher Inal Brezhnev was at 55.6% on his fourth ballot and LF Eldar Vdovichenko had 50.5% in his third. No players were dropped after ten seasons with the 1976 EPB ballot.



Arutyun Lezjov – Starting Pitcher – Omsk Otters – 98.8% First Ballot

Arutyun Lezjov was a 5’11’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Ulan-Ude, a city of around 400,000 people in eastern Russia located three hours north of Mongolia. He was considered to be a well-balanced pitcher with solid stuff, movement, and control. Lezjov’s velocity peaked at 93-95 mph with a fastball, changeup, curveball arsenal. He had terrific stamina and was very durable in the front end of his career. Lezjov was known as a sparkplug who provided great leadership and work ethic.

Lezjov was picked in the second round, 47^th overall, in the 1956 Eurasian Professional Baseball Draft by Omsk. He spent his entire pro career with the Otters and was immediately a full-time starter, finishing second in 1957 Rookie of the Year voting. He had trouble with walks in his earliest seasons, but would emerge as a genuine ace by his fourth year. He’d post seven seasons worth 6+ WAR and four worth triple digits. Lezjov led the Asian League in innings pitched twice, wins four times, complete games three times, and both WAR and ERA once.

Lezjov earned attention in 1962 when he set a single-game strikeout record with 22 Ks in 11.1 innings versus Baku. 1963, he won his first Pitcher of the Year and finished second in MVP voting posting a 28-4 record, 1.81 ERA, and 11.6 WAR. The 28 wins tied the EPB single season record as Omsk earned their first-ever playoff berth, although they were one-and-done. In 1964, Lezjov tossed a no-hitter with 12 strikeouts against Novosibirsk with only a hit-by-pitch preventing perfection.

1965 was the first major setback for the now 31-year old Lezjov, who missed four months with a torn back muscle. But he bounced back impressively with his second Pitcher of the Year and a league MVP in 1966 with career bests in ERA (1.48), WIHP (0.73), quality starts (28), FIP- (40), and WAR (13.1). Omsk had a historic 120-42 season and won the Asian League title, although they fell to Minsk in the Soviet Series. Ultimately in eight playoff appearances, Lezjov had a 3.31 ERA over 51.2 innings with 50 strikeouts. He also pitched for Russia in the World Baseball Championship with 161 innings, a 13-2 record, 3.24 ERA, and 184 strikeouts from 1959-70.

1967 saw another torn back muscle in his second start of the year, putting Lezjov out the whole season. He bounced back again impressively with his third and final Pitcher of the year in 1968 with a 1.79 ERA. That season saw his second no-hitter with 11 strikeouts and one walk versus Asgabat. Smaller injuries cost him some time and production in his final two years, although he was still starter quality. In August 1970, he’d suffer a torn rotator cuff which ultimately ended his season at age 36. Lezjov’s #4 uniform would be immediately retired as he remained a favorite among Omsk fans.

Lezjov’s final stats: 222-137 record, 2.74 ERA, 3191.2 innings, 3350 strikeouts, 254/379 quality starts, 248 complete games, a FIP- of 73 and 87.9 WAR. He didn’t quite have the tenure or big strikeout numbers of some other EPB Hall of Famers, but everyone acknowledges that Lezjov was one of the most dangerous pitchers of the 1960s. This earned him the no-doubt first ballot induction at 98.8%.



Andriy “Little Rat” Kovalenko – Starting Pitcher – Moscow Mules – 93.4% First Ballot

Andriy Kovalenko was a 6’2’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Kremenchuk, a city of around 200,000 people in central Ukraine on the Dnieper River. Nicknamed “Little Rat,” Kovalenko was known for solid stuff with above average movement and sometimes dodgy control. His velocity peaked at 95-97 mph with a great fastball, curveball, and splitter, along with a rarely used changeup. He was an intelligent pitcher who knew how to change speeds to be effective.

Kovalenko was 25-years old when Eurasian Professional Baseball was formed and was known already amongst the Soviet Union as a promising pitcher. Yekaterinburg gave him his first EBP contract on a five-year deal and he took second in Pitcher of the Year voting in his Yaks debut. Kovalenko had a no-hitter with 16 strikeouts against Ufa and had an excellent postseason going 4-0 over 34.1 innings with a 1.57 ERA and 32 strikeouts. This helped Yekaterinburg win the very first Soviet Series in 1955. He led the Asian League in WHIP this year at 0.88.

Despite his successes, he wasn’t a league-leader often, leading in strikeouts once in 1958 and wins in 1963. The 1955 campaign would be Kovalenko’s only time as a Pitcher of the Year finalist. He’d throw a second no-hitter with the Yaks in 1957, fanning 10 with five walks against Ulaanbaatar. Kovalenko also started pitching for Ukraine in the World Baseball Championship, posting a 3.37 ERA in 20 starts from 1955-62 with 170 strikeouts over 136.1 innings. In total with Yekaterinburg, he posted an 88-47 record, 2.61 ERA, 1310 innings, 1492 strikeouts and 33.7 WAR. Now a free agent at age 30, he signed for the 1960 season on a six-year, $450,000 deal with Moscow.

Kovalenko became best known for his time with the Mules, seeing his #5 uniform retired after nine years of service in the Russian capital. A bone spur in his elbow put him out much of 1962 and smaller injuries cost him some time in his later years, but Kovalenko gave the Mules consistent production. Moscow regularly made the playoffs in the 1960s, although suffered some early exits. In 1967, they finally broke through for their first European League title, later falling to Bishkek in the Soviet Series. In his playoff games with the Mules, Kovalenko had a 2.13 ERA in seven starts with 42.1 innings and 39 strikeouts.

Kovalenko saw some declines as he entered his late 30s and in August 1968, suffered a torn UCL. He’d return to action in the summer of 1969, but would be traded to Tashkent. For his Moscow run, Kovalenko had a 135-67 record, 2.55 ERA, 1871 innings, 1992 strikeouts, and 40.0 WAR. He finished 1969 and spent 1970 with the Tomcats, retiring after the 1970 campaign at age 41.

Kovalenko’s final stats: 233-125 record, 2.61 ERA, 3350.2 innings, 3640 strikeouts, 295/432 quality starts, FIP- of 81, and 76.0 WAR. Despite rarely being viewed as a top five pitcher in EPB, he quietly put together a very impressive resume. The voters certainly were sold, putting Kovalenko into the Hall of Fame on his first ballot at 93.4%.



Maxim Alakbarov – Starting Pitcher – Asgabat Alphas – 86.1% First Ballot

Maxim Alakbarov was a 6’0’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Turtkul, a city of around 50,000 people in northwestern Uzbekistan. He was known for having very good control and movement along with above average stuff. Alakbarov’s velocity peaked around 96-98 mph with an arsenal of a slider, curveball, changeup, and sinker. The sinker was his best pitch, leading to an extreme groundball tendency. He was also known as a solid defensive pitcher, although Alakbarov would get criticized for being unmotivated at times.

In the 1957 EPB Draft, Alakbarov was picked sixth overall by Asgabat, In his rookie season, he led the Asian League in innings pitched and won the 1958 Rookie of the Year. Alakbarov led the league in ERA in 1959 at 2.16, although his best seasons by WAR would be 10.5 in 1961 and 9.4 the following year. He never won Pitcher of the Year, but was third in voting in both 1960 and 61, then second in 1962. He also was third in 1962’s MVP voting. 1962 saw a no-hitter against Irkutsk with 11 strikeouts and two walks.

The Alphas would make it to the ALCS in 1960, but that would be their only playoff berth until the late 1970s. While in Turkmenistan, Alakbarov had a 126-75 record, 2.32 ERA, 1882.2 innings, 1828 strikeouts, and 51.1 WAR. He also regularly returned home to Uzbekistan, playing with the national team from 1957-69 in the World Baseball Championship. In tournament play, he had a 2.88 ERA over 168.2 innings with 165 strikeouts and 3.6 WAR. At the 1964 trade deadline, his time with Asgabat ended as he was traded to St. Petersburg.

Alakbarov spent the remainder of his pro career with the Polar Bears, who made the playoffs in his first season there. He’d retire just before their 1971 Soviet Series win. Alakbarov was steady with St. Petersburg, although he started to decline in his mid 30s. He fell below league-average in 1969 and missed the end of 1970 with a torn meniscus. Alakbarov opted to retire after the season at age 35. With the Polar Bears, he had a 87-62 record, 2.66 ERA, 1227 strikeouts in 1474.2 innings, and 22.1 WAR.

Alakbarov’s final stats: 213-137 record, 2.47 ERA, 3357.1 innings, 3055 strikeouts, 302/407 quality starts, 208 complete games, FIP- of 84, and 73.1 WAR. He was another guy rarely viewed as dominant, but he regularly went deep into games and gave you quality innings. Alakbarov was another whose resume may have surprised some with how solid it was. The voters decided he’d join the other two pitchers in the 1976 class on the first ballot with 86.1%.