Former Hiroshima Carp closer Tsunemi Tsuda and ace Manabu Kitabeppu have been selected to the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame, the selection panel said Friday.
Tsuda died in July 1993 at the age of 32 from a brain tumor, two years after retiring from professional baseball with a 49-41 record and 90 saves over 10 seasons.
Kitabeppu, 54, had a 213-141 record in a 19-year career through 1994, winning the Sawamura Award in 1982 and 1986.
Both Tsuda and Kitabeppu spent all of their playing careers with Hiroshima.
The late Kiro Osafune and the late Osamu Omoto have also been named to the Hall of Fame as notable contributors to Japanese baseball.
Osafune played a key role in creating Japan's pro-am Sydney Olympic baseball team in 2000. Omoto was known for his work on developing materials for bats.