Meikyukai

The Meikyukai (日本プロ野球名球会, Nippon Puro Yakyū Meikyūkai; The Golden Players Club) is one of the two baseball halls of fame in Japan, the other being the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (野球殿堂, Yakyū Dendō). The Meikyukai is a limited company for public benefit. Founded by Hall of Fame pitcher Masaichi Kaneda in 1978, the Meikyukai honors players born after 1926 (the beginning of the Shōwa period). Players are automatically inducted if they reach a career total of 2,000 hits or 200 wins in the Japanese professional leagues. Since 2003, players recording 250 saves are also inducted, with records from Major League Baseball (MLB) also being recognized. Since 2019, players who did not reach any of the above three figures, but who were deemed to have equivalent career achievements, could be inducted upon committee nomination and a vote of 75% or more current members. Inductees are awarded a special jacket and participate in various baseball-related events during the off-season. Meikyukai members mostly make appearances in charity and volunteer events. The organization holds annual meetings and a golf tournament, which is often broadcast on television. All of the money raised from the golf tournament is donated to the Red Cross.