Yoshio Yoshida

Seen today as the golden age of French baseball, the Yoshida era left a lasting impression. With the announcement of his passing in February 2025, we see just how deeply some players were impacted by the coach’s strength, the man’s spirituality, and the mentor’s kindness.

We refer you to Gaétan Alibert’s excellent article on The Strike Out to discover the man and what he did for France: here

It was a close call whether France would honor him in December via the Hall of Fame, which had been planned but then canceled by the new federation executive committee. Unanimously, he was elected the first man to enter this hall of fame that may never exist.