More than many other teams, the Buffaloes have heavily relied on imported hitters. They've had a number of great Japanese pitchers, including Hideo Nomo and 1998 New York Mets "rookie" Masato Yoshii, but virtually every one of the team's best all-time batters were foreigners.

Jack Bloomfield: Probably the first Kintetsu player who could be legitimately called a star, Jack Bloomfield led the Pacific League with a .374 average in 1962. Playing with the Buffaloes from 1960 to 1964 (and with the Hawks, 1965-66), the Texan batted .315 during his seven-season career.

Masahiro Doi: Probably the best Japanese hitter to play for Kintetsu, Masahiro Doi hit his first 305 home runs for the Buffaloes from 1962-74. Joining the Taiheiyo Lions in 1975, Doi won his only home run title. At the end of the 1981 season, he retired with 465 round-trippers.

Keishi Suzuki: Pitcher Keishi Suzuki won 317 games (fourth on the all-time wins list) during his twenty-year career with the Buffaloes (1966-1985). The southpaw hurler also struck out 3,061 batters (fourth), and pitched 78 games without a walk (first). In 1968, he no-hit the Toei Flyers while striking out eleven batters, and in 1971 he struck out twelve Nishitetsu Lions hitters to earn his second no-hitter. From 1993-95, Suzuki managed the Buffaloes and was allegedly responsible for overworking young pitcher Hideo Nomo and him to the Major Leagues.

Charlie Manuel: Winning two consecutive home run titles, Charlie Manuel led the Buffaloes to the Japan Series in 1979 and '80. In six seasons with Kintetsu and Yakult (1976-81), Manuel hit 189 home runs and batted .302. A harrowing story, as told by Robert Whiting in his book You Gotta Have Wa, Manuel was beaned in the face, spent six weeks in the hospital but came back to win the 1979 PL home run title and MVP.

Ralph Bryant: One of the most successful foreign players to join the Buffaloes, Ralph Bryant slugged 259 home runs from 1988 to 1995. Helping the Buffs win the 1989 Pacific League pennant, Bryant's 49 home runs earned him the PL home run crown and the MVP award.

Almost every year, a few of the many Japanese sports "blooper" programs replay Bryant's famed reaction to a strikeout. With a blank face, he raises the bat above his head, and with both hands slams it across his knee and snaps the stick in half.

Hideo Nomo: The first Pacific League pitcher to win the Sawamura Award since the prize was first given in 1947, Hideo Nomo also earned the 1990 PL Rookie of the Year and MVP awards by leading the league in wins (an 18-8 record), strikeouts (287 -- an average of 10.66 per game), and ERA (2.91). From 1990 until his "retirement" in 1994, Nomo led or tied the league leader in wins and strikeouts four times each.