When bespectacled catcher Atsuya Furuta was ready to set out on a professional baseball career, he was told by many that pro ballplayers don't wear glasses.
Those glasses ended up becoming Furuta's trademark throughout an 18-year career with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. Pretty soon, Furuta and his specs will be immortalized on a plaque in the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
The Yakult legend was revealed as one of the three new members of the Hall of Fame during a news conference on Friday, with Kazuo Hayashi and Ryohei Murayama joining him in the 2015 class.