長嶋茂雄
Hoshino was an extremely popular figure during his career, not because of his skill as a pitcher, but because of his persona. Baseball fans were sick of seeing the Yomiuri Giants win the championship year after year, and Hoshino's outspoken hatred of the Giants finally gave fans a player to root for beside Shigeo Nagashima and Sadaharu Oh. Hoshino stayed with the Dragons for his entire career, and was very well respected by his teammates.