10 of the coolest international baseball objects in the Hall of Fame

This is an excerpt from the latest edition of Michael Clair's International Beat Newsletter, bringing global baseball news to your inbox every month. Sign up for future installments HERE and check out the full newsletter HERE.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a place of worship: There in Cooperstown, N.Y., an idyllic village perched delicately on the shores of the Otsego Lake, with a Main Street overflowing with baseball souvenirs ranging from cards to caps to even whiskey, baseball simply is.

While its called the National Baseball Hall of Fame, its collection actually spans the globe. If there’s baseball played and history being made, then the Hall of Fame is there to collect it, store it, catalog it and display it for the baseball obsessives who make the pilgrimage.

I was lucky enough to visit the Hall earlier this summer when my book, "We Sacrifice Everything to Baseball," was featured as part of its author’s series. Today, I want to share some of the artifacts on display and in their archives that I thought were particularly impactful.

1. Carlos Beltrán’s 2013 World Baseball Classic helmets

One of the greatest stars of Classic history, the four-time WBC star (2006, ‘09, ‘13, ‘17) and GM for the 2026 Puerto Rican team donned these helmets during Puerto Rico’s run to the finals in 2013. (Why are there two helmets? Beltrán was a switch-hitter!) Beltrán ranks second in tourney history in hits, walks, and runs scored -- behind Cuba’s Frederich Cepeda in all three.

2. Andruw Jones’ Knight’s Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau Badge

The Hall’s first ever inductee from Curaçao, Jones earned his Knight’s Cross in 1997. The honor is “awarded to people for outstanding achievements in their work, surpassing others in their field.” While other players like Didi Gregorius have also earned their knighthood for their performance on the field and for the Kingdom of the Netherlands’ national team, this is the first time I had ever seen one of the badges.

3. Australian team hat from 2001 Women’s World Series

It’s a good time for women’s baseball: Last month, the USA swept its way through the Women’s World Cup group stage, with Australia and Canada joining the U.S. at next year’s World Cup finals. The Women’s Pro Baseball League is in the middle of its first season, and the World Cup group stage in Tainan is currently underway.

It’s also the 25th anniversary of the first international women’s baseball tournament in history. Though the U.S. defeated Japan for gold, the Hall has a very cool Australia cap -- complete with a ballplaying kangaroo -- on display.

4. Edith Houghton jersey

While the 2001 Women’s World Series may have been the first women’s baseball international tourney, it’s certainly not the first time that women’s baseball has gone global. Back in 1925 – nine years before Babe Ruth’s historic 1934 tour of Japan -- the Philadelphia Bobbies became the first all-women’s baseball team to travel the country. This USA jersey was worn by the Bobbies’ star shortstop Edith Houghton, who later went on to become a scout for the Phillies.

5. Masaichi Kaneda’s 400th victory glove

It’s hard to imagine any active big league pitcher reaching 300 wins (FanGraphs’ Dan Szymborski just ran his ZiPS projections and only one pitcher -- Jacob Misiorowski -- has even a 1% chance to reach 300), but 400?! That’s what Kaneda, known as “The Emperor” did. He picked up his 400th career victory in his final appearance on Oct. 10, 1969.

6. Sadaharu Oh’s glove

Here’s a glove for a man known much more for his bat. On Sept. 3, 1977, Oh hit his 756th home run, passing Hank Aaron for the most ever hit on the planet. While his samurai sword, which he would use to practice, is on display in Japan’s Hall of Fame, it' the glove he was wearing on this day that is on display in Cooperstown.

7. Hector Espino’s Naranjeros de Hermosillo jersey

Along with Oh’s glove and Hank Aaron’s entire uniform (along with other memorabilia), there’s another home run legend who has a space in the Hall. Espino is one of Mexico’s greatest sluggers, smashing 763 home runs across a 25-year career. His Hermosillo Naranjeros (Orange Growers) uniform comes from his time coaching the team in 1995.

Also, how perfect is that baseball-playing orange logo on the sleeve?

8. Daisuke Matsuzaka’s 2006 World Baseball Classic jersey

The only two-time World Baseball Classic MVP Award winner, Matsuzaka is arguably the greatest WBC player of all-time. His six wins double the second-most in tournament history, he’s third in innings (27 2/3) and first in strikeouts (23). He also has two World Baseball Classic championships.

This is also a good time to let you know that Steph Iovieno put together a new all-time records page on the World Baseball Classic website.

9. Daniel Palencia’s 2026 World Baseball cleats

When you enter San Carlos, Venezuela -- where Cubs closer Daniel Palencia is from -- a giant mango sculpture greets you. It’s a symbol of the fruit’s importance to the city. So, Palencia made sure that was depicted on his World Baseball Classic cleats. They were on his feet when Palencia closed out the USA for the nation’s first Classic title.

10. Cuban Winter League baseball stickers

If you were anything like me, you may have put together a sticker album during this summer’s World Cup. Turns out, it’s not just a soccer thing. The Hall has a sticker album for the 1945-46 season in the Cuban League. It featured future Hall of Famers Martín Dihigo, Ray Dandridge, Minnie Miñoso and Ray Brown, and future All-Star Sal Maglie.

Of course, there is one more item in the Hall's collection, but it arrived a few weeks after my visit: That would be Czech electrical technician and pitcher Ondřej Satoria's ballcap.