Masanori Murakami: First Japanese player in MLB History

We all know the monumental accomplishments that Jackie Robinson made in shaping Major League Baseball for African-Americans as well as opening the door for many other ethnic groups to play the game. Major League Baseball is truly a global sport due to the various diversity and cultures of the players that exist within the league. In fact, the 2009 World Series M.V.P. was one of Japanese descent, Hideki Matsui. Throughout the course of Major League Baseball history, there have been many Japanese players past and present who have achieved various accolades for their ability and outstanding play on the field; Hideo Nomo, Ichiro Suzuki, Hiroki Kuroda, etc.

However, many might not be aware of the first Japanese player in Major League Baseball, who ultimately paved the way for future Japanese players. His name is Masanori Murakami, a former pitcher who played for San Francisco Giants. Murakami saw success as a reliever, debuting at the age of 20 in 1964. Murakami showed extreme potential to be a superb and effective ball player. In 1965, he struck out over one batter per inning pitched and posted a sub 4 ERA with 8 saves.

Unfortunately, Murakami's stint in Major League Baseball was short lived. In 1964, the Nankai Hawks of the Japanese Pacific Coast League had originally sent him, along with two other young players, to the San Francisco Giants' Single- A Fresno team as a baseball exchange student. Murakami was originally only scheduled to stay in the United States until June, but the Hawks neglected to call him back to Japan, so he stayed with the Giants for the rest of the season. In August of the same year, he was promoted to the majors, and on September 1, 1964, he became the first Japanese player to play in the major leagues. Murakami pitched extremely well as a reliever, and because of it, the Giants refused the Hawks' order to return him to Japan. The argument escalated during the 1964 off-season, and the Japanese baseball commissioner was called in to make the final decision on which team Murakami would play with. The commissioner made a compromise; Murakami would return to the Hawks after he had played for another full season with the Giants. He wore number 10 with the San Francisco Giants.

Murakami headed back to his original Japanese club due to contractual obligations as previously agreed upon. In Murakami's Major League Baseball career, he posted a 5-1 record with a 3.41 ERA and 100 strikeouts.