Who Was the First Japanese to Play in the MLB?

Posted on by Jim Smarts

Baseball began gaining traction in Japan in the post-World War II period. Japanese corporations continue to sponsor teams across the MLB. But what was it about the American sport of baseball that attracted the Asian island inhabitants?

Easy, the discipline, hard work, and team effort that are at the core of baseball and the MLB as a whole have always appealed to the Japanese. Year after year, we see a host of Asian youngsters make their way to the MLB in order to make a name for themselves.

But who was the first Asian to journey across the ocean and create MLB history?

Meet Japan-born pitcher Masanori Murakami

Affectionately known as ‘Mashi’, 20-year old Masanori Murakami made history in 1964. The former Nankai Hawks man etched his name forever in MLB record books as the first Japanese player to play in America.

But what was going through his mind as he made his way out to the field at the Shea Stadium bullpen in the eighth inning, as approximately 40,000 fans watched on?

“I was never thinking of the major leagues. I just wanted to pitch.”

 “I go to the fence and the door opens, and I go in. I’m walking to the mound, that time, wow. But [being] inside [the field] is very different. Maybe if I get nervous, it’s not good. Now, I think OK, make me relax. The stands, the people. I can hear, but I don’t know what they’re saying. I understood a little English,” Murakami said in an earlier interview with The Guardian.

He went on to play 6 games for the Giants with a 5-1 record before returning to play for the Hawks in the Pacific League. Now 77, Mashi continues to advocate for baseball back in his home country. A true legend of the game.

 

Other top Japanese players who impressed in the MLB include Hideo Nomo, Ichiro Suzuki, and Shohei Ohtani. Currently, there are a total of 9 Japanese internationals who currently play in the American baseball league.

Hopefully, we’ll see that number rise in the coming years!