Japanese players journey into Major League Baseball
Japan has contributed many of their top players to the world of Major League Baseball in America. Even though an abundance of Japanese players is seen in the Majors now days, it wasn’t always like this.
The first Japanese player who crossed the boundaries between the two baseball crazed nations was Masanori Murakami who came to play with the San Francisco Giants. There was a lot of fuss and media frenzy over Murakami then who was coming from the Nankai
Hawks. The American media was fixated with the idea of whether a player from Japan would be able to settle and perform in America. He was named the Rookie of the Year during his time with the Fresno Giants, the San Francisco Giants’ Class-A Team.
After Murakami managed to impress the Giants’ management and all of American baseball authorities with his excellent performances, the Giants bought Murakami’s exchange prospect contract from the Hawks. Masanori’s American baseball career came to an end
in 1965. After that he returned to Japan and pitched for a good 17 years there as well, closing the chapter on his professional career in 1982.
The next 30-years, no other Japanese player came to Major League Baseball. Then, came the phenomenon that was Hideo Nomo who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He swept away American Baseball and silenced any critics that emerged as he won the National
League Rookie of the Year Award in his debut year. Although Nomo paved the way for future super stars like Ichiro Suzuki, Masanori was really the first one to open the doors of American Baseball to those in Japan.
There are currently 11 Japanese players who are playing in the American Major Leagues. Ichiro Suzuki is without a doubt the most renowned of the bunch. Even though he is playing for a below average team, the Seattle Mariners, he has gained the respect of
many fans and baseball seniors for his performances that have left critics silenced. He has been with the team since 2001.
Hideki Matsui has played for many teams like the power performers, the New York Yankees, the Los Angeles Angels and presently is playing for Oakland Athletics. Takashi Saito is also someone who has been with many teams since his time in America. The Los
Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves and presently the Milwaukee Brewers, all got a taste of him.
Daisuke Matsuzaka has been with the Boston Red Sox since he came in Major League Baseball. Currently he is on the Disabled List and waiting to undergo Tommy John surgery, which would require a year’s worth of rehabilitation. Joining him on the team is fellow
Japanese Junichi Tazawa.
Kosuke Fukudome, Hiroki Kuroda and Koji Uehara are in the line-ups for the Chicago Cubs, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Baltimore Orioles, respectively.
Hisanori Takahashi has played for the New York Mets, but is with the Los Angeles Angels currently. Ryota Igarashi, Tsuyoshi Nishioka and Yoshinori Tateyama are currently playing for the New York Mets, the Minnesota Twins and the Texas Rangers.
If the Japanese players continue to play good baseball, we can expect to see many other top performers from Japan enter Major League Baseball and put in their best efforts for recognition and respect from American fans.
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