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List of Major League Baseball players from Japan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

List of Major League Baseball players from Japan
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A total of 74 Japanese-born[1][2] players have played in at least one Major League Baseball (MLB) game. Of these players, twelve are on existing MLB rosters. The first instance of a Japanese player playing in MLB occurred in 1964, when the Nankai Hawks, a Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) team, sent three exchange prospects to the United States to gain experience in MLB's minor league system. One of the players, pitcher Masanori Murakami, was named the California League Rookie of the Year while playing for the Fresno Giants (the San Francisco Giants' Class-A team). Giants executives were impressed with his talent and on September 1, 1964, Murakami was promoted, thus becoming the first Japanese player to play in MLB, as well as being the first Asian player.[3] After Murakami put up good pitching statistics as a reliever, Giants executives sought to exercise a clause in their contract with the Hawks that, they claimed, allowed them to buy up an exchange prospect's contract. NPB officials objected, stating that they had no intention of selling Murakami's contract to the Giants and telling them that Murakami was merely on loan for the 1964 season. After a two-month stalemate the Giants eventually agreed to send Murakami back to the Hawks after the 1965 season. This affair led to the 1967 United States – Japanese Player Contract Agreement, also known as the "Working Agreement", between MLB and NPB, which was basically a hands-off policy.[4][5]

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Ichiro Suzuki (left) and Shohei Ohtani are first and only two Japanese players who received the Commissioner's Historic Achievement Award

For thirty years Murakami was the only Japanese player to appear in an MLB game. Pitcher Hideo Nomo, with the help of agent Don Nomura, became the second Japanese player to play in MLB in 1995. Nomo, who was not yet eligible for free agency in Japan, was advised by Nomura that a "voluntary retirement" clause in the Working Agreement did not specify that a player wishing to play again after retiring must return to NPB. Nomo utilized this loophole to void his NPB contract with the Kintetsu Buffaloes and play in MLB. He announced his retirement from NPB in late 1994 and signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers in February 1995.[6] Nomo's maneuver and Hideki Irabu's later MLB contractual complications were contributing factors to a major revision of the Working Agreement in 1998 that created the posting system.[7] Since its inception 22 Japanese players have been signed through the system, however one of these players, Shinji Mori, did not play in a single MLB game due to an injury. NPB players who have nine or more years of playing service with NPB can become international free agents and do not need to enter MLB through the posting system.[8] The remaining Japanese players that have played in MLB have either signed as free agents or signed as amateur players. Mac Suzuki, Kazuhito Tadano, and Junichi Tazawa are the only Japanese players to have debuted in MLB without previously playing in NPB.[9][10][11] All 30 MLB teams have had at least one Japanese player on their roster.

Japanese players have had a range of success in MLB. Twelve players have been selected to participate in the All-Star Game; Ichiro Suzuki has made the most appearances with ten. In addition to these selections, Ichiro has won several prestigious MLB awards including the American League (AL) Rookie of the Year Award and the AL Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award in 2001, the All-Star Game MVP Award in 2007 and multiple Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Awards. Ichiro also holds the MLB record for recording the most hits in a single season. Hideo Nomo was the only Japanese pitcher to throw a no-hitter until Hisashi Iwakuma accomplished the feat on August 12, 2015. Nomo threw two in total; the first came in 1996 and the last occurred in 2001.

Currently, Shohei Ohtani is the only player in MLB history to win the AL Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award twice unanimously in 2021 and 2023, the first player in MLB history with 10 wins and 40 home runs in a season,[12] and the first player in MLB history to be named to both first teams for the 2023 All-MLB Team in the same season (as a designated hitter and starting pitcher respectively).[13] Ohtani is also the first Japanese-born player to hit for the cycle, the first Japanese-born player to win a major league home run title, leading the American League with 44 home runs[14] the first Japanese-born player to win the AL Hank Aaron Award,[15] and the first Japanese player to have the most popular Major League Baseball jersey sales.[16] In addition, Ohtani has also won the American League (AL) Rookie of the Year Award in 2018, two Silver Slugger Awards, and multiple Edgar Martínez Outstanding Designated Hitter Awards.[17] Ohtani also signed the largest contract in professional sports history, a 10-year $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.[18] while Yoshinobu Yamamoto received the most guaranteed dollars ever given to a pitcher, signing a 12-year, $325 million contract with the Dodgers.[19]

Thirteen Japanese players have played in the World Series. Of these players, So Taguchi has won the most with two and Hideki Matsui is the only one to win the World Series MVP Award. The 2007 World Series had the most Japanese players, with Daisuke Matsuzaka and Hideki Okajima pitching for the Boston Red Sox, and Kazuo Matsui playing for the Colorado Rockies.

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Table key

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Current players

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* Games played through the 2024 regular season.
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Former players

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Awards, records and notable accomplishments

Baseball Hall of Fame

Seattle Mariners Hall of Fame

See also: Seattle Mariners Hall of Fame

Awards and accolades

Hitting

  • Most hits in a single season: Ichiro Suzuki, 262 (2004) MLB Record[154]
  • Most career interleague hits: Ichiro Suzuki, 367 MLB Record
  • Most consecutive seasons of 200 or more hits: Ichiro Suzuki, 10 (2001–2010) MLB Record
  • Most seasons with 200 or more hits: Ichiro Suzuki, 10 (2001–2010) MLB Record (tie)
  • Most games with five or more hits in a season: Ichiro Suzuki, 4 (2004) MLB Record (tie)
  • Most pinch-hit plate appearances in a season: Ichiro Suzuki, 109 (2017) MLB Record
  • Most pinch-hit at-bats in a season: Ichiro Suzuki, 100 (2017) MLB Record
  • Batting titles: Ichiro Suzuki, 2001 (.350 Avg) and 2004 (.372 Avg)[155]
  • Home run title: Shohei Ohtani, 2023 AL (44 Home runs)[14]
  • Only inside-the-park home run in All-Star game history: Ichiro Suzuki, July 10, 2007, AT&T Park, hitting leadoff for the American League
  • Only MLB player to hit a home run in his first plate appearance of his first three seasons: Kazuo Matsui, 2004 (First pitch), 2005, 2006 (Inside-the-park home run)
  • First Japanese player to play in the World Series: Tsuyoshi Shinjo, October 19, 2002, Giants vs. Angels, Edison Field, hitting 9th in the lineup as the Designated hitter
  • First Japanese player to hit a home run: Hideo Nomo, April 28, 1998, Dodgers vs. Brewers, Dodger Stadium
  • First Japanese player to hit a grand slam: Tsuyoshi Shinjo, May 17, 2002, Giants vs. Marlins, AT&T Park
  • First Japanese player to hit a walk-off hit: Tsuyoshi Shinjo, May 20, 2001, Mets vs. Dodgers, Shea Stadium
  • First Japanese player to hit a walk-off home run: Hideki Matsui, July 17, 2003, Yankees vs. Indians, Yankee Stadium
  • First Japanese player to hit a home run in the postseason: Hideki Matsui, October 4, 2003, Yankees vs. Twins, Metrodome
  • First Japanese player to hit a home run in the World Series: Hideki Matsui, October 19, 2003, Yankees vs. Marlins, Yankee Stadium
  • First Japanese player to hit for the cycle: Shohei Ohtani, June 13, 2019, Angels vs. Rays, Tropicana Field (Home run (1st), Double (3rd), Triple (5th), Single (7th))
  • 3,000 hit club: Ichiro Suzuki; entered August 7, 2016
  • Most walks in a 3-game span: Shohei Ohtani, September 22–24, 2021 (11) AL Record, MLB Record (tie)
  • Highest home run hit in the Statcast era: Shohei Ohtani, 162 feet, April 30, 2023, Angels vs. Brewers, American Family Field, Top of 3rd, 2 outs, 1st pitch off Colin Rea
  • Fastest exit velocity by a left-handed hitter in the Statcast era: Shohei Ohtani, 119.1 mph. April 10, 2022, Angels vs. Astros, Angel Stadium. Bottom of 3rd, 1 out, 3-2 count, 7th pitch off José Urquidy (Ground rule double)

Baserunning

Pitching

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All-Star Game selections

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World Series appearances

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Notes

References

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