Japan’s First MLB Player Gets Pulled from the Game

Summary

Summary of "Japan’s First MLB Player Gets Pulled from the Game" – HISTORY This Week

Release Date: November 4, 2024
Host: The HISTORY® Channel
Produced by: Back Pocket Studios in partnership with the History Channel

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Introduction: The 2009 World Series Highlight

The episode opens with Sally Helm setting the stage for a significant moment in baseball history:

"[...] The Philadelphia Phillies face off against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium."
— Sally Helm [00:58]

Sally contrasts the enduring legacy of both teams, emphasizing the Yankees' impressive 26 World Series titles and introducing a pivotal game where an unexpected player, Hideki Matsui, shines brightly.

Hideki Matsui’s Stellar Performance

Producer Ben Dickstein recounts crucial plays from Game 6, highlighting Matsui's impact:

"A fly ball into right down the line. Gone two, nothing New York."
— Ben Dickstein [02:20]

Matsui emerges as the game-changer, delivering three hits and six RBIs, ultimately securing the World Series MVP—making him the first Japanese player to achieve this honor.

Connecting to Japanese MLB History

Transitioning from Matsui, the hosts delve into the broader narrative of Japanese players in Major League Baseball (MLB), tracing back to the often-overlooked pioneer, Masanori Murakami.

"Any good history podcast producer would, what's the story behind this? This being Japanese baseball players coming to America and playing in the major leagues."
— Austin James [04:21]

Masanori Murakami: Japan’s MLB Trailblazer

Early Life and Rise in Japanese Baseball

Masanori Murakami, introduced as the first Japanese-born MLB player, hails from a rural town near Tokyo. His journey is marked by intense training inspired by Japan's rigorous baseball culture, rooted in the Meiji Restoration era's drive for modernization.

"Mashi's coach did not want the kids to be drinking water during practice because he thought that would make them weak."
— Austin James [09:21]

Murakami's dedication is exemplified through anecdotes of extreme training regimes, like attempting to extinguish candles with his fastball and creating holes in brick walls from relentless pitching.

The Opportunity to Play in America

In 1964, after a standout minor league season with the Nankai Hawks, Murakami is presented with a chance to play for the San Francisco Giants. This move marks a significant milestone as he becomes the first Japanese player to attempt a career in MLB.

"Masanori Murakami arrives at the Giants spring training complex in March of 1964. He's the first Japanese player to ever have a real shot at the big leagues."
— Austin James [15:03]

Cultural and Language Barriers

Murakami faces substantial challenges, including language barriers and cultural adjustments. His efforts to learn English and integrate with his American teammates demonstrate his resilience and determination.

"He would go to a restaurant with his two dictionaries and work out how to order something."
— Austin James [16:30]

MLB Performance and Contract Conflicts

Despite a promising start, Murakami's stint in MLB is short-lived due to contractual misunderstandings. Upon his return to Japan, a conflict arises between the San Francisco Giants and the Nankai Hawks over his contractual obligations, exacerbated by the restrictive reserve clause prevalent in MLB at the time.

"The reserve clause goes back to the 19th century and basically says that a major league team has the option for any of their players for the following year."
— Austin James [24:03]

Murakami is pressured by both teams and Japanese societal obligations (giri) to choose between continuing his MLB career or honoring his commitments in Japan.

Resolution and Legacy

Ultimately, Murakami decides to return to Japan, signing back with the Nankai Hawks. His decision leaves a lasting impact, serving as both a pioneering act and a cautionary tale for future Japanese players aspiring to join MLB.

"Mashi's still a little upset about that."
— Austin James [29:44]

Impact on Future Generations of Japanese MLB Players

The episode traces the lineage from Murakami to subsequent Japanese stars who successfully navigated MLB's complexities:

• Hideo Nomo (1995): Overcomes similar contractual hurdles by voluntarily retiring from Japanese baseball to join the Los Angeles Dodgers, reigniting MLB's interest in Japanese talent.

• Ichiro Suzuki (2001): Breaks records with the Seattle Mariners, becoming a global baseball icon.

• Hideki Matsui (2003): Joins the Yankees, continues the legacy Murakami began by achieving significant MLB success.

• Shohei Ohtani (2024): Highlighted as potentially the greatest player in baseball history, embodying the culmination of over 150 years of Japanese influence in MLB.

"Shohei Ohtani might be the greatest player in baseball history, and he's part of a tradition, a lineage of Japanese baseball players that goes back over 150 years."
— Austin James [33:31]

Conclusion: Murakami’s Foundational Role

Masanori Murakami is recognized as a foundational figure whose efforts paved the way for the seamless integration of Japanese players into MLB. His legacy is celebrated through the success of players like Ohtani, demonstrating the enduring significance of his pioneering journey.

"Shohei Ohtani stands on the shoulders of Masanori Murakami."
— Austin James [33:31]

Notable Quotes

• Austin James on Historical Significance:
  "Mashie is a very kind, nice person. I mean, it's really difficult not to like Mashi."
  [16:52]

• Ben Dickstein on Pitching Mechanics:
  "One difference between major and Japanese league pitching is the mechanics. The mechanics are very different."
  [17:54]

• Kerry Yo Nakagawa on Baseball Culture:
  "You're supposed to push your body past its limits. So you're not only focusing your body, you're focusing your mind, you're focusing your spirit."
  [09:39]

Key Takeaways

• Pioneering Effort: Masanori Murakami's entry into MLB was a groundbreaking moment that highlighted both the potential and the challenges faced by Japanese players in the American baseball landscape.

• Cultural Bridges: The episode underscores the cultural exchange and the blending of Japanese baseball's rigorous training philosophies with MLB's competitive environment.

• Legacy and Evolution: Murakami's story set the stage for future Japanese athletes to thrive in MLB, culminating in the extraordinary careers of players like Shohei Ohtani.

Conclusion

"Japan’s First MLB Player Gets Pulled from the Game" offers a comprehensive exploration of Masanori Murakami's trailblazing journey, his struggles with contractual disputes, and his enduring legacy that influences contemporary Japanese stars in Major League Baseball. Through expert interviews and historical insights, the episode paints a vivid picture of how one player's determination can alter the course of sports history.

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For more insightful episodes and historical narratives, visit historythisweekpodcast.com or contact the team at [e-mail].

Transcript

[Sally Helm]

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[Ben Dickstein]

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[Unknown Host]

The History Channel Original Podcast.

[Sally Helm]

History this week, November 4th, 2009. I'm Sally Helm. World Series, game six. The Philadelphia Phillies face off against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium.

[Austin James]

Off we go.

[Unknown Host]

Game 6. Ball 1.

[Sally Helm]

The Phillies and the Yankees have both been around for over 100 years. The Yankees have a particularly strong World Series record. They've won 26 times. Their last win was nine years ago, which ESPN says is almost an eternity in Yankee land. But that's not why we're talking about this game. Our producer, Ben was actually there that day sitting in the bleachers. Ben, what do you remember about this game? Big Yankees fan, I'm gonna say. I'm gonna disclose right at the top here.

[Austin James]

Yeah, yeah, that's fair. We should disclose that to our listeners. You know, it's Yankee Stadium, it's the World Series. It was quite a scene. I was there with my dad. It's a great memory for us. But on the field, one player really stepped up, and it's someone who wasn't the biggest star on the team. He's not Derek Jeter, he's not a Rod Alex Rodriguez. But he is someone who I would call a fan favorite. And in this World Series game, he really carries the team.

[Ben Dickstein]

A fly ball into right down the line. Gone two, nothing New York.

[Unknown Host]

And a line drive into centers. A base hit. Jeter scores.

[Ben Dickstein]

Here comes Damon. The throw is cut off the three. One pitch is hit in the air.

[Unknown Host]

Into right center field. Back at the wall. It's off the wall.

[Ben Dickstein]

In to score is Teixeira. The ball gets away from words.

[Sally Helm]

All right, Ben, who is this player?

[Austin James]

This is Hideki Matsui. He came over to the Yankees from Japan back in 2003, and he's really the first Japanese slugger to come to the US Slugger.

[Sally Helm]

Home runs. He's hitting home runs.

[Austin James]

He's hitting them all over the place. He loves the short porch in right field and Yankee stadiums just made for him. And he really makes this World Series count.

[Unknown Host]

So it's close to noon tomorrow in Tokyo, and if you think they're not celebrating three hits, six RBIs for Matsui in this game.

[Austin James]

What a proposal performance. So the Yankees win the World Series that night, which I am very happy I got to see. Great memory. I was out till three in the morning. People, you know, fire trucks, everyone's going nuts. And Hideki Matsui wins World Series mvp. He's the first Japanese player to do that. And I've been thinking about him lately because the World Series just finished and because today the best player in all of baseball is also Japanese. Sally, you're from California. Do you know Shohei Ohtani? Not personally.

[Sally Helm]

Not personally, no. But I mean, yeah, of course I know Ohtani. My family's texting about him all the time. He's been doing amazing things on the field.

[Austin James]

Yeah, I mean, he really has the attention of the entire sport right now. I mean, obviously he just won the World Series with the Dodgers, and when he's healthy, he's one of the best pitchers and one of the best hitters in the game. It's kind of crazy. So I was thinking, with all the attention on Ohtani and the World Series coming around, like any good history podcast producer would, what's the story behind this? This being Japanese baseball players coming to America and playing in the major leagues. Who was the first to do it? I thought maybe it was Hideo Nomo who came over in the 90s to pitch for the Dodgers. Okay, but Nomo is actually the second guy to do that. The first was decades earlier. And I can pretty much guarantee that there are very few baseball fans in America who are aware that he exists and certainly don't know how he put himself in the middle of an international incident just to play the game he loved.

[Sally Helm]

All right, little known person with an impact international drama. This is sounding like an episode of our podcast History this week.

[Austin James]

I certainly think so.

[Sally Helm]

All right, Ben, take it away.

[Austin James]

Today, the story of Masanori Mashi Murakami, the left handed pitcher who became the first Japanese born player in the major leagues. How does he go from a rural town outside of Tokyo to pitching in front of tens of thousands in America. And why after Murakami, does it take decades for the next player to arrive? Hey, it's Austin James. If you're like me trying to live your best life while living with diabetes, you can relate to worrying if you're doing a good job managing your diabetes. I use the Freestyle Libre 3 Plus sensor to get real time glucose readings and see the impact of every meal and activity to make better decisions. The Freestyle Libre 3 Plus sensor can help me live life with diabetes on my own terms and it gives me more time for the things I love like being a dad and a musician. Now this is progress. Learn more at FreeStyleLibre US.

[Sally Helm]

For prescription only safety info found at FreeStyleLibre US. Hello everyone, my name is Wesley Levisay. From the History of the Second World.

[Austin James]

War podcast, Join me on a journey through the most destructive conflict in human history. A journey that will take us not just through the famous campaigns and cataclysmic battles, but also to the lesser well known corners of the war that touched millions all over the world as we try and answer not just the questions of what and where, but how and why. You can find history of the Second World War on all major podcast platforms or at historyofthesecondworld war.com Want to shop Walmart?

[Unknown Host]

Black Friday deals first Walmart plus members get early access to our hottest deals. Join now and get 50% off a one year annual membership. Shop Black Friday deals first with Walmart.

[Austin James]

Plus see [e-mail] Baseball is America's pastime, so the saying goes. And yet it's probably not the most popular sport in America today. It is, however, the most popular sport in Japan. Kerry Yo Nakagawa is a historian of baseball in Japan and the United States. To see a professional game in Japan is unbelievable. It's almost like college football here in the United States. I mean, every pitch there's music and horns and cheerleaders and it's really an amazing experience. It's widely believed that baseball arrives in Japan in 1872. That's just one year after the first pro baseball league is formed in America, where the sport was invented. The man who seems to have brought it to Japan is an American named Horace Wilson. He's an English teacher at what became Kaisei Gako, a forerunner of Tokyo University. And baseball is really different from any other sport in Japan at the time. You know, many in Japan were used to individual disciplines of karate, sumo, kendo. But here was a sport that had, you know, an interesting dynamic where you had nine players really playing with just one mind, you know, to all be on the same page, the same rhythm as teammates. Baseball catches on and really hits its stride in the 1890s. Rob Fitts is a baseball historian and author. He told us one of the hubs of Japanese baseball during that time is the first higher school of Tokyo, nicknamed Ichiko.

[Unknown Host]

They start a baseball team and they practice very seriously. They seem to take elements of the martial arts, some would call it the samurai training or samurai spirit, and mesh it with baseball to create a very distinctive brand of baseball.

[Austin James]

That brand of baseball is partially about what happens before the game, the practice, the preparation.

[Unknown Host]

Well, apparently the Ichiko kind of motto was bloody urine. And what that meant is if your urine didn't have blood in it by the end of the day, you didn't practice hard enough.

[Austin James]

By the standards of today's youth sports, the Ichigo practice methods are extreme, but there's a philosophy behind them.

[Unknown Host]

You're supposed to push your body past its limits. So you're not only focusing your body, you're focusing your mind, you're focusing your spirit. And that would make you a better ball player, in theory.

[Austin James]

One player for Ichigo pitcher Signatoro Moriyama, is said to have thrown so many practice pitches against the brick wall of the clubhouse that he makes a hole in the brick. The school leaves it there for later generations of players to see. Moriyama also practices by trying to use his fastball to extinguish a candle. But the work pays off, and the Ichigo team becomes one of the best in the country.

[Unknown Host]

They play a team of American amateurs, and they beat them. And the Americans, who are all adults, are shocked, and they have a couple of rematches, and the Japanese school kids beat them again.

[Austin James]

This comes at a time when Japan is rapidly industrializing, trying to bring itself into competition with Western powers in what is called the Meiji Restoration. In that context, these baseball games matter a lot.

[Unknown Host]

These Japanese school kids become national heroes. It's kind of a symbolic statement that we have beaten Americans at their own national pastime. Therefore, we as Japanese can catch up to the Americans in industrialization, in economics and military prowess. And within months, baseball teams are formed in high schools and colleges across Japan. So by the turn of the century, by 1900, you have hundreds of teams in Japan.

[Austin James]

Those intense practice principles that Ichigo established, they survive for decades. And in the 1960s, a young man named Masanori Murakami walks into this high pressure, focused world of Japanese baseball. Murakami discovers baseball kind of late in Middle school. And when he does start playing, his family doesn't approve. Michael Claire is a writer for MLB.com who focuses on international baseball.

[Ben Dickstein]

He had to play baseball secretly as a child, and when his father found out, he went to yell at his middle school coach. His coach talks him down. His father comes back to Murakami and says, if you want to play baseball, you have to be the best Japanese player in history.

[Austin James]

Yeah, you just have to be the best. No pressure. And if his family isn't enough to deal with, the practices are grueling.

[Ben Dickstein]

It's one of those, you know, you have to sort of break the spirit to, you know, find your inner strength.

[Austin James]

Murakami later recalled just one example of how intense this was. Rob Fitts heard the story firsthand while working with Murakami to write his biography.

[Unknown Host]

His coach did not want the kids to be drinking water during practice because he thought that would make them weak. There would be either puddles or rice paddies surrounding the field, and when a ball would go into them when no one was looking, would take a quick sip of water out from the rice paddies. Mashi says, first you cup your hands, you pull up the water and you blow on it to get all the mosquitoes off the top of the water before you take a quick sip. He had to do it very quickly because the coach knew what was going on.

[Austin James]

Murakami is a left handed pitcher and.

[Unknown Host]

He'S decent in high school. He's good, but he's not a superstar. He had a string of injuries, so.

[Austin James]

When he graduates from high school, he. He pretty much thinks that's it.

[Unknown Host]

He doesn't expect to turn pro. He has very little interest of turning pro. He wants to go to college and become a salaryman.

[Austin James]

But some of the Japanese professional teams have spotted Murakami's potential. When he's healthy, he can be dominant. He once struck out 18 batters in a single game. That's a lot. So the offers start coming in from the Kintetsu Buffaloes, the Daimai Orions, the Taiyo Whales. Murakami isn't swayed by any of them.

[Unknown Host]

And finally, a fellow by the name of Tsuroka, who is a manager of the Nankai Hawks, visits Mashi and his family at his home. At the end of the interview, Soroka says, you know, there's a chance we could send you to the United States if you join the Hawks. And Mashi's like, what? Really? United States? Yeah, you know, we're thinking of sending a few young players over there for Some seasoning.

[Austin James]

Murakami had never been to the United States before. He really wants to go, but mainly because it's where his favorite TV show, Rawhide, is filmed.

[Unknown Host]

Hamashi's like, whoa, okay, I'll side.

[Austin James]

Murakami plays one season with the Nankai Hawks, mostly in the minor leagues, but he dominates. And then in 1964, he gets the chance he's been waiting for. He's going to go play on a team in the United States, the San Francisco Giants. The Nankai Hawks assume that Murakami is going to go over to America, pick up a few pointers, and then return to Japan in no time.

[Unknown Host]

He's being sent over, really, as an exchange student. No one expects him to stay long. There was a possibility that he would actually come home. After spring training, the Hawks and the.

[Austin James]

Giants sign a contract to make this little exchange official.

[Unknown Host]

The contracts are kind of done ad hoc. They're not really thought out. They're pretty much. They're not scribbled on a napkin, but it's close to that. The Giants sign it, and the Hawks sign it, and Mashie's told to sign it. And in the contract that says the Giants can renew this contract anytime they want for just $10,000, and nobody pays any mind whatsoever. They just all kind of sign it without reading it.

[Austin James]

Masanori Murakami arrives at the Giants spring training complex in March of 1964. He's the first Japanese player to ever have a real shot at the big leagues, and he's up against some stereotypes. Here's Kerry Nakagawa. Most Asian players back in those days were considered little brown men, little yellow men, passionate, but you know, they're too little. They can't play at a major league level. Murakami's first impression of the major leagues is, this is what you guys are doing over here.

[Ben Dickstein]

When he first came to America and started training in the Giants system, he was blown away at how easy it was.

[Austin James]

The Giants kind of have to be like, yeah, ease into it. Take your time.

[Ben Dickstein]

They said, hey, we're just rounding into shape. Hold back a little bit. You know, let's not go 100% for hours and hours.

[Austin James]

But Rob Fitts told us, off the field, things are a little more challenging. Murakami had never been to America, and he spoke very little English.

[Unknown Host]

Once he got over his first week or two of absolute confusion, he embraced it, brought two dictionaries. One was Japanese to English and one was English to Japanese, and he spent time studying them. He would go to a restaurant with his Two dictionaries and work out how to order something. So he is very adventuresome.

[Austin James]

Murakami's teammates take a liking to him pretty quickly.

[Unknown Host]

Mashi is a very kind, nice person. I mean, it's really difficult not to like Mashi.

[Austin James]

Mashi, that's his new nickname, which is apparently easier for his American teammates to pronounce. And after spring training, to get a little more seasoning, Mashi gets sent to the Giants minor league team in Fresno, California. In the minor leagues, a lot of these American ballplayers are probably a little confused when facing Mashi on the mound. Pitchers from Japan back then have a pretty different style than American pitchers. For one, in Japan, pitchers don't throw as hard. Here's Mike Claire.

[Ben Dickstein]

His fastball, even at his best mid-80s, you know, maybe he could crack 90 on a good day.

[Austin James]

But Mashi has a devastating curveball. He throws it. It looks like it's going to be in the strike zone. The batter takes a swing, but by the time he does, the ball is already in the dirt, way out of the zone. Even just the way Mashi's arm moves, that throws batters off, too.

[Ben Dickstein]

One difference between major and Japanese league pitching is the mechanics. The mechanics are very different. You know, some of the leg kicks and the arm slots.

[Austin James]

An arm slot is basically the angle of a pitcher's arm. So if you're a batter standing in the box thinking about it like the hands on a clock, maybe a typical pitcher would be throwing from 11 o'clock. Mashi's arm is more like 9:30.

[Ben Dickstein]

And with his, you know, unique delivery coming from the left side, that was really enough to befuddle a lot of major league hitters.

[Austin James]

At the end of August, which is the end of the minor league season, Mashi goes to his manager's office. He's ready to ask to stay longer in America. He wants to participate in the Arizona Fall League, where players who are still developing can play an extended season. But he gets news that he does not expect. He's getting promoted to the big league club. The Giants players don't normally make the jump so quickly, but Mashi has proven himself. The San Francisco Giants at that time have several future hall of Famers on the team, including Willie Mays. But Mashie isn't intimidated. His first outing is in New York City against the Mets in front of almost 40,000 fans. Just before the game, he signs a new contract, making himself an official major leaguer with the Giants, much to the chagrin of Mets fans. He pitches a scoreless inning while striking out two batters. Mashie is only with the Giants for a month before the season ends. He pitches well, but the Giants don't make the playoffs and after their season is over, a representative from Mashi's Japanese team, the Nankai Hawks, meets with the.

[Unknown Host]

Giants and the Giants go between basically just hands him $10,000, I assume in check form and says thanks, you know, for Mashi, or you know, it was not formal at all. And the Hawks representative supposedly doesn't really understand what's going on.

[Austin James]

Remember, in their initial contract, the Giants have the ability to buy Mashie's rights for the next season for $10,000. The Hawks never really saw this as a possibility, and they do not want to give up their pitcher for another season. Mashi travels back to Japan in the winter of 1964. He hasn't been home in almost a year. He misses his family, plus he says he has to get his tonsils out. He's expecting to be welcomed back to his home country with open arms.

[Unknown Host]

There's a big press conference and he's all excited.

[Austin James]

There's no time wasted. This press conference is held right after he lands at the airport, but things quickly go in a different direction.

[Unknown Host]

The press conference starts and pretty soon people start accusing him of not being honest and signing a contract with the Giants when he's still under contract with the Hawks. And this is the first that Mashi is aware that there's going to be a problem.

[Austin James]

Two baseball teams an ocean apart, both want Masanori Murakami on their rosters and both will fight to make that happen. So you're getting hungry. Really hungry.

[Unknown Host]

Head to Jack in a Box and.

[Austin James]

Pick up a Smash Jack. It's a juicy, delicious smashed burger topped.

[Unknown Host]

With cheese, pickles, grilled onions and Boss.

[Austin James]

Sauce and it's now available on Sourdough. The Smash Jack Only a Jack in the box? Order one on the Jack app today. Hablash Espanol if you've heard that sound.

[Sally Helm]

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[Austin James]

In the winter of 1964, Masanori Mashi Murakami is at home in Japan.

[Unknown Host]

It should have been a nice visit in winter of 1964 with the family, and a hero's welcome home turns into probably the worst time in Mashi's life.

[Austin James]

Before that airport press conference, Murakami had assumed the Hawks were perfectly fine letting him play another year in America. That's what he wants to do, get a full season under his belt in Major League Baseball. He thought it had all been worked out. Nobody told him otherwise. But now, on his visit home, this drama between the Nankai Hawks and the San Francisco Giants is a huge story.

[Unknown Host]

Very few people in Japan, or at least very few media in Japan, take Mashi's side and see him as a sympathetic character who's depicted by the media as being the selfish individual who is only looking out for himself and turning his back on his country and his team and his family in order to go off and play in the United States.

[Austin James]

The Hawks know that the Giants have the legal right to Murakami's contract, but that doesn't mean they won't try to negotiate. They want him back. Hawks officials meet with Giants officials at Candlestick park in San Francisco. They say, we spent a lot of money signing and developing this guy. We deserve to get money back on that investment.

[Unknown Host]

You know he's going to be a star. We know that. We need him back. And the paperwork, the contracts, was just a formality. You know, we all knew it was.

[Austin James]

Just a formality, but it's not a formality to the Giants. If the team lets Mashi leave, it could disrupt the entire economic model of American baseball. That's because of something called the reserve clause.

[Unknown Host]

So the reserve clause goes back to the 19th century and basically says that a major league team has the option for any of their players for the following year.

[Austin James]

In most American sports now you have free agency. After a certain amount of time, a player is free to sign with any team they want. That isn't the case for Major League Baseball in 1965, if a team wants you back next year, they get you back unless you retire. You can't choose where you play unless you're released. This gives teams a massive amount of control over their players and how much they get paid.

[Unknown Host]

They cannot allow Mashi to make the choice, because if they allow Mashi to make the choice, they've opened the doors for other players to make the choice. For Willie Mays, for Mickey Mantle to decide, yeah, I'm not siding up with my team. I'm going to wait for someone else to give me a better price.

[Austin James]

Facing off against the Giants, the Nankai Hawks raise the stakes. There's a unique clause in Murakami's initial contract that says he can return home at any time if he's homesick. Michael Clare again, Murakami writes a letter.

[Ben Dickstein]

Saying, if I was to return to the Giants, I would feel homesick.

[Austin James]

Now. Murakami isn't actually that homesick. He wants to go back to playing for the Giants, but he's pressured into this stunt.

[Ben Dickstein]

Murakami says that the Hawks asked him to write that letter, had him sign it, that it was the Hawks saying that he was homesick.

[Austin James]

Murakami goes along with the scheme partially out of a sense of loyalty to the Hawks, particularly to Soroka, the manager who first signed him back at his parents house. There's an idea in Japanese society called giri, Kerry Nakagawa explains. An obligation, a loyalty. And once the season ended, he had to think about that. Giddy to think about that obligation.

[Unknown Host]

He's stuck between his dreams of staying in the United States. He loves the United States. He loves being here pitching the major leagues, which he truly loves, and his obligation and loyalty to the Hawks manager Sudoka and his family and the Hawks organization who drafted him out of high school and sent him off on this wonderful journey.

[Austin James]

The Giants are pretty annoyed after the homesick letter stunt and the negotiations continue to drag on for weeks. Murakami goes to spring training in Japan, but the Hawks don't even let him pitch. While things are still in limbo, the baseball season gets underway in America and the Giants aren't doing too well, especially their pitching staff. They need Mashie back. So finally the teams agree to a compromise.

[Unknown Host]

Mashi can return once again for the 65 season as a major league player. But at the end, he will be given the option to voluntarily retire from Major League Baseball and return to Japan or stay in Major League Baseball.

[Austin James]

If Mashi retires from mlb, that means he can't play for other MLB teams. That's important to the Giants because they need to keep that reserve clause intact. So Murakami returns to San Francisco for the 1965 season, and it's kind of a mixed bag. His training was interrupted. The stress of all this has been tough. He posts relatively average results. But there is one major highlight. In 1965, the Giants host a special event at Candlestick, Masunori Murakami Day. It's held on August 15th, the same day Japan surrendered to the US at the end of World War II in 1945. Which on first glance might seem like kind of bad taste. But Rob Fitts says there's a positive message behind the scheduling.

[Unknown Host]

It was kind of symbolic of showing the two countries can reunite and be friends after the war. Mashi's very excited because he's going to get a present. He's going to get a car. And the rumor is he's going to get a red Mustang, which is, you know, that is the car at the time, and the car is under a sheet. They pull it off, and instead of seeing a red Mustang, he sees a blue Datsun.

[Austin James]

If you know cars, a Datsun is not quite a Mustang. But the Japanese sponsors of the event want to showcase their country's cars in America. But Mashi wanted that Mustang, a classic American car, to show how much he loves playing in the country.

[Unknown Host]

So Mashi's still a little upset about that.

[Austin James]

The 1965 season ends, and again the Giants miss the playoffs. And now Mashi has a decision to make another year in San Francisco or retire from Major League Baseball and return to Japan. First, he thinks about his family.

[Unknown Host]

His parents want him home desperately. He sees oldest son. They want him to come back and stay Japanese. They're kind of concerned that he's going to stay in the United States, marry an American woman, and, you know, never come home.

[Austin James]

And again, that Japanese concept of giri becomes a major factor in this decision.

[Unknown Host]

The giri, the obligations he owes to the Hawks have basically doubled because the Hawks made the compromise that allowed him to come back in 1965.

[Austin James]

On December 14, Masanori Murakami makes his decision. He officially re signs with the Nankai Hawks. A few days later, he's at a local bar with a friend. A couple of drinks in. Murakami lays down on a couch and tears in his eyes, starts to sing a very fitting song, I Left My Heart.

[Unknown Host]

In San Francisco.

[Austin James]

Murakami is a strange case of a historical first. Yes, he's a trailblazer, but it takes a long time for anyone to follow in his path. He plays another 17 seasons in Japan. He has a solid career. But for the next three decades, zero Japanese players take the field in the major leagues in America. This whole contract dispute with Mashi served as kind of a cautionary tale to MLB teams. Plus, Japanese superstars are earning more in Japan as the decades go on. They're pretty comfortable, and most of them are perfectly content to play in their home country. That is. Until 1995, Hideo Nomo had been pitching for the Kintetsu Buffaloes. But now he wants to go to America. He's inspired by the American Olympic baseball team that had played a few years earlier in South Korea.

[Unknown Host]

Nomo decides he wants to leave Japanese baseball. And they find a loophole. And it's such a simple loophole. It's actually the same. You know, I'm just thinking of this for the first time. Oh, my gosh.

[Austin James]

Oh, it's the same thing.

[Unknown Host]

It's the same thing. What does Stoma do? He voluntarily retires from Japanese baseball and then signs with the Dodgers.

[Austin James]

The Dodger Wunderkin with the slow wind.

[Ben Dickstein]

Up, the first in the major since.

[Austin James]

Masanori Murakami, who pitched for the Giants.

[Ben Dickstein]

Blowing smoke past Kurt man, wearing Nomo's wife on hand.

[Austin James]

Most American fans don't remember Masanori Murakami. So Nomo has to overcome a lot of the same misconceptions that Mashi did. That he wouldn't throw hard enough, that he didn't have the physical build to last a full season. Well, Nomo wins Rookie of the Year struck him out.

[Ben Dickstein]

That is a new mark for Nomo.

[Austin James]

17.

[Unknown Host]

A magnificent performance for Hideo.

[Austin James]

In 2001, Ichiro Suzuki signs with the Seattle Mariners. He goes on to break the single season hit record that had lasted forever 84 years. Hideki Matsui comes to the Yankees in 2003, starts crushing home runs and becomes a World Series hero. As of the 2024 season, 71 players from Japan have now played in the major leagues. And we haven't even talked about the best Japanese player, maybe the best player from any country on the field today.

[Ben Dickstein]

Well, now the biggest star in baseball is a Japanese player. He is the only person people want to talk about. The people in my life that don't watch baseball, that don't like baseball, don't like sports at all, are paying attention to Shohei Ohtani.

[Unknown Host]

The payoff pitch is smacked in the air, center field. Shohei Ohtani can't be stopped.

[Austin James]

At the plate. He hits moonshots on the mound. He throws 100. Shohei Ohtani might be the greatest player in baseball history, and he's part of a tradition, a lineage of Japanese baseball players that goes back over 150 years. But when it comes to his MLB career, he stands on the shoulders of Masanori Murakami. Thanks for listening to History this Week, a Back Pocket Studios production in partnership with the History Channel. To stay updated on all things History this Week, sign [e-mail] and if you have any thoughts or questions, send us an [e-mail] Special thanks to our guests, Rob Fitts, author of the Unfulfilled Baseball Dreams of Masanori Murakami, the first Japanese Major Leaguer Kerry Yo Nakagawa, founder and director of the Nisei Baseball Research Project and Michael Claire, writer and senior manager for storytelling and special projects at Major League Baseball. You can hear him on MLB Morning Lineup, the league's daily podcast. This episode was produced and sound designed by me, Ben Dickstein, and produced and story edited by Sally Helm for Back Pocket Studios. Our executive producers are Ben Dickstein and David Weisborg from the History Channel. Our executive producers are Eli Lehrer and Liv Fiddler. Don't forget to follow, rate and review History this Week wherever you get your podcasts and we'll see you next week.

[Sally Helm]

Hey listeners, we just wanted to let you know that as we head into the holidays, History this Week is not going anywhere. You'll have plenty of new stories to share with family and friends, so when you're showing off everything you learned, make sure to tell them you got it from History this Week.