Masanori Murakami may only have two lines in his yearly stages, and just 54 Major League games to his credit, but as the first Japanese player in the MLB his place in the history of our Great Game is assured. Coming to the US as an exchange student, when his Japanese team forgot to call him back, he stayed in the San Francisco Giants system.
His MLB debut as a reliever took place on September 1, 1964, and he had a total of 9 games for the Giants. The off-season saw protracted contract negotiations, resolved with Murakami playing one more year for the Giants before returning to the Nankai Hawks in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball league… and as part of that process, MLB and NPB agreed to honour each other’s reserve clauses.
He never returned to play professionally in the US, but his career record of 5-1, 9 saves, and a 3.43 ERA will always have his momentous first alongside it.
For today’s game, we move to August 29 in Murakami’s only full season. The Giants are on the road and visiting the Mets at Shea Stadium, the same stadium where he made his debut nearly 12 months previously. Bobby Bolin will start on the mound for the Giants, but Murakami is waiting in the bullpen.
It’s the deciding game of a three-game series, and the Mets radio team of Lindsey Nelson, Bob Murphy, and Ralph Kiner will take you through the ballgame.
You can find the boxscore here:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYN/NYN196508290.shtml
This game was played on August 29, 1965.
