Masanori Murakami Japanese Pitching Phenom

Masanori Murakami was the first native born Japanese pitcher in Major League Baseball. His story is one that pitted a Major League team against the best team in western Japan, the Nankai Hawks. Nankai and the San Francisco Giants vied for the services of Murakami between 1964-1966. At stake was a talented left-handed pitcher and $10,000 that San Francisco paid him for his services. Nankai demanded that Masanori be sent back to Japan following the 1965, allowing the Giants to retain him for the 1965 baseball season.