Top 10 Japanese stars to grace the MLB feat. Shohei Ohtani and Ichiro Suzuki
In over 100 years of MLB history, only 67 players from Japan have taken part. Although the sample size is small, players from Japan have demonstrated some of the best prowess, particularly in pitching, that we have ever seen in the competition.
Masanori Murakami is credited with being the first Japanese player to play baseball in North America. Murakami, a pitcher, was signed to the San Francisco Giants in 1964.
Since Murakami's trailblazing career, many have followed in his footsteps. Recent deals to stars like Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto provide great examples of this.
Today, we are going to be counting down the best Japanese players to have ever taken an MLB field.
The top ten Japanese players in MLB history
10. Hiroki Kuroda
Hiroki Kuroda's 2.33 ERA was the lowest in NPB during the 2006 season. On the heels of that success, Kuroda earned a three-year, $36 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers in late 2007. Between 2008 and 2014, Kuroda made 211 MLB starts, earning a 3.45 career ERA before heading back to Japan to play in Hiroshima.
9. Kazuhiro Sasaki
6-foot-4 right-handed pitcher Kazuhiro Sasaki first gained notoriety in Japan for his outstanding performance in college. In 1990, Sasaki made his debut for Yokohama in NPB, winning the Central League MVP Award as a closer in 1998 before inking with the Seattle Mariners two years later.
In his freshman season of 2000, Sasaki went 2-5 with a 3.16 ERA and 37 saves to win the Rookie of the Year Award. However, in 2003, Sasaki opted to return to Japan, claiming that he missed his family and familiarity.
"Mariners random highlight of the day. Kazuhiro Sasaki strikes out four Rangers in the 9th inning to get the save" - Marine Layer Podcast
8. Kodai Senga
Signed to a five-year, $75 million contract with the New York Mets last offseason, starter Kodai Senga did not take long to prove himself in MLB. This past season saw the 30-year old go 12-7 in 29 starts, registering a 2.98 ERA to finish seventh in Cy Young voting and narrowly missing out on the NL Rookie of the Year Award. During his eleven years playing for Fukuoka in NPB, Senga won five Japan Series', an ERA title, and a Triple Crown.
7. Masahiro Tanaka
When right-handed pitcher Masahiro Tanaka was posted by Tohuko Rakuten Golden Eagles in 2014, the New York Yankees inked him to a seven-year contract worth $155 million.
The owner of the fifth largest pitching contract at the time, Tanaka was quick to prove his worth. Tanaka went 13-5 with a 2.77 ERA and 141 strikeouts in 136 innings in his rookie season. In seven years for the Yankees, Tanaka struck out 991 batters over 1054 innings and locked in 78 big league wins before going back to Japan in 2020.
6. Hideo Nomo
Regarded as a modern trailblazer for Japanese players in North America, Hideo Nomo used his success playing on the Orix Buffaloes from 1990 to 1994 to land a $2 million minor league deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
"Random athlete of the day … Hideo Nomo. He was sure fun to watch." - Mark McCarthy
Nomo went 13-6, putting up a 2.54 ERA in his freshman season. Additionally, Nomo's 236 strikeouts and 3 complete game shutouts led the league in both categories. In 2001, Nomo once again led MLB in strikeouts as a member of the Boston Red Sox. The 2014 Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame inductee retired in 2008.
5. Koji Uehara
During his nine seasons in MLB, Koji Uehara was an absolute strikeout machine. The closer's 7.33K/BB figure remains the highest in league history for players with at least 100 innings pitched. A 2013 World Series winner with the Red Sox, Uehara is just one of sixteen players to have won a World Series as well as a World Baseball Classic.
4. Yu Darvish
Born in Japan to a Japanese mother and a Persian father, Yu Darvish is an MLB veteran at this point. The 6-foot-5 starter began his career with the Texas Rangers, where his league-best 277 strikeouts earned him a second-place Cy Young finish in his sophomore season of 2013.
"Yu Darvish's 3,000th Strikeout as a Professional. And sword" - Pitching Ninja
Currently a member of the San Diego Padres, Darvish also won a pair of MVP Awards, as well as three strikeout titles in Japan before he left for America.
3. Hisashi Iwakuma
Another Japanese pitching star, Hisashi Iwakuma, was signed to the Seattle Mariners in 2012. At the time, Iwakuma had won three All-Star nods and an MVP Award pitching for Japan's Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes. In 2013, Iwakuma's second season with the Mariners, the right-hander logged 219 innings, posting a 14-6 record, a 2.66 ERA and a 1.006 WHIP figure to finish second in Cy Young voting and earn an All-Star nod. However, shoulder issues would cut Iwakuma's promising career short, and he was out of the game by 2020.
2. Ichiro Suzuki
2001 saw the Seattle Mariners match the 1906 Chicago Cubs' regular season win record of 116 victories. A massive part of that success was owed to outfielder Ichiro Suzuki. In 2001, Suzuki hit .350 to win the AL batting title. Additionally, Ichiro's 692 at-bats, 242 hits, and 56 stolen bases all led the MLB in the respective categories. As such, he was awarded the AL Rookie of the Year and MVP Awards in 2001. Ichiro went on to win ten Gold Gloves and another batting title before retiring in 2019.
"OTD in 2001, Ichiro Suzuki became only the second player to win MVP and Rookie of the Year in the same season." - MLB Vault
1. Shohei Ohtani
Unlikely to surprise anyone, Shohei Ohtani tops the list for the best Japanese players ever to play in MLB. The first player ever to hit 100 or more RBIs while striking out at least 100 batters, Ohtani's two MVP Awards, as well as his $700 million contract with the Dodgers puts the 29-year old beyond reproach.