Although baseball is the American Pastime it truly is an
international game. In recent years, the major leagues have seen players coming
from an increasding variety of countries, with Japan being among the most
prominent. For that reason it‘s surprising how relatively unknown Masanori
Murakami, the first Japanese big leaguer, is to modern fans. Fortunately,
that obscurity should change with the 2014 release of Robert K. Fitts’ Mashi:
The Unfulfilled Baseball Dreams of Masanori Murakami, the First Japanese Major
Leaguer (University of
Nebraska Press).
Murakami (or Mashi, as he was affectionately known) was a
left-handed relief pitcher who appeared in a total of 54 games with the San
Francisco Giants in 1964 and 1965. Sent to the United States by his Japanese
professional team as a teenager in 1964 to gain seasoning, he pitched so effectively
in the low minors that year that he earned a late-season promotion to the
majors where he continued his dominance.
Mashi’s signing of a 1965 contract with the Giants sparked a
near international baseball incident, as both his American and Japanese clubs jockeyed
to assert what they each believed were their rights to his services.
Ultimately, he returned for one more season with San Francisco, but at the
young age of 21 at the time of his final major league appearance, he reluctantly
returned home in deference to familial and cultural expectations that he remain
loyal to Japanese baseball—which operated a code of honor modeled after the
famous Samurai warrior class of years past.
This is an amazing story. Fitts sets the stage early on with
his vivid descriptions of Mashi’s experiences on diamonds on both sides of the
Pacific Ocean. Although baseball was fundamentally the same game, the vast
differences in approach and cultural influence simultaneously made it
completely different. The pitcher’s ability to not only navigate this shifting
terrain, but also thrive, makes it all the more fascinating.
Fitts’ easy writing style is enhanced by the participation
of Mashi in this project. The former ballplayer’s recollections, along with a
good number of his personal candid photos really tie things together. Much of
his baseball journey was dictated or heavily influenced by others, giving him a
burden not borne by many of his peers. His perspective shows how much the
business side affects the game, and in particular, how much impact it had on
his career.
Mashi is very well written and sourced, making it an
authoritative voice on the subject. Some of the themes of particular interest
include:
Mashi’s adaptation to American baseball and culture. Barely
out of high school upon his arrival, he had a crash course on every level
imaginable.
The overt and more concealed racism he experienced as a
major leaguer. In particular, Fitts does a great job of digging up some of the erican
media coverage, which frequently was unable to resist highlighting the
pitcher’s ethnicity in varying degrees of inappropriateness.
The murky side of baseball’s front offices are a theme
throughout this story. Mashi often seemed to be treated as property first and a
person second. His talent was such that teams fought for the right to control
him and how and where he would play.
The Murakami family dynamic is also a fascinating element.
Mashi’s father was strict and traditional, and his initial opposition to his
son playing the game was perhaps the largest hurdle he had to clear in
attaining his baseball dreams.
With Mashi being Fitts’ fourth book on Japanese
baseball, it’s time to proclaim him as one of foremost experts on the topic
today. One can only hope that this top-notch
baseball historian will continue to produce work as thorough and enjoyable
as this story of the major league’s first Japanese player proved to be.
Disclaimer: I was provided with
a free copy of this book, but received no payment or other consideration for
this review.
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