First Japanese MLB Player on Each Teamby Bowersbird - 34 cards (Last updated on Feb 6, 2024) |
I debated the inclusion of firsts after a team changed names. Obviously, the first Nat seemed to be worth separating from the first Expo, but was first Ray versus the first Devil Ray worth noting? In the end, I decided to include them, just as an excuse to grow the list a little bit and document team name changes over time.
Also, here's a quick list of team names which never had a Japanese player suit up for them (post-1964): Milwaukee Braves, Kansas City Athletics, Washington Senators, Seattle Pilots, Florida Marlins, and the Cleveland Guardians* (*still in existence, so could leave the list).
31. 2012 Topps Update #US181 Takashi Saito
31) Arizona Diamondbacks on July 21, 2012. Stats with Diamondbacks: Games: 16 / Innings Pitched: 12 / ERA: 6.75 / Strikeouts: 11 Notes: This is actually where Saito spent the least amount of time. It was his final stint, so I guess that makes sense. |
32. 2015 Topps Update #US396 Ichiro
32) Miami Marlins on April 6, 2015. Stats with Marlins: Games: 432 / Plate Appearances: 1018 / BA: .256 / RBI: 63 Notes: That's right, Ichiro makes the list ~14 years after his MLB debut with the Mariners. (Actually, the same day Hideki Irabu first appeared with the Texas Rangers, which is number #13 on this list). Quite a few teams had their first in that time. Also this photo was clearly taken at PNC Park, so that's a big plus for me. |
33. 2018 Topps Update #US285 Shohei Ohtani
33) Los Angeles Angels on March 29, 2018. Stats with Angels (through 2022 season): Pitching: Games: 63 / Innings Pitched: 349.2 / ERA: 2.96 / Strikeouts: 441 Batting: Games: 566 / Plate Appearances: 2272 / BA: .267 / RBI: 342
Notes: The only one to be a two-way talent. Was also the one to most recently leave their "first" team. And did I separate Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim from Los Angeles Angels just to include Ohtani? Why yes, yes I did. |
34. 2020 Topps Heritage #527 Shogo Akiyama
34) Cincinnati Reds on July 24, 2020. Stats with Reds: Games: 142 / Plate Appearances: 366 / BA: .244 / RBI: 21 Notes: And here he is - the reason I even thought to look into this. Was his career with the Reds stellar? Sadly no - but I still enjoyed watching him make amazing catches in the outfield. Hopefully he has a nice time playing with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp, who have a shockingly similar uniform to the Reds. |
Comments
Great list and great idea! I really enjoyed going through the list. | ||
I'm glad you enjoyed it! It's a constant work in progress as I change my mind about which cards to choose for each player and keep tweaking what to include in the descriptions of each card. Looks like Suzuki played for the Royals from 1999-2002 (with stops in Colorado and Milwaukee during 2001). | ||
Really enjoyed this list, now I want that Ichiro Marlins card. | ||
Glad you liked it! Yeah, that Ichiro is pretty sweet. For most of the cards, I try to pick a regular base card to aim for, but that one was an SP/VAR I couldn't say no to. |
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This list was created by site member Bowersbird. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the Trading Card Database.
