Crossing Divides Across the Field (cont'd)
by Brad J. Reid, special contributor

The Nankai Hawks had never anticipated any of their three players making the major league roster, and were shocked to see the Giants invoking the fine print in their contract with the Hawks. There was a provision that would allow the Giants to buy any of the players, should they make the major league roster, and San Francisco wanted Murakami.

The Hawks, not wanting to lose a talented player, countered by claiming the lefty pitcher had only been on loan, and even went so far as to claim the contract was a forgery, which enraged the Giants. The Japanese government demanded Murakami's return as well, fearing defections by Japanese players. In response, the commissioner of Major League Baseball, Ford Frick, threatened to cut off all relations with Japan if the contract wasn't honored.

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Now Asian athletes have carved out their own path, and in twenty years when all the paths have merged into one, and the Major Leagues' ranks are truly composed of the world's best athletes, people will scratch their heads and wonder what took so long.

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The 1965 season saw Masanori Murakami save eight games, strikeout 85 batters, and allow only 57 hits in 74 1/3 innings. After the season, the Nankai Hawks offered Murakami $40,000 for the following year, which was double the paycheck proposed by the Giants. Homesick and enticed by the salary offer, the young lefty returned to Japan.

Back to the Future
In the 30 years between Murakami's last season and Hideo Nomo's first in American baseball, few Asian players attempted to open up the doors. In 1985, one of Japan's greatest pitchers ever, Yutaka Enatsu, joined the Milwaukee Brewers in Spring training. At the age of 37 he was an accomplished left-handed pitcher, and had set a Japanese record with 401 strikeouts in a season. Enatsu lasted until the Brewers' final cut, but decided to give up his attempt rather than play in the minors.

"There is a Japanese stereotype," said Nomo's interpreter Michael Okumura. "No one wants to be the pioneer because no one wants to fail."

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