Masanori "Mashi" Murakami, the first player from Japan to play Major League Baseball will be visiting Whittier College to discuss his new biography. The College's Institute for Baseball Studies will host this public event on July 7 at 7:30 p.m. at Villalobos Hall.
Originally from Ōtsuki, Yamanashi, Murakami was the first Japanese player to compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a pitcher for the San Francisco Giants in 1964. He could barely speak or understand English when he first came to the United States. When promoted to the majors, he was sent to New York, where he signed a major league contract even though he could not read a single word written on it. After Murakami played in the MLB, the U.S. would not see another Japanese player in its major leagues for another thirty years.
