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Saturday Night Five: Japanese Baseball Players
On September 1st, 2014, Major League Baseball will celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Masanori Murakami'sdebut for the San Francisco Giants. That day Murakami became the firstJapanesebaseball player in MLBhistory and opened the door for players born in the Land of the Rising Sun.
1965 Topps #282
Earlier this week, Murakami celebrated his 70th birthday. And after watching some of his fellow countrymen play this week, he must have sent them some birthday mojo. Here are some of the highlights:
Last night, Darvish came within one out of throwing his first MLB no hitter. It's actually the second time this has happened in the last thirteen months. And if that's not cool enough... last month he became the fastest player to reach 500 strikeouts in MLBhistory.
Following in Darvish'sfootsteps is Mr. Tanaka, who is a perfect 5-0 so far this season for the New York Yankees. In fact the last time he lost a regular season game was back on August 19th, 2012.
Ichiro is hands down the greatest baseball player to ever cross the Pacific and play in the MLB. His 200+ hit seasons are a thing of the past, but at least he's hitting above .300 again. This week he went 3 for 7 with a pair of doubles, one RBI, and three runs scored.
After a breakout season last year, he finally returned to the rotation this past week after injuring his finger during an offseason workout. In two games, he went 2-0 with ten strikeouts, one walk, and a 2.45 ERA.
And rounding out this edition of Saturday Night Five is Mr. Uehara. Koji pitched in four games these past seven days and picked up two saves, while giving up zero earned runs.
Tonight's question...
I obviously will collect any and all Japaneseplayers... but I've actually enjoyed watching and supporting a ton of other international athletes over the years: Ivan Rodriguez (Puerto Rico), Manny Pacquiao (Philippines), Jose Canseco (Cuba), Jeff Friesen (Canada), Anderson Silva (Brazil), Devin Setoguchi (Canada), Fernando Valenzuela (Mexico), Vladimir Guerrero (Dominican Republic), and of course Patrick Marleau (Canada).
Well... that's all folks. Happy Saturday and sayonara!
More...
1965 Topps #282
Earlier this week, Murakami celebrated his 70th birthday. And after watching some of his fellow countrymen play this week, he must have sent them some birthday mojo. Here are some of the highlights:
#1 Yu Darvish
2013 Topps Commemorative Rookie Patch #RCP25
Last night, Darvish came within one out of throwing his first MLB no hitter. It's actually the second time this has happened in the last thirteen months. And if that's not cool enough... last month he became the fastest player to reach 500 strikeouts in MLBhistory.
#2 Masahiro Tanaka
2014 Sports Illustrated for Kids #318
Following in Darvish'sfootsteps is Mr. Tanaka, who is a perfect 5-0 so far this season for the New York Yankees. In fact the last time he lost a regular season game was back on August 19th, 2012.
#3 Ichiro Suzuki
2012 Topps Archives Relics #I
Ichiro is hands down the greatest baseball player to ever cross the Pacific and play in the MLB. His 200+ hit seasons are a thing of the past, but at least he's hitting above .300 again. This week he went 3 for 7 with a pair of doubles, one RBI, and three runs scored.
#4 Hisashi Iwakuma
2013 Topps Allen and Ginter Framed Mini Relics #HI
After a breakout season last year, he finally returned to the rotation this past week after injuring his finger during an offseason workout. In two games, he went 2-0 with ten strikeouts, one walk, and a 2.45 ERA.
#5 Koji Uehara
2009 Topps 206 Mini Framed Auto #FMA2
And rounding out this edition of Saturday Night Five is Mr. Uehara. Koji pitched in four games these past seven days and picked up two saves, while giving up zero earned runs.
Tonight's question...
Who are some of your favorite international athletes? Do you collect them?
I obviously will collect any and all Japaneseplayers... but I've actually enjoyed watching and supporting a ton of other international athletes over the years: Ivan Rodriguez (Puerto Rico), Manny Pacquiao (Philippines), Jose Canseco (Cuba), Jeff Friesen (Canada), Anderson Silva (Brazil), Devin Setoguchi (Canada), Fernando Valenzuela (Mexico), Vladimir Guerrero (Dominican Republic), and of course Patrick Marleau (Canada).
Well... that's all folks. Happy Saturday and sayonara!
More...