Japanese Pitching Stars & The Hobby

From Japan to the Major Leagues

Japanese pitchers rank among the best in the world, and as the move to MLB has become more and more common over the years, they have created amazing moments on the field, and an incredible legacy in the sport. Today, Shohei Ohtani reigns supreme, but All-Star pitchers like Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Yusei Kikuchi are carving out great careers as well.

Shota Imanaga is having another fantastic season with the Chicago Cubs. Rookie sensation Roki Sasaki is the cover athlete of the new 2025 Topps Chrome® Baseball release. Let’s take a look at some of these great pitchers, and a brief, brief history of Japanese pitchers writ large in the big leagues.

Murakami The Trailblazer

The first Japanese pitcher in MLB was Masanori Murakami, who debuted with the San Francisco Giants in 1964. He was very effective in his time in the majors, going 5-1 with a 3.43 ERA, 100 strikeouts, and nine saves. Ultimately, he was called back to the Nankai Hawks, and went on to pitch in Japan from 1966-1982.

Murakami has a 1965 Topps Baseball rookie card, and he’s also appeared in the 2024 Allen & Ginter set. Most recently, Murakami was featured in 2025 Topps Baseball Series 1 in the First Pitch insert, showing the former Giant throwing out a first pitch.

Modern Sensations

Hideo Nomo’s move from Japan to the Los Angeles Dodgers was one of the biggest stories in baseball back in 1995. On May 2, he made his much-anticipated debut, and his unique delivery and devastating forkball confounded hitters all season.

Nomo led the MLB in strikeouts while posting a 2.54 ERA. He took home the 1995 NL MVP award.

While other pitchers would continue to make the switch stateside in the year’s following Nomo’s brilliant rookie season, it was Daisuke Matsuzaka who once again created a ton of buzz. The battle for his services was a huge part of the 2006 offseason, and finally, the Boston Red Sox got it done, winning the bidding rights by putting up over $50 million.

His debut against Kansas City was electric, with the phenom striking out 10 in front of an ecstatic Fenway crowd. While Dice-K never quite lived up to the incredible expectations, he had a solid MLB career, pitching for seven seasons and winning the World Series with Boston in 2007.

Establishing the Pipeline

As the years have gone by, more and more of Japan’s pitching talents have put together fantastic MLB careers. Today, the league features many star pitchers who started in Japan and are now among the best the bigs have to offer. 

Yu Darvish has pitched in MLB since 2012. A five-time All-Star, he led the AL in strikeouts in 2013 and the NL in wins in 2020. This 2012 Topps Finest Baseball Red Refractor RC remains a desirable chase card of the now-San Diego Padres hurler. It is currently listed on Fanatics Collect for $800.

Japan’s Babe Ruth

While Japanese pitchers have now built a storied history in modern Major League Baseball, the move to the States by two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani was simply a seismic moment in baseball history. Described by many as the Japanese Babe Ruth, Ohtani is a tour de force all his own. His beginnings in MLB came with the Los Angeles Angels, where he began to establish himself as the best player in the entire world. 

Today, he’s a World Series Champion and a global icon, as well as the biggest draw in the sport and in The Hobby. Already, per Card Ladder, there have been six Ohtani card sales of $250,000 or more, as well as a top sale that broke the $1 million mark on March 29, 2025, for a 50/50 Dynasty Black Relic Autograph 1-of-1.

Ohtani took the year off from pitching while putting together his historic 50/50 season, but he’s returned to the mound this year and is rounding into form once again as a two-way force.

In addition to a huge number of MLB chase cards, Ohtani’s 2017 Bowman Chrome prospect cards from his time in Japan are also highly sought-after. This Refractor card sold through Fanatics Collect for $1,170 in June 2025.

The Next Generation

The increasing influence of Japanese baseball on the Major Leagues was given a perfect stage to begin the 2024 MLB season. The league kicked off the year with a historic two-game series between Ohtani’s Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs.

On Opening Day, LA ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Chicago’s star pitcher Shoti Imanaga faced off, with the Dodgers emerging 4-1 victors. The next day, Dodgers’ phenom and 2025 Topps Chrome Baseball cover athlete Roki Sasaki took his turn on the mound. Less than a month later, Imanaga’s Rookie Debut Patch Auto Card sold for over $80,000.

The Tokyo Series was commemorated with a Series 1 release that featured popular collaborations between Topps and renowned Japanese artist Takashi Murakami. Some of the cards are among the hottest chases of the season so far.

MLB Topps NOW also got in on the act, commemorating the event with a series of cards including a triple card featuring the Dodgers’ Ohtani, Yamamoto, and Sasaki that commanded a print run of almost 100,000. This includes this 1-of-1 triple auto card from the teammates.

The incredible Japanese pitchers that have left such an indelible mark on Major League Baseball have been captured throughout the years in the Topps Baseball landscape. Today, there are more Japanese star pitchers than ever making their names in The Show, and the future is very bright indeed.

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