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It's the big 5️⃣0️⃣ for Ichiro Suzuki!🎉Ichiro was the first Japanese non-pitcher to be signed by a MLB team. He was also the first Asian player to be inducted into the Seattle Mariners Hall of Fame & soon will be the first in Cooperstown too. Cheers/kanpai to an absolute legend!

In 1982, some 30 years before PitchCom, Mizuno promoted special catcher’s mitts and pitcher’s gloves with electronic devices that eliminated the need for finger signals. The catcher "can press a combination of buttons ... [transmitting] the selection to ... the pitcher’s glove.”

#150Stories On August 12, 2012, Ryota Igarashi retires from #MLB NY #Yankees. He was once the fastest pitcher in NPB and set a Yakult franchise record by not allowing a run in 21 consecutive games. He co-formed "Rocket Boys" bullpen, noted for their fastballs in the mid-90s.

#150Stories There had been 14 players from Japan that were named MLB All-Stars over the years! #MLBAllStar

#150Stories There had been 14 players from Japan that were named MLB All-Stars over the years! #MLBAllStar

#150Stories There had been 14 players from Japan that were named MLB All-Stars over the years! #MLBAllStar

#150Stories Ichiro Suzuki played in 10 MLB All-Star Games, more than any other player from Japan. At the 2007 All-Star Game, he had three hits, 2 RBIs, and an in-the-park home run. That year, Ichiro was awarded MVP of the All-Star Game for his performance. #MLBAllStar

#150Stories Over his 9-year MLB career, Hideki Matsui, Matsui played in two consecutive All-Star Games (in 2003 and 2004). He was the fourth Japanese player to be an MLB All-Star. #MLBAllStar

#150Stories #onthisday in 1988, #RalphBryant made his debut w #KintetsuBuffaloes. One of the top American sluggers to ever play in #Japan, Bryant hit 49 home runs in '89. Throughout his career there, he gained 259 round-trippers in only 2,980 at-bats; a homer every 11.51 at-bats.

#150Stories On June 28, 2002, Mac Suzuki played his last game in the #MLB w #MilwaukeeYankees. He was 1 of the first Japanese players to start his pro career directly in the US. He became the first Japanese native to pitch in the MLB since Masanori Murakami in the 1960s.

#150Stories On June 10, 2002, #SoTaguchi makes his #MLB debut for the St Louis Cardinals. Originally drafted by #OrixBlueWave in 92, he went on to MLB after qualifying for free agency in 02. He won 2 World Series w St. Louis Cardinals (2006) & Philadelphia Phillies (2008).

#150Stories On June 20 '89, #OrestesDestrade 's last appearance in NPB. Born in Cuba, he played as a 1st baseman for @Yankees before going to #Japan. During his 5 seasons, he led in home runs for 3 consecutive years. Still considered 1 of NPB's best career switch-hitters.

#150Stories #onthisday in 1872, the Yeddo Royal Japanese Troupe played vs Olympic and National Base Ball Clubs at Olympic Grounds in Washington, D.C. READ MORE from our trusted historian, Bill Staples, Jr: https://t.co/HrofbaP9uB Image source: The Thanatos Archive

Readers can now find Robert Whiting's regular commentary on Japanese sports, politics and business on Substack. https://t.co/nsWflnuuVI

On May 5, 1973, for the first time in history, 2 Japanese-born pitchers start for opposing sides in a U.S. pro baseball game. #ToruHomaura, pitching for Lodi, California, defeats #MasaoSato of Fresno. Lodi also has a Japanese starting catcher, #MasajiIshizuka. #150Stories

#150Stories On May 26, 2009, #KenTakahashi made his #MLB debut after pitching for the Hiroshima Carp for 14 years. At age 40, he became the oldest #Japanese player to debut in the major league. The following year, Takahashi returned to the Carp and retired afterwards.

#150Stories After a brief stunt in the Negro Leagues and already having a successful MLB career, #GeorgeAltman went on to have memorable years in the NPB! His compiled career NPB records of 205 home runs & 656 RBI, along w a .309 batting average & a .561 slugging %.

Eighty years ago, as 120,000 Japanese Americans were being forced from their homes and imprisoned, the idea that the @POTUS and @VP would host dozens of Asian American leaders at the @WhiteHouse would have seemed like fantasy. Representation matters.

#150Stories #onthisday in 2003, the BlueWave played the Nippon Ham Fighters in Japan, causing the first ever battle between two American managers in Japan since 1975.