April 5th Auction
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 4/6/2013
Great signed ball from the first Japanese ballplayer ever to play in the majors. A schoolboy phenomenal, Masanori Murakami started his professional career with the Nankai Hawks while still in high school. Sent to the US to train with the San Francisco Giants, an international scandal erupted when the Giants put Murakami in their bullpen as a highly successful reliever. The Hawks sued the Giants for their lefty’s return and a compromise was struck: the Giants would get him for 1965 and then he would rejoin the Hawks. He went 4 and 1 in 45 relief appearances for San Francisco before returning to Japan where he pitched until 1982. PSA/DNA COA