If the recent Major League Baseball offseason tells sports fans anything, it is that America’s national pastime is fast becoming an international one.
Last season, 269 players born outside the U.S. held spots on the 30 Major League Baseball opening day rosters. That’s almost a third of the league’s players. Some teams — such as the Houston Astros, the Minnesota Twins and the San Diego Padres — had a majority of foreign-born players.
This influx of international players into the league continues a long trend. For example, the first Japanese player to play in the American major leagues was Masanori Murakami, who pitched as a reliever for the San Francisco Giants in the 1960s. He became a fan favorite for his Japanese habits, such as bowing to a teammate who made a good play on the field.
Recently, star players from Japan — including Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Nippon Professional Baseball’s MVP during the past three seasons — have signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers. A right-handed pitcher for the Orix Buffaloes, Yamamoto posted an amazing 1.16 ERA (earned run average) in 171 innings last year. (That means his pitching held opponents to only about one run a game.) He struck out 176 batters!
The Dominican Republic (104 players), Venezuela (62) and Cuba (21) have supplied the most major league players recently. And some of the players from outside the United States are among the best in baseball. There were 32 international players named to the 2023 All-Star Game rosters, including a record eight from Cuba. The 2023 All-Stars included Shohei Ohtani (Japan), Randy Arozarena (Cuba and Mexico), Ronald Acuña (Venezuela) and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Dominican Republic, born in Canada). And more than 20 international players and contributors have been selected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, the game’s greatest honor. Recent honorees include Adrián Beltré of the Dominican Republic, Tony Oliva of Cuba and Larry Walker of Canada.
These days, the World Baseball Classic tournament is bringing more international players to the attention of scouts. In 2023, when the tournament featured 20 teams from around the world, fans and scouts alike could see exactly how foreign players might do against major league competition. Teams from the U.S., Japan, Mexico and Cuba advanced to the tournament’s semifinals. And, in the final championship game, Japan sealed a 3–2 win after American superstar Mike Trout struck out in the ninth inning.
The U.S. lost the game, but American baseball is winning with more talented international players joining Major League Baseball teams’ rosters.
Freelance writer Fred Bowen wrote this article.
