On Monday, the St. Louis Cardinals celebrated Asian-American Pacific Islander night at Busch Stadium for their game against the Oakland Athletics.
The Cardinals have two such players who are of Asian descent, those being Tommy Edman and Lars Nootbaar.
Edman has Korean heritage from his mother’s side of the family, while Nootbaar’s mother is from Japan.
But the Cardinals welcomed back a former pitcher last night who made some important team history during his Major League career.
Right-hander Ryan Kurosaki pitched seven seasons in the Cardinals organization and was the first American-born player of 100 percent Japanese descent in MLB history.
On Monday, the former pitcher threw out the ceremonial first pitch in his return to St. Louis.
On Twitter, the Cardinals honored their former right-hander by welcoming him back to St. Louis.
We were honored to have Ryan Kurosaki at Busch Stadium tonight as we celebrate Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Night.
Ryan pitched in the Cardinals organization for seven seasons and was the first American-born player of 100% Japanese descent to play in Major League… pic.twitter.com/GwEJL14sHR
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) August 14, 2023
Kurosaki only pitched one season in MLB.
In 1975, the right-hander appeared in seven games for the Cardinals and posted an ERA of 7.62 over 13 innings of work.
Still, while not a household name, Kurosaki represents a unique part of Cardinals history.
Now 71 years old, Kurosaki made his return to Busch Stadium on Monday as part of AAPI night.
His family accompanied him to Busch Stadium as he delivered the ceremonial first pitch in front of the Cardinals faithful.
The right-hander received a standing ovation from the fans in attendance.
The Cardinals season hasn’t gone according to plan, but they still had a chance to welcome back an old friend on Monday night before they began their series with the A’s.
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