Shinichi Murata

1.1. Childhood and High School Years

Murata started playing baseball in elementary school when he was in the fifth grade. Despite initially disliking the position, he was assigned to play catcher from the sixth grade through middle school and high school. He attended Takigawa High School, where he gained a reputation as a strong-hitting catcher. During his high school years, he met Masahiro Kawai, who would later become his teammate, during an away game. Takaaki Ishimoto was one year ahead of Murata at Takigawa High School.

1.2. Professional Debut

In the 1981 NPB Draft, Shinichi Murata was selected in the fifth round by the Yomiuri Giants. At the time of his entry into professional baseball, Murata expressed a strong desire to excel and not be outdone by his fellow draftees, who included future Giants stars such as pitcher Hioki Makihara, and position players Koji Yamamoto and Yoshimasa Yoshimura. His draft class also included fellow catcher Koji Yamamoto.

2.1. Early Years and Injuries (1982-1989)

Murata's rookie year in 1982 saw him briefly promoted to the first team due to an injury to a senior catcher. However, he received no playing opportunities, largely because Kazuhiro Yamakura was in his prime as the team's starting catcher, and the team was reluctant to call up the starting catcher from the farm team as it would disrupt their lineup.

In 1984, Murata made his NPB first team debut, showcasing his power at the plate by hitting six extra-base hits among his nine total hits. However, he did not appear in the first team in 1985. Around this time, he began to suffer from persistent shoulder pain. Following the advice of Yutaka Sudo, he traveled to the United States for surgery on his right shoulder after the 1986 season. As a result, in January 1987, his player registration was temporarily revoked, and he was designated as a practice player. During this challenging period, veteran catchers with proven track records, such as Shuzo Arita and his high school senior Takayoshi Nakao, joined the Giants from other teams, further limiting Murata's playing opportunities. Although there was discussion of converting him to a first baseman, Murata insisted on remaining a catcher, and consequently, he never played any position other than catcher in an official game. However, he did play first base in an exhibition game on March 18, 1988, during the opening of Tokyo Dome, where he famously collided with Akiharu Okada, an incident that made the front page of sports newspapers the next day.

2.2. Establishing Himself as Starting Catcher (1990-1995)

In 1990, Murata finally secured the position of the starting catcher for the Giants, contributing significantly to the team's consecutive league championships and earning his first Best Nine Award as a catcher. During this period, he was particularly effective against left-handed pitchers and in games against the Hanshin Tigers at Hanshin Koshien Stadium. From 1990 to 1992, 24 of his 33 home runs were hit off left-handers. His performance against the Tigers at Koshien was exceptional, boasting a .375 batting average with 27 hits and six home runs in 72 at-bats, in stark contrast to his .258 average with three home runs in 62 at-bats against the Tigers at Tokyo Dome.

In 1991, Murata recorded a career-high 17 home runs. However, his throwing ability was scrutinized, particularly after allowing eight stolen bases in a single game against the Yokohama Taiyo Whales on August 13, leading to a low stolen base percentage of .162 for the season. Toward the end of the year, he even lost his starting spot to rookie catcher Kōsuke Yoshiwara, failing to reach the qualified plate appearances. It was also in 1991 that his jersey number was changed from "56," which he had worn since his debut, to "9."

In 1992, he temporarily lost his starting role to Hirotake Ohkubo, who had been traded from the Seibu Lions. Murata rarely started after May 31 and spent a significant amount of time in the farm league. However, on September 16, anticipating a start by left-handed pitcher Masa Yamamoto of the Chunichi Dragons, Murata was named the starting catcher for the first time in three and a half months and batted third, his only career appearance in that batting order slot. He responded with two home runs, reaffirming his presence. Despite this, he only played in 34 first-team games that season, appearing more often in the minor leagues (37 games, with a .336 batting average, 10 home runs, and 39 RBIs). By 1993, Murata successfully reclaimed the starting catcher position after Ohkubo suffered a fractured bone due to a hit-by-pitch.

On May 18, 1994, Murata was the catcher for his同期入団 teammate, Hioki Makihara, when Makihara threw the perfect game against the Hiroshima Toyo Carp. Murata, who shared a close relationship with Makihara, encouraged him to pursue the perfect game from around the sixth inning, even though he felt it was a long shot.

2.3. Later Years and Retirement (1996-2001)

Murata continued to be a vital part of the Yomiuri Giants' success in his later career, contributing to league championships in 1996 and 2000. In 2000, he not only helped the team win the league title but also played a significant role in the 2000 Japan Series against the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks, earning the Japan Series Outstanding Player Award. His contributions in both offense and defense were instrumental in securing the team's Japan Series championship.

However, his later years were also marked by severe injuries. On April 9, 1999, during a game against the Yokohama BayStars, Murata was hit in the face by a pitch from Takashi Saito. According to Yokohama catcher Motonobu Tanishige, Murata, as he lay fallen, told him, "Shige, I trust you." Murata was hospitalized with a facial fracture. To expedite his recovery, he opted for a localized anesthesia procedure to treat the fracture, despite the intense pain, rather than a full general anesthesia that would have taken longer for complete recovery, stating at the time, "My face isn't for sale." He later admitted that the pain from the bone-shaving drill under local anesthesia was unbearable and that he would choose general anesthesia if it happened again. This injury left Murata with permanent paralysis in some facial muscles.

In 2001, with the arrival of immediate impact rookie catcher Shinnosuke Abe, Murata's playing time significantly decreased as he effectively became Abe's "mentor." At the end of the 2001 season, Murata announced his retirement from professional baseball alongside long-time teammates Masaki Saito and Hioki Makihara.

Despite being a somewhat understated presence on the star-studded Giants team, Murata served as the regular catcher for 11 seasons. He faced stiff competition from veteran catchers like Shuzo Arita and Takayoshi Nakao, as well as younger, homegrown rivals such as Kōsuke Yoshiwara, Yoshinori Murata, and Naoki Sugiyama. Murata never reached qualified plate appearances in any single season. Nonetheless, his exceptional trust from the pitching staff, stable lead, and powerful hitting, despite a low batting average, made him central to the second Shigeo Nagashima era with the Giants, which saw the team win four league championships (1990, 1994, 1996, 2000) and two Japan Series titles (1994, 2000). He also holds the unique distinction of being the first position player in NPB history to earn an annual salary of 100.00 M JPY without ever reaching the league's required qualified plate appearances. His 1,087 games played as a catcher ranks fourth in Giants franchise history, behind only Masaaki Mori, Shinnosuke Abe, and Kazuhiro Yamakura.

3.1. Batting and Fielding

As a catcher, Murata was highly regarded for his powerful and clutch hitting, capable of making decisive plays at crucial moments. He was also praised for his ability to make pitchers feel comfortable on the mound with his stable and consistent pitch calling. His leadership behind the plate instilled strong trust among pitchers. However, a significant weakness in his game was his throwing ability, which was hampered by persistent shoulder injuries. This led to a career stolen base prevention rate of just .267.

3.2. Leadership and Team Influence

Murata earned immense trust from his pitchers. He consistently took responsibility for their performance, often stating "It's my responsibility" even when a pitcher gave up a hit or a run despite following his lead. He was also known for generously offering advice and guidance to his fellow catchers, including those competing for his position, such as Hirotake Ohkubo. This selfless approach fostered a strong sense of team unity and loyalty, earning him widespread respect within the Giants organization. Kazutomo Miyamoto, a former teammate, highly praised Murata's character in his book Professional Baseball Super Plays, Fun Plays, noting that the team's ace pitchers often chose Murata as their battery partner for critical games due to his reliability.

Throughout his career, Murata was frequently platooned with other catchers, including Ohkubo, Kōsuke Yoshiwara, Naoki Sugiyama, Yuichi Yanagisawa, and Yoshinori Murata. Despite recording double-digit home runs in four separate seasons, he never once reached qualified plate appearances.

3.3. Major Incidents and Injuries

Shinichi Murata's career was also marked by several significant incidents, particularly a series of hit-by-pitches that resulted in serious injuries. On May 11, 1994, in a game against the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, he was hit in the head by a pitch from Ryuji Nishimura. Murata initially surged towards Nishimura in anger but collapsed after a few steps and was carried off the field on a stretcher to a hospital. This incident, followed by a retaliatory hit-by-pitch to Nishimura and a beanball thrown by Dan Gladden, triggered a massive bench-clearing brawl. The intensity of these events directly influenced the creation of the "dangerous pitch ejection rule" in NPB, which mandates the immediate ejection of a pitcher for throwing a pitch that endangers the batter's head.

As detailed earlier, his facial injury from a hit-by-pitch in 1999, which caused a facial fracture and resulted in permanent partial facial muscle paralysis, was another severe incident that showcased his resilience and determination.

3.4. Relationships with Teammates

Shinichi Murata shared a particularly long-standing battery partnership with Hioki Makihara. They were teammates for 20 years with the Yomiuri Giants, having joined the team in the same draft class and being the same age. At the time of their retirement, this was the longest record for a duo of the same age and draft class to remain with the same professional baseball team. This record was later tied by Kazuya Fukuura and Shingo Ono of the Chiba Lotte Marines (20 years from 1994 to 2013) and subsequently surpassed by Takaya Nakamura and Takumi Kuriyama of the Saitama Seibu Lions (continuing since 2002). Murata also maintained cooperative and competitive relationships with other fellow catchers, including Hirotake Ohkubo, Kōsuke Yoshiwara, Naoki Sugiyama, Yuichi Yanagisawa, and Yoshinori Murata, fostering a strong and supportive environment within the team's catching corps.

4.1. Coaching Career

Murata embarked on his coaching career immediately after retiring, serving as the Yomiuri Giants first-team battery coach for two years, from 2002 to 2003. After a brief period in media, he returned to the same role for another two years, from 2006 to 2007. In 2008, leveraging his own experience as a catcher known for his hitting, he became the first-team hitting coach. He then returned to his role as first-team battery coach in 2011, where he focused on teaching pitchers to lead games by understanding and maximizing their individual strengths, rather than unnecessarily resorting to deceptive tactics. In 2012, he once again became the first-team hitting coach. From May 20, 2014, Murata took on a dual role, concurrently serving as battery coach, a decision that manager Tatsunori Hara explained as a strategic move for the team's benefit. In 2015, he was appointed first-team general coach. With Yoshinobu Takahashi taking over as manager, Murata served as the first-team head coach for two years, from 2016 to 2017. In 2018, he assumed the position of first-team head coach and battery coach. On October 22, 2018, following manager Takahashi's resignation, Murata also announced his departure from the coaching staff.

4.2. Media Activities

Between his coaching stints, from 2004 to 2005, Shinichi Murata worked as a baseball commentator for TV Asahi and Sports Hochi. He primarily provided commentary from behind the home plate camera for TV Asahi. Notably, despite ABC Television (TV Asahi's affiliate in the Kansai region) typically featuring its own commentators for national broadcasts of Hanshin Tigers vs. Giants games, Murata was occasionally invited to commentate due to his background as a Giants alumnus and a native of the Kansai region. From 2019, he resumed his media activities as a baseball commentator for Nippon Television and TV Asahi (on a per-contract basis, including their BS and CS channels), and he also rejoined Sports Hochi as a baseball pundit after a 14-year hiatus. He is currently affiliated with the talent agency Irving.

4.3. Assessment as a Coach

During his tenure as a coach, particularly in his later years, Shinichi Murata's coaching abilities faced criticism from external parties. Several media outlets and former professional baseball figures raised questions regarding his effectiveness. For instance, Tōsuke Kuroe, a Giants alumnus, was notably critical of Murata's coaching in his commentaries. Similarly, Mitsuo Kado also expressed doubts about his coaching acumen in magazine features. These criticisms often highlighted concerns about the team's performance and strategy under his guidance.

5.1. Major Awards

Murata received several significant individual honors during his career:

• Best Nine: 1 time (Catcher, 1990)
• Best Battery Award: 2 times (1994, with pitcher Masumi Kuwata; 1996, with pitcher Masaki Saito)
• Japan Series Outstanding Player Award: 1 time (2000)

5.2. Milestones and Unique Records

Murata achieved several notable milestones and unique records:

• First Appearance: May 12, 1984, vs. Hanshin Tigers (Koshien Stadium), entered as catcher in the 5th inning for Kazuhiro Yamakura.
• First Start: August 7, 1984, vs. Hiroshima Toyo Carp (Kōrakuen Stadium), starting as 8th batter, catcher.
• First Hit: Same game as first start, a double off Norihiro Takagi in the 2nd inning.
• First RBI: August 19, 1984, vs. Yokohama Taiyo Whales (Yokohama Stadium), a sacrifice fly off Koji Takeshita in the 9th inning.
• First Home Run: September 26, 1984, vs. Hiroshima Toyo Carp (Kōrakuen Stadium), a solo home run off Kazuo Yamane in the 5th inning.
• 1000 Games Played: May 10, 2000, vs. Yokohama BayStars (Yokohama Stadium), starting as 8th batter, catcher. He was the 359th player in NPB history to reach this milestone.
• All-Star Game Appearances: 2 times (1994, 1995)
• Unique Salary Record: He was the first position player in NPB history to reach an annual salary of 100.00 M JPY without ever reaching the league's required qualified plate appearances in a single season.

His jersey numbers throughout his career were:

• 56 (1982-1990)
• 9 (1991-2001)
• 89 (2002-2003, 2006-2018; as a coach)

5.3. Career Batting Statistics

5.4. Career Fielding Statistics