is a Japanese

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

for the

Bonn Capitals The Bonn Capitals (full name: "1. Baseballclub Bonn Capitals e.V.") are a German baseball and softball club from Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, founded on November 8, 1989. Its first men's team has been competing in the Baseball Bundesliga since ...

of the German Baseball Bundesliga. He previously played for the

Yomiuri Giants The are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo, the other being the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. They ...

and

Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Kitahiroshima, Hokkaidō. They compete in the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball, playing the majority of their home games at ES CON Field Hokkaido. The Fighters also host a ...

Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...

(NPB) and for the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB).

Career

Yomiuri Giants

Murata attended Osaka Taiiku University. In 2007, he was selected by the

in the first round of the Japanese Draft and spent three years pitching in '' ni-gun''—the Japanese minor league—before being released.

Cleveland Indians

Murata joined the

on December 19, 2010, though his American career began before that—he pitched nine games for the

Scottsdale Scorpions The Scottsdale Scorpions are a baseball team that plays in the East Division of the Arizona Fall League. They play their home games in Scottsdale, Arizona, at Scottsdale Stadium, which is also the spring training facility of the San Francisco Gia ...

of the

Arizona Fall League The Arizona Fall League (AFL) is an off-season sports league owned and operated by Major League Baseball (MLB) which operates during the autumn in Arizona, United States, at six different baseball complexes. Arizona Fall League rosters are fill ...

in 2009 and was named a "Rising Star." In 2011, he made his professional debut, going 3–2 with 58 strikeouts, 37 hits, 10 walks and a 2.36 ERA in 49 2/3 innings for the High-A

Kinston Indians The Kinston Indians were a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League (CL) located in Kinston, North Carolina, from 1978 to 2011. They played their home games at Grainger Stadium, which opened in 1949. The team began play in 1978 as the Ki ...

. Between the High-A

Carolina Mudcats The Carolina Mudcats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Zebulon, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh, North Carolina, Raleigh, and play their home games a ...

, Double-A

Akron Aeros The Akron RubberDucks are a Minor League Baseball team based in Akron, Ohio. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They play in Canal Park, located in downtown Akron, which seats 7,630 ...

and Triple-A

Columbus Clippers The Columbus Clippers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They are located in Columbus, Ohio, and are named for speedy Merchant ship, mercha ...

in 2012, the hurler was 3–2 with a 2.89 ERA in 27 games (10 starts). In 74 2/3 innings, he allowed only 68 hits and 22 walks while striking out 66 batters. With Akron and Columbus in 2013, Murata was 6–9 with a 4.44 ERA in 28 starts. In 158 innings, he walked only 29 batters. In 2014, he was 10–7 with a 5.04 ERA in 27 games (20 starts) between Akron and Columbus. He allowed only 38 walks in 126 2/3 innings. Murata also played professionally in Panama and Venezuela. He throws two fastballs, a cutter, a forkball, a slider, a curveball and changeup. Murata was called up to the major leagues for the first time in his career on June 28, 2015, to start against the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

as the 26th man on the roster for a doubleheader. After pitching in that one game, he was returned to Triple-A Columbus. On July 31, Murata was outrighted off of the 40-man roster. He finished the year in Columbus, posting a 15–4 record and 2.90 ERA in 27 appearances. He returned to Columbus in 2016, where he logged a 9–4 record and 3.78 ERA with 62 strikeouts in 102.1 innings of work. On November 18, 2016, he was released by the organization so he could return to Japan.

Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters

On November 18, 2016, Murata signed with the

and returned to

. For the 2017 season, Murata logged a 1–2 record and 2.77 ERA in 15 appearances. The next year, Murata pitched to a 6–3 record and 3.27 ERA with 45 strikeouts in 77.0 innings of work. In 2019, Murata pitched in 13 games for the Fighters, recording a 3.18 ERA with 28 strikeouts. In 2020, Murata logged a 3.55 ERA with 23 strikeouts in 38.0 innings pitched across 21 appearances. On December 2, 2020, he became a free agent. On December 24, Murata re-signed with the Fighters. In 8 appearances with the main team in 2021, Murata struggled to a 9.31 ERA with 5 strikeouts in innings pitched. He was released by Nippon–Ham on November 2, 2021.

Bonn Capitals

On June 9, 2023, Murata signed with the

of the German Baseball Bundesliga.

References

External links

* *
His blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murata, Toru 1985 births Living people Akron Aeros players Akron RubberDucks players Baseball people from Osaka Prefecture Caribes de Anzoátegui players Carolina Mudcats players Cleveland Indians players Columbus Clippers players Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters players Japanese expatriate baseball players in the United States Kinston Indians players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from Japan Navegantes del Magallanes players Japanese expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers People from Kumatori, Osaka Scottsdale Scorpions players Yomiuri Giants players Expatriate baseball players in Panama Japanese expatriate baseball players in New Zealand Auckland Tuatara players