First Japanese Pitcher in World Series

The 31-year-old Red Sox’s reliever Hideki Okajima became the first Japanese pitcher to pitch in a World Series on Thursday. He got seven batters in a row out, striking out four, and helping the Red Sox win game 2, by a score of 2-1. His teammate Daisuke Matsuzaka will pitch game 3 on Saturday.

The first black player to pitch in a World Series was Dan Bankhead. He also was the first black player to pitch in a major league game and he was the first black player to hit a home run during his first at-bat. The first black picture to win a World Series game was Joe Black, five years later.