'Cappy' Harada's legacy in MLB int'l relations

International relations have always played a large role in shaping Major League Baseball, from staging regular-season games outside of the United States to showcasing players who come from dozens of countries around the world.

Progress in this area may seem more like a modern-day trend, but the interest in baseball from an international perspective began decades ago. One example came up recently when a prominent baseball advocate was celebrated on what would have been his 100th birthday.

Long before two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani made his mark in American baseball, Tsuneo Paul Harada, affectionately known as "Cappy," was a Japanese American pioneer in the game in the 1940s. He was an executive who bridged the gap between Major League Baseball and Japanese professional baseball.

Harada had flourished in the U.S. military intelligence service during World War II before being hired by General Douglas MacArthur to get baseball restarted in Japan. The purpose was to raise morale in the country after losing to the U.S. in the war. The general knew that the Japanese people loved the game of baseball.

Harada then organized a group of Major Leaguers to play in Japan. Some of those American teams were led by former big leaguer Lefty O’Doul. It was the first time the American and Japanese flags were flown side by side, and the series is credited with promoting friendship between the two countries.

Harada even had Joe DiMaggio make an appearance in 1954. DiMaggio was retired by then and was on his honeymoon with his then-wife, Marilyn Monroe.

Marty Kuehnert, who was hired by Harada to become the general manager of the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in 2004, said he was not surprised that Harada was successful in baseball.

“Cappy was really ... something. He was really a mover and shaker,” said Kuehnert to JapanBall in a YouTube video, Chatter Up! “He really knew how to get things done.”

Harada knew how to get things done in Minor League Baseball, too. He was general manager of the Lodi Crushers of the Pacific Coast League. Harada was the first Japanese American to be named Baseball Executive of the Year by The Sporting News in 1966.

Prior to being recognized by the magazine, Harada advanced the career of Emmett Ashford, who started his Minor League career in the PCL. Ashford would later become the first African American umpire in the American League in 1966 and the first African American official in any major sport in the United States.

Harada was born on Oct. 16, 1921, in Santa Maria, Calif. Like many, he had a dream of becoming baseball player. Harada played for the Santa Maria High School baseball team and then upgraded to semi-pro baseball. The Cardinals scouted him due to his talent, but his dreams ended when he sustained injuries in the war.

But Harada didn’t let the war stop him from working in baseball. His biggest accomplishment came in 1951-54, when Harada served as the special assistant to the Tokyo Giants manager and won four Japan Series championships.

In 1964, working as a special assistant for the San Francisco Giants in the scouting and player personnel department, Harada helped sign pitcher Masanori Murakami, the first MLB player from Asia, decades before more players arrived in the 1990s.

What a career. What a life. Harada deserves to be recognized as one of the best executives in baseball.