#282 Giants Rookie Stars - Dick Estelle / Masanori Murakami

Richard Henry Estelle
San Francisco Giants
Pitcher

Bats:  Both  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  170
Born:  January 18, 1942, Lakewood, NJ
Signed:  Signed by the San Francisco Giants as an amateur free agent before 1960 season
Major League Teams:  San Francisco Giants 1964-1965

Masanori Murakami
San Francisco Giants
Pitcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  180
Born:  May 6, 1944, Kita Tsuru-gun, Japan
Signed:  Signed by the San Francisco Giants as an amateur free agent before 1964 season
Major League Teams:  San Francisco Giants 1964-1965

Dick Estelle appeared in 12 games for the Giants between 1964 and 1965, compiling a 1-2 record and a 3.23 ERA.  He was a September call-up both seasons and he pitched fairly well, starting 7 of his 12 games.  He earned his sole big league win on September 22, 1964, pitching eight strong innings against the Astros.  After his 1965 appearance with the Giants, Estelle pitched seven more seasons in the minor leagues moving from the Giants to the Twins and finally to the Brewers' organization.

Masanori Murakami was the first Japanese-born player to appear in the Major Leagues.  Signed by the Giants from the Nankai Hawks, Murakami made his debut in September 1964 and came back the following season to perform as one of the Giants' top relievers.  In 54 games with the Giants, he went 5-1 with a 3.43 ERA and 9 saves.  In 74 1/3 innings in 1965, Murakami struck out 85 batters and walked only 22.  Following the season and the expiration of his Giants contract, he returned to Japan and was a successful pitcher in the Nippon Professional League until his retirement following the 1982 season.  Over 18 seasons in Japan, Murakami went 103-82 with a 3.64 ERA and 758 strikeouts.

The Giants honored Murakami with a bobble head in 2008, and he threw out the first pitch prior to a Giants game in 2014 celebrating the 50th anniversary of his debut.

Building the Set
June 8, 2020 from Thornwood, NY - Card #105
I wasn't looking for this card when I stumbled upon it for sale in the eBay store of seller B&E Collectibles from Thornwood, NY.  I've been trying to track down cards for the 1958 Hires Phillies team set and I found B&E's auction for the Jack Sanford (#228) card from that relatively hard to find oddball issue.  Always looking to combine shipping and hopefully earn a discount, I searched the seller's store and found a 1961 Topps Rub-Off card for Frank Herrera I had never seen before, and this Giants Rookie Stars card.  I've long been aware of this card as it has often been prominently displayed at various baseball card shows I've attended throughout the years, and I remember not knowing why this particular card would be included in the stacks of stars and semi-stars from the 1960s available for sale from various dealers.  I later learned Murakami's historic debut was the reason the card sold at a premium.

I became much more cognizant of the card once we started officially collecting the set, and seeing the card for sale at recent baseball card shows, I thought the price displayed was always rather steep.  I was happy to pay $15 for this card and given the shape it's in, I was surprised it didn't go for a higher amount.

The Card
This is the first and last Topps card for Murakami, and Estelle would show up again on a 1966 Rookie Stars card this time with catcher Jack Hiatt (#497).  The back of the card notes Murakami's debut, and the lefty pitcher is now known as a pioneer in Major League baseball among Asian players.

In 2002, Topps repurposed the card for an eight-card East Meets West insert set included with its 2002 flagship issuance.  These new cards remove Estelle and pairs a Japanese born player with Murakami.

Giants Team Set

1965 Season - Estelle
Estelle spent most of the season pitching for the Tacoma Giants in the Pacific Coast League.  As one of the team's primary starting pitchers, he went 7-12 with a 3.94 ERA, pitching two complete game shutouts.  He appeared in six games for the Giants in September and October, finishing with no record and a 3.97 ERA.  He started the final game of the season for the Giants, lasting 3 2/3 innings in a no-decision against the Reds.

1965 Season - Murakami
As mentioned above, Murakami was a huge part of the Giants bullpen in 1965, appearing in 45 games and finishing second on the team in saves with 8.  Only closer Frank Linzy (#589) had more with 20.

Murakami pitched the entire season knowing he'd be returning to Japan in 1966.  During the 1964 offseason, Japanese commissioner Yushi Uchimura had determined Murakami would be permitted to pitch the 1965 season for the Giants but then he'd be returned to the Nankai Hawks.

1966 Topps #373

2002 Topps East Meets West #EW-HN

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Estelle
First Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #282
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (2):  1965-1966
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1966 Topps #373

5 - Estelle non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 6/30/20.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Murakami
First Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #282
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (1):  1965
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2003 Stadium Club Co-Signers #CS-MI

18 - Murakami non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 6/30/20.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia

In some cases, the first and last cards listed above are subjective and chosen by me if multiple cards were released within the same year.  Most recent mainstream card may also be subjective and does not include extremely low serial numbered cards, buybacks or cut autograph cards.

Previous Card:  #281 Bill Stafford - New York Yankees

Next Card:  #283 Fred Whitfield - Cleveland Indians