List of countries with their first Major League Baseball player
The following is a list of countries with their first Major League Baseball player. Listed are each country that at least one current or former major league player was born in, along with the name of the first person born in that country to play in a major league game, and the year and sports league of that player's major league debut.
Background
The globalization of baseball has been occurring since its inception. After an influx of players from western Europe in early years, the major leagues came to see fewer European players and more players from Latin America. Players born in over 50 countries and on every continent except Antarctica have now appeared in major league games. Considerations:
- The list is based on players' birthplaces and each location's current country, per detailed records at Baseball-Reference.com.
- For example, a player born in Berlin would be included with other players born in present-day Germany, even if when the player was born it might have been part of East Germany or West Germany.
- The countries listed are generally consistent with those that compete in the Olympic Games. For example, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands appear in the list.
- The players listed are not necessarily the first citizen of a country to play in a major league game, as nationality is determined under a country's nationality law and may differ.
- The list does not reflect where players grew up and learned to play baseball.
- Some players on the list, despite their birth location, are or were Americans or Canadians who returned to their parents' home country as children and were raised there. One example is Harry Kingman, who was born in China but grew up in California.
- Many European-born players on the list moved to North America as children. For example, the first person born in Italy to play in the major leagues, Lou Polli in 1932, moved with his family to Vermont at seven months of age.
List
Listed players appeared in at least one game of a professional baseball major league (commonly referred to as Major League Baseball, although that entity did not exist before 1903), which encompasses:
- American Association (1882–1891)
- American League (1901–present)
- Federal League (1913–1915)
- National Association (1871–1875)
- National League (1876–present)
- Players' League (1890)
- Union Association (1884)
Note that the status of the National Association as a major league is in dispute. National Association players are included in the major league records of sites such as Baseball-Reference.com and Retrosheet, thus are also included here.
Country | Player | Debut | Ref. | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Year | League | |||
Afghanistan | Jeff Bronkey | 1993 | American League | |
American Samoa | Tony Solaita | 1968 | American League | |
Aruba | Gene Kingsale | 1996 | American League | |
at sea | Ed Porray | 1914 | Federal League | |
Australia | Joe Quinn | 1884 | Union Association | |
Austria | Kurt Krieger | 1949 | National League | |
Austria-Hungary | Joe Koukalik | 1904 | National League | |
Bahamas | Andre Rodgers | 1957 | National League | |
Belgium | Brian Lesher | 1996 | American League | |
Belize | Chito Martinez | 1991 | American League | |
Brazil | Yan Gomes | 2012 | American League | |
Canada | Bob Addy | 1871 | National Association | |
China | Harry Kingman | 1914 | American League | |
Colombia | Lou Castro | 1902 | American League | |
Cuba | Steve Bellán | 1871 | National Association | |
Curaçao | Hensley Meulens | 1989 | American League | |
Czech Republic | John Stedronsky | 1879 | National League | |
Denmark | Olaf Henriksen | 1911 | American League | |
Dominican Republic | Ozzie Virgil Sr. | 1956 | National League | |
Finland | John Michaelson | 1921 | American League | |
France | Larry Ressler | 1875 | National Association | |
Germany | George Heubel | 1871 | National Association | |
Greece | Al Campanis | 1943 | National League | |
Guam | John Hattig | 2006 | American League | |
Honduras | Gerald Young | 1987 | National League | |
Hong Kong | Austin Brice | 2016 | National League | |
Indonesia | Tom Mastny | 2006 | American League | |
Ireland | Andy Leonard | 1871 | National Association | |
Italy | Lou Polli | 1932 | American League | |
Jamaica | Chili Davis | 1981 | National League | |
Japan | Masanori Murakami | 1964 | National League | |
Latvia | Joe Zapustas | 1933 | American League | |
Lithuania | Dovydas Neverauskas | 2017 | National League | |
Mexico | Mel Almada | 1933 | American League | |
Netherlands | Rynie Wolters | 1871 | National Association | |
Nicaragua | Dennis Martínez | 1976 | American League | |
Norway | John Anderson | 1894 | National League | |
Panama | Humberto Robinson | 1955 | National League | |
Peru | Jesús Luzardo | 2019 | American League | |
Philippines | Bobby Chouinard | 1996 | American League | |
Poland | Skel Roach | 1899 | National League | |
Portugal | Frank Thompson | 1875 | National Association | |
Puerto Rico | Hiram Bithorn | 1942 | National League | |
Russia | Jake Gettman | 1897 | National League | |
Saudi Arabia | Craig Stansberry | 2007 | National League | |
Singapore | Robin Jennings | 1996 | National League | |
Slovakia | Jack Quinn | 1909 | American League | |
South Africa | Gift Ngoepe | 2017 | National League | |
South Korea | Chan Ho Park | 1994 | National League | |
Spain | Al Cabrera | 1913 | National League | |
Sweden | Charlie Hallstrom | 1885 | National League | |
Switzerland | Otto Hess | 1902 | American League | |
Taiwan | Chin-Feng Chen | 2002 | National League | |
United Kingdom | George Hall† | 1871 | National Association | |
Harry Wright† | ||||
United States | multiple players‡ | 1871 | National Association | |
U.S. Virgin Islands | Joe Christopher | 1959 | National League | |
Venezuela | Alex Carrasquel | 1939 | American League | |
Vietnam | Danny Graves | 1996 | American League |
† Hall and Wright both made their debut on 5 May 1871.
‡ There were 18 players–all born in the United States–in the first game of the National Association, played on 4 May 1871.