Toru Murata

On November 18, 2016, Murata signed with the Fighters and returned to NPB.

Murata was called up for the first time in his career on June 28, 2015, to start against the Baltimore Orioles as the 26th man on the roster for a doubleheader. After pitching in that one game, he returned to the Columbus Clippers, spending 2015 and 2016 there.

Murata attended Osaka Taiiku University. In 2007, he was selected by the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball in the first round of the Japanese Draft and spent three years pitching in ni-gun—the Japanese minor league—before being released.

Toru Murata (村田 透 , Murata Tōru, born May 20, 1985) is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).

He joined the Cleveland Indians in December 2010, though his American career began before that—he pitched nine games for the Scottsdale Scorpions of the Arizona Fall League in 2009 and was named a "Rising Star." In 2011, he made his debut in the Indians system, going 3–2 with 58 strikeouts, 37 hits, 10 walks and a 2.36 ERA in 49 2/3 innings for the Kinston Indians. Between the Carolina Mudcats, Akron Aeros and Triple-A Columbus Clippers 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.