Ichiro Suzuki, Hideki Matsui and Daisuke Matsuzaka all helped open up markets and bring new streams of revenue to their respective teams when they made their major league debuts.
Japanese fans flocked to stadiums and snatched up merchandise in droves in Seattle, New York and Boston, where three of Japan's biggest stars landed upon leaving the NPB.
Ichiro, and later Kenji Johjima, sparked interest in the Seattle area to the point the Mariners began posting stadium signs in restrooms and others areas in Japanese as well as English.