Musharraf Khan and Faisal Hayat have made history as the first professional baseball players from Pakistan. The two right-handed pitchers recently signed with the Saga Asia Dreams, a team in Japan’s Kyushu Asia League, marking a groundbreaking moment for both Pakistani baseball and the sport’s global expansion.
First two Pakistani pro baseball players land in Japan! 🇵🇰⚾️ Musharaf Khan & Faisal Hayat are ready to make history! #PassionToPerseverance @pakbaseball @PakBB_Japanese @sekai_yakyu_828 pic.twitter.com/Kewau5Iodt
— Pakistan Federation Baseball 🇵🇰⚾️ (@pakbaseball) March 25, 2025
The Kyushu Asia League, founded in 2021, is an independent five-team league based in Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan’s four main islands. The league is primarily supported through ticket sales, sponsorships, and crowdfunding, and it maintains a player development partnership with the NPB’s Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.
Like many players in Japan’s independent and industrial leagues, KAL athletes often hold second jobs while continuing to pursue their baseball careers. The league’s five teams include the Saga Asia Dreams, Hinokuni Salamanders, Oita B-Rings, Kitakyushu Shimonoseki Phoenix, and Miyazaki Sunshines.
Despite its short history, KAL has already made an international impact. Just this year, the Oita B-Rings sent players to the Caribbean Series with Alex Ramirez’s Japan Breeze, while the Miyazaki Sunshines played an exhibition game against Team Nicaragua ahead of the 2025 World Baseball Classic qualifiers. The Kumamoto-based Hinokuni Salamanders were briefly managed by former Yokohama BayStars star Bobby Rose last year.
Hailing from a small town of Punjab, Faisal HAYAT RHP 6’3 punch out a batter for his first strike out in professional baseball debut in Japan. @PakBB_Japanese @sekai_yakyu_828 pic.twitter.com/U6zZLBw9Js
— Pakistan Federation Baseball 🇵🇰⚾️ (@pakbaseball) March 29, 2025
Twenty-one-year-old Faisal Hayat first rose to prominence after leading Pakistan to victory over India in an exhibition held in Dubai. Nineteen-year-old Musharraf Khan stands at an imposing 6-foot-6 and is known as the hardest-throwing pitcher in Pakistan. He represented the nation at the 2023 Asian Baseball Championship, showcasing his potential against some of Asia’s top young talent with a 3.86 ERA and ten strikeouts in 14 innings. In that tournament, he threw a 111-pitch complete game in a 4-1 win over Thailand.
Musharaf Khan 6’6 RHP, paint the corner for his first strike out in professional baseball. @PakBB_Japanese @sekai_yakyu_828 #pakistanproud pic.twitter.com/EMBo8O9JEQ
— Pakistan Federation Baseball 🇵🇰⚾️ (@pakbaseball) March 29, 2025
The Saga Asia Dreams team represents a bold step forward for international baseball. Its roster brings together players from developing baseball nations such as Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, the Philippines, Singapore, and now Pakistan, where the sport is rapidly gaining ground.
A major milestone came last year when the team hosted a development program in Lahore for 150 male and female athletes, led by former Major League Baseball pitcher Mickey Weston. Pakistan, currently ranked 38th in the world by the WBSC, went on to dominate Baseball United’s inaugural Arab Classic last November, finishing a perfect 6-0.
The Saga Dreams are managed by Ryoji Katsuki, who pitched for Nippon Professional Baseball’s Chiba Lotte Marines from 2009 to 2016. Under his leadership, the Asia Dreams are working to close the gap between inexperienced talent and the professional ranks. The coaching staff is primarily Japanese but also includes members from Thailand, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka. Players earn an annual salary of approximately ¥1.5 million (around $10,000), a modest figure internationally but a vital step toward building viable baseball careers.
At the heart of the project is Yuji Fukuhara, president of Neo Asia Japan, the company supporting the team. A former player in both the High School Koshien and Japan’s industrial leagues, Fukuhara was inspired to launch the Asia Dreams after a 2018 visit to Indonesia, where he was struck by the passion for baseball among local youth. His goal was to create a platform where players from “baseball backwater” countries could transform their enthusiasm into a profession.
Fans can live stream Saga Asia Dreams games for free on the team’s YouTube channel.
Photo: Musharraf Khan and Faisal Hayat of Pakistan are playing professionally in Japan. (Photo: @pakbaseball on X)
