Who is credited for bringing the idea of a cupped end of a baseball bat back to America from Japan?

Question

I believe this event took place sometime in the 1970s. An American player joined a team in Japan and when he returned he brought the idea of the cupped end of the baseball bat back to the states. I don't know the players name though. Who is it?

Answer 1

Might have been Davey Johnson. Not many players went to Japan back then, and even fewer came back to continue playing.