BASEBALL

Did you know that baseball was played in Japan in the late nineteenth century?

Dates of interest:
1899: First recorded Japanese American baseball team formed in Honolulu by Reverend Takie Okumura.
1951: After playing football for the San Francisco 49ers, Wally Yonamine begins a 38-year career in Japanese baseball, signing with the Tokyo Giants.
1964: Nisei player Henry "Bozo" Wakabayashi elected to Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame. His career as pitcher and manager spanned 1936-1947.
1982: Nancy Ito, star catcher on four national championship softball teams, is elected to the National Softball Hall of Fame.


Photo: Gift of Mori Shimada (92.10)


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JAPANESE AMERICAN NATIONAL MUSEUM