Tadashi Wakabayashi
Encyclopedia
Tadashi Henry Wakabayashi (March 1, 1908 - March 5, 1965) was a professional baseball
player from Oahu
, Hawaii
. He was a second generation Japanese
-American
.
, Japan
, and Wakabayashi was born in Hawaii, giving him dual citizenship between the United States and Japan. He renounced his Japanese citizenship in 1928, but revived it when he moved to Japan, and renounced his American citizenship in 1941, following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
.
Wakabayashi attended President William McKinley High School
, and his powerful fastball made him the ace pitcher of the school's baseball team. In 1928, he was chosen to participate in an exhibition baseball tournament held in Japan, and he traveled to Japan for the first time that year. Professional baseball did not exist in Japan at that time, and Wakabayashi's amateur team played against university teams in the Tokyo Big6 Baseball League
. Wakabayashi's pitching abilities did not go unnoticed, and Hosei University
was particularly active in recruiting him. Wakabayashi himself was not opposed to the idea of remaining in Japan, and it seemed only a matter of time before he was admitted into Hosei University. However, rival schools accused Hosei University of using unethical tactics to strengthen the baseball team, and the school decided to temporarily place Wakabayashi in a junior high school in Yokohama
, and admit him into the school the following year. Wakabayashi graduated from the junior high school in March 1929, and entered Hosei University the next semester.
The Tokyo Big6 Baseball League
was dominated by Waseda University
and Keio University
, and the Hosei University team solely depended upon Wakabayashi's pitching to carry the team. He was unsuccessful in his first year due to differences between Japanese and American baseball, but gradually improved to win the league championship in Autumn, 1930. He injured his pitching arm in 1931, and had to switch to a side arm release to continue pitching. He was no longer able to throw fastballs, but improved his breaking pitches and control to continue his pitching success.
Wakabayashi led Hosei University to a second league championship in 1932, and pitched in every single league game in 1934 to win a third championship. His record in the league was 43-28, and he holds the college league record for career games pitched (87). He was also the first pitcher to win 40 games in the Tokyo Big6 Baseball League
. He also married his wife in January 1933.
He graduated from the university in 1935, and a friend introduced him to the Columbia Music Entertainment
company, where he split time between working, and playing on the company's baseball team. In July, 1935, the Tokyo Kyojin Gun baseball team returned from their tour in the United States, and numerous companies, including the Hanshin Electric Railway
company, joined to form the first professional baseball league in Japan. Several companies made offers for Wakabayashi to join their professional team, and he signed with the Osaka Tigers (current Hanshin Tigers
) in January 1936.
Wakabayashi quickly emerged as the team's ace, and led the Tigers to championships in 1940 and 1944. Wakabayashi retreated to his wife's hometown in Ishinomaki, Miyagi
at the end of World War II, but returned to professional baseball in 1947 to win his 200th professional game. He would mark 233 wins in his 13 seasons with the Tigers; the most among any Tigers pitcher in history.
Wakabayashi doubled as a manager and player throughout the 1940s, and joined the Pacific League
Mainichi Orions in 1950, when the modern two-league system of Japanese baseball was established. He was already 42 years old at this time, and no longer had the energy to spend the entire season as a player, but still pitched in the first game of the Japan Series against the Shochiku Robins, contributing to the Orions series championship in 1950. He also pitched a shut-out game against the Kintetsu Pearls in November, 1950, setting the Japanese record for the oldest pitcher to record a shut-out win. This record lasted for almost 60 years until Masahiro Yamamoto broke it in 2010 at the age of 45. Wakabayashi announced his retirement in 1953, and he pitched his last professional game that year to mark his 1000th strikeout. He managed to reach the landmark, but handed his team the loss in the process.
Though much of his success as a player came before modern Japanese baseball was established in 1950, he is still recognized as one of the legendary pitchers in Japanese baseball. He won the league MVP award in 1944 and 1947, and was inducted into the Japanese baseball hall of fame in 1964.
After retiring, he was given a position in the Mainichi franchise, but left after only one year to become a coach for the Tombow Unions. He worked as a pitching coach for the Taiyo Whales, and became the head coach for the Nishitetsu Lions in 1963. He was diagnosed with stomach cancer in 1964, and left the Lions that year. He died on March 5, 1965, at age 57.
was given number 18 when he joined the Seibu Lions
from high school).
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player from Oahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
, Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
. He was a second generation Japanese
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Biography
Wakabayashi's parents had immigrated to Hawaii from HiroshimaHiroshima
is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It became best known as the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 A.M...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, and Wakabayashi was born in Hawaii, giving him dual citizenship between the United States and Japan. He renounced his Japanese citizenship in 1928, but revived it when he moved to Japan, and renounced his American citizenship in 1941, following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
.
Wakabayashi attended President William McKinley High School
President William McKinley High School
President William McKinley High School, more commonly referred to as McKinley High School, is a public, co-educational college preparatory high school of the Hawaii State Department of Education and serves grades nine through twelve...
, and his powerful fastball made him the ace pitcher of the school's baseball team. In 1928, he was chosen to participate in an exhibition baseball tournament held in Japan, and he traveled to Japan for the first time that year. Professional baseball did not exist in Japan at that time, and Wakabayashi's amateur team played against university teams in the Tokyo Big6 Baseball League
Tokyo Big6 Baseball League
Tokyo Big6 Baseball League is an intercollegiate baseball league that features six prominent universities in the Tokyo area...
. Wakabayashi's pitching abilities did not go unnoticed, and Hosei University
Hosei University
is a private university based in Tokyo, Japan.The university originated in a school of law, Tōkyō Hōgakusha , established in 1880, and the following year renamed Tōkyō Hōgakkō . This was from 1883 headed by Dr. Gustave Emile Boissonade, and was heavily influenced by the French legal tradition...
was particularly active in recruiting him. Wakabayashi himself was not opposed to the idea of remaining in Japan, and it seemed only a matter of time before he was admitted into Hosei University. However, rival schools accused Hosei University of using unethical tactics to strengthen the baseball team, and the school decided to temporarily place Wakabayashi in a junior high school in Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
, and admit him into the school the following year. Wakabayashi graduated from the junior high school in March 1929, and entered Hosei University the next semester.
The Tokyo Big6 Baseball League
Tokyo Big6 Baseball League
Tokyo Big6 Baseball League is an intercollegiate baseball league that features six prominent universities in the Tokyo area...
was dominated by Waseda University
Waseda University
, abbreviated as , is one of the most prestigious private universities in Japan and Asia. Its main campuses are located in the northern part of Shinjuku, Tokyo. Founded in 1882 as Tokyo Senmon Gakko, the institution was renamed "Waseda University" in 1902. It is known for its liberal climate...
and Keio University
Keio University
,abbreviated as Keio or Keidai , is a Japanese university located in Minato, Tokyo. It is known as the oldest institute of higher education in Japan. Founder Fukuzawa Yukichi originally established it as a school for Western studies in 1858 in Edo . It has eleven campuses in Tokyo and Kanagawa...
, and the Hosei University team solely depended upon Wakabayashi's pitching to carry the team. He was unsuccessful in his first year due to differences between Japanese and American baseball, but gradually improved to win the league championship in Autumn, 1930. He injured his pitching arm in 1931, and had to switch to a side arm release to continue pitching. He was no longer able to throw fastballs, but improved his breaking pitches and control to continue his pitching success.
Wakabayashi led Hosei University to a second league championship in 1932, and pitched in every single league game in 1934 to win a third championship. His record in the league was 43-28, and he holds the college league record for career games pitched (87). He was also the first pitcher to win 40 games in the Tokyo Big6 Baseball League
Tokyo Big6 Baseball League
Tokyo Big6 Baseball League is an intercollegiate baseball league that features six prominent universities in the Tokyo area...
. He also married his wife in January 1933.
He graduated from the university in 1935, and a friend introduced him to the Columbia Music Entertainment
Columbia Music Entertainment
is a Japanese record label founded in 1910 as . It affiliated itself with the Columbia Graphophone Company of the United Kingdom and adopted the standard UK Columbia trademarks in 1931. The company changed its name to Nippon Columbia Co., Ltd. in 1946. It used the Nippon Columbia name until...
company, where he split time between working, and playing on the company's baseball team. In July, 1935, the Tokyo Kyojin Gun baseball team returned from their tour in the United States, and numerous companies, including the Hanshin Electric Railway
Hanshin Electric Railway
is a Japanese private railway company of Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group that links Osaka and Kobe. It also owns the Hanshin Tigers baseball team.The second character for Osaka and the first character for Kobe combine to form the company name, 阪神, which can be read Han-shin.IC cards are accepted when...
company, joined to form the first professional baseball league in Japan. Several companies made offers for Wakabayashi to join their professional team, and he signed with the Osaka Tigers (current Hanshin Tigers
Hanshin Tigers
The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Koshien, Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and are in the Central League. Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd., the subsidiary of Hankyu Hanshin Holdings Inc., owns the Hanshin Tigers directly...
) in January 1936.
Wakabayashi quickly emerged as the team's ace, and led the Tigers to championships in 1940 and 1944. Wakabayashi retreated to his wife's hometown in Ishinomaki, Miyagi
Ishinomaki, Miyagi
is a city located in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan.As of January 1, 2010, the city had an estimated population of 164,294 and a population density of 295.83 persons per km²...
at the end of World War II, but returned to professional baseball in 1947 to win his 200th professional game. He would mark 233 wins in his 13 seasons with the Tigers; the most among any Tigers pitcher in history.
Wakabayashi doubled as a manager and player throughout the 1940s, and joined the Pacific League
Pacific League
The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues constituting Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship competes against the winner in the Central League for the annual Japan Series...
Mainichi Orions in 1950, when the modern two-league system of Japanese baseball was established. He was already 42 years old at this time, and no longer had the energy to spend the entire season as a player, but still pitched in the first game of the Japan Series against the Shochiku Robins, contributing to the Orions series championship in 1950. He also pitched a shut-out game against the Kintetsu Pearls in November, 1950, setting the Japanese record for the oldest pitcher to record a shut-out win. This record lasted for almost 60 years until Masahiro Yamamoto broke it in 2010 at the age of 45. Wakabayashi announced his retirement in 1953, and he pitched his last professional game that year to mark his 1000th strikeout. He managed to reach the landmark, but handed his team the loss in the process.
Though much of his success as a player came before modern Japanese baseball was established in 1950, he is still recognized as one of the legendary pitchers in Japanese baseball. He won the league MVP award in 1944 and 1947, and was inducted into the Japanese baseball hall of fame in 1964.
After retiring, he was given a position in the Mainichi franchise, but left after only one year to become a coach for the Tombow Unions. He worked as a pitching coach for the Taiyo Whales, and became the head coach for the Nishitetsu Lions in 1963. He was diagnosed with stomach cancer in 1964, and left the Lions that year. He died on March 5, 1965, at age 57.
Trivia
When the Osaka Tigers played their first season in 1936, jersey numbers were given out in alphabetical order. Wakabayashi was assigned number 4, but he refused to wear the number because it is considered unlucky in Japan. He was given the first available number instead, which was 18. His subsequent success in the professional leagues made it a custom for a Japanese team's ace pitcher to be given the number (for example, Daisuke MatsuzakaDaisuke Matsuzaka
is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball in the United States. He previously played for the Seibu Lions in Japan's Pacific League. He was selected the MVP of the inaugural and the second World Baseball Classic, and is an Olympic bronze...
was given number 18 when he joined the Seibu Lions
Seibu Lions
The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based west of Tokyo in Tokorozawa, Saitama. Before 1979, they were based in Fukuoka in Kyushu. The team is owned by a subsidiary of Prince Hotels, which in turn is owned by the Seibu Group...
from high school).