In my coverage of the Museum of Hanshin Koshien Stadium, I discussed the high school teams, the Koshien Bowl, the Hanshin Tigers and many more.
But what about the stadium itself and its history? There is a room that delves into the Koshien stadium history including United States and Japan baseball diplomacy and even computer stations which people can learn and take part in activities.
Pictured on the top right is of Horace Wilson (1874, in Tokyo) and Hiraoka Hiroshi (1871 in Roxbury, Massachusetts). Horace Wilson, an American oyatoi employed by Daigaku Nanko (now known as University of Tokyo), introduced baseball to his Japanese students in 1872. Hiraoka Hiroshi, who was a big fan of the Boston Red Sox while studying railway technology in Massachusetts, would start Japan’s first private baseball team, the Shinbashi Athletic Club in 1878.
The top photo is of the Chicago White Sox and New York Giants with Keio University Baseball Players in 1914.
The bottom photo is of the Keio University Baseball Team in front of the Northern Pacific Hotel in 1928. With no organized professional league at the time, Japan brought its best players, including star pitcher Kazuma Sugase, join the Keio University Team for the series. In 1928, the Keio club visited Seattle to play against colleges and Nisei teams, such as the Seattle Asahi.
On the left, A program cover for the San Francisco Seals goodwill baseball tour back in 1949.
On the right, Lefty O’Doul shakes hands with Prince Akihito at a Seals Game in Tokyo in 1949.
Emperor Showa invited the San Francisco Seals to the Imperial Palace to thank them for their role in rebuilding bilateral relations. General Douglas MacArthur also praised the tour, calling it “the greatest piece of diplomacy ever”.
Prince Akihito throws out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium in 1960. Crown Prince Akihito and Crown Princess Michiko visited several cities and states to celebrate the centennial of the first trade and friendship treaty between Japan and the United States. In New York, the couple attended an American League game between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, in which Prince Akihito tossed the ball to start the game.
On the left, the All American team members visit the Meiji Shrine in 1934.
On the right, Babe Ruth receives a hero’s welcome in Japan in 1934. Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, played against top Japanese players. Shoriki Matsutaro, owner of the Yomiuri Shimbun, organized the tour and is credited to introducing professional baseball to Japan. While many Japanese were thrilled to welcome baseball’s greatest, some people were angered that Shoriki brought foreigners to sacred sites, such as the Meiji Shrine.
Top Photo: Murakami Masanori was greeted by fans at U.S. customs in 1965
Bottom Photo: Murakami pitching at the San Francisco Giants vs. Philadelphia Phillies game (1964-1965). Murakami “Mashi” Masanori was the first Japanese to sign onto a Major League Baseball team. From 1964-1965, he pitched for the San Francisco Giants as part of an exchange program between the MLB and the Nankai Hawks, his home team. Mashi’s time with the Giants temporarily closed the doors for other Japanese players to join the U.S. You can learn more about this here
Top Photo: Home Run Kings Roger Maris an Nagashima Shigeo at an annual sporting exhibit in New York City back in 1962.
Bottom Photo: Yomiuri Giants Oh Sadaharu and Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves Hank Aaron compare hand sizes at a press conference in Tokyo in 1974. Both were record-setting players, both had to overcome racism (Oh’s father was Chinese and his mother was Japanese, registered with a Taiwan passport, and people considered him as Chinese) and life-long friends. In 1977, Oh hit his 756th home run, surpassing Hank Aaron’s record. Oh is the only professional baseball player to reach 800 home runs. Oh played from 1956-1980 and ended his career with 868 home runs.
Nomo Hideo with his signature “Tornado Pitch”. As Japanese baseball players haven’t played in the MLB since Murakami Masanori. To circumvent this, Nomo retired from professional Japanese baseball at the age of 26 and then he was able to play as a rook with the Los Angeles Dodgers and became a star in Japan and the US despite the moves upsetting fans at home.
This would set the precedent for other Japanese players to join the MLB and he retired in 2008 and by that time, 19 Japanese players were playing baseball in the U.S.
Ichiro Suzuki broke numerous records in the MLB. The top photo is Ichiro winning the game with his two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth against the New York Yankees in 2009. The bottom photo is Matsuzaka Daisuke of Boston Red Sox pitching to Suzuki Ichiro in 2010 in Seattle.
Ichiro finished with 4,367 hits in his professional career in Japan and the MLB. In 2004, Ichiro hit 262 hits in one season surpassing George Sisler who had 257 hits in 1920.
Matsui Hideki played for the New York Yankees from 2003 to 2009 and in his last year with the team, “Godzilla” hit six of the Yankees seven home runs during the World Series. Matsui was the only Japanese player to receive the World Series MVP award, two years after becoming the first Japanese player in MLB history to hit 100 home runs.
Left Photo: Matsui Hideki hits a two-run home run in the fifth inning against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at Tokyo Dome in 2004.
Right Photo: Matsui Hideki celebrates with teammates with the defeat of the Boston Red Sox to win the American League East Division Title of 2009.
In tomorrow’s post, I will discuss the historical figures of Museum of Hanshin Koshien Stadium.
