Wally Yonamine
Wallace Kaname Yonamine (与那嶺要, Yonamine Kaname, June 24, 1925 – February 28, 2011) was a Japanese American multi-sport athlete who played in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball.
| Wally Yonamine | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Wally Yonamine in 1951 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Outfielder | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born: June 24, 1925 Olowalu, Hawaii Territory | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died: February 28, 2011 (aged 85) Honolulu, Hawaii | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NPB debut | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| June 19, 1951, for the Yomiuri Giants | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| October 12, 1962, for the Chunichi Dragons | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NPB statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting average | .311 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hits | 1,337 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Home runs | 82 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Runs batted in | 482 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| As Player
As Manager | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Member of the Japanese | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Induction | 1994 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Early life
Kaname Yonamine, a Nisei Japanese American, was born in Olowalu, Maui,[1] Hawaii to parents Matsusai (September 1, 1890 – July 31, 1988) and Kikue (February 14, 1901 – February 26, 1999). Matsusai was an uchinānchu immigrant and Kikue came from Hiroshima.[1] Yonamine attended Lahainaluna and Wallace Rider Farrington High School.[2] The name of his high school was the origin of his nickname, originally Wallace, but quickly changed to Wally,[3] which would later become his legal name.[1]
Professional football career
Yonamine signed a $14,000 contract, playing running back for the San Francisco 49ers in their second season (1947). Doing so, he became the first football player of Japanese American ancestry to play professional football[4] (Walter Achiu was the first Asian-American). In his one season with the team, he had 19 carries for 74 yards and caught 3 passes for 40 yards. His football career ended during the off-season, when he broke his wrist playing in an amateur baseball league in Hawaii.[1]
Professional baseball career
In baseball, Yonamine was the first American to play professional baseball in Japan after World War II. A multi-skilled outfielder, Yonamine was also noted for his flexible batting style and aggressive baserunning during his career with the Yomiuri Giants and Chunichi Dragons. In Japan, Yonamine was a member of four Japan Series Championship teams, the Central League MVP in 1957, a consecutive seven-time Best Nine Award winner (1952–58), an eleven-time All-Star, a three-time batting champion, and the first foreigner to be a manager (Dragons, 1972–77).
Yonamine was the first American inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame, admitted in 1994 for his achievements during his 12-year career with the Giants and Dragons.[1]
Post-career
Yonamine operated a highly successful pearl store, "Wally Yonamine Pearls", with his wife, Jane. The store is located in Roppongi, Tokyo. They also had a branch of their store in California run by their children.[5] In 2008, Yonamine joined the Japanese Master League team Nagoya 80 D'sers as a coach/part-time player.[6]
After an extended battle with prostate cancer, Yonamine died on February 28, 2011, aged 85, in Honolulu.[2][7]
Yonamine's nephew, Micah, was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 29th round of the 2019 Major League Baseball draft.[8][9]
References
- Weber, Bruce (March 4, 2011), "Wally Yonamine, 85, Dies; Changed Japanese Baseball", The New York Times
- Lewis, Ferd (March 1, 2011). "Hawaii sports pioneer Wally Yonamine dies". Star Advertiser. Archived from the original on December 13, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
- Fitts 2008, p. 20
- Fitts 2008, p. 33
- Gustkey, Earl (June 18, 1989). "WARMING UP TO WALLY : Yonamine, First American to Play in Japan, Was Not an Instant Hit". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on December 13, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
- Carlson, Michael (June 2, 2011). "Wally Yonamine: Sportsman who fought prejudice in two sports and in two countries". The Independent. Archived from the original on April 1, 2019. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
- Song, Jaymes (March 1, 2011), "'Nisei Jackie Robinson' dies at age 85", The Washington Post
- Baseball America 2020 Prospect Handbook Digital Edition. Simon and Schuster. March 24, 2020. p. 134. ISBN 978-1-932391-94-7. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
- "Micah Yonamine Minor Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
Further reading
- Fitts, Robert K. (2008). Wally Yonamine: The Man Who Changed Japanese Baseball. University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 978-0-8032-1381-4.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference (Minors)
- (in Japanese) Japan Baseball Hall of Fame
- Dodgers to celebrate Japanese American Community Night
- "Densho interview: Wally Yonamine". December 16, 2003. Retrieved June 13, 2021.