Wally Yonamine

{{Infobox baseball biography

| name = Wally Yonamine

| image = Wally Yonamine 1951 cropped.jpg

| image_size = 250

| caption = Wally Yonamine in 1951

| number =

| position = Outfielder

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1925|6|24|mf=y}}

| birth_place = Olowalu, Hawaii Territory

|death_date = {{Death date and age|2011|2|28|1925|6|24|mf=y}}

|death_place = Honolulu, Hawaii

| bats =

| throws =

| debutleague = NPB

| debutdate = June 19

| debutyear = 1951

| debutteam = Yomiuri Giants

| finaldate = October 12

| finalyear = 1962

| finalteam = Chunichi Dragons

| statleague = NPB

| stat1label = Batting average

| stat1value = .311

| stat3label = Home runs

| stat3value = 82

| stat2label = Hits

| stat2value = 1,337

| stat4label = Runs batted in

| stat4value = 482

| teams =

As Player

Yomiuri Giants ({{Baseball year|1951}}–{{Baseball year|1960}})
Chunichi Dragons ({{Baseball year|1961}}–{{Baseball year|1962}})

As Manager

Chunichi Dragons ({{Baseball year|1972}}–{{Baseball year|1977}})

|awards =

4x Japan Series Champion: 1951, 1952, 1953, 1955
CL MVP (1957)
8× NPB All-Star (1952-1959)
7× Best Nine Award (1952-1958)

| hoflink = Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame

| hoftype = Japanese

| hofdate = 1994

| hofvote =

| hofmethod =

| module =

{{Infobox NFL biography

| embed = yes

| number = 94

| position = Running back

| height_ft = 5

| height_in = 9

| weight_lbs = 180

| high_school = Farrington (Honolulu, Hawaii)

| college =

| undraftedyear =

| pastteams = * San Francisco 49ers (1947)

| pfr = Y/YonaWa20

| statlabel1 = Rushing yards

| statvalue1 = 74

| statlabel2 = Receiving yards

| statvalue2 = 40

| statlabel3 = Touchdowns

| statvalue3 = 0

}}}}

{{nihongo|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.

Early life

Kaname Yonamine, a Nisei Japanese American, was born in Olowalu, Maui,{{citation |author=Weber, Bruce |title=Wally Yonamine, 85, Dies; Changed Japanese Baseball |date=March 4, 2011 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/05/sports/baseball/05yonamine.html?_r=1&hpw |newspaper=The New York Times}} 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. Yonamine attended Lahainaluna and Wallace Rider Farrington High School.{{cite web|title=Hawaii sports pioneer Wally Yonamine dies|url=https://www.staradvertiser.com/2011/03/01/breaking-news/hawaii-sports-pioneer-wally-yonamine-dies/|work=Star Advertiser|author=Lewis, Ferd|date=March 1, 2011|access-date=December 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201213204853/https://www.staradvertiser.com/2011/03/01/breaking-news/hawaii-sports-pioneer-wally-yonamine-dies/|archive-date=December 13, 2020|url-status=live}} The name of his high school was the origin of his nickname, originally Wallace, but quickly changed to Wally,{{harvnb|Fitts|2008|p=20}} which would later become his legal name.

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{{harvnb|Fitts|2008|p=33}} (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.

Professional baseball career

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.

Yonamine was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame, admitted in 1994 for his achievements during his 12-year career with the Giants and Dragons.

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.{{cite news|author=Gustkey|first=Earl|date=June 18, 1989|title=WARMING UP TO WALLY : Yonamine, First American to Play in Japan, Was Not an Instant Hit|work=Los Angeles Times|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-06-18-sp-3883-story.html|url-status=live|access-date=December 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201213211203/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-06-18-sp-3883-story.html|archive-date=December 13, 2020}} In 2008, Yonamine joined the Japanese Master League team Nagoya 80 D'sers as a coach/part-time player.{{cite web|title=Wally Yonamine: Sportsman who fought prejudice in two sports and in two countries|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/wally-yonamine-sportsman-who-fought-prejudice-in-two-sports-and-in-two-countries-2291894.html|author=Carlson, Michael|work=The Independent|date=June 2, 2011|access-date=December 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401112029/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/wally-yonamine-sportsman-who-fought-prejudice-in-two-sports-and-in-two-countries-2291894.html|archive-date=April 1, 2019|url-status=live}}

After an extended battle with prostate cancer, Yonamine died on February 28, 2011, aged 85, in Honolulu.{{citation|last=Song|first=Jaymes|title='Nisei Jackie Robinson' dies at age 85|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=March 1, 2011|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/01/AR2011030105741.html}}

Yonamine's grand-nephew, Micah, was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 29th round of the 2019 Major League Baseball draft.{{cite book |title=Baseball America 2020 Prospect Handbook Digital Edition |date=24 March 2020 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-1-932391-94-7 |page=134 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mZyeDwAAQBAJ&pg=RA1-PA134 |access-date=27 December 2021}}{{cite web |title=Micah Yonamine Minor Leagues Statistics & History |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=yonami000mic |website=Baseball-Reference.com |publisher=Sports Reference |access-date=27 December 2021}} He is currently a developmental player for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.{{Cite web |title=大叔父は中日監督も務めたウォーリー与那嶺さん…日本ハム、育成新外国人でマイカ与那嶺を獲得ハワイにちなみ背番号は「150」：中日スポーツ・東京中日スポーツ |url=https://www.chunichi.co.jp/article/1025214 |access-date=2025-02-15 |website=中日スポーツ・東京中日スポーツ |language=ja}}{{Cite web |title=マイカ与那嶺選手と育成選手契約締結 |url=https://www.fighters.co.jp/news/detail/202500656153.html |access-date=2025-02-15 |website=北海道日本ハムファイターズ |language=ja}}

References

External links

{{in lang|ja}} [http://www.baseball-museum.or.jp/ Japan Baseball Hall of Fame]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20040915030927/http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/la/news/la_press_release.jsp?ymd=20040426&content_id=729786&vkey=pr_la&fext=.jsp Dodgers to celebrate Japanese American Community Night]
{{cite web| title=Densho interview: Wally Yonamine| url=https://ddr.densho.org/narrators/183/| date=2003-12-16|access-date=2021-06-13}}

Category:1925 births

Category:2011 deaths

Category:American baseball players of Japanese descent

Category:American expatriate baseball players in Japan

Category:Hawaii people of Okinawan descent

Category:American football running backs

Category:Baseball players from Hawaii

Category:Chunichi Dragons managers

Category:Chunichi Dragons players

Category:Deaths from cancer in Hawaii

Category:Deaths from prostate cancer in the United States

Category:Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame inductees