PIONEER – BASEBALL
Henry Tadashi “Bozo” Wakabayashi
Henry Tadashi “Bozo” Wakabayashi was born in Wahiawa, O’ahu and graduated from McKinley High School in 1927. He first gained fame in Japan pitching Hosei University to two championships in the Tokyo Big Six University League Baseball Championships from 1934 – 1935.
Following graduation, he joined the Hanshin Tigers in 1936. He won the Most Valuable Player award twice, as a pitcher of the Tigers in 1944 and as player-manager in 1947, the year the Tigers won the single league pennant. During his 16-year career, he won 243, lost 141 and had an ERA of 1.99!
Wakabayashi is one of only 48 Japanese baseball players who is a member of the Meikyukai, an organization of professional players with 2,000 career hits and pitchers with 200 victories.
Wakabayashi was the 17th player admitted to the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame on December 2, 1964, the first from Hawai’i.
BORN 1908
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