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The DNA of a Waseda trailblazer: The first Japanese to play professional baseball

Alumnus Goro Mikami was the first known Japanese national to play professional baseball in the United States. In a time when Japan did not have professional baseball, Goro studied abroad in the United States and became captain of his university’s baseball team. After garnering attention from professionals, he joined the independent professional baseball team All Nations, making him the first Japanese player to pursue major league baseball.

Goro Mikami at the plate wearing the All Nations uniform

Waseda Baseball

Mikami donning the Waseda baseball uniform

Mikami grew up in Yamanashi prefecture and began studying at Waseda University in 1908. In a memoir titled “Glimpses of a Star Athlete,” Mikami’s teammate Suishu Tobita wrote that Mikami “could barely throw a ball, but with practice he became a fast and brilliant defensive outfielder.” Tobita continued to write how Mikami’s learning ability and skills surprised his fellow teammates.

Known for his swift feet and tough defense as an infielder and outfielder, Mikami participated in the Waseda team’s Hawaii tour in 1910, second America tour in 1911, and Manila tour in 1912. In an article printed in a Yamanashi local newspaper, Mikami recalled how impressed he was with American universities’ facilities and sports management. He also mentioned that although American players had larger physiques and powerful hitting abilities, Waseda was able to keep up thanks to their exceptional pitchers. Mikami said, “If you want to excel at baseball, you must learn how to run.” Mikami’s comments foreshadowed the success of 2004 graduate and professional baseball player Nori Aoki (San Francisco Giants) and 2003 graduate and pitcher for the Chicago Cubs, Tsuyoshi Wada.

Becoming baseball captain at Knox College

After graduating from Waseda in 1913, Mikami began studying abroad at Knox College in the state of Illinois. Drawing upon his experiences playing with the Waseda baseball team on their American tour, the bold baserunner and shortstop became team captain of Knox College’s baseball team. The Chicago Tribune called Mikami “one of the fastest infielders in the middle west.” Mikami garnered attention from the professional baseball team All Nations and played for them during university summer breaks.

All Nations was a barnstorming professional baseball team that toured the Midwest in the 1910s and 20s. As their name suggests, All Nations recruited players of various nationalities. Players Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb rose to fame during this era, the latter achieving the highest batting average in Major League Baseball (MLB) history. Although only whites could play in the MLB, there were independent teams such as All Nations where players of different ethnicities could compete. While playing with All Nations, Mikami competed alongside legendary players that would go on to enter the National Baseball Hall of Fame. All Nations eventually became the Kansas City Monarchs, the longest-running franchise in the history of baseball’s Negro Leagues where legend and first black MLB player Jackie Robinson played.

With the Knox College Baseball Team (Mikami in center)

Mikami’s daughter Junko Kuwano said, “Dad was very proud of becoming captain of Knox College’s team and even kept newspaper clippings of articles about him. However, neither my mother nor I ever heard of him becoming a professional player.”

Letters addressed to All Nations player Mikami 

There had apparently been a Japanese person that played for All Nations. However, who was this person? This question remained unanswered for a long time until a group of letters and photographs in the care of Kuwano’s family confirmed that the player was in fact Mikami. The following is from a letter addressed to Mikami in September 1914.

“Hi Mike (Mikami’s nickname). I am really happy to receive this postcard from you. Yes, the All Nations will play a match here on September 11. I am looking forward to you coming back. So you are attending Knox College? I am eagerly waiting for your reply.”

It remains unclear as to why Mikami did not talk about All Nations. Even in Mikami’s journal, there is no mention of playing with All Nations during summer break. “When I was a kid, dad took me to games at the Tokyo Big6 Baseball League. Unlike professional baseball, dad liked amateur baseball where money and fame did not matter. Over 100 years ago, my dad did the unthinkable and became the first Japanese player to play professionally in a foreign country. I am extremely proud of him,” said Kuwano.

After graduating from the University of Illinois in 1917, Mikami joined the Mitsui Bussan, the international trading arm of the Mitsui Company where he utilized his overseas experience and language abilities in the business world. He died of a gastric perforation at the age of 68 in 1958.

Mikami Commemorative Court

Goro Mikami’s brother, Hachishiro Mikami, played on Waseda University’s tennis team. After his passing, a donation from Hachishiro’s family was used to build the Mikami Commemorative Court located on Higashifushimi Campus.

After graduating from Waseda, Hachishiro studied abroad at the University of Chicago and in 1916 Hachishiro and Ichiya Kumagai became the first Japanese nationals to compete in the US Open. While in America, Hachishiro and Goro reportedly spent New Year’s Day together. Hachishiro was the first person in Japan to advocate for hard ball regulation and supported tennis’s development in early modern Japan. However, Hachishiro suddenly died after falling off a horse at an event in the Phillipines. He was 30 years old.

A photograph of Goro and Hachishiro while in the US

The first court was built in 1921 on Waseda Campus and in 1941 the second court was built behind Okuma Garden. In 1992, the court was moved to its present location at Higashifushimi Campus.

Comment from Waseda Baseball Team Captain

Ukyo Kawahara
Fourth year student at School of Sports Sciences

Going to a foreign country with a different language and becoming captain of a university baseball team is something I could never achieve. I am proud to have an amazing person like Mikami to look up to. I think people praise him not only for his playing abilities, but also for his qualities as a leader. As captain of the Waseda Baseball Team, I want to not only lead my team as a player, but also become a better person. Feeling the historical significance of Waseda Baseball, I look forward to pushing my team and myself at my last Waseda-Keio Game.

 Waseda Baseball’s First American Tour

A poster made for Waseda Baseball Club’s second American tour

“If you can become the best in Japan, we will go to America,” said Isoo Abe,  founder of Waseda University’s Baseball Club. In 1905, Manager Abe took the Waseda Baseball Team on its first American Tour (and first international tour for a Japanese team) to prove their international competitiveness. The Russo-Japanese War was in full swing, but Waseda University founder Okuma Shigenobu readily approved the plans for the American tour. Manager Abe once wrote, “Without an international and ambitious leader like Okuma Shigenobu, the proposition of going on an American baseball tour for the purpose of proving our abilities would be nothing more than a foolish dream.”

After defeating Japan’s strongest university teams including the University of Tokyo’s predecessor and Keio University, the Waseda Baseball Team embarked on its American tour on April, 4 1905. The team of twelve players toured the west coast of the United States and returned to Japan on June 29. Although their record was 7 wins to 19 losses, they brought back with them new practice techniques and equipment that influenced the development of baseball in Japan.

Goro Mikami participated in the second American tour from March to August 1911. The team competed on the west coast and east coast and finished with a record of 17 wins to 36 losses. Before World War II, the Waseda Baseball Club had participated in a total of six American tours. The club acheived a winning record of 22 wins to 12 losses in the fifth tour (1927) and a record of 15 wins to 7 losses in the sixth tour (1936).

Major League Baseball (MLB) athletes  from Waseda

Satoru Komiyama (Class of 1990)
Last team: New York Mets

Tsuyoshi Wada (Class of 2003)
Current team: Chicago Cubs

Nori Aoki (Class of 2004)
Current team: San Fransisco Giants

Masumi Kuwata (Class of 2010)
Last team: Pittsburgh Pirates

 

*Original article from Waseda Weekly

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