Tashme Baseball Stories

Baseball was a very popular spectator sport in Tashme, as it was in all internment camps.  Many of the players were members of organized teams in Vancouver and other coastal regions and were brought together to form leagues in each internment camp.  Of particular significance were the players of the famed Vancouver Asahis which was disbanded by the forced removal order.  These players became team leaders in the various camps.

As Tashme was secluded and isolated from other communities and other internment camps, three leagues were formed: Senior, Junior and Old Men’s.  Rivalry was fierce but friendly and the play highly entertaining to the many fans who came out to keenly watch each game.   The games were well attended during the summer months and the playoffs in the fall were always highly anticipated.    New Canadian 1943.09.25.08

Tashme-ites Enthuse at Baseball Tilts

by Doug Fujimoto

Tashme's senior baseball setup was organized by the Tashme Youth Organization in the form of a league backed financially by the Shinwakai.  The four teams were the Asahis, Arawashis, Wakabas and Nippons and included both single and married men as well as workers from the nearby Hope road camps.

The official opening of the league was held in June when the Arawashis and the Asahis met at the newly-constructed Tashme ball field.  The late J.J. Sutherlnad, at that time assistant supervisor, pitched the first ball. 

After a close race all through the season, a capacity crowd of several hundred gathered September 12 to watch a thrilling sudden death game between the two top teams to decide the league leadership.

The game was a ding-dong duel all the way between the Arawashi pitcher Yosh Mende and Wakaba hurler Spud Kato.  It was only decided by costly errors by the Wakabas in the fifth stanza giving the game and pennant to the Arawashis. 

Wakabas and Nippons will battle it out in the semi-finals to decide the right to meet the Arawashis for the Tashme senior championship. New Canadian 1943.09.25.08

Arawashis Tashme Senior Ball Champs

TASHME B.C. Arawashis clipped the Nippons 10-8 in the final game of the Tashme Baseball Legue two-out-of-three playoffs, to cop the Championship Cup on Sunday September 26 at the Tashme ball park. 

In a hard-fought final series the first game found the league leader Arawashi squad winning out over the Nippons 10-6 whithpitcher Aki Mizuguchi winning own ball game with a homer with based loaded in the second inning. 

Daly Kobayashi ace Nippon hurler brought  his team back in the running with a three-hit shut out victory over the high flying leaders, 7-0 on Sunday September 26.

The deciding game was played later in the day and found the league leaders had just a little too much for the hard-fighting Nippons. 

The champion Arawashi squad are as follows: Aki Mizuguchi, Yoshi Mende,Tats Mizuguchi, pitchers; Doug Fujimoto, catcher and manager; Kaoru Matsumiya 1b; Aki Mizuguchi, Yoshi Watanabe, George Watanabe, Harvey Morizugu 2b; Elmer Harafuji 3b; Art Watanabe ss; Tommy Kamino, Frank Omotani, Hideo Nishimura, Harold Heike, Mickey Hayakawa, outfielders. 

Nippons: Kazuo Kato manager and lf; Tokio Tehara, captain and catcher, Art Arai ss; Fujio Inamoto 3b; Jimmy Ota cf; George Inata, Daly Kobayashi pitchers; Charlie Yoshida, 1b; Toki Kamino rf; Thomas Sumida 2b; Kiyoshi Yamanaka, Mickey Nakamura, Mac Oikawa, Yas Oikawa.  New Canadian 1943.10.09.08

Tashme Ball Players Have 3 Leagues

TASHME, B.C. Another baseball season is in full swing here with three leagues keeping baseball-conscious youngsters and oldsters active every evening of the week.

The senior loop games is the chief attraction of the summers sports season drawing over half of the Tashme population to the grounds on Wednesdays and Sundays.

Frank Shiraishi, fleet footed left fielder for the Vancouver Asahi in pre-evacuation days is still active in this sport alternately playing shortstop and pitching for the Tashme Asahi team.

The junior circuit play league games three times a week and these youngsters take baseball seriously and show promise of becoming future diamond stars.

 The "hago", or "baldheaded" league, which is composed of picked teams from among married men, liven up Monday and Tuesday evenings with their antics on the diamond. What baseball they don't play is made up for in the noise they make.

Officials for the senior league are Giichi Nakayama, scorekeeper; Fred Kato, Sho Okawara, Bob Kumano and Shige Yoshida, umpires.

Sports conveners for the Shinwakai which sponsors the leagues are K. Nishihara, Ken Yamasaki and Johnny Nihei.

Teams in the leagues with their respective managers are:

Senior League: Wakaba, Johnny Nihei; Hayabusa, George Aoki; Asahi, K. Nishihara; Yamato, Mitsuo Oikawa.

Junior league: Wakagusa, Chic Kageyama; Hinode, Mickey Hayakawa; Tsubame, Shoji Nakashima; Taiyo, Thomas Hatashita.

Old Men's league: Satsuki; Sumire; Ayame; Sakura. New Canadian 1944.07.29.08

Tashme Senior Loop Series Underway

TASHME, B.C. The youthful Hayabusas are two up on the hard fighting Wakabas in the finals of the Tashme "World Series" by downing the "Road Camp Sluggers" 6-2 and 13-7 in a doubleheader played in the morning and afternoon of Sunday September 24.

The first game of the finals saw George Aoki's hustling Hayabusas score a brilliant victory over the Wakabas behind the superb pitching of George Inata.  He allowed only six well scattered singles while his teammates gave him air tight support in the field.  The game was cinched when the Hayabusas collected four solid smacks off the offerings of "Iron Man" Harafuji for as many runs in the fifth.  The Road Campers rallied in the sixth to score their only two tallies of the game on two scratch hits but to no avail. 

Umpires: Bobby Kumano, Shige Yoshida, Sho Okawara and Fred kato.  Scorekeeper, Giichi Nakayama.

In the second encounter, the Hayabusas got the jitters when the offerings of starting pitcher Daley Kobayashi failed to stop a rampaging Roadcamp nine.  The slugging players of Johnny Nihei's Wakabas collected five singles and before the dust cleared away 7 runs were across the platter.  At this stage the worried Hayabusa manager Aoki yanked Daley in favor of Elmer Harafuji, who saved the day for the Hayabusa squad.  Jimmie Ota got a smashing three bagger for the biggest hit of the game in the fourth frame, scoring a run ahead of him.  Before the game ended, the hard working Roadcamp moundman Mac Oikawa was nicked for 7 safeties and 13 runs while his team mates juggled the pill 7 times.  New Canadian 1944.10.02.02

Wakagusas Win Tashme Junior League Championship in Best of Seven Series

TASHME  B.C. Downing the Taiyos 3 games to 1, the hustling Wakagusas captured the Tashme Junior League Baseball Championship.

In the first game of the Junior League Finals, the Wakaguasa tronced the Taiyos to the tune of 15-2 on October 1.

The second game saw the dynamic Wakagusas go down to defeat by the score of 12-11 after a thrilling five run rally put on by the struggling Taiyos give them the necessary runs to win a hard fought slugging duel on October 8.

The third game was won by the Wakagusas 7-6 on Thanksgiving Day, October 9.  The Taiyos put on their usual rally but failed to make the lone counter to tie up the game and lost by a narrow margin of one run.

The fourth and final game saw the Wakagusas really go to town by smashing out a lop-sided victory 28-4 behind the mound work of Noboru Uchikura. 

The players:  Wakagusas: Chik Kageyama cf, Funio Nishimura rf, Kikuo Sumi ss, Noboru Chikura p, Takayuki Uchikura 2b, Tetsuo Seki 1b, Tatsuo Koyanagi lf, George Furumoto 3b, Ben Sakamoto c.

Taiyos: Tom Sumida ss, Harold Miwa 1b, Errol Kobayashi c, Shoji Shibatani rf, Jimmie Kwai cf, Wally Fukumoto p, Takeshi Kobayashi lf, Arnold Arai 3b, Thomas Hatashita 2b. New Canadian 1944.10.28.08

Tashme Baseballers Receive Awards

TASHME  B.C. The presentation of awards for the past baseball season to the pennant winning teams of the Senior, Junior and the Old Men's Leagues and individual, fielding and batting champs was held October 23 at the "D" Building.

The Shinwakai-sponsored wind up party opened with a short introductory speech by Ken .Yamazaki. Raichi Shirakawa spoke on behalf of the Shinwakai, Yasuhara Kadoguchi for the T.Y.O. and Dr Taihei Kuzuhara represented the baseball fans.  A summary of the season's games was given in detail by Giichi Nakayama, official scorekeeper.  Yasushi Nishihara made the presentations of the various awards. 

The trophy, which was won by the Arawashis last year, was presented to the Hayabusas, current champions in the senior loop.  Awards were alos made to the teams in first and second standing in each league.  These prizes were donated by the Shinwakai.  Senior league: 1. Hayabusas, 2. Wakabas, .  Junior league: 1. Wakagusas, 2. Taiyos.  Old men's league: 1.  Sumire. 2. Agamas. New Canadian 1944.11.04.08

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