Transpacific exhibit highlights Dodgers, Japan relationship
07/02/2024 11:21 PM
By Mark Langill
Dodger Stadium — far from Cooperstown, New York and Japan — was the ideal setting for the National Baseball Hall of Fame's announcement of an exhibit that connects Japanese and American Baseball.
With Dodgers Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Dave Roberts present, the Hall of Fame unveiled details of Yakyu-Baseball. The exhibit will explore the wide-ranging exchange of baseball between Japan and the United States from the Meiji era to today and the transpacific circulation of baseball concepts, styles of play, fan experiences, equipment, and people that shaped the shared culture of the game.
It will open in July 2025 in Cooperstown.
With artifacts on display at the podium, Dodger manager and Okinawa-born Roberts joined Ohtani, Yamamoto, Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo (who played for the Nippon Professional Baseball league's Yakult Swallows in 2000) and Hall of Fame president Josh Rawitch made the announcement.
The historic items ranged from a baseball used by Dodger pitcher Hideo Nomo's no-hitter against the Rockies in Colorado on Sept. 17, 1996 — which remains the only no-hitter pitched at Coors Field — to a jersey worn by former pitcher Yu Darvish when he closed out Japan's 5–3 victory over Korea in the finals of the 2009 World Baseball Classic at Dodger Stadium.
Also in attendance was the family of Ike Ikuhara, the longtime executive assistant to Dodger president Peter O'Malley and a member of the Japan Baseball Hall of Fame. Ikuhara joined the Dodgers in 1965 after playing baseball at Waseda University in Tokyo and then as the head baseball coach at Asia University.
A recommendation from Japanese sportswriter Sotaro Suzuki to Dodger team president Walter O'Malley led to Ikuhara joining the Dodgers in 1965. Ikuhara worked in various departments to learn about American baseball. He was a translator when the Tokyo Giants visited the Dodgers' Spring Training Headquarters in Vero Beach, Florida in 1967. Eventually, Ikuhara became a key figure within the international baseball community as the Dodgers hosted the baseball competition at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles
His work and passion occurred during 30 years when there were no Japanese players in the Major Leagues, between pitchers Masanori Murakami (1965 Giants) and Nomo (1995 Dodgers).
Ikuhara passed away at age 55 in 1991.
On Tuesday, the Ikuhara family left the press conference and toured the historical displays adjacent to the Dugout Club, including a copy of Nomo's 1995 National League Rookie of the Year Award. As they walked toward their Field Level seats an hour before the game's first pitch, they marveled as the stands were already filled with fans donning a special Japanese-themed jersey as part of Japanese Heritage Night. Other on-field entertainment highlighted Japanese music, and a video provided details of the Japanese stone lantern on display at the Top Deck, originally a gift commissioned from Suzuki to the Dodgers after Suzuki attended the grand opening of Dodger Stadium in April 1962.
"My husband would be so proud of what has happened with so many star players from Japan in the Majors," said Ikuhara's widow, Kimiko. "This was his dream, and he loved Peter O'Malley like a brother. They worked together to make baseball a truly international game."
Transpacific exhibit highlights Dodgers, Japan relationship was originally published in Dodger Insider on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
