In 1950, Henry Tadashi "Bozo" Wakabayashi (1908-1965) and Kaoru Betto (1920-1999) were among several players to leave the Osaka Tigers in favor of the Mainichi Orions of the newly formed Pacific League. It turned out to be a smart move, The Orions were league champions with an 81-34-5 record, and they went on to win the inaugural Japan Series in six games. Betto hit .335 with 43 homers and was named league MVP. Wakabayashi was 42 years old at the time, so his pitching workload was much reduced from previous years. Nevertheless, he was the winning pitcher in the first Japan Series game ever played.

Based on the uniforms worn by the players in this photo, it appears that it the photo was taken in 1953. At that point, Wakabayashi was the team's manager. The team had only a middling record. Betto missed half the season because of an injury but still managed to hit. .308. The handwritten legend on the back indicates that this photo most likely appeared in the January 1954 issue of Yakyu Shonen magazine.

This Type 1 photo contains contemporary autographs signed in Japanese of both players. Wakabayashi added the text, "Best wishes to you." in English. It appears that Wakabayashi signed in blue fountain pen ink, while Betto signed in black ink.

Size: 4 5/8" x 6 1/8"

Condition: Both autographs grade 6 out of 10. The photo is Vg/Ex.