Wakabayashi was born on a Hawaiian pineapple plantation. He played baseball for McKinley High in Honolulu and toured Japan with a Stockton, California team in 1929. He enrolled at Hosei U. to play Big Six League baseball, but the other schools objected to a foreigner enrolling merely for his baseball skills. His Japanese language skills were said to be weak. But Wakabayashi persevered, finally passing the minimum university entrance requirements. After graduating from Hosei, Wakabayashi played for the Osaka Tigers from 1936 to 1949, and for the Mainichi Orions from 1950 to 1953. He won 237 games, with a lifetime ERA of 1.99. Wakabayashi was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1964, the first American to be so honored. All three cards are uncatalogued and blank backed.
Size: Average size--2" x 2 1/2"
Condition: Range--Good to Ex. Average--Vg
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