The legendary Vancouver Asahi baseball team has been immortalized by Canada Post with a stamp that honours the team that began playing in 1914.
The stamp, featuring 11 Asahi players from the 1940 team, was unveiled in Burnaby yesterday on the 97th birthday of third baseman Kaye Kaminishi, who lives in Kamloops.
The Asahi played for almost three decades, and won several league championships before being forcibly disbanded shortly after Canada declared war on Japan in 1941.
Kaminishi (back row, second from left), the sole surviving member of the team, was joined by players from the Asahi Baseball Association and actor George Takei in celebrating the release of the stamp at the Nikkei Centre.
Canada Post says the stamp recognizes the well-known story of the Asahi players, who used a strategy they dubbed “brain ball” to beat bigger, more powerful teams by relying on bunts, base stealing and squeeze plays.
– With Files from the Canadian Press
The #VancouverAsahi stamp is available tomorrow. Thank you for following along. pic.twitter.com/AI04GIN47U
— Canada Post (@canadapostcorp) April 25, 2019
It’s a full house at the Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Center for the Vancouver Asahi Canada Post stamp launch. Pictured on stage is Kaye Kaminishi, the last surviving player. The team was Inducted in 2005 and their story continues to inspire generations today. pic.twitter.com/QrARvW4ETm
— BC Sports HallofFame (@BCSportsHall) April 25, 2019
