THEN & NOW
/THE SUMMER OF 1926
Asahi and Ex-King George Baseball
By Fred Hume
(click images to enlarge)
Baseball, during the first half of the 20th century, was with little doubt North America’s most popular and closely followed hockey, basketball and football as well, as other sports occupied the background, at least in most of Canada and the United States. As we look at the 1920s it was baseball led by the likes of Yankees’ Babe Ruth that fans followed, reading in the newspapers or gleaning whatever they could from that new medium, radio.
In Canada, particularly western Canada, semi-professional and amateur baseball leagues had sprouted up all over the map and for fans to see baseball live before their very eyes, these were the leagues, teams and players they witnessed.
In 1920s B.C., many of these amateur baseball leagues were functioning, some higher calibre than others, as outside of following the out-of-reach Major Leagues, these local leagues provided fans with their baseball fix.
Within the potpourri of teams in the greater Vancouver area, two stood out as unique, one of which remains virtually a household name today, a century later. As we focus in on the year 1926, we feature these two, the Asahi team, comprised of local Japanese-Canadian lads whose legacy lives to this day, and the Ex-King George club made up of some of Vancouver’s best all-around athletes, many of whom are graduates of King George High School in the West End.
The Asahis were formed locally in 1914 and through the following seasons won over many fans with their style of play and success. Playing at the park within their community – Powell Street Grounds (now Oppenheimer Park) the team provided Japanese-Canadians with pride in an overwhelmingly white Vancouver. Meanwhile, the Green and Black of Ex-King George baseball was one of several sports teams created in 1922 by K.G. teacher, coach and community builder, C.H. Corkum.
EX-K.G FOUNDER G.H CORKUM.
The Ex-King George Club, which fielded teams in rugby, basketball, football, hockey and baseball, was created by Corkum and designed to provide for younger K.G. high school graduates, predominately from the West End, the opportunity to continue their athletic endeavours. And these were significant athletic talents as the Ex-King George brand became well-known during the 1920s and ‘30s, producing championship teams and creating hockey and rugby legacies.
Nineteen twenty-six would prove to be a highlight year for both Asahi and Ex-KG. Only in its fifth year of operation, its third in baseball, Ex-KG was being promoted to the Terminal League - a high level of Senior ‘A’ baseball competition - after having won the 1925 Junior ‘A’ Goulding League title. They were now in the same league as the established and polished Asahi, who had won a league championship in ’19 and who had toured Japan in ’21. The Asahi in fact would many years later be recognized in books and films, a Canada Post stamp, and inductions into the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame and Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. Although competing as amateurs, the Asahi teams from 1914 until the internment of B.C.’s Japanese-Canadians in 1941 created a public appreciation of their style, character and sportsmanship, approaching legendary status a century later.
We begin in April, 1926 when The Province headline shouted “Terminal League Opens on Saturday”. The first game would see the Ex-King George and Mt. Pleasant nines with Mayor L.D. Taylor throwing out the first ball. Ex-King George, the fresh-faced youngsters, most yet to reach age 20 but experienced in Vancouver sport competition, were about to embark upon their first year in this four-team league.
In early May, Asahis in first place after winning four and tying one, hosted at Powell Street Grounds Ex-KG who were in third place. The X-men’s ace pitcher Alex Dobbins held Asahi to only three singles, but capitalizing on errors the Asahi nine won the game 4 – 3. Despite being outhit by KG and the performance of Dobbins, it was great defensive plays by Charlie Tanaka and Roy Yamamura, pitcher George Kato’s eight strikeouts and the clutch hitting of Junji Ito that secured the victory.
ASAHI’S JUNJI ITO.
On May 25, “Japanese Ring Up Another” as the Asahi won their fifth straight with a 6 – 1 victory over Ex-Kings. The Vancouver Sun reported the Asahi were in their very best form, getting good pitching from Roy Nishidera, running the bases, and fielding like big leaguers while carrying punch with their bats. Ex-K.G. football and hockey player Bill Henderson led the “students” with three hits in three at bats, but Eddie Kitagawa “stole two hits off Ex-Kings when he made spectacular running catches in centre field.”
Ex-K.G. PLAYER BILL HENDERSON.
June 7 was a bit of a disaster for the Ex-Kings as the league-leading Asahi found the West Ender’s pitching to their liking, registering an 18 – 4 victory. The winners stole an amazing fifteen bases led by Kitagawa and Tom Matoba each with four. Kitagawa was three for four, scoring three runs while lto also had three hits and three runs. Glen Hope led the Green & Black with two doubles in four trips to the plate. For the winners, Ty Kenichi Suga struck out six, holding the Kings at bay while going two for five at the plate.
In late June the Japanese were sailing along in first place with Ex-King George still adjusting to this better competition, but beginning to improve. According to the Vancouver Sun they gave the Asahi “quite a little scare last evening” before yielding 4 – 2 in a hard-fought game. Suga outduelled Dobbins, striking out eight while allowing seven hits, Dobbins fanning five giving up six hits. Eddie Kitagawa led the winners going two for three with a home run while Carl Gustafson and Bruce McIntyre both went two for three for Ex-KG.
ASAHI’S TOM MATOBA.
The Vancouver Sun in July announced Ex-King George was the most improved team in the Terminal League and perhaps in all of Senior baseball, proving so by holding the Asahi to a victory of only one run. It was the Japanese fifth straight win over Ex-KG but if it were not for a pop fly lost in the sun the result likely would have been different. Ty Suga was masterful on the mound, fanning twelve and allowing only one run, again out duelling his rival Alex Dobbins who struck out seven. Young Doug McIntyre still in high school at King George was one for one at the plate while performing catching duties the entire game. For the Asahi, Junji Ito went two for four scoring two of the team’s five runs.
Asa (morning) Hi (sun) teams were the pride of “Japantown” or “Little Tokyo” which was located in the few blocks north of Hastings and east of Main Street. A handful of the community’s original buildings remain today. The sponsor of the Asahi team was Korichio Sanmiya, who at this time had started Vancouver Malt and Sake Co. the only distiller in B.C. with a distiller’s license.
And for King George high school and the Ex-King George stable of teams it was C.H. Corkum who continued to be the mastermind and key supporter. A further sport connection with King George high school was taking place in the form of KG alumnus Quene Yip, who in February of ’26 made his debut with the UBC Varsity soccer team. Quene was also a star with the Chinese Student Soccer team who in tandem with the Asahi team were winning accolades city-wide for their skill and sportsmanship. The talented Quene had burnished his reputation, being declared the Inter-High school track & field individual champion in the spring of ’25. Situated mere blocks from each other, Yip was creating pride and a positive role model for his Chinatown community as the Asahi team led by Suga, Ito and Kitagawa were for theirs.
Things were getting closer as the July 19 headline read, “Nippons Overcome Lead of Six Runs … beat Ex-King George in two extra innings at Powell.” In this battle with the West Enders the Powell Street lads had to “show a lot of fight” for their 7 – 6 win.
“There were fireworks galore with smart fielding and timely hitting, keeping the big crowd excited…” exclaimed The Province. Several players stood out, Frank Nakamura was the Asahi hitting and fielding star with a home run, Clarence Menzies and Ted Armstrong were hitting “the pill” hard all evening, while super K.G. athlete Percy Choate was scintillating in centre field. This was becoming a rivalry as the two teams were separating themselves from the league’s other two, Mt. Pleasant and Hanburys. However, this Terminal League “rivalry” was certainly in Asahi’s favour, the lads winning their seventh straight contest with Ex-King George by virtue of a 5 – 2 victory on July 28. It was speed and bunting that made the difference as again Suga and Dobbins engaged in one of their classic pitching duels. Suga fanned eight ExKings continuing his mastery, in fact in the thirty-seven innings he had pitched thus far against Ex-KG, arguably his toughest competition, he had struck out forty-one and walked only eight.
EX-K.G.’S ALEX DOBBINS
The evening of August 5 was a cause for celebration as the Asahi officially clinched the Terminal League championship (with one game left to play) with a 4 – 0 shutout of Hanburys.
For the winners, Roy Nishidera pitched the shutout while his teammates stole nine bases, led by Roy Yamamura and Kitagawa each with two.
In the final game of the regular season between Ex-KG and the Asahi, the Japanese again had to come from behind and play their smartest baseball to record a 5 – 4 win. For the Asahi, bunting was once again a deciding factor in addition to Yamamura and Reg Yasui pulling off sensational defensive plays. Alex Dobbins hit a three-run homer for the West End athletes while pitching teammate Percy Choate went the distance in a losing cause.
Ex-King George was now set to oppose Mt. Pleasant on August 10th for procession of the brand-new Runner-Up Cup, kindly donated by the Canadian-Japanese Association. “Ex-Kings Take New Trophy” announced the August 11 Vancouver Sun as the lads from the West End became the initial recipients of this new Japanese – inspired award. The paper’s opening paragraph read, “Ex-King George added more laurels to the brilliant record of the enterprising athletic club when they took home the beautiful silver trophy donated by the Canadian-Japanese Association for the runner-up team in the Terminal League by beating Mt. Pleasant 8 – 5 last evening.” It is a rare and special occurrence when one organization donates a trophy or award to essentially reward a “rival” team within the league. Clever hurling by Alex Dobbins along with three hits by Charlie Leek and three runs scored by shortstop McIntyre led the way for the winners who put in one of their best performances of the season.
EX-K.G.’S CHARLIE LEEK
Notwithstanding their successful initial season, this trophy would likely have offered at least some consolation for the Ex-Kings after having been schooled all year by the Asahi nine. A rivalry, but it appears to be a friendly one. This new trophy awarded to the Ex-Kings was not the only piece of silverware handed out at the conclusion of the ’26 Terminal League season. The Asahi of course received a special prize for winning the league title, but medals were awarded to certain players for special performances during the campaign. The Asahi team was presented the Goldsmith Trophy as league champions while the league’s MVP was the amazing Percy Choate. The K.G. grad and team organizer was not only one of the league’s better pitchers, third baseman and center fielders but was also one of B.C.’s best football and rugby players with the Ex-King George teams. His teammate Glen Hope won the league’s batting title with a .429 average in his eighteen games. Glen was also a mainstay on the Ex-King George Senior ‘A hockey team.
POWELL STREET GROUNDS WITH THE TAMURA BUILDING (FRED HUME PHOTO)
The Asahi players pretty much cleaned up on the remaining honors; Sally Nakamura was the league’s home run champion, Ty Suga was named the league’s best pitcher, Tom Miyata the best outfielder, Roy Yamamura the best infielder and stolen base leader while Reg Yasui was the best catcher. The team also topped the league in batting average, stolen bases, sacrifice hits and fielding average.
Following their Terminal League championship, the stage was now set for the Asahi to advance to the Lower Mainland championship against the rival Twilight League title holders Burnaby … a series that would move to larger Athletic Park and would determine the relative strength of the two organizations.
With their typical “small ball” style, Asahis defeated Burnaby 3 – 0 and 2 – 0 as the Japanese took “two in a row from the prideful suburbanites.” Perhaps the Japanese surprised their proud opponents, but in any event the Asahi defeated their rival league’s champions with “errorless ball”, “airtight fielding”, base stealing and great pitching. The decisive victories gave the Asahi nine the Faye O’Neill Trophy as 1926 lower mainland champions and another feather in their cap toward their ultimate storied legacy.
CREDITS & THANKS
This article was originally written in 2019 and gifted to the King George Archives. Fred Hume was a BC athletics historian and entered the UBC Sports Hall of Fame in 2011.
