Roy Yamamura

Born January 26, 1907 in Vancouver, B.C., Yamamura was the embodiment of the Vancouver Asahi spirit of “small ball” and is primarily remembered for his leadership of the legendary team. A base-stealer and batting champ, he was a shortstop who spent 18 seasons as a player and manager in Vancouver’s industrial semi-pro leagues and also played for the top-notch Vancouver Arrows. He was celebrated for his refusal to let the dark days of internment for Japanese Canadians spoil his love of baseball. After the Second World War, he moved East, a common story for many Nisei who felt they needed to disperse in order to prevent any future roundup of this visible minority. Yamamura played baseball after the war for Nisei teams in Hamilton, Ont., and Montreal, Que. He later managed an all-star team in the Hamilton Ontario Nisei Sunday Baseball League, which was formed in 1948. He died on March 10, 1990 in Toronto.