The 72nd California State Nisei AA Baseball Tournament was held over Labor Day weekend, with some last-minute adjustments necessary due to Mother Nature.
The second of three days of action was washed out by day-long rain, forcing the movement of the semifinals and final to Sunday, with games shortened to seven innings. Due to field conditions, tournament organizers scrambled to find an alternate field, finally being accommodated at Legacy High School in South Gate.
In the final between the Gardena Rebels and LT2 Ballbusters, pitching and defense were the deciding factor at several points in the game. After jumping out to an early 2-0 lead, Ballbusters saw most of their subsequent rallies fall victim to solid defense by the Rebels.
Gardena broke the game open in the third, scoring four runs, two coming on a hit by pitcher Tyler Pham, who finished with four RBI. The Rebels’ scoring torrent continued in the fourth, plating six more en route to a 10-3 victory and the tournament title.
Rebels starting pitcher Eddie Haus was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
The State Nisei AA Baseball Tournament was held in 1953 in the Northern California community of Lodi in its first five years, now taking place at alternating venues between NorCal and Southern California each year.
The tournament brings together the top Japanese American baseball teams from around the state, and over the decades has also welcomed teams from Hawaii, Colorado, and even Japan.
Historically, baseball has been one of the cornerstone activities in Japanese American communities, particularly before World War II. The revival of organized team competition in the 1950s has provided an important outlet for succeeding generations of Nikkei to this day.
– Report and photos by MIKEY HIRANO CULROSS