Japan House LA - Game Changing: Baseball, Japan, and the O’Malley Family
Los Angeles, CA • designed 2020
Game Changing: Baseball, Japan, and the O’Malley Family tells the story of the enduring trans-Pacific friendships between the O’Malleys and Japanese baseball owners, executives, players, and fans. It draws on the O’Malley Family Collection which includes a number of rarely seen objects that represent this fascinating slice of baseball history, including correspondence, photographs, and rare memorabilia.
It explores the many visits to Japan by the Dodgers including the '56 tour organized by Walter O’Malley, owner of the Dodgers, and Matsuharo Shoriki, the “father of Japanese baseball" as well as residencies by Japanese coaches and players at Dodgertown, the historic Vero Beach Spring training facility.
The exhibit reaches a climax with “Nomomania,” the frenzy that follows the signing of superstar pitcher Hideo Nomo.
