Reflecting on the 1962 Detroit Tigers Tour of Japan

A Far East Diversion After a Lost Season

According to historical accounts published by the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), the Detroit Tigers embarked on a monthlong goodwill tour of Asia in October 1962 following a disappointing fourth-place finish. Traveling during a rain-soaked World Series, the scaled-back squad of players, executives, and wives arrived in Tokyo on October 18, 1962, to play 17 matches against Japanese competition alongside stops in Seoul and Okinawa.

Injuries and Roster Depletion

The 1962 Detroit club finished the regular season 10½ games behind the pennant-winning Yankees, registering 16 fewer wins than their second-place finish in 1961. SABR notes that the team’s struggles were heavily driven by injuries to key personnel, including starter Frank Lary with a sore arm, outfielders Al Kaline with a broken collarbone, Billy Bruton with a sore leg and broken jaw, and first baseman Norm Cash with a broken finger.

By the time the team touched down at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, Bruton remained sidelined, while Kaline battled torn ligaments in his foot sustained during preliminary games in Honolulu. Outfielder Rocky Colavito stayed behind in the United States to support his wife as she battled illness, leaving manager Bob Scheffing to manage a roster that featured just three regular outfielders and a nine-man pitching staff, alongside team owner and President John E. Fetzer and the traveling secretary.

Early Success in Regional Tune-Ups

Before beginning the Japanese slate of games, the Tigers completed successful tune-ups in regional stops. According to SABR documentation, the team defeated a servicemen’s team 9-0 in Okinawa, anchored by five no-hit innings from Jim Bunning. In Seoul, the Tigers beat an all-star team 8-0, featuring a three-run home run by Bubba Morton.

Diplomacy and High-Level Receptions

Official receptions marked the team’s arrival in Japan. On October 20, 1962, Japanese Foreign Minister Masayoshi Ohira hosted a cocktail party for the players, executives, and wives. Tigers President Fetzer presented Ohira with silver cufflinks adorned with tiger heads, an introduction facilitated by Hawaiian businessman Yetsuo Higa and the Mainichi newspaper corporation.

Setting New Rules for Transpacific Play

Commissioner Ford C. Frick joined the traveling party in Tokyo after being delayed by a seven-game World Series between the Yankees and the Giants. Speaking to the Associated Press, Frick stated that a primary purpose of his trip was to meet with Japanese baseball officials to establish formal rules governing the movement of players between the United States and Japan.

Frick told the press, Before I leave we hope to agree on a definite set of rules under which American players can come to Japan, as reported by SABR.