| July 31, 1890 |
Matsusai Yonamine is born in Nakagusuku, Okinawa |
| 1899 |
Isaburo and Hisano Nishimura leave Hiroshima and
immigrate to Hawaii |
| 1901 |
Kikue Nishimura is born in Hawaii |
| 1907 |
Matsusai Yonamine leaves Okinawa and immigrates to
Olowalu Plantation on Maui |
| 1920 |
Matsusai Yonamine and Kikue Nishimura are married |
| June 24, 1925 |
Kaname (later known as Wally) Yonamine is born in
Olowalu, Maui |
| September 9, 1941 |
Kaname plays in his first organized football game as
a freshmen for Lahainaluna High School. He enters the game
after the starter is injured and throws a touchdown pass on his
first play. Later in the game, he rushes for a touchdown and
runs an interception in for a second touchdown. |
| Fall 1942 |
Kaname leads Lahainaluna to an undefeated season |
| August 1942 |
Kaname leaves Maui and stays with family friend Mac
Flores in Honolulu so that he can play football for Farrington High
School |
| 1943 |
Kaname adopts the nickname "Wally". Eventually
this would become his legal first name. |
| Fall 1944 |
Wally leads Farrington to undefeated season and is
named league MVP |
| June 1945 |
Wally is drafted by the U.S. Army and stationed at
Schofield Barracks outside of Honolulu |
| January 27, 1946 |
Wally plays in Army Pacific Olympics Football
Championship held in Tokyo |
| Spring 1946 |
Wally turns down an offer to play professionally
with the Pittsburg Steelers |
| September 29, 1946 |
Playing for the Leialum, Wally attracts attention of
San Francisco 49ers turning a game against the University of
Portland |
| May 13, 1947 |
Wally signs two-year deal with the San Francisco
49ers for $14,000 |
| Summer 1947 |
Plays baseball for Asahi in Honolulu |
| August 31, 1947 |
Wally plays in his first professional football game
against the Brooklyn Dodgers |
| October 12, 1947 |
Wally has his finest game for the 49ers.
Against the Chicago Rockets he averages 4.7 yards in 8 carries,
catches 2 passes, and makes an interception. |
| Summer 1948 |
Plays baseball for Asahi in Honolulu |
| July 1948 |
breaks hand while playing for Asahi in Hilo, Hawaii |
| August 1948 |
49ers release Wally because of his injury |
| Fall 1948 |
Wally plays football for the Hawaiian Warriors of
the Pacific Coast Pro Football League |
| December 1948 |
Pacific Coast Pro Football League folds |
| January - March 1948 |
Wally plays baseball for Waialae of the Honolulu AJA
League |
| Summer 1948 |
Plays baseball for Asahi in Honolulu |
| August - September 1948 |
Wally joins the Hawaiian Warriors for a tour of the
East Coast |
| September 18, 1948 |
Wally's shoulder dislocated in game against Paterson
Panthers in Bloomfield, New Jersey. The injury may have cost
Yonamine a Major League career |
| October 1949 |
Wally meets Jane Iwashita |
| February 1950 |
Wally attends San Francisco Seals spring training
camp at El Centro, California |
| April 2, 1950 |
Wally optioned to Salt Lake City Bees of the
Frontier League |
| May 29, 1950 |
Wally hits his first professional home run, driving
the ball 345 feet over the right field fence against the Ogden Reds |
| July 24, 1950 |
Wally steals 3 bases in one game |
| September 1950 |
Finishes season with a .335 BA (4th in league), 165
hits (second in league), 118 runs (third in league), 30 stolen
bases (second in league), 24 doubles, 3 triples, and 3 home runs |
| October or November 1950 |
Lefty O'Doul suggests that Wally play baseball in
Japan |
| January - February 1951 |
plays baseball for Moiliili in Honolulu AJA League |
| April 16, 1951 |
Yonamine signs a two-year deal with the Yomiuri
Tokyo Giants |
| May 1951 |
Wally arrives in Tokyo |
| June 19, 1951 |
Wally first game in Japan. He lays down a bunt
single in his first at bat, electrifying the crowd with his speed |
| September 11, 1951 |
Wally steals all three bases in one innings and home
twice in the same game against the Swallows. Both were
Japanese records |
| October 1951 |
Yonamine helps Giants to the pennant and Japan
Series title with a .354 BA, 17 doubles, 5 triples, .519 SA and 26
stolen bases. |
| February 2, 1952 |
Wally married Jane Iwashita |
| April 3, 1951 |
Wally hits his first sayonara home run as he helps
the Giants beat the Shochiku Robins |
| October 1952 |
Giants winning their second consecutive pennant.
Wally finished second in batting race with a .344 BA. Finish
top in the league in hits, runs scored and doubles. Named to
Best Nine team. |
| October 1952 |
Giants win Japan Series over Nankai Hawks.
Wally named Outstanding Hitter with .416 BA |
| December 27, 1952 |
Wally and Jane's first child Amy Shizuko is born |
| October 1953 |
Giants win third straight pennant Wally hits
.307 and is named to the CL Best Nine |
| October 16 1953 |
Wally kicks the ball out of third baseman Kazuo
Kageyama's glove to set up Giants' Japan Series win over the Hawks |
| September 19, 19954 |
Shigeru Sugishita of the Dragons walks Yonamine
intentionally with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth and a
6-4 lead so he doesn't have to face Wally's hot bat. Sugishita
retired the next batter to win the game. |
| October 1954 |
Wally becomes the first foreigner to win the Central
League batting crown as he hits .361. Wally also leads the
league in runs scored, hits and doubles. |
| November 1954 |
Wally and the Giants tour Australia and Manila |
| February - March 1955 |
Wally and the Giants tour Latin America |
| July 1, 1955 |
Wally and Jane's second child Wallis Keiko is born |
| September 4, 1955 |
Wally collides with Sabuto Hirai and fractures jaw
and face. Finishes the '55 season with a .311 BA |
| March 21, 1956 |
Wally opens the Giants' season with a lead off home
run in the opening game off Masaichi Kaneda |
| July 1956 |
Japanese fans elect Wally to the All-Star team with
the highest number of votes |
| September 1956 |
Wally wins CL batting crown with .338 average |
| August 20, 1957 |
Wally and Jane's third child Paul Kaname is born.
Wally celebrates by hitting a home run against the Carp |
| October 1957 |
Giants win their third consecutive pennant.
Wally is named MVP leading the league with a .343 BA and 160 hits. |
| July 1958 |
Japanese fans elect Wally to the All-Star team |
| October 1958 |
Giants win another pennant as Wally is elected to
his seventh consecutive Best Nine team |
| October 1959 |
Giants win pennant as Wally has fourth highest BA in
league |
| October 1960 |
Giants fail to win the pennant for the first time
since 1954 as Wally hits .228 |
| November 1960 |
Giants fire Shigeru Mizuhara and name Tetsuharu
Kawakami as the new manager. Yomiuri does not renew Wally's
contract. Wally has the highest career batting average in
history of Japanese baseball with .316 |
| December 1960 |
Wally signs with the Chunichi Dragons |
| opening 1961 |
Wally homers in the ninth inning to beat the Giants
in the season opener |
| October 1961 |
Wally finishes the season with a .178 BA. His
career BA dips to .311 placing him behind rival Kawakami as Japan's
all-time leading hitter |
| May 1962 |
Wally retires as an active player and becomes the
Dragon's batting coach |
| 1962-66 |
Dragons batting coach |
| 1967-70 |
Lotte Orions batting coach |
| 1970-71 |
Dragons head coach |
| Fall 1971 |
Named Dragons manager |
| 1972 |
Leads Dragons to third place finish 67-59-4 |
| 1973 |
Leads Dragons to third place finish 64-61-5 |
| 1974 |
Dragons win Central League pennant, Wally named
manager of the year |
| 1975 |
Leads Dragons to second place finish |
| 1976 |
Leads Dragons to fourth place finish |
| 1977 |
Leads Dragons to third place finish |
| 1978-80 |
Yomiuri Giants coach |
| 1981-82 |
Nankai Hawks head coach |
| 1983-84 |
Seibu Lions coach |
| 1985-88 |
Nippon Fighters head coach |
| 1994 |
Elected to the Japan Baseball Hall of Fame |
| 1994 |
Awarded the Japan Imperial Order of Sacred Treasure,
Gold Rays with Rosette |
| 2005 |
Listed among the 100 most important people in
Honolulu's history by city commission |
| 2006 |
San Francisco 49ers create Perry-Yonamine Award for
community outreach |
| 2007 |
Named Hawaiian Living Treasure |
