1927 PHILADELPHIA ROYAL GIANTS VS HAWAII ASAHI (TOUR OF JAPAN) PANORAMA W/HOF'ERS MACKEY & COOPER.
Item Description
Presented here is one of the most sought after artifacts of early international baseball in existence. This monumental panoramic photo depicts the Philadelphia Royal Giants black baseball club and the Hawaii Asahi team prior to their June 5th, 1927 game held at Honolulu Stadium in Hawaii. This original silver gelatin photo has an impressive overall size of 8x44".
The story behind how these two ball clubs came to meet on the baseball diamond this day is one that truly captivates baseball enthusiasts around the world.
The 1927 Philadelphia Royal Giants team traces its roots back to its founder, Lon "Pop" Goodwin, who in 1908 organized a baseball club on the West Coast of the U.S. and named it the Los Angeles White Sox. The White Sox spent their first five years of existence playing local sandlot ball before beginning to tour baseball cities up and down the West Coast until 1916 when the team disbanded. However, four years later in 1920, Goodwin reorganized the White Sox and they again barnstormed against West Coast competition for the next five years. In 1925 "Pop" changed the name of his team to the Philadelphia Royal Giants, even though remaining in California, and the club won the California Winter League championship the next two seasons and were again doing very well in 1927 when Goodwin decided that he would like to see baseball brought across the ocean to the Orient.
At the conclusion of the California Winter League season in March, 1927, Lon Goodwin organized and brought his Philadelphia Royal Giants to Japan to embark on the first ever black American baseball team tour of the Orient. The reception given the team was indescribable, they were treated like kings by the Japanese people. All of the upper dignitaries of the Japanese empire were on hand to greet the players as they were escorted to the palace of the emperor. Key members of the club were future National Baseball Hall of Famers, Biz Mackey (Capt.) and Andy Cooper (SP), along with fellow Negro League legends, Rap Dixon (LF) and Frank Duncan (1B). Other starters for the club were: A.J. Johnson (SP), A. Evans (SP), O'Neal Pullen (C), Robert Fagan (2B), Jesse Walker (3B), J. Riddle (SS), Joe Cade (CF), Green (RF) & Lon Goodwin (Mgr.). All 13 are on the photo we are offering. The tour of Japan was a rousing success for the Royal Giants as they fashioned an undefeated 23-0-1 combined record against all levels of competition. Although the Japanese clubs never won a game, their admiration for the Americans was incredible as they appreciated the opportunity to learn facets of the game that they had never seen before. This love affair between the Japanese people and the Philadelphia club was in stark contrast to when the white Major League Baseball stars had toured the country full of arrogance, steamrolling their way to lopsided victories, one after the other.
At the conclusion of their perfect Japanese tour, the Royal Giants didn't just head back to America but, instead, Goodwin had made further plans to stop in Hawaii and bring the U.S. brand of Negro League ball to the islands there as well. Their very first scheduled game to take place in Hawaii was at Honolulu Stadium, which is when this amazing panoramic photo was taken during pre-game ceremonies. The opposing team for this first ever U.S. black baseball team in Hawaii was the previous season's league champions, the Hawaii Asahi. At the center of the photo, the Royal Giants pennant is being held by Pullen and Johnson while Captain, Biz Mackey, is holding a trophy being awarded to his club. Although both clubs played an admirable game, at the conclusion, the Americans fashioned a 10-0 victory, marking the first of 10 games that they would play while in Hawaii. A few days later, the Royal Giants would lose their first game of the entire three-month tour to an all Chinese club by the score of 3-1. After that contest, rumors circulated that the two ball clubs may have conspired to fix the game in an effort to show that the Americans were not totally invincible. A couple of weeks later, the Royal Giants wrapped up their schedule in Hawaii, finishing with a record there of 8-2 before heading home to the U.S.
Once back on American soil near the end of June, many of the star players on the team faced fines and suspensions from their Negro League employers as their tour had lasted well into their league's season and those players were all under contract and now in violation because they were not available to start the season on time. Thanks primarily to the efforts of Biz Mackey, one of the most liked players in the Negro Leagues at the time, fines and suspensions were minimal and everyone got back to their respective teams and league games.
Although other black ball clubs from the U.S. would make future tours to the far-east, the 1927 Philadelphia Royal Giants will always be remembered for being the first and most widely welcomed club ever to play in Japan. It would be another nine years before the Japanese would form their first professional baseball league, in 1936, thanks in no small part to the efforts of one individual, Lon "Pop" Goodwin, who saw an opportunity to bring U.S. baseball overseas and took full advantage of it.
The Asahi team is on the left of the photo, the Giants on the right. At the left corner is text noting the teams, game locale and date. Under every player is their name and position. Behind them are fully packed stands of anxious spectators awaiting the game.
Photo has notable wear as once rolled and stored over the years. Emulsion wear to margins, more so to top than the other sides. Top edge also has some scattered degrees of moisture staining but to "stands" area only, not impacting the player images in any way. 3.5" tear running vertically from bottom edge to midsection of Fagan, archival tape repair on reverse. Top right corner area has 2" tear with archival tape repair on reverse. The left side of the photo running 6" across there are some heavy crease lines. Additional small creases/tears to entire bottom edge. Both right and left side edges have some small missing pieces and additional wear. Much of the defects would matte out. The image remains strong and distinct, especially that of the players. Overall, just Good but would matte and frame to a much stronger visual presentation and look incredibly impressive in both terms of size and content. The only example known and the first time it has ever come to auction. From the Richard Merkin Collection and comes with Hake's COA.
More photos and detailed information regarding the two ball clubs pictured here can be found in the best selling book entitled "Gentle Black Giants - A History of Negro Leaguers in Japan" by Kazuo Sayama & Bill Staples Jr. A copy of this book shall accompany the photo for the winning bidder.
