Three men on a baseball diamond in 1911 with a crowd in the distance behind them. One is an Iowa player, the other two are from the Waseda baseball team from Japan.

“Strike one!” Iowa vs. Waseda, 1911. Hecker Postcards and Photographs Collection [RG30.0001.034], University Archives.

From curator Dr. Jennifer Sterling:

Baseball has a long and storied history at the University of Iowa, often captured in the keen photography of Julius Robert Hecker and Frederick W. Kent, among others. In 1911, Hecker documented the Iowa men’s baseball home series against Waseda University from Japan.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Iowa teams played primarily against other teams from Iowa with the exception of a growing number of midwestern Big Ten opponents. The 1911 season was no different. Of their 17 games, 8 were against other Iowa institutions and 7 were against Big Ten conference opponents – a game apiece against Chicago and Wisconsin, two against Illinois, and three against Minnesota. However, the remaining 2 games were against Waseda University, who were touring in the United States for a second time (the first was a 1905 West Coast tour). They would play 53 games in 4 months from west to east, including a 2-0 win and an 0-2 loss against Iowa on May 23rd and May 24th.

Recommended reading about Waseda’s 1911 U.S. tour – and other 20th century touring Japanese and Japanese American baseball teams: Issei Baseball, by Robert K. Fitts (2020).

  • Chapter 12: Ballplayers and Diplomats
  • Appendix A, Table 7: 1911 Waseda University American Tour