The World Series is here and…honestly I don’t watch baseball 🤣. But I do love devouring a good sports saga. Lisa Heyamoto’s epic article is a remarkable, little-known chapter of American history, full of resilience, joy and the power of sports to bring people together under even the darkest circumstances. It’s also a deeply personal story for Lisa, whose own grandparents were incarcerated during the war. (Read more here about why Lisa was determined to tell this story.)
This piece won the Grand Prize in Narratively’s inaugural Profile Prize, and it’s one of our all-time favorites. Whether you’re a diehard baseball fan—or looking for a great read while the sports fans in your life are distracted watching the games—I think you’ll love this one.
Deep Dives
The pitcher’s mound at Zenimura Field was a hand-packed pile of dry earth, rising a regulation 15 inches above a dusty patch of Arizona desert. Tets Furukawa stood at its summit with the weight of the game on his sloped teenage shoulders. The ninth inning had just ended. The score was tied at 10-10.
