International Boys' League & World Tournament Baseball

Learn more about the history between the Alameda World Tournament Baseball and the International Boys’ League. Don’t hesitate to contact us for more information.

In 1973, the Japanese Boys League sent a team of 14 to 15-year-olds to California to play friendship baseball games. Their goal was to promote international understanding and friendship between Japan and the United States.

They asked Mr. P.A. Shibata, a respected Japanese businessman living in Hayward, to make this dream possible. Mr. Shibata arranged games against the Hayward, Santa Maria, and Gardenia teams. The Japanese team stayed at local hotels throughout their visit. Similar trips occurred in 1975 and 1977.

Several Alameda Babe Ruth Board members watched the 1977 game in Hayward. We saw that the Japanese players came to the game by bus and left by bus. We told Mr. Shibata that Alameda would host the boys in our homes the next time a Japanese team came to California. We were the first city to make a Japanese team an offer of homestay. He asked us to put it in writing and send it to Japan, which we did.

We had no idea that our simple homestay offer would lead to over 250 Alameda players having a chance to visit and have a homestay in Japan, as well as many others playing baseball in Australia, Brazil, Hawaii, Italy, and Mexico.

In 1978, the Japan Boys League asked Mr. Shibata to form a team that would go to Japan for two weeks of friendship games. Mr. Shibata asked Howard Zenimura of Fresno to manage a team composed of players from Fresno and Alameda. Families of the Japan Boys League players graciously invited the young American players to stay in their homes during their visits.

In 1979, the Japan Boys League team came to California again, but this time, Alameda, Fresno, and San Diego hosted the young Japanese players in our homes. Our three teams thus formed a special relationship with Japan. When Japan hosts, our three teams are invited to come to Japan a week before the tournament for homestay in Japan, in Alameda’s case in Fukuoka.

In 1982, an informal organization called the International Boys League was formed. Its purpose was and remains today to foster international goodwill and friendship by holding a world youth baseball tournament each year. The host team invites participants, organizes the tournament, and provides homestay for the players on the foreign teams.

The First International Boys League Tournament was held in Osaka, Japan, in 1982 with four Japanese teams, three California teams, and Taiwan. During the succeeding years, teams from Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Cuba, Germany, Guatemala, Italy, Mexico Rojo (Red) from Baja California, Mexico Verde (Green) from Mexico City, Puerto Rico, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and five from the United States (Alameda, Castro Valley, Fresno, Hawaii, and San Diego) have participated in these tournaments.

Alameda hosted the tournament in 1990, 1996, 2001, 2008 and 2017. We are scheduled to host again in 2025. This year’s tournament in Hawaii will be the 41st tournament (COVID caused the cancellation of the 2020–22 tournament).

1982 Osaka, Japan – Osaka
1983 San Diego, California – San Diego
1984 Fukuoka, Japan – Osaka
1985 Fresno, California – San Diego
1986 Osaka, Japan – Norcal (Alameda/Fresno)
1987 San Diego, California – San Diego
1988 Mexico City – Japan
1989 Nagoya, Japan – San Diego
1990 Alameda, California – Fresno
1991 San Diego, California – Japan
1992 Tokyo, Japan – Taiwan
1993 Mexico City – Mexico Verde
1994 Fresno, California – Japan
1995 N. Biwako Lake, Japan – Kansai, Japan
1996 Alameda, California – Japan
1997 Fukuoka, Japan – Japan
1998 Hawaii – Japan
1999 Osaka, Japan – Japan
2000 Fresno, California – East Bay Phillies
2001 Alameda, California – Brazil
2002 Osaka, Japan – Mexico Verde
2003 Brazil – Japan
2004 San Diego, California – Mexico Rojo
2005 Fresno, California – Japan
2006 Japan – Japan
2007 Culiacan, Mexico – Japan
2008 Alameda, California – Japan
2009 Nettuno, Italy Mexico – Verde
2010 Mazatlan, Mexico – Mexico Verde

2011 Fukuoka, Japan – Japan
2012 New Castle, Australia – Japan
2013 Fresno, California – Japan
2014 Oahu, Hawaii (San Diego Host) – Japan
2015 Okazaki, Japan – Japan
2016 Seoul, South Korea – South Korea
2017 Alameda, California – Japan
2018 Australia – Korea
2019 Nettuno, Italy – Japan
2020 Oahu, Hawaii (San Diego Host)
2002 Osaka, Japan – Mexico Verde
2003 Brazil – Japan
2004 San Diego, California – Mexico Rojo
2005 Fresno, California – Japan
2006 Japan – Japan
2007 Culiacan, Mexico – Japan
2008 Alameda, California – Japan
2009 Nettuno, Italy Mexico – Verde
2010 Mazatlan, Mexico – Mexico Verde
2011 Fukuoka, Japan – Japan
2012 New Castle, Australia – Japan
2013 Fresno, California – Japan
2014 Oahu, Hawaii (San Diego Host) – Japan
2015 Okazaki, Japan – Japan
2016 Seoul, South Korea – South Korea
2017 Alameda, California – Japan
2018 Australia – Korea
2019 Nettuno, Italy – Japan
2020 Oahu, Hawaii (San Diego Host)