Philadelphia Royal Giants

Led by Hall of Famers Biz Mackey and Andy Cooper, the Philadelphia Royal Giants were a barnstorming Negro League team which joined Kenichi Zenimura's Japanese American Fresno Athletic Club in a barnstorming tour of Japan in 1927, and on their own again in 1932. The squad was managed by Lon Goodwin and comprised of players from the two leagues: the semi-pro Greater Southern California Baseball League (GSCBL) L.A. White Sox and the Negro League All-Star Philadelphia Royal Giants of the California Winter League. The team is credited by Japanese baseball historian Kazuo Sayama as a major source of inspiration for the start of professional baseball in Japan in 1936. The name Philadelphia Royal Giants was used by several teams in the California Winter League, far from Philadelphia, PA; the team often had prominent Negro League stars on its roster over the years.