Wataru Wakiya

• School Toyo University

• Born September 7, 1956 in Yurihonjo, Akita Japan

Biographical Information

Wataru Wakiya was an umpire in Nippon Pro Baseball. He umpired in the Pacific League from 1979 to 1996, working the 1990 All-Star Game. He later worked in selling sporting goods. He was involved in two notable contests. He was at the center of the Violent Tiger Incident in 1982, when he called a ball hit by Hanshin Tigers batter Taira Fujita foul; 3B coach Akiteru Kono said the ball was fair as it had hit the glove of Taiyo Whales 3B Mitsugu Ishibashi. Much of the Tigers bench and coaches Ikuo Shimano and Takeshi Shibata came onto the field and surrounded Wakiya. Shimano and Shibata proceeded to hit and kick him, and also home plate umpire Isao Okada when he tried to intervene. The actions resulted in the suspension of Shimano and Shibata for the remainder of the season. Wakiya also was the home plate umpire when Hiromi Makihara threw the 15th perfect game in NPB annals.

Source: Japanese Wikipedia