Wilbur Donald Wakamatsu (born February 22, 1963) is an American former professional
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
player,
scout
Scout may refer to:
Youth movement
*Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement
**Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom
**Scouts BSA, sectio ...
, coach, and
manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includes the activities o ...
. Wakamatsu was drafted in the 11th round of the
1985 Major League Baseball draft by the
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...
. He played as a
catcher
Catcher is a Baseball positions, position in baseball and softball. When a Batter (baseball), batter takes their at bat, turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home plate, home) Umpire (baseball), umpire, and recei ...
in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
for the
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...
. He served as the bench coach of the
Texas Rangers from 2018 through 2021. He was hired as bench coach of the
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...
for the 2014 season. He was the manager of the
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...
for the 2009 season, as well as the majority of the 2010 season.
[Booth, Tim (November 19, 200]
"Seattle Mariners name Don Wakamatsu as manager"
AP. Retrieved on November 19, 2008 He was the
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...
' bench coach for 2011 and 2012, after which he was replaced by
DeMarlo Hale
DeMarlo Hale (born July 16, 1961) is an American professional baseball coach who is currently serving as bench coach for the Cleveland Guardians of Major League Baseball (MLB). Hale played minor league baseball from 1983 to 1988 in the Boston Re ...
.
[
] During the 2013 season he worked as a scout for the
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...
in the
Dallas/Fort Worth area.
Playing career
High school and collegiate
Wakamatsu was a three-sport star at the
Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Gov ...
's
Hayward High School in California, and ultimately chose baseball over
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
due to his lack of size. He and former
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...
head coach
Jack Del Rio
Jack Louis Del Rio Jr. (born April 4, 1963) is an American football coach who is the defensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football as a linebacker at the University of South ...
were baseball and football teammates.
He was also an All-
Pac-10
The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its College football, football teams compete in the NCAA D ...
catcher during his last three years at
Arizona State University
Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...
, where he was a teammate of
Barry Bonds
Barry Lamar Bonds (born July 24, 1964) is an American former professional baseball left fielder who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Bonds was a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1986 to 1992 and the San Francisco Giants f ...
and
Alvin Davis
Alvin Glenn Davis (born September 9, 1960), nicknamed "Mr. Mariner", is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and designated hitter. He played eight of his nine seasons for the Seattle Mariners and won the American League Rookie of the Year ...
. He was drafted by the
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...
as the last pick of the
1984 Major League Baseball draft
First round selections
The following are the first round picks in the 1984 Major League Baseball draft.
Other notable players
*Jeff Blauser†, 1st round (secondary phase), 4th overall by the Atlanta Braves
* Greg Maddux‡, 2nd round, 31st ...
, but decided to return to ASU.
Professional
Wakamatsu was drafted in the 11th round of the
1985 Major League Baseball draft by the
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...
. He reached the Double-A level before the Reds released him before the 1989 season.
Shortly after the Reds released him, he signed with the
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...
, who assigned him to the Double-A
Birmingham Barons
The Birmingham Barons are a Minor League Baseball team based in Birmingham, Alabama. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox and plays at Regions Field in downtown Birmingham. The current ...
. He spent 1990 and most of 1991 with the Triple-A
Vancouver Canadians
The Vancouver Canadians are a Minor League Baseball team located in Vancouver, British Columbia. They are members of the Northwest League and are affiliated with the Toronto Blue Jays. The Canadians play their home games at Nat Bailey Stadium. ...
before getting his only call to the big leagues in May 1991. Wakamatsu played 18 games in the majors as a backup
catcher
Catcher is a Baseball positions, position in baseball and softball. When a Batter (baseball), batter takes their at bat, turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home plate, home) Umpire (baseball), umpire, and recei ...
for the White Sox in 1991,
working in all of his starts for
knuckleball
A knuckleball or knuckler is a baseball pitch thrown to minimize the spin of the ball in flight, causing an erratic, unpredictable motion. The air flow over a seam of the ball causes the ball to change from laminar to turbulent flow. This chan ...
er
Charlie Hough
Charles Oliver Hough (; born January 5, 1948) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) knuckleball pitcher and coach who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox, and Florida Marlins from 1970 to 1994.
Play ...
.
After the 1991 season the White Sox granted Wakamatsu
free agency
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
, and he signed with the
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...
shortly after. He spent 1992–1996 playing at the Double-A and Triple-A levels in the Dodgers,
Texas Rangers,
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...
,
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...
and
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...
organizations before his playing career ended at age 33.
Coaching career
Minor leagues
Following his playing retirement, Wakamatsu became a minor league manager in the
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The f ...
system, managing the
Arizona League Diamondbacks
The Arizona Complex League Diamondbacks are a professional baseball team competing as a Rookie-level affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Salt River Fields ...
in 1997, the Class-A
High Desert Mavericks
The High Desert Mavericks were an American Minor League Baseball team in Adelanto, California, that played their home games at Heritage Field at Stater Bros. Stadium. They played in the Class A-Advanced California League. The franchise had eight ...
in 1998, and the Double-A
El Paso Diablos
"El Paso Diablos" refers to two different professional baseball teams based in El Paso, Texas, in the United States. The most recent Diablos were a member of the South Division of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, whi ...
in 1999. In 1998 he was named Manager of the Year in the
California League
The California League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in California. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following Major Leag ...
,
after leading the
High Desert Mavericks
The High Desert Mavericks were an American Minor League Baseball team in Adelanto, California, that played their home games at Heritage Field at Stater Bros. Stadium. They played in the Class A-Advanced California League. The franchise had eight ...
to the playoffs.
He spent 2000 managing the
Erie SeaWolves
The Erie SeaWolves are an United States, American professional baseball team based in Erie, Pennsylvania. They compete in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) as a member of the Eastern League (1938–present), Eastern League's Southwest Division, serving ...
, the
Anaheim Angels
The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...
' Double-A affiliate, and then the next two seasons as a roving catching instructor in the Angels organization.
Major leagues
From 2003 to 2006, Wakamatsu was the
Texas Rangers' bench coach. During the 2006 season, he served as manager for two games while
Buck Showalter
William Nathaniel "Buck" Showalter III (born May 23, 1956) is an American professional baseball manager for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). Previously, he served as manager of the New York Yankees (1992–1995), Arizona Diamondb ...
was in the hospital with an irregular heartbeat brought about due to dehydration, and in 2007, took the third base coach job when
Ron Washington
Ronald Louis Washington (born April 29, 1952) is an American former professional baseball shortstop. He played Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota Twins, Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians, and Houston Astros.
W ...
took over as manager. He spent 2008 as the bench coach of the
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...
.
On November 19, 2008, Wakamatsu was named the manager of the Seattle Mariners, replacing interim manager
Jim Riggleman
James David Riggleman (born November 9, 1952) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) manager and bench coach who coached with several teams between 1989 and 2019. He is currently the manager for the Billings Mustangs of the independent ...
, and becoming the first
Asian-American
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of such immigrants). Although this term had historically been used for all the indigenous people ...
manager in the majors.
![001U2406 Don Wakamatsu (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c1/001U2406_Don_Wakamatsu_%28cropped%29.jpg)
On April 6, 2009, Wakamatsu won his managerial debut as the Mariners beat the
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...
6–1 on
Opening Day
Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent years ...
.
Later in the season, Wakamatsu was officially selected as a coach under
Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. Since its inception ...
manager
Joe Maddon
Joseph John Maddon (born February 8, 1954) is an American former professional baseball manager and coach. He has managed the Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago Cubs, and Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball.
Maddon began his coaching career in MLB ...
for the
2009 MLB All-Star Game in St. Louis along with
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...
manager
Trey Hillman
Thomas Brad "Trey" Hillman (born January 4, 1963) is an American professional baseball coach. He has also served as the manager of the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters in Japan's Pacific League, the Kansas City Royals in the American League and the SK ...
on June 17, 2009.
Fred Claire, former baseball executive and current writer for
MLB.com
MLB.com is the official site of Major League Baseball and is overseen by Major League Baseball Advanced Media, L.P. (a subsidiary of MLB). MLB.com is a source of baseball-related information, including baseball news, statistics, and sports column ...
, stated that Wakamatsu and his staff, composed of bench coach
Ty Van Burkleo
Tyler Lee Van Burkleo (born October 7, 1963) is a former bench coach for the Seattle Mariners, hitting coach for the Cleveland Indians, and a former first baseman in Major League Baseball. He played for two different major league teams in his care ...
, pitching coach
Rick Adair
Michael Richard Adair (born January 19, 1958) is a former pitching coach for the Baltimore Orioles and a former minor league baseball player. He was succeeded as pitching coach by Bill Castro.
Playing career
As a player, Adair played college b ...
, hitting coach
Alan Cockrell
Atlee Alan Cockrell (born December 5, 1962) is an American professional baseball outfielder and coach. He was most recently the hitting coach for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball.
Football career
Twice named first-team all state, Co ...
, first base coach
Lee Tinsley
Lee Owen Tinsley (March 4, 1969 – January 12, 2023) was an American professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1993 to 1997 for the Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies. He later serv ...
, bullpen coach
John Wetteland
John Karl Wetteland (born August 21, 1966) is an American former baseball pitcher who played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (1989–2000). He pitched for four teams: the Los Angeles Dodgers, Montreal Expos, New York Yankees, and Texas Rang ...
and performance coach
Steve Hecht, deserved credit for a 24-game improvement. Claire wrote this about Wakamatsu:
On May 20, 2010, during a game against the
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...
, Wakamatsu received his first career
ejection. As of June 12, 2010, he had a career total of two ejections.
On August 9, 2010, amidst one of the worst seasons in team history, Wakamatsu was fired as Mariners manager. He finished with a record of 127 wins and 147 losses.
On November 8, 2010, Wakamatsu was announced as the new
bench coach
In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, who determines the starting lineup and batting order, decides how to substitute players during the game, and makes strategy decisio ...
for the
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...
, under new manager
John Farrell.
During 2013, Wakamatsu worked as a professional talent
scout
Scout may refer to:
Youth movement
*Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement
**Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom
**Scouts BSA, sectio ...
for the New York Yankees.
On October 25, 2013, Wakamatsu was announced as the new
bench coach
In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, who determines the starting lineup and batting order, decides how to substitute players during the game, and makes strategy decisio ...
for the
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...
.
On April 19, 2015, Wakamatsu was one of five Royals (also pitching coach
Dave Eiland
David William Eiland (born July 5, 1966) is an American former professional baseball player who was a pitcher for ten Major League Baseball seasons. Eiland played college baseball for the University of Florida and the University of South Florida, ...
, manager
Ned Yost
Edgar Frederick Yost III (; born August 19, 1954) is a former Major League Baseball catcher and manager of the Milwaukee Brewers and Kansas City Royals. He played for the Brewers, Texas Rangers, and Montreal Expos.
Early life
Yost was born o ...
, pitcher
Kelvin Herrera and shortstop
Alcides Escobar
Alcides Escobar () (born December 16, 1986), is a Venezuelan professional baseball infielder who is currently a free agent. He previously played in MLB with the Milwaukee Brewers, Kansas City Royals and Washington Nationals, and the Tokyo Y ...
) to be ejected in a game against the
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...
. Two games prior, Escobar had been injured following an attempt by A's third baseman
Brett Lawrie
Brett Russell Lawrie (born January 18, 1990) is a Canadian former professional baseball third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, Oakland Athletics, and Chicago White Sox.
Amateur career
While playing hi ...
to break up a double play. Considering the slide a dirty one, Royals pitcher
Yordano Ventura
Yordano Ventura Hernández (; June 3, 1991 – January 22, 2017) was a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). Ventura made his MLB debut on September 17, 2013. Known as a power pitche ...
hit Lawrie in the elbow the following game and was immediately ejected. In the series finale, A's pitcher
Scott Kazmir
Scott Edward Kazmir (; born January 24, 1984) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He previously played for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Rays, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Cleveland Indians, Oakland Athletics ...
hit
Lorenzo Cain
Lorenzo Lamar Cain (born April 13, 1986) is an American professional baseball center fielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers and the Kansas City Royals. The Brewers drafted him in the ...
in the foot and warnings were given. Yost and Eiland were immediately ejected for arguing. Later in the 8th inning, Kelvin Herrera threw a 100 mph fastball behind Lawrie and a trio of ejections followed (Herrera, Wakamatsu and Escobar). The Royals would end up winning the game 4–2 despite the ejections. Wakamatsu was actually ejected twice, as when a warning has been issued, the pitcher and manager are automatically ejected. Wakamatsu was the acting manager. This was the cause of his first ejection, the second being him arguing with the home plate umpire.
The Rangers hired Wakamatsu as their bench coach before the 2018 season. When manager
Jeff Banister
Jeffery Todd Banister (born January 15, 1964) is an American former professional baseball player and manager. He is the bench coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Before that, he was a special assistant for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major Lea ...
was fired in September 2018, Wakamatsu took over as interim manager. He finished with a record of three wins and seven losses.
He returned to his position as bench coach for the following season. Wakamatsu was let go by Texas following the 2021 season.
Managerial record
Personal life
![Luke Wakamatsu (28345174466)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/Luke_Wakamatsu_%2828345174466%29.jpg)
Wakamatsu is married to Iowa native Laura Lynn Mullin. He resides in
North Richland Hills, Texas
North Richland Hills, commonly known as NRH, is a city inside Tarrant County, Texas, United States, and a mid-to-high end suburb of Fort Worth. The population was 69,917 at the 2020 census, making it the third largest city in Tarrant County. In ...
with wife, and their three children, sons Jacob and Lucas and daughter Jadyn. Both his sons are also baseball players. Jake was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 48th round of the
2011 MLB Draft
The 2011 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2011, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Gerrit Cole out of the University of California, Los Angeles, with the first ...
and currently plays in the Kansas City Royals organization. Luke was drafted in the 20th round of the
2015 MLB Draft
Fifteen or 15 may refer to:
*15 (number), the natural number following 14 and preceding 16
*one of the years 15 BC, AD 15, 1915, 2015
Music
*Fifteen (band), a punk rock band
Albums
* ''15'' (Buckcherry album), 2005
* ''15'' (Ani Lorak album ...
.
Born to a
Japanese American
are Americans of Japanese ancestry. Japanese Americans were among the three largest Asian American ethnic communities during the 20th century; but, according to the 2000 census, they have declined in number to constitute the sixth largest Asi ...
ironworker father and an
Irish American
, image = Irish ancestry in the USA 2018; Where Irish eyes are Smiling.png
, image_caption = Irish Americans, % of population by state
, caption = Notable Irish Americans
, population =
36,115,472 (10.9%) alone ...
dental assistant
mother,
[
] he is
fourth generation Japanese American and the first Asian-American manager in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
history.
His paternal great-grandparents emigrated from Japan to
Orting, Washington
Orting is a city in Pierce County, Washington, United States. The population was 9,041 at the 2020 census.
History
The first recorded claims for land in Orting were made in 1854 by William Henry Whitesell, Thomas Headley, Daniel Lane, and D ...
in the early 20th century and settled in
Hood River, Oregon
The city of Hood River is the seat of Hood River County, Oregon, United States. It is a port on the Columbia River, and is named for the nearby Hood River. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 8,313. It is the only city in Oregon whe ...
, where Wakamatsu was born. His father was born in the
Tule Lake War Relocation Center
The Tule Lake National Monument in Modoc and Siskiyou counties in California, consists primarily of the site of the Tule Lake War Relocation Center, one of ten concentration camps constructed in 1942 by the United States government to incarce ...
, a Japanese American
internment camp
Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simply ...
located in Northern California near the Oregon border.
Close friends and players call him Wak (pronounced "wok").
References
External links
*Interview with Don Wakamats
MyNorthwest.comVenezuelan Professional Baseball League statistics
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wakamatsu, Don
1963 births
Living people
Albuquerque Dukes players
American baseball players of Japanese descent
American expatriate baseball players in Canada
American people of Irish descent
Arizona State University alumni
Baseball coaches from Oregon
Baseball players from Oregon
Billings Mustangs players
Birmingham Barons players
Canton-Akron Indians players
Caribes de Oriente players
Cedar Rapids Reds players
Chattanooga Lookouts players
Chicago White Sox players
Kansas City Royals coaches
Major League Baseball catchers
Major League Baseball bench coaches
Major League Baseball third base coaches
Minor league baseball managers
Navegantes del Magallanes players
American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela
New Orleans Zephyrs players
New York Yankees scouts
Oakland Athletics coaches
Oklahoma City 89ers players
People from Hood River, Oregon
People from North Richland Hills, Texas
Port City Roosters players
Seattle Mariners managers
Sportspeople from Hayward, California
Tacoma Rainiers players
Tampa Tarpons (1957–1987) players
Texas Rangers coaches
Toronto Blue Jays coaches
Vancouver Canadians players
Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks players