1979 Australian composite baseball team photograph
1979A colour photograph of the composite 1979 Australian Baseball Team that competed against South Korea at Forster Park in Belmont, Western Australia.
Australia first embarked on the journey of playing other countries in 1969. The South Korean national baseball team toured Australia in November 1979, playing a series of games in Perth, Adelaide and Melbourne.
The first series started with two games at Forster Park in Belmont, Perth, Western Australia. In the first match on Saturday 17 November, Australia out-batted Korea nine hits to six, behind a brilliant pitching display by Ray Michell, to win 5-2.
The following day in a big hitting match, a towering two-run homer hit by Korean third baseman, Yong Hee Kim in the fifth inning gave the tourists a win, beating Australia 7-5.
National Library of Australia
[https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/110965769]
[https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/110968711]
Details
Details
The composite Australian team that played South Korea in Perth consisted of local but regular Australian team members, together with Australian team players from other States. Pictured are (L-R):
Back row: Ian Warchomij (Manager), Murray Westphal, John Kyle, Jim Strickland, Mark Stipetich, Darryl Moyle, Don Fiscus, Geoff Martin.
Centre row: Ray Michell, Graham Ward, Rod Byrne (Coach), Bob Ossey, Don Kyle, Brian Greatrex.
Front row: John Croswell, Tony Goadby, Doug Mateljan, Bradley Byrne (Bat Boy), Don Knapp, Barry Kirk.
The original photograph was taken by stalwart of Western Australian baseball, Doug Corker. This copy was donated to the Baseball WA Museum & Archives by Don Kyle, an elite player who was a member of the 1979 Australian team, and a Baseball WA Hall of Fame inductee in 2021.
Western Australia
Australia
The photograph has historical and social significance as it records an international baseball match, held in Perth, Western Australia between Australian and South Korean teams. This tournament confirmed that Asian countries were coming to terms with Australia now being a powerful playing nation deserving respect.
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[Photographic credit: Doug Corker]
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