INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- Akihiro 'Ike' Ikuhara, longtime assistant to Los Angeles Dodgers President Peter O'Malley, died Monday morning at Centinela Hospital Medical Center following a battle with stomach cancer. He was 55.
Ikuhara had undergone surgery for stomach cancer June 18 at Keio University Hospital in Tokyo.
'Ike was an extraordinary individual and had the trust and friendship of everyone he worked with,' O'Malley said. 'He was truly the Dodgers' international goodwill ambassador and he will be deeply missed. My thoughts are with his family at this time.'
Ikuhara became associated with the Dodgers when he asked respected Japanese sports writer Sotaro Suziki for an introduction to O'Malley in order to study American baseball. He joined the organization in spring training of 1965 working for O'Malley, who was then General Manager of the Spokane Indians of the Pacific Coast League. Ikuhara moved to the parent club in 1967 and worked in a variety of capacities.
Ikuhara supervised visits to the United States by the Tokyo Giants in 1967, 1971, 1975 and 1981. Ikuhara also supervised the visits of the Samsung Lions of South Korea in 1985 and the Chunichi Dragons of Nagoya, Japan in 1988.
Among Ikuhara's accomplishments were aiding in the establishment of the first grass baseball field in the People's Republic of China and the building of Matsumae Baseball Field in Moscow. He also participated in meetings inaugurating professional baseball in Taiwan.
Ikuhara teamed with Japanese all-time baseball great Shigeo Nagashima in broadcasting the World Seriesback to Japan from 1981-1986.
'Over the decades, I've known many wonderful people in baseball, but none finer or more dedicated to the game than Ike Ikuhara,' former Baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn said. 'One of my treasured memories of Ike will always be traveling from Tokyo to Beijing and throughout the baseball world with my good friend Ike.'
Ikuhara is survived by his wife Kimiko, son Mutsuo, and daughter Susan.
