This Day in Walter O’Malley History:

  • In his letter to Dodger Director and New York tax attorney Sylvan Oestreicher, Walter O’Malley explains that the Dodgers have to remain within a budget for the 1955 World Series Championship rings. “World Series rings are actually in the province of the Commissioner of Baseball. He pays for them and actually makes the award. Due to the fact that he has recently been in Japan with the Yankees he authorized us to solicit designs and prices. It could very well be that we have gone so far with the matter that he will tell us to conclude the arrangement but that would not give us authority to pay anything above his budget. There is one design that our people seem to like in preference to all others and that has been submitted by a competitor of Lambert Brothers. We have asked that some changes be made and if the final design is what we hope for we think we have an exceptionally attractive ring at the budget price.”

  • The Emperor of Japan awards Walter O’Malley the Third Class “Order of the Sacred Treasure Gold Rays With Neck Ribbon” on the Dodgers’ goodwill tour. The Dodgers went 9-8-1 on the tour. O’Malley received the award for his contribution to the U.S.-Japanese friendship through baseball. The remarks of the Director-General of Prime Minister Eisaku Sato’s Office: “Mr. O’Malley: You have visited Japan twice in 1956 and this year, as the President of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball club, and displayed the spirit of American baseball through the United States — Japan goodwill baseball games which were held at various places in Japan. Further, whenever managers, coaches, players or officials of Japan professional baseball teams visited the United States for the purpose of training, observing, and studying of technique, you kindly extended great help and assistance to them, and actively contributed, through baseball, to the promotion of friendly relations between the United States and Japan. His Majesty the Emperor confers the Third Class Order of Sacred Treasure on you in recognition of your distinguished services. Here I deliver the decoration.”