Prince Oana

Who was Prince Oana?

Henry Kawaihoa "Prince" Oana was a Major League Baseball player with the Philadelphia Phillies and Detroit Tigers.

Born in Waipahu, Hawaii, Oana was one of the first Hawaiian players to play Major League baseball. Oana was a big 6 ft 2 in right-hander. He started as an outfielder, playing 6 games for the Philadelphia Phillies, collecting 5 hits and scoring 3 runs. Despite Oana's talents as a hitter, Rogers Hornsby converted him into a pitcher at Fort Worth in the early 1940s. Oana did not return to the Major Leagues until 1943, at age 35, this time as a pitcher for the Tigers. Oana appeared in 10 games as a reliever in 1943, compiling a 3-2. Oana returned to the Tigers in 1945, but played in only 3 games as a reliever.

Oana's career covered more than 20 years as a player and manager. Among the many minor league clubs he was with were San Francisco, Atlanta, Baltimore, Milwaukee, Fort Worth, Dallas and Buffalo. He managed Austin and Texarkana, retiring in 1951.