Dave Reardon: Numatas keep good vibes flowing for late son

The caps and shirts say Live Like Numi.

On Friday, they played like him, with a lot of heart and smiles.

Chace Numi Numata reached home safely 212 times on the baseball field during a 10-year pro career.

He was just a few feet from doing so, a block away from his apartment in Erie, Pa., in the early morning hours of August 30, 2019, when his electric skateboard suddenly stopped, throwing Numata forward, to the street.

On Sept.

2 he died of head injuries from the accident.

He was just four days shy of coming home (to Hawaii), said his mother, Cher, noting that his team, the Erie SeaWolves, had just one series left to complete the season.

The switch-hitting catcher, who was an All-State player at Pearl City High as a senior in 2010, was 27 when he died.

Six years later, Numata lives on in spirit via the bright futures of high school stars in Hawaii, and in two pitchers who have led the Detroit Tigers to the best record in the American League as the All-Star break approaches.

The Chace Numata Senior All-Star Classic drew more than 600, including some scouts, to Les Murakami Stadium.

The game showcased the talents of nearly 50 standouts from schools statewide.

Aiva Arquette and Wehiwa Aloy both locks to be picked in the first round of the MLB draft a week from today played in this game in 2022, event director and founder Eric Tokunaga said.

I wanted to honor (Numata) in some way or form, said Tokunaga, the shortstop on the 1980 University of Hawaii College World Series team, scout and former Farrington coach.

Tokunaga credited his friend Darren Akiyama with a lot of the early organization.

Numata was universally lauded as a great teammate and friend by players from the Phillies, Yankees and Tigers organizations some who played with him only briefly.

He was a one-man dance party, hyping the team before games, and the go-to guy for a pep talk during tough times.

His motto was positive vibes only, and Chaces aura was present Friday.

So were his dad, Nathan, and uncle, Garrett Nago, as coaches.

The Aloha Stars edged the Hawaiian Stars 9-8 in 10 crisp innings.

They were played, for the most part, with much better efficiency and teamwork than you expect in a game weeks after the end of the high school season.

Despite what the score might inidcate, the pitchers were mostly sharp.

They threw strikes.

A bit of Manoa mist blessed the field before the first inning, but it did not cause a delay or any sloppy defense.

It was competitive, and fun including a head-first slide at home by Bubu Sarono of Campbell during a run-around-the-bases event between innings.

Befitting a game named for a catcher, there was also a Live Like Numi Pop Time contest.

At first I thought that might have something to do with drinking soda, probably because of too much competitive hot dog eating on my TV in recent days.

Then, I remembered: Pop time is how long it takes the catcher to throw the ball to second base.

Nicholas Nashiwa of Maui won that.

During the actual game, he played second base and catcher, which allowed him to accomplish the rare feat of throwing out and tagging out runners at the plate in the same game.

That sounds like something Chace Numata might have done, since he played a lot of shortstop and pitched in high school, too.

Afterward, everyone gathered for pictures and bentos, including Aloha Stars coaches Timo, Christian and Jordan Donahue and the Hawaiian Stars staff, which in addition to Chaces dad and uncle included Mike DeKneef, another former pro from Pearl City.

Cher Numata spoke of how gracious people from the Tigers organization were when Chase died, and how some remain family friends.

Their minor league director, Dan Lunetta, still keeps in touch with us, she said.

Theyre family to us.

There was some talk that Numata, who had played some Triple-A, might get a September call-up to the Tigers that year.

But one certainty was his signed contract for a second big league camp with them for the next spring training.

They all said having Chace around was like having another coach on the field, said Nago, hisuncle who also nearly made it to the majors as a catcher, in the 1980s.

Its impossible to know, but there was a chance Numata could have been a Detroit Tiger now part of a team that has the best record in the American League and is threatening to run away with the AL Central championship.

The pitchers he caught for (at Erie), theyre in The Show now, Cher Numata said.

In Detroit they are the show.

Last years Cy Young Award winner, Tarik Skubal, is 10-2 with a 2.15 ERA.

Casey Mize improved to 9-2 and dropped his ERA to 2.63 with seven scoreless innings as the Tigers beat the Guardians 1-0 on Saturday.

Numata caught them both in 2019 at Erie.

Mize was 6-3 with a 3.20 ERA in 15 games and Skubal had a 2.13 ERA with 82 strikeouts and 18 walks in nine starts.

Judging from what they said about him, they might agree a part of Numata is still with them now.

Hes the best thing, every best thing about a human you could want, Skubal said in a New York Times article after Numatas death.

He taught me a lot about the game.

Weve talked for hours at a time when I was in the dugout, and weve just talked about pitching.

He did a great job ...

because Ill try to be too hard on myself.

Hed say, Hey, just be you.

He was just the best guy..

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