Legendary Japanese Baseball Player Shigeo Nagashima Passes Away at 89
Baseball legend Shigeru Nagashima, also renowned as 'Mr. Pro Baseball,' passes away at 89 years old.
Bid farewell to Shigeo Nagashima, icon of Japanese baseball and beloved figure in the nation, who passed away at the age of 89.
The Yomiuri Giants, the team he brought fame to and managed, confirmed the news yesterday. Special editions of newspapers, reminiscent of a bygone era, were distributed on the streets to announce his demise.
Nagashima found glory in a period before Japanese baseball superstars like Ichiro Suzuki and Shohei Ohtani began to dominate Major League Baseball. Ohtani, in a touching tribute, posted three pictures of himself with Nagashima on social media before the Los Angeles Dodgers' game on Monday night, two taken during the Dodgers' visit to Tokyo for the opening games of the 2021 season.
"May your soul rest in peace," wrote Ohtani.
After his silent performance that saw him hit a major league-leading 23rd homer and drive in the tying run, Ohtani declined to speak to reporters.
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi remembered Nagashima as one who "gave bright dreams and hopes to society."
Nagashima was the driving force that led the Giants to nine straight Japan Series titles from 1965 through 1973, alongside his equally famous teammate, Sadaharu Oh. Their batting prowess captivated a Japanese public emerging from the ashes of World War II, sharing family moments in front of black-and-white televisions tuned to games.
With an outsized personality and captivating charisma, Nagashima became a popular public figure, symbolizing a confident post-war Japan. His dramatic walk-off homer that clinched a Giants win in the first professional game ever attended by Japan's emperor in 1959 still echoes in the annals of baseball history.
Oh paid tribute, recalling, "I am really shocked to learn of his demise. I'm really disappointed that Mr Nagashima, who shines brightly in the history of Japanese baseball, has departed after a long illness. He taught me a lot of things. I'm grateful to have been able to play with him."
Nagashima's career statistics include a .305 batting average, 2,471 hits, 1,522 RBIs, and 444 home runs, playing for 17 seasons and retiring in 1974. He returned to manage the Giants from 1975 to 1980 and again from 1993 to 2001. Nagashima was fired following the 1980 season, as the Giants failed to win the Japan Series during his tenure. However, he returned to lead the Giants to the Japan Series title in 1994 with Hideki Matsui, who later played for the New York Yankees. Nagashima also clinched the championship in 2000.
Despite a stroke in 2004 that left him partially paralyzed, Nagashima was set to manage Japan at the Athens Olympics.
Inspiring current players like Ohtani, Nagashima's influence extends beyond his stellar career, becoming one of the most revered figures in Japanese baseball history. Nagashima's contributions were recognized with his induction into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988 and the People's Honour Award in 2013.
Sports and football, two spheres that Nagashima might have found enjoyment in, as reminiscent of a bygone era, newspapers with his tribute graced the streets, during the time when he electrified the nation in Japanese baseball history. Although baseball was his passion, he would have appreciated the brilliance of other sporting heroes like Ohtani, who silently honored Nagashima in his own way on the baseball field.
