Shigeo Nagashima, Beloved All-Time Great of Japanese Baseball, Dies at 89

The .305 lifetime hitter was mourned by Shohei Ohtani and others.

Shigeo Nagashima (center) participates in the Olympic torch relay in 2021 along with Sadaharu Oh and Hideki Matsui. / Mandi Wright-Imagn Images

Former Tokyo Yomiuri Giants third baseman Shigeo Nagashima—one of the most successful and beloved players in the history of Japanese baseball—has died of pneumonia, his former team announced Tuesday. He was 89.

Nagashima played for the Giants from 1958 to '74, during which time he became one of the nation's most famous athletes. He posted a lifetime slash line of .305/.379/.540 with 444 home runs and 1,522 RBIs.

Like his power-hitting teammate in that era—first baseman Sadaharu Oh—Nagashima garnered interest from North American teams. However, he never left Japan, and in fact criticized some players who did.

That did not blunt his outsized impact on the Japanese stars who came after him, such as Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter and pitcher Shohei Ohtani—who honored him with an Instagram post.

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A post shared by Shohei Ohtani | 大谷翔平 (@shoheiohtani)

Nagashima's accolades included 11 Japan Series titles (to go with two as a manager), five Central League MVP awards, and four Japan Series MVP awards.

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