Baseball Hero Nagashima Former Yomiuri Coach Dies...Mourning that the man who made baseball a national sport has left
Jun 03, 2025
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According to Japanese local media, Japanese baseball's 'national hero'Nagashima Shigeo Yomiuri Giants' lifetime honorary coach died on the 3rd. He was 89.
Nagashima was born in 1936 and joined the Yomiuri Giants of Japan's professional baseball league in 1958.
During his active career, he played as a four-batter representing the Yomiuri Giants and recorded a batting average of 355, 444 home runs and 1522 RBIs in 17 seasons. With Sadaharu Oh (Wang Jeong-gi), who has the most home runs (868 home runs) in the Japanese professional baseball league, he led Yomiuri's peak with ON4. Yomiuri also won nine consecutive Japan Series titles from 1965 to 1973, when they played an active role. Nagashima received five Central League MVPs and four Japanese Series MVPs, and was selected as the best 9 for 17 consecutive seasons.
When he retired in 1974, he expressed his pride and affection for the club by saying, `I retire today, but the giant army (Yomiuri) will be immortalized forever.'
Nagashima, who took the helm of the Yomiuri immediately after his retirement, won five Central League titles and two Japanese Series titles, sharing another Yomiuri's heyday. He had 1,034 wins, 59 draws, and 889 losses in 1982 games before stepping down as coach of the Yomiuri Giants in 2001.
After putting down his baton, he served as the coach of the Japanese national baseball team, including the 2004 Athens Olympics, and suffered a stroke.
He was recognized for his contribution by receiving the Japanese National Honor Award with Hideki Matsui in 2013, and he also played as a torch runner with Sadaharu Oh and Matsui at the opening ceremony of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Even after the stroke, his affection for baseball continued. Last year, I visited Tokyo Dome several times to encourage coach Shinnosuke Abe, and Abe " (Nagashima) When I come to the stadium, I'm so happy with my energy."
The Japanese baseball community expressed their condolences. Japan 'Sponichi' reported that the person who made baseball a national sport has passed away' and Shohei Ohtani (LA Dodgers) posted a picture of him taking with Nagashima in this year's MLB Tokyo series and said, `Rest in peace for the deceased.'
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This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
