Japanese baseball legend Shigeo Nagashima dies at 89: Shohei Ohtani remembers former Yomiuri Giants icon
Getty Images Shigeo Nagashima, one of the greatest and most beloved players in Japanese baseball history, has died at the age of 89. Nagashima's death was confirmed by the Yomiuri Giants, the Nippon Professional Baseball league squad that he both played for and managed during his storied career. Robert Whiting, an author and authority on Japanese baseball, once wrote of Nagashima that he was "the most loved, most admired and most talked about figure in the history of sport since the days of Joe DiMaggio." Nagashima, a third baseman, appeared in parts of 17 NPB seasons, stretching from 1958-74. He batted .305/.379/.540 with 444 home runs and 190 stolen bases. He won five Central League Most Valuable Player Awards, including four from 1961-68. He hit .330 or better five times, cleared the 30-homer threshold five times, and, at the peak of […]
