Hitting walk off home run in a 1959 game played
before Emperor Hirohito, at Korakuen Stadium in Tokyo
Japan's most popular baseball player, Nagashima
teamed with Sadaharu Oh to lead the Yomiuri
Giants to 13 Central league pennants and 11 Japan Series titles
over 18 years. He won five MVP awards, six batting titles, five
RBI titles, and two home run titles. Nicknamed "Mr. Giant"
for his clutch hitting heroics, he retired with 2471 base hits,
444 home runs, and 1522 RBIs with his career .305 batting average.
These figures would have been much higher had he not injured his
wrist in 1959, and only played part time the last 11 years of his
career. He managed the Giants for 13 years starting in 1975.
