Sadaharu Oh
Encyclopedia
Sadaharu Oh, or Wang Chenchih ' onMouseout='HidePop("97539")' href="/topics/Hepburn_romanization">Hepburn
: Ō Sadaharu, born May 20, 1940), is a retired Japanese-Taiwanese baseball
player and manager. He batted and threw left-handed and primarily played first base. Oh, who was born in Sumida
, Tokyo
the son of a Taiwanese father and a Japanese mother, had originally signed with the powerhouse Yomiuri Giants
in 1959 as a pitcher
, but was soon converted to first base. Under the tutelage of coach Hiroshi Arakawa, Oh developed his distinctive "flamingo
" leg kick. His batting average
jumped from .161 in his rookie season to .270 in 1960, and his home run
s more than doubled. His performance dipped slightly in both statistical categories in 1961, but Oh truly blossomed in 1962. He was a five-time batting champion and led all Japanese players in home runs fifteen times and won the Central League
most valuable player award nine times. In 1977, Sadaharu Oh became the first recipient of the People's Honor
award.
Oh played his entire 22-year professional career with the Yomiuri Giants and was their manager from 1984 to 1988. Oh holds the world career home run record, 868, as well as Japan's single-season home run record of 55, set in 1964. He also managed the Fukuoka Daiei/Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
from 1995 to 2008 and he was the manager of the Japanese national team
in the inaugural
World Baseball Classic
. The Japanese team defeated the Cuban national team for the championship. He is currently the chairman of the Hawks.
Sadaharu Oh holds citizenship in the Republic of China
(Taiwan). Despite his celebrity in Japan, Oh, on occasion, was the victim of discrimination because of his Taiwanese ancestry. Oh is the father of three daughters. His second daughter, Rie Oh
(born in 1970), is a sportscaster and presenter on the J-Wave
radio
network.
and suffered several tough defeats. In 1957, Waseda Jitsugyo High School made it to the Spring Koshien Tournament
with the second-year Oh as its ace pitcher
. Right before the tournament started, Oh suffered serious blisters on two fingers of his pitching hand. The only way to heal the injury was with rest, but Oh refused to let his team down. Hiding his injury so as not to demoralize his team, Oh pitched the entire first game at Koshien and won. Oh's catcher noticed the bloodstained ball, but agreed to keep the injury secret from the rest of the team. The next day, Oh pitched another complete game and earned the victory, and again his catcher kept the injury a secret, but the blisters worsened. The pain and infection was unbearable, and now Oh faced the prospect of pitching two more games — on back-to-back days — for the championship. All the same, Oh pitched and won another complete game, enduring the pain. After the game, on the eve of the final, he had already lost all feeling in his fingertips, and was convinced he could not pitch in the final.
That night, Oh was paid a surprise visit by his father, who had noticed the injury while watching his son pitch on television. Oh's father had traveled 350 miles from Tokyo to bring him a herbal remedy. The miracle treatment worked, and Oh was able to just make it through his fourth complete game in four days, squeaking out a one-run victory. Oh had won the championship, proved his fighting spirit, and earned fame and the respect of the nation.
. However, Oh was not a strong enough pitcher to succeed professionally and soon switched to first base
, working diligently with coach Hiroshi Arakawa to improve his hitting skills. This led the development of Oh's distinctive "flamingo" leg kick. It took the left-handed hitting Oh three years to blossom, but he would go on to dominate the baseball league in Japan.
Oh led his league in home run
s fifteen times (and for thirteen consecutive seasons) and also drove in the most runs for thirteen seasons. More than just a power hitter, Oh was a five-time batting champion, and won the Japanese Central League
's batting triple crown
twice. With Sadaharu Oh at first base, the Yomiuri Giants won eleven championships, and Oh was named the Central League's Most Valuable Player
nine times and to the All-Star
team eighteen times.
Sadaharu Oh retired in 1980 at age 40, having amassed 2,786 hits (third after Isao Harimoto
(Jang Hoon) and Katsuya Nomura
), 2,170 RBIs, a lifetime batting average
of .301, and 868 home runs.
His hitting exploits benefited from the fact that, for most of his career, he batted third in the Giants' lineup, with another very dangerous hitter, Shigeo Nagashima
, batting fourth; the two players forming the feared "O-N Cannon". In his autobiography, Sadaharu Oh: A Zen Way Of Baseball (ISBN 978-0812911091), Oh said he and Nagashima were not close, rarely spending time together off the field. Oh was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame
in 1994.
of the Yomiuri Giants between 1984 and 1988. He led the Giants to one Central League pennant in 1987.
In 1995, he returned to baseball as the manager of the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks (later the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks). Oh led the Hawks to three Pacific League
pennants in 1999, 2000 and 2003, and two Japan Series
titles in 1999 and 2003.
In 2006, Oh managed the Japan national baseball team
, winning the championship in the inaugural 2006 World Baseball Classic
over Cuba
. On July 5, he announced that he was taking an indefinite leave of absence from the Hawks to combat a stomach tumor. On July 17, 2006, Oh underwent laparoscopic surgery
to remove his stomach and its surrounding lymph node
s. The surgery was considered to be a success. Although the tumor was confirmed to be cancerous, it was caught in early stages. He returned to coaching the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, although he announced he would retire at the end of the 2008 season as manager (but remain as Hawks' GM). He retired as a manager in 2008.
In 1985, American Randy Bass
, playing for the Hanshin Tigers
, came into the last game of the season against the Oh-managed Giants with 54 home runs. Bass was intentionally walked four times on four straight pitches each time. Bass reached over the plate on the fifth occasion and batted the ball into the outfield for a single. After the game, Oh denied ordering his pitchers to walk Bass, but Keith Comstock, an American pitcher for the Giants, later stated that an unnamed Giants coach had threatened a fine of $1,000 for every strike that any Giants pitcher threw to Bass. The magazine Takarajima investigated the incident and reported that the Giants front office had likely ordered the team not to allow Bass an opportunity to tie or break Oh's record. For the most part the Japanese media remained silent on the incident as did league commissioner Takeso Shimoda.
In 2001, American Karl "Tuffy" Rhodes
, playing for the Kintetsu Buffaloes
, hit 55 home runs with several games left. The Buffaloes played the Oh-managed Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
on a late weekend series in Fukuoka
. Rhodes was intentionally walked during each at-bat. Hawks catcher Kenji Johjima
could be seen grinning as he caught the intentional balls. Again, Oh denied any involvement and Hawks batting coach Yoshiharu Wakana stated that the pitchers acted on his orders, saying, "I just didn't want a foreign
player to break Oh's record." Rhodes completed the season with 55 home runs. Hawks pitcher Keizaburo Tanoue went on record saying that he wanted to throw strikes to Rhodes and felt bad about the situation.
In 2002, Venezuelan Alex Cabrera
hit 55 home runs with five games left in the season and his team played Oh's Hawks. Oh told his pitchers to throw strikes to Cabrera, but most of them ignored his order and threw balls well away from the plate. After the game, Oh stated, "If you're going to break the record, you should do it by more than one. Do it by a lot." In the wake of the most recent incident involving Cabrera, ESPN
listed Oh's single-season home run record as #2 on its list of "The Phoniest Records in Sports."
in December 2001 at age 57, the same illness he would combat in 2006. In December 2002, her ashes were stolen from their family grave.
Hepburn romanization
The is named after James Curtis Hepburn, who used it to transcribe the sounds of the Japanese language into the Latin alphabet in the third edition of his Japanese–English dictionary, published in 1887. The system was originally proposed by the in 1885...
: Ō Sadaharu, born May 20, 1940), is a retired Japanese-Taiwanese baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player and manager. He batted and threw left-handed and primarily played first base. Oh, who was born in Sumida
Sumida, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. It calls itself Sumida City in English.As of 2008, the ward has an estimated population of 240,296 and a density of 17,480 persons per km²...
, Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
the son of a Taiwanese father and a Japanese mother, had originally signed with the powerhouse Yomiuri Giants
Yomiuri Giants
The are a professional baseball team based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. The team competes in the Central League in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top level of professional play in Japan. They play their home games in the Tokyo Dome, opened in 1988. The English-language press occasionally calls the...
in 1959 as a pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
, but was soon converted to first base. Under the tutelage of coach Hiroshi Arakawa, Oh developed his distinctive "flamingo
Flamingo
Flamingos or flamingoes are gregarious wading birds in the genus Phoenicopterus , the only genus in the family Phoenicopteridae...
" leg kick. His batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
jumped from .161 in his rookie season to .270 in 1960, and his home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s more than doubled. His performance dipped slightly in both statistical categories in 1961, but Oh truly blossomed in 1962. He was a five-time batting champion and led all Japanese players in home runs fifteen times and won the Central League
Nippon Professional Baseball Most Valuable Player Award
The is an honor given annually in baseball to two outstanding players in Nippon Professional Baseball , one each for the Central League and Pacific League....
most valuable player award nine times. In 1977, Sadaharu Oh became the first recipient of the People's Honor
People's Honour Award
is one of the commendation bestowed by the Prime Minister of Japan. The award is not restricted to Japanese nationals. The award was created in 1977 and Sadaharu Oh, a Taiwanese national, is the first one to have been bestowed it.-Recipients:...
award.
Oh played his entire 22-year professional career with the Yomiuri Giants and was their manager from 1984 to 1988. Oh holds the world career home run record, 868, as well as Japan's single-season home run record of 55, set in 1964. He also managed the Fukuoka Daiei/Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
The are a Japanese baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. The team was bought on January 28, 2005 by the SoftBank Corporation.The team was formerly known as the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks. In 1988, Daiei bought the team from Osaka's Nankai Electric Railway Co., and its headquarters were...
from 1995 to 2008 and he was the manager of the Japanese national team
Japan national baseball team
The Japan national baseball team is the national baseball team representing Japan in international competitions. They are one of the more successful baseball teams in the world, having won the World Baseball Classic in 2006 and 2009...
in the inaugural
2006 World Baseball Classic
---------Pool B:-------------Pool C:-------------Pool D:-------------Pool 1:-----------------Pool 2:-------------Finals:-Semifinals:-Final:-Final standings:...
World Baseball Classic
World Baseball Classic
The World Baseball Classic is an international baseball tournament sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation and created by Major League Baseball , the Major League Baseball Players Association , and other professional baseball leagues and their players associations around the world...
. The Japanese team defeated the Cuban national team for the championship. He is currently the chairman of the Hawks.
Sadaharu Oh holds citizenship in the Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
(Taiwan). Despite his celebrity in Japan, Oh, on occasion, was the victim of discrimination because of his Taiwanese ancestry. Oh is the father of three daughters. His second daughter, Rie Oh
Rie Oh
is a TV sportscaster and presenter on the J-Wave radio station in Japan.Oh is the second daughter of former baseball player and Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks team manager Sadaharu Oh. She graduated from Aoyama Gakuin University in Tokyo, and is also qualified as a "Junior vegetable and fruit meister" or...
(born in 1970), is a sportscaster and presenter on the J-Wave
J-Wave
J-Wave is a commercial radio station based in Tokyo, Japan, broadcasting on 81.3 FM from the Tokyo Tower to the Tokyo area. J-Wave airs mostly music covering a wide range of formats. The station is considered the most popular among FM broadcasts in Tokyo, and has surprised the radio broadcast...
radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
network.
Prep career
In high school, Oh made many appearances at Koshien StadiumKoshien Stadium
is a baseball park located near Kobe in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. The stadium was built to host the national high school baseball tournaments, and opened on April 1, 1924. It was the largest stadium in Asia at the time it was completed, with a capacity of 55,000.The name Kōshien comes...
and suffered several tough defeats. In 1957, Waseda Jitsugyo High School made it to the Spring Koshien Tournament
National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament
The National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament of Japan, commonly known as "Spring Kōshien" or "Senbatsu" , is an annual high school baseball tournament....
with the second-year Oh as its ace pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
. Right before the tournament started, Oh suffered serious blisters on two fingers of his pitching hand. The only way to heal the injury was with rest, but Oh refused to let his team down. Hiding his injury so as not to demoralize his team, Oh pitched the entire first game at Koshien and won. Oh's catcher noticed the bloodstained ball, but agreed to keep the injury secret from the rest of the team. The next day, Oh pitched another complete game and earned the victory, and again his catcher kept the injury a secret, but the blisters worsened. The pain and infection was unbearable, and now Oh faced the prospect of pitching two more games — on back-to-back days — for the championship. All the same, Oh pitched and won another complete game, enduring the pain. After the game, on the eve of the final, he had already lost all feeling in his fingertips, and was convinced he could not pitch in the final.
That night, Oh was paid a surprise visit by his father, who had noticed the injury while watching his son pitch on television. Oh's father had traveled 350 miles from Tokyo to bring him a herbal remedy. The miracle treatment worked, and Oh was able to just make it through his fourth complete game in four days, squeaking out a one-run victory. Oh had won the championship, proved his fighting spirit, and earned fame and the respect of the nation.
Professional career
In 1959, he signed his first professional contract as a pitcher for the Yomiuri GiantsYomiuri Giants
The are a professional baseball team based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. The team competes in the Central League in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top level of professional play in Japan. They play their home games in the Tokyo Dome, opened in 1988. The English-language press occasionally calls the...
. However, Oh was not a strong enough pitcher to succeed professionally and soon switched to first base
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
, working diligently with coach Hiroshi Arakawa to improve his hitting skills. This led the development of Oh's distinctive "flamingo" leg kick. It took the left-handed hitting Oh three years to blossom, but he would go on to dominate the baseball league in Japan.
Oh led his league in home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s fifteen times (and for thirteen consecutive seasons) and also drove in the most runs for thirteen seasons. More than just a power hitter, Oh was a five-time batting champion, and won the Japanese Central League
Central League
The or is one the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consists of six teams from around the country,The Central League...
's batting triple crown
Triple crown (baseball)
In Major League Baseball, a player earns the Triple Crown when he leads a league in three specific statistical categories. For batters, a player must lead the league in home runs, run batted in , and batting average; pitchers must lead the league in wins, strikeouts, and earned run average...
twice. With Sadaharu Oh at first base, the Yomiuri Giants won eleven championships, and Oh was named the Central League's Most Valuable Player
Nippon Professional Baseball Most Valuable Player Award
The is an honor given annually in baseball to two outstanding players in Nippon Professional Baseball , one each for the Central League and Pacific League....
nine times and to the All-Star
All-star
All-star is a term designating an individual as having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry...
team eighteen times.
Sadaharu Oh retired in 1980 at age 40, having amassed 2,786 hits (third after Isao Harimoto
Isao Harimoto
Isao Harimoto is a Korean former Nippon Professional Baseball player and holder of the record for most hits in the Japanese professional leagues. An ethnic Korean, his birth name is Jang Hun...
(Jang Hoon) and Katsuya Nomura
Katsuya Nomura
was one of Nippon Professional Baseball's greatest players as a catcher and was also a long-time manager for the Yakult Swallows, the Hanshin Tigers, and the Rakuten Golden Eagles of NPB's Pacific League.-Career:...
), 2,170 RBIs, a lifetime batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
of .301, and 868 home runs.
His hitting exploits benefited from the fact that, for most of his career, he batted third in the Giants' lineup, with another very dangerous hitter, Shigeo Nagashima
Shigeo Nagashima
is a Japanese former professional baseball player and manager.Nagashima was by far the most popular figure in Japanese baseball during his career. His contributions to the development of the sport in Japan are immeasurable.-Biography:...
, batting fourth; the two players forming the feared "O-N Cannon". In his autobiography, Sadaharu Oh: A Zen Way Of Baseball (ISBN 978-0812911091), Oh said he and Nagashima were not close, rarely spending time together off the field. Oh was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame
Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame
The Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a Museum which includes a library, reference rooms and Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame ....
in 1994.
Managing career
Oh was the assistant manager of the Yomiuri Giants between 1981 and 1983. He became the managerManager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
of the Yomiuri Giants between 1984 and 1988. He led the Giants to one Central League pennant in 1987.
In 1995, he returned to baseball as the manager of the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks (later the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks). Oh led the Hawks to three Pacific League
Pacific League
The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues constituting Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship competes against the winner in the Central League for the annual Japan Series...
pennants in 1999, 2000 and 2003, and two Japan Series
Japan Series
, or is the annual championship series in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top baseball league in Japan. It is a seven-game series between the winning clubs of the league's two circuits, the Central League and the Pacific League....
titles in 1999 and 2003.
In 2006, Oh managed the Japan national baseball team
Japan national baseball team
The Japan national baseball team is the national baseball team representing Japan in international competitions. They are one of the more successful baseball teams in the world, having won the World Baseball Classic in 2006 and 2009...
, winning the championship in the inaugural 2006 World Baseball Classic
2006 World Baseball Classic
---------Pool B:-------------Pool C:-------------Pool D:-------------Pool 1:-----------------Pool 2:-------------Finals:-Semifinals:-Final:-Final standings:...
over Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. On July 5, he announced that he was taking an indefinite leave of absence from the Hawks to combat a stomach tumor. On July 17, 2006, Oh underwent laparoscopic surgery
Laparoscopic surgery
Laparoscopic surgery, also called minimally invasive surgery , bandaid surgery, or keyhole surgery, is a modern surgical technique in which operations in the abdomen are performed through small incisions as opposed to the larger incisions needed in laparotomy.Keyhole surgery makes use of images...
to remove his stomach and its surrounding lymph node
Lymph node
A lymph node is a small ball or an oval-shaped organ of the immune system, distributed widely throughout the body including the armpit and stomach/gut and linked by lymphatic vessels. Lymph nodes are garrisons of B, T, and other immune cells. Lymph nodes are found all through the body, and act as...
s. The surgery was considered to be a success. Although the tumor was confirmed to be cancerous, it was caught in early stages. He returned to coaching the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, although he announced he would retire at the end of the 2008 season as manager (but remain as Hawks' GM). He retired as a manager in 2008.
Home run record controversy
On three occasions, foreign-born players have challenged Oh's single-season home run record of 55 and faced Oh-managed teams late in the season. On every single occasion, Oh's pitchers refused to throw strikes to them.In 1985, American Randy Bass
Randy Bass
is a former American baseball player and current politician. He is less notable for his career in Major League Baseball than for his success in Japan's Hanshin Tigers of Central League, where he had the most spectacular run of any American to ever play in Japan...
, playing for the Hanshin Tigers
Hanshin Tigers
The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Koshien, Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and are in the Central League. Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd., the subsidiary of Hankyu Hanshin Holdings Inc., owns the Hanshin Tigers directly...
, came into the last game of the season against the Oh-managed Giants with 54 home runs. Bass was intentionally walked four times on four straight pitches each time. Bass reached over the plate on the fifth occasion and batted the ball into the outfield for a single. After the game, Oh denied ordering his pitchers to walk Bass, but Keith Comstock, an American pitcher for the Giants, later stated that an unnamed Giants coach had threatened a fine of $1,000 for every strike that any Giants pitcher threw to Bass. The magazine Takarajima investigated the incident and reported that the Giants front office had likely ordered the team not to allow Bass an opportunity to tie or break Oh's record. For the most part the Japanese media remained silent on the incident as did league commissioner Takeso Shimoda.
In 2001, American Karl "Tuffy" Rhodes
Tuffy Rhodes
Karl Derrick "Tuffy" Rhodes is a professional baseball player. He played six years in Major League Baseball in the US, and eleven years in Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan....
, playing for the Kintetsu Buffaloes
Kintetsu Buffaloes
The was a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Osaka, Japan, which were in the Pacific League. The team was owned by Kinki Nippon Railway Co. and later sold to the Orix Group, the owner of the Orix BlueWave baseball team, in 2004...
, hit 55 home runs with several games left. The Buffaloes played the Oh-managed Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
The are a Japanese baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. The team was bought on January 28, 2005 by the SoftBank Corporation.The team was formerly known as the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks. In 1988, Daiei bought the team from Osaka's Nankai Electric Railway Co., and its headquarters were...
on a late weekend series in Fukuoka
Fukuoka
Fukuoka most often refers to the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture.It can also refer to:-Locations:* Fukuoka, Gifu, a town in Gifu Prefecture, Japan* Fukuoka, Toyama, a town in Toyama Prefecture, Japan...
. Rhodes was intentionally walked during each at-bat. Hawks catcher Kenji Johjima
Kenji Johjima
is a Japanese catcher who is currently playing for the Hanshin Tigers. He played in Major League Baseball for four years with the Seattle Mariners in the American League....
could be seen grinning as he caught the intentional balls. Again, Oh denied any involvement and Hawks batting coach Yoshiharu Wakana stated that the pitchers acted on his orders, saying, "I just didn't want a foreign
Gaijin
is a Japanese word meaning "non-Japanese", or "alien". This word is a short form of gaikokujin , which literally means "person from outside of the country". The word is composed of two kanji: , meaning "outside"; and , meaning "person". Thus, the word technically means "outsider"...
player to break Oh's record." Rhodes completed the season with 55 home runs. Hawks pitcher Keizaburo Tanoue went on record saying that he wanted to throw strikes to Rhodes and felt bad about the situation.
In 2002, Venezuelan Alex Cabrera
Alex Cabrera
Alex Cabrera is a Venezuelan first baseman and right-handed batter who played in Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball...
hit 55 home runs with five games left in the season and his team played Oh's Hawks. Oh told his pitchers to throw strikes to Cabrera, but most of them ignored his order and threw balls well away from the plate. After the game, Oh stated, "If you're going to break the record, you should do it by more than one. Do it by a lot." In the wake of the most recent incident involving Cabrera, ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
listed Oh's single-season home run record as #2 on its list of "The Phoniest Records in Sports."
Personal life
Oh was married to Kyoko Oh , and had three daughters with her. Kyoko Oh died of stomach cancerStomach cancer
Gastric cancer, commonly referred to as stomach cancer, can develop in any part of the stomach and may spread throughout the stomach and to other organs; particularly the esophagus, lungs, lymph nodes, and the liver...
in December 2001 at age 57, the same illness he would combat in 2006. In December 2002, her ashes were stolen from their family grave.
Miscellany
- Oh became friends with Hank Aaron, his contemporary in Major League BaseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
. The two squared off in a home run derbyHome Run DerbyThe Home Run Derby is an event played prior to the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. It is a contest among the top home run hitters in Major League Baseball to determine who can hit the most home runs. The event is currently sponsored by State Farm Insurance...
before an exhibition game at Korakuen StadiumKorakuen Stadiumwas a stadium in Tokyo, Japan. Completed in 1937, it was primarily used for baseball and was home to the Yomiuri Giants until 1988 when they moved next door, to the Tokyo Dome, which sits on the site of the Velodrome. The ballpark had a capacity of 50,000 people. In 1942 Korakuen Stadium played...
on 2 November 1974, after Aaron eclipsed Babe RuthBabe RuthGeorge Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...
's home run record. By that time, Oh was running away with the Japanese home run record, having become the first Japanese baseball player to hit 600 career home runs that year. Aaron won, 10-9. In 1988, Oh and Aaron created the World Children's Baseball Fair (WCBF), to increase the popularity of baseball by working with youngsters. - On December 4, 2007, Oh said in Chiyoda, TokyoChiyoda, Tokyois one of the 23 special wards in central Tokyo, Japan. In English, it is called Chiyoda ward. As of October 2007, the ward has an estimated population of 45,543 and a population density of 3,912 people per km², making it by far the least populated of the special wards...
that it is just a matter of time before his record of 868 home runs will be broken. "I think the 868 record will be broken. There's nobody near that mark in Japan, but I think Alex RodriguezAlex RodriguezAlexander Emmanuel "Alex" Rodriguez is an American professional baseball third baseman with the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball. Known popularly by his nickname A-Rod, he previously played shortstop for the Seattle Mariners and the Texas Rangers.Rodriguez is considered one of the best...
can do it", he added. "He has the ability to hit 1,000." - In 2002 and 2005, he was named by President Chen Shui-bianChen Shui-bianChen Shui-bian is a former Taiwanese politician who was the 10th and 11th-term President of the Republic of China from 2000 to 2008. Chen, whose Democratic Progressive Party has traditionally been supportive of Taiwan independence, ended more than fifty years of Kuomintang rule in Taiwan...
of Taiwan as Ambassador-at-Large of the Republic of China. - President Ma Ying-JeouMa Ying-jeouMa Ying-jeou is the 12th term and current President of the Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan, and the Chairman of the Kuomintang Party, also known as the Chinese Nationalist Party. He formerly served as Justice Minister from 1993 to 1996, Mayor of Taipei from 1998 to 2006, and Chairman...
honored Sadaharu Oh with the "Order of Brilliant Star" on February 5, 2009, in TaipeiTaipeiTaipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
. Oh called receiving the award, "The highest honor of his life." - During the 2009 World Baseball ClassicWorld Baseball ClassicThe World Baseball Classic is an international baseball tournament sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation and created by Major League Baseball , the Major League Baseball Players Association , and other professional baseball leagues and their players associations around the world...
Oh attended many of the games played by Japan.
Statistics
| YEAR | Team Team A team comprises a group of people or animals linked in a common purpose. Teams are especially appropriate for conducting tasks that are high in complexity and have many interdependent subtasks.A group in itself does not necessarily constitute a team... | Number Squad number In team sports, the squad number, shirt number, jersey number, sweater number, uniform number or simply a number is the number worn on a player's uniform, to identify and distinguish each player from others wearing the same or similar uniforms... | G Games played Games played is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated ; the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested.-Baseball:In baseball, the statistic applies also to players who, prior to a game,... | AB At bat In baseball, an at bat or time at bat is used to calculate certain statistics, including batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. It is a more restricted definition of a plate appearance... | R Run (baseball) In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured... | H | 2B Double (baseball) In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice.... | 3B Triple (baseball) In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice.... | HR Home run In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process... | TB Total bases In baseball statistics, total bases refers to the number of bases a player has gained with hits, i.e., the sum of his hits weighted by 1 for a single, 2 for a double, 3 for a triple and 4 for a home run.Only bases attained from hits count toward this total.... | RBI Run batted in Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI... | SB Stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate... | CS Caught stealing In baseball, a runner is charged, and the fielders involved are credited, with a time caught stealing when the runner attempts to advance or lead off from one base to another without the ball being batted and then is tagged out by a fielder while making the attempt... | SH | SF Sacrifice fly In baseball, a sacrifice fly is a batted ball that satisfies four criteria:* There are fewer than two outs when the ball is hit.* The ball is hit to the outfield.... | BB Base on balls A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08... | IBB Intentional base on balls In baseball, an intentional base on balls, usually referred to as an intentional walk and denoted in baseball scorekeeping by IBB, is a walk issued to a batter by a pitcher with the intent of removing the batter's opportunity to swing at the pitched ball... | HBP Hit by pitch In baseball, hit by pitch , or hit batsman , is a batter or his equipment being hit in some part of his body by a pitch from the pitcher.-Official rule:... | K Strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters.... | DP Double play In baseball, a double play for a team or a fielder is the act of making two outs during the same continuous playing action. In baseball slang, making a double play is referred to as "turning two".... | AVG Batting average Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :... | OBP | SLG | OPS On-base plus slugging On-base plus slugging is a sabermetric baseball statistic calculated as the sum of a player's on-base percentage and slugging percentage. The ability of a player to both get on base and to hit for power, two important hitting skills, are represented. An OPS of .900 or higher in Major League... |
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| 1959 | Yomiuri Giants Yomiuri Giants The are a professional baseball team based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. The team competes in the Central League in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top level of professional play in Japan. They play their home games in the Tokyo Dome, opened in 1988. The English-language press occasionally calls the... |
1 | 94 | 193 | 18 | 31 | 7 | 1 | 7 | 61 | 25 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 24 | 1 | 3 | 72 | 2 | .161 | .262 | .316 | .579 |
| 1960 | 130 | 426 | 49 | 115 | 19 | 3 | 17 | 191 | 71 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 67 | 5 | 5 | 101 | 7 | .270 | .375 | .448 | .823 | ||
| 1961 | 127 | 396 | 50 | 100 | 25 | 6 | 13 | 176 | 53 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 64 | 3 | 3 | 72 | 7 | .253 | .358 | .444 | .802 | ||
| 1962 | 134 | 497 | 79 | 135 | 28 | 2 | 38 | 281 | 85 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 72 | 9 | 12 | 99 | 6 | .272 | .376 | .565 | .941 | ||
| 1963 | 140 | 478 | 111 | 146 | 30 | 5 | 40 | 306 | 106 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 123 | 12 | 6 | 64 | 7 | .305 | .452 | .640 | 1.092 | ||
| 1964 | 140 | 472 | 110 | 151 | 24 | 0 | span style="color:red">55 |
340 | 119 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 119 | 20 | 3 | 81 | 8 | .320 | .456 | .720 | 1.176 | ||
| 1965 | 135 | 428 | 104 | 138 | 19 | 1 | 42 | 285 | 104 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 138 | 29 | 6 | 58 | 7 | .322 | .490 | .666 | 1.156 | ||
| 1966 | 129 | 396 | 111 | 123 | 14 | 1 | 48 | 283 | 116 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 142 | 41 | 7 | 51 | 5 | .311 | .495 | .715 | 1.210 | ||
| 1967 | 133 | 426 | 94 | 139 | 22 | 3 | 47 | 308 | 108 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 130 | 30 | 7 | 65 | 7 | .326 | .488 | .723 | 1.211 | ||
| 1968 | 131 | 442 | 107 | 144 | 28 | 0 | 49 | 319 | 119 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 121 | 18 | 10 | 72 | 5 | .326 | .475 | .722 | 1.197 | ||
| 1969 | 130 | 452 | 112 | 156 | 24 | 0 | 44 | 312 | 103 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 111 | 12 | 5 | 61 | 7 | .345 | .472 | .690 | 1.162 | ||
| 1970 | 129 | 425 | 97 | 138 | 24 | 0 | 47 | 303 | 93 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 119 | 24 | 6 | 48 | 8 | .325 | .476 | .713 | 1.189 | ||
| 1971 | 130 | 434 | 92 | 120 | 18 | 2 | 39 | 259 | 101 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 121 | 17 | 5 | 65 | 8 | .276 | .435 | .597 | 1.032 | ||
| 1972 | 130 | 456 | 104 | 135 | 19 | 0 | 48 | 298 | 120 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 108 | 18 | 6 | 43 | 8 | .296 | .435 | .654 | 1.089 | ||
| 1973 | 130 | 428 | 111 | 152 | 18 | 0 | 51 | 323 | 114 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 124 | 38 | 4 | 41 | 7 | .355 | .500 | .755 | 1.255 | ||
| 1974 | 130 | 385 | 105 | 128 | 18 | 0 | 49 | 293 | 107 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2 | span style="color:red">158 |
span style="color:red">45 |
8 | 44 | 4 | .332 | span style="color:red">.532 |
.761 | span style="color:red">1.293 |
||
| 1975 | 128 | 393 | 77 | 112 | 14 | 0 | 33 | 225 | 96 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 123 | 27 | 1 | 62 | 9 | .285 | .451 | .573 | 1.024 | ||
| 1976 | 122 | 400 | 99 | 130 | 11 | 1 | 49 | 290 | 123 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 125 | 27 | 2 | 45 | 8 | .325 | .479 | .725 | 1.204 | ||
| 1977 | 130 | 432 | 114 | 140 | 15 | 0 | 50 | 305 | 124 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 126 | 16 | 6 | 37 | 14 | .324 | .477 | .706 | 1.183 | ||
| 1978 | 130 | 440 | 91 | 132 | 20 | 0 | 39 | 269 | 118 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 114 | 17 | 1 | 43 | 7 | .300 | .436 | .611 | 1.048 | ||
| 1979 | 120 | 407 | 73 | 116 | 15 | 0 | 33 | 230 | 81 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 89 | 10 | 5 | 48 | 9 | .285 | .415 | .565 | .980 | ||
| 1980 | 129 | 476 | 59 | 105 | 10 | 0 | 30 | 205 | 84 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 72 | 8 | 3 | 47 | 9 | .236 | .342 | .462 | .803 | ||
| Total | 2831 | 9250 | span style="color:red">1967 |
2786 | 422 | 25 | span style="color:red">868 |
span style="color:red">5862 |
span style="color:red">2170 |
84 | 59 | 12 | 100 | span style="color:red">2390 |
span style="color:red">427 |
114 | 1319 | 159 | .301 | span style="color:red">.446 |
span style="color:red">.634 |
span style="color:red">1.080 |
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