Shigeo Nagashima
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese
former professional baseball
player and manager.
Nagashima was by far the most popular figure in Japan
ese baseball
during his career. His contributions to the development of the sport in Japan are immeasurable.
baseball team from 1954–1957. He joined the Yomiuri Giants
in 1958, and his career made his name almost synonymous with Japanese baseball. His jersey number (3) is now a retired number for the Yomiuri Giants.
After retiring, he became manager of the Yomiuri Giants from 1975–1980, and again from 1993–2001. He was scheduled to manage the Japanese national team for the 2004 Athens Olympics
, but he suffered a stroke shortly before and was hospitalized. He has recovered from his stroke, appearing at a baseball game in the Tokyo Dome
in 2005, and in a television commercial in 2006, with his son, Kazushige.
Nagashima has four children. His eldest son, Kazushige Nagashima
is a former professional baseball player, and currently works as a sportscaster. Kazushige was not nearly as successful as his father on the field, but he played on the Yomiuri Giants when his father was manager, and has since launched a successful career as an actor and TV personality. His eldest daughter works as a businesswoman, and his younger daughter was a newscaster for TV Asahi
. His youngest son is a professional race-car driver. Kazushige had twin daughters in 2004, making Nagashima a grandfather. Shigeo lost his wife, Akiko, on September 18, 2007.
during his childhood (the Tigers are the arch rival of Nagashima's future team, the Yomiuri Giants). After graduating from his local high school in Chiba, he entered Rikkyo University, and became the team's regular third baseman. He won the batting title for two consecutive years in the Tokyo Big6 Baseball League
, and was given the Best Nine Award five seasons in a row at third base. By his senior year, scouts from every professional team wanted to sign Nagashima, and the Nankai Hawks and Hiroshima Carp were particularly active in recruiting Nagashima. It was almost decided that he would sign with the Hawks, but he ended up joining the Yomiuri Giants in November, 1957. He signed with the Giants for 18,000,000 yen; the highest salary for a baseball player at the time.
(coincidentally, Sadaharu Oh
also struck out in all of his at-bats in his debut game against Kaneda). Regardless, Nagashima became the team's clean-up hitter by mid-season, and the Giants won the league championship. Nagashima led the league in HRs (29) and RBIs (92), and was awarded the rookie of the year award
. He would have hit .300 with over 30 home runs and 30 steals in his rookie year, but he had one home run scratched off his record because he forgot to step on first base while rounding the bases after hitting a home run.
Nagashima played his most popularized game on June 25, 1959, when the Japanese emperor attended a baseball game for the first time. Nagashima hit the game-winning home run off Minoru Murayama
, and rookie Sadaharu Oh also had a home run in the game.
The Yomiuri Giants cleanup consisting of Sadaharu Oh batting third, and Nagashima batting fourth, were nicknamed the ON Hou, (translated to: Oh-Nagashima Cannon) as Nagashima continued his hitting prowess, and Oh emerged as the best hitter in the league. The Giants won the league championship nine years in a row from 1965–1973, and Oh and Nagashima dominated the batting titles during this period. Nagashima won the season MVP award
five times, and the Best Nine Award
every single year of his career (a total 17 times).
Nagashima won only two Golden Glove awards, because the title was established in Japan late during his career, in 1972. Nagashima was a flashy fielder, making extravagant (and rather unnecessary) leaps and dashes to field even the most routine ground ball. Giants fans were delighted by Nagashima's fielding, even when he made careless errors.
After winning his sixth batting title in 1971, Nagashima suddenly fell into a hitting slump. The team attempted to revive him by giving him more at-bats, but it was obvious Nagashima was no longer capable of the success he had shown during his younger years. The team wanted Nagashima to take over as manager after Tetsuharu Kawakami
, who had led the team for 14 years, and Nagashima doubled as a player and a coach in his final seasons. In 1974, the Chunichi Dragons
won the league championship, breaking the nine-year streak held by the Giants, and Nagashima played his final game on October 14 against the Dragons, grounding out to short for a double-play in his final at-bat. The game was followed by an elaborate retirement ceremony. By 1970, almost every single baseball manual featured Nagashima on the cover, even when the actual book was written by someone else.
style left by his predecessor, relying instead on superior hitting and pitching to carry the team. He also recruited third baseman Davey Johnson
from the majors, who became the first ever non-Japanese player to play for the Giants. The changes did not turn out well in the 1975 season, as the Giants ended the season in last place for the first time in the team's history. However, the Giants recruited star players during the off-seasons, while Nagashima made further changes (including converting a life-long outfielder to third base) and the Giants quickly re-assumed their dominant position in the Central League
, winning league championships in 1976 and 1977.
The Giants lost the pennant to the Yakult Swallows in 1978, and on October 1, former Giants manager Shigeru Mizuhara made an appearance on TV Asahi's news program, criticizing Nagashima's handling of the team. In the off-season of the same year, Nagashima and the Giants were involved in a huge controversy concerning the drafting of pitcher Suguru Egawa
. The Giants ended in fifth place in 1979, and Nagashima's head coach was fired mid-season in yet another controversy. Criticism towards Nagashima greatly increased, and the team's owners decided to fire Nagashima during the 1980 season. Nagashima's immense popularity made it difficult for fans to stomach the firing, and some fans even attempted to boycott the Yomiuri newspaper in protest.
The Giants won five league championships and two championship series after Nagashima's departure, but many people felt that the sport's popularity in Japan was fading away, and called for Nagashima to be reinstated to revive Japanese baseball. Several teams sought Nagashima to become their manager, but he either refused or ignored their calls. Nagashima returned to the Yomiuri Giants in 1992, when Tsuneo Watanabe
became the new owner of the team (Watanabe had a long-lasting affiliation with Nagashima). In the 1992 draft, he won the lottery to sign Hideki Matsui
, who would become the new star of the Giants during Nagashima's second run as manager.
Nagashima's Giants won championships in 1994, 1996 and 2000, and he managed the team until 2001. It is interesting to note that for the 2000 Japan Series
, Nagashima was managing against his former teammate, Sadaharu Oh, who was the manager for the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks. The press called it the O-N Series. In 2002, it was announced that he would lead the Japanese Olympic baseball team. The team (consisting entirely of players from the Japanese professional leagues) beat China, Taiwan, and Korea to win the Asia tournament in November 2003, but Nagashima suffered a stroke in March 2004, and was unable to travel to the Athens Olympics
. The team ended up with a bronze medal in the Olympics after losing to Australia.
In 1993, Nagashima appeared on "Hateshinai Yume wo (果てしない夢を)," a collaborative single featuring Japanese artist Rev and bands Zygg, Zard
, and Wands
. This was his only musical recording, and his vocals were used in a live performance of the song and appeared on the 2011 What a Beautiful Memory: Forever You DVD.
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
former professional baseball
Professional baseball in Japan
Professional baseball in Japan first started in the 1920s, but it was not until the was established in 1934 that the modern professional game had continued success.-History:...
player and manager.
Nagashima was by far the most popular figure in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese 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...
during his career. His contributions to the development of the sport in Japan are immeasurable.
Biography
Nagashima played baseball at his local high school, and on the Rikkyo UniversityRikkyo University
, also known as Saint Paul's University, is a private university, based on Christian precepts, in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. There is a suburban campus in Niiza in nearby Saitama.It is known for its liberal climate symbolized by the motto -History:...
baseball team from 1954–1957. He joined the 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 1958, and his career made his name almost synonymous with Japanese baseball. His jersey number (3) is now a retired number for the Yomiuri Giants.
After retiring, he became manager of the Yomiuri Giants from 1975–1980, and again from 1993–2001. He was scheduled to manage the Japanese national team for the 2004 Athens Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
, but he suffered a stroke shortly before and was hospitalized. He has recovered from his stroke, appearing at a baseball game in the Tokyo Dome
Tokyo Dome
Tokyo Dome is a 55,000-seat baseball stadium located in Bunkyo Ward of Tokyo, Japan.The stadium opened for business on March 17, 1988. It was built on the site of the Velodrome which was next door to the site of the predecessor ballpark, Kōrakuen Stadium...
in 2005, and in a television commercial in 2006, with his son, Kazushige.
Nagashima has four children. His eldest son, Kazushige Nagashima
Kazushige Nagashima
is a Japanese actor, sports commentator and former professional baseball player. His father is Japanese baseball legend, Shigeo Nagashima.-Biography:...
is a former professional baseball player, and currently works as a sportscaster. Kazushige was not nearly as successful as his father on the field, but he played on the Yomiuri Giants when his father was manager, and has since launched a successful career as an actor and TV personality. His eldest daughter works as a businesswoman, and his younger daughter was a newscaster for TV Asahi
TV Asahi
, also known as EX and , is a Japanese television network headquartered in Roppongi, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The company writes its name in lower-case letters, tv asahi, in its logo and public-image materials. The company also owns All-Nippon News Network....
. His youngest son is a professional race-car driver. Kazushige had twin daughters in 2004, making Nagashima a grandfather. Shigeo lost his wife, Akiko, on September 18, 2007.
Amateur career
Nagashima was actually a fan of the Hanshin TigersHanshin 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...
during his childhood (the Tigers are the arch rival of Nagashima's future team, the Yomiuri Giants). After graduating from his local high school in Chiba, he entered Rikkyo University, and became the team's regular third baseman. He won the batting title for two consecutive years in the Tokyo Big6 Baseball League
Tokyo Big6 Baseball League
Tokyo Big6 Baseball League is an intercollegiate baseball league that features six prominent universities in the Tokyo area...
, and was given the Best Nine Award five seasons in a row at third base. By his senior year, scouts from every professional team wanted to sign Nagashima, and the Nankai Hawks and Hiroshima Carp were particularly active in recruiting Nagashima. It was almost decided that he would sign with the Hawks, but he ended up joining the Yomiuri Giants in November, 1957. He signed with the Giants for 18,000,000 yen; the highest salary for a baseball player at the time.
Professional career
Nagashima made his professional debut in April 1958, and struck out in all four of his at-bats against Masaichi KanedaMasaichi Kaneda
is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher. He is one of the best known pitchers in Japanese baseball history, and is the only Japanese pitcher to have won 400 games. He was inducted in the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988....
(coincidentally, Sadaharu Oh
Sadaharu Oh
Sadaharu Oh, or Wang Chenchih , 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...
also struck out in all of his at-bats in his debut game against Kaneda). Regardless, Nagashima became the team's clean-up hitter by mid-season, and the Giants won the league championship. Nagashima led the league in HRs (29) and RBIs (92), and was awarded the rookie of the year award
Nippon Professional Baseball Rookie of the Year Award
The Nippon Professional Baseball Rookie of the Year Award is given to one player in each league of Central League and Pacific League.-Central League:-Pacific League:-See also:*Nippon Professional Baseball#Awards*Baseball awards#Japan...
. He would have hit .300 with over 30 home runs and 30 steals in his rookie year, but he had one home run scratched off his record because he forgot to step on first base while rounding the bases after hitting a home run.
Nagashima played his most popularized game on June 25, 1959, when the Japanese emperor attended a baseball game for the first time. Nagashima hit the game-winning home run off Minoru Murayama
Minoru Murayama
was a professional baseball player for the Osaka Tigers in Nippon Professional Baseball. His number 11 is retired with the Tigers. A pitcher with Hanshin from 1959 to 1972, he recorded a career 2.09 ERA and 192 career complete games to go with 222 wins. Hall of Famer.-Early life:He was born on...
, and rookie Sadaharu Oh also had a home run in the game.
The Yomiuri Giants cleanup consisting of Sadaharu Oh batting third, and Nagashima batting fourth, were nicknamed the ON Hou, (translated to: Oh-Nagashima Cannon) as Nagashima continued his hitting prowess, and Oh emerged as the best hitter in the league. The Giants won the league championship nine years in a row from 1965–1973, and Oh and Nagashima dominated the batting titles during this period. Nagashima won the season MVP award
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....
five times, and the Best Nine Award
Best Nine Award
The Best Nine Award is awarded annually to the best player at each position in both the Central League and Pacific League of Japanese professional baseball as determined by a pool of journalists.-History:...
every single year of his career (a total 17 times).
Nagashima won only two Golden Glove awards, because the title was established in Japan late during his career, in 1972. Nagashima was a flashy fielder, making extravagant (and rather unnecessary) leaps and dashes to field even the most routine ground ball. Giants fans were delighted by Nagashima's fielding, even when he made careless errors.
After winning his sixth batting title in 1971, Nagashima suddenly fell into a hitting slump. The team attempted to revive him by giving him more at-bats, but it was obvious Nagashima was no longer capable of the success he had shown during his younger years. The team wanted Nagashima to take over as manager after Tetsuharu Kawakami
Tetsuharu Kawakami
is a former Japanese baseball player and manager. Born in Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto, he was nicknamed "God of batting" as a player. In 1951, he had whiffed only 6 times, which is the Japanese single-season tie record. He was ruthless as a manager, but it made his team strong...
, who had led the team for 14 years, and Nagashima doubled as a player and a coach in his final seasons. In 1974, the Chunichi Dragons
Chunichi Dragons
The are a professional baseball team based in Nagoya, the chief city in the Chubu region of Japan. The team is in the Central League. They won the 2007 Japan Series and 2007 Asia Series.-History:...
won the league championship, breaking the nine-year streak held by the Giants, and Nagashima played his final game on October 14 against the Dragons, grounding out to short for a double-play in his final at-bat. The game was followed by an elaborate retirement ceremony. By 1970, almost every single baseball manual featured Nagashima on the cover, even when the actual book was written by someone else.
Managerial career
Nagashima's appointment as manager of the Yomiuri Giants was announced almost immediately after his retirement. Nagashima was given control of the team in November 1974, and he immediately rid the Giants of the tactical, small ballSmall Ball
In the sport of baseball, small-ball is an informal and colloquial term for an offensive strategy in which the batting team emphasizes placing runners on base and then advancing them into position to score a run in a deliberate, methodical way...
style left by his predecessor, relying instead on superior hitting and pitching to carry the team. He also recruited third baseman Davey Johnson
Davey Johnson
David Allen "Davey" Johnson is an American Major League Baseball player and current manager of the Washington Nationals. He was the starting second baseman for the Baltimore Orioles when they won four American League pennants and two World Series championships between 1965 and 1972...
from the majors, who became the first ever non-Japanese player to play for the Giants. The changes did not turn out well in the 1975 season, as the Giants ended the season in last place for the first time in the team's history. However, the Giants recruited star players during the off-seasons, while Nagashima made further changes (including converting a life-long outfielder to third base) and the Giants quickly re-assumed their dominant position in the 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...
, winning league championships in 1976 and 1977.
The Giants lost the pennant to the Yakult Swallows in 1978, and on October 1, former Giants manager Shigeru Mizuhara made an appearance on TV Asahi's news program, criticizing Nagashima's handling of the team. In the off-season of the same year, Nagashima and the Giants were involved in a huge controversy concerning the drafting of pitcher Suguru Egawa
Suguru Egawa
is a Japanese former pitcher and now a baseball analyst.-High school career:Egawa entered Sakushin Gakuin High School. In his high school career, he recorded two perfect games of nine no-hitters of 20 shutouts of 30 complete games in 44 games...
. The Giants ended in fifth place in 1979, and Nagashima's head coach was fired mid-season in yet another controversy. Criticism towards Nagashima greatly increased, and the team's owners decided to fire Nagashima during the 1980 season. Nagashima's immense popularity made it difficult for fans to stomach the firing, and some fans even attempted to boycott the Yomiuri newspaper in protest.
The Giants won five league championships and two championship series after Nagashima's departure, but many people felt that the sport's popularity in Japan was fading away, and called for Nagashima to be reinstated to revive Japanese baseball. Several teams sought Nagashima to become their manager, but he either refused or ignored their calls. Nagashima returned to the Yomiuri Giants in 1992, when Tsuneo Watanabe
Tsuneo Watanabe
is a Japanese businessman. He leads Yomiuri Shimbun, and he has a great influence on Japanese sports and Japanese politics. Informally he's nicknamed as Nabetsune, although he hates it.-Controversies:...
became the new owner of the team (Watanabe had a long-lasting affiliation with Nagashima). In the 1992 draft, he won the lottery to sign Hideki Matsui
Hideki Matsui
is a Japanese Major League Baseball designated hitter and outfielder. He bats left-handed and throws right-handed.After playing the first ten seasons of his career for the Yomiuri Giants of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball, he played the next seven seasons, from 2003–2009, for the New York...
, who would become the new star of the Giants during Nagashima's second run as manager.
Nagashima's Giants won championships in 1994, 1996 and 2000, and he managed the team until 2001. It is interesting to note that for the 2000 Japan Series
2000 Japan Series
The 2000 Japan Series matched the Central League champion Yomiuri Giants against the Pacific League champion and defending Japan Series champion Fukuoka Daiei Hawks. The press called it the ON series because of the managers on both sides: Sadaharu Oh for the Hawks and Shigeo Nagashima for the Giants...
, Nagashima was managing against his former teammate, Sadaharu Oh, who was the manager for the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks. The press called it the O-N Series. In 2002, it was announced that he would lead the Japanese Olympic baseball team. The team (consisting entirely of players from the Japanese professional leagues) beat China, Taiwan, and Korea to win the Asia tournament in November 2003, but Nagashima suffered a stroke in March 2004, and was unable to travel to the Athens Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
. The team ended up with a bronze medal in the Olympics after losing to Australia.
Trivia
There are numerous stories concerning Nagashima's forgetfulness. It is unclear whether Nagashima purposely exhibits this kind of behavior for comic effect, or whether the strange remarks are really part of his personality.- When asked what his major was at Rikkyo University, he answered that he was a baseball major.
- He snuck out from his college dorm to try to sign with the Chunichi Dragons, but was told to come back after graduating.
- Nagashima was given a customized entrance and graduation test from his university, since he would have failed the standard tests taken by other students. He still got several questions wrong on his test, including pronouncing the English word "The" as "Tehe".
- When checking into hotels, he often wrote that his job was "Shigeo Nagashima" instead of "Professional baseball player".
- He forgot the name of the bank that his contract money had been deposited into.
- When trying to return home after a game, Nagashima forgot the location of his house, and had to call his house's maid to ask how to return home. His wife ended up having to take him home from the stadium.
- On May 5, 1973, Nagashima forgot that he had taken his son, Kazushige, to the game with him, and returned home by himself, leaving Kazushige alone at the stadium. Kazushige was safe, having been found by the umpires. May 5 is Kodomo no hiKodomo no hiis a Japanese national holiday which takes place annually on May 5, the fifth day of the fifth month, and is part of the Golden Week. It is a day set aside to respect children's personalities and to celebrate their happiness...
(Children's day) in Japan. - When appearing as a commentator for a baseball game, he remarked "Hmm, I think the team that scores more runs will win this game."
- He appeared on the cover of the very first issue of legendary mangaMangaManga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
magazine, Shonen SundayShonen Sunday, first published on March 17, 1959, is a weekly shōnen manga magazine published in Japan by Shogakukan. Contrary to its title, Weekly Shōnen Sunday issues are released on Wednesdays.- History :...
, in 1959.
In 1993, Nagashima appeared on "Hateshinai Yume wo (果てしない夢を)," a collaborative single featuring Japanese artist Rev and bands Zygg, Zard
Zard
was a Japanese pop group. Originally a group of five members, with lead vocalist Izumi Sakai as group leader. However, Sakai was the only member who stayed on in the group while others joined and left regularly. As such, Zard and Sakai may be referred to interchangeably. Zard's work was sold under...
, and Wands
Wands (band)
was a Japanese rock band formed in 1991 as a three-member group. The band, throughout nine years of activity, had two vocalists, guitarists and keyboardists. Show Wesugi , Hiroshi Shibasaki , Kousuke Oshima are the original member of the band. Shinya Kimura joined them after Oshima separate early...
. This was his only musical recording, and his vocals were used in a live performance of the song and appeared on the 2011 What a Beautiful Memory: Forever You DVD.
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... | RBI | 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.... | 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... | 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:... | SO 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... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | 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... |
3 | 130 | 502 | 89 | 153 | 34 | 8 | 29 | 92 | 290 | 37 | 1 | 6 | 36 | 15 | 5 | 53 | 3 | .305(2) | .353 | .578 | .931 |
| 1959 | 124 | 449 | 88 | 150 | 32 | 6 | 27 | 82 | 275 | 21 | 0 | 3 | 70 | 17 | 4 | 40 | 9 | .334(1) | .426 | .612 | 1.038 | ||
| 1960 | 126 | 452 | 71 | 151 | 22 | 12 | 16 | 64 | 245 | 31 | 0 | 2 | 70 | 32 | 0 | 28 | 8 | .334(1) | .422 | .542 | .964 | ||
| 1961 | 130 | 448 | 84 | 158 | 32 | 9 | 28 | 86 | 292 | 14 | 1 | 5 | 88 | 35 | 1 | 34 | 14 | .353(1) | .456 | .652 | 1.108 | ||
| 1962 | 134 | 525 | 69 | 151 | 38 | 5 | 25 | 80 | 274 | 18 | 0 | 3 | 51 | 7 | 5 | 61 | 14 | .288(5) | .354 | .522 | .876 | ||
| 1963 | 134 | 478 | 99 | 163 | 28 | 6 | 37 | 112 | 314 | 16 | 0 | 10 | 86 | 18 | 3 | 30 | 14 | .341(1) | .437 | .657 | 1.094 | ||
| 1964 | 133 | 459 | 81 | 144 | 19 | 6 | 31 | 90 | 268 | 13 | 0 | 6 | 96 | 15 | 5 | 34 | 8 | .314(4) | .433 | .584 | 1.017 | ||
| 1965 | 131 | 503 | 70 | 151 | 23 | 5 | 17 | 80 | 235 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 50 | 12 | 2 | 42 | 16 | .300(5) | .363 | .467 | .830 | ||
| 1966 | 128 | 474 | 83 | 163 | 31 | 3 | 26 | 105 | 278 | 14 | 0 | 8 | 58 | 14 | 3 | 39 | 17 | .344(1) | .413 | .586 | .999 | ||
| 1967 | 122 | 474 | 65 | 134 | 25 | 3 | 19 | 77 | 222 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 37 | 4 | 1 | 37 | 24 | .283(12) | .334 | .468 | .802 | ||
| 1968 | 131 | 494 | 80 | 157 | 21 | 4 | 39 | 125 | 303 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 66 | 12 | 3 | 74 | 19 | .318(2) | .398 | .613 | 1.011 | ||
| 1969 | 126 | 502 | 71 | 156 | 23 | 2 | 32 | 115 | 279 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 38 | 1 | 2 | 58 | 5 | .311(3) | .359 | .556 | .915 | ||
| 1970 | 127 | 476 | 56 | 128 | 22 | 2 | 22 | 105 | 220 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 40 | 1 | 0 | 52 | 15 | .269(10) | .320 | .462 | .782 | ||
| 1971 | 130 | 485 | 84 | 155 | 21 | 2 | 34 | 86 | 282 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 59 | 8 | 2 | 45 | 20 | .320(1) | .395 | .581 | .976 | ||
| 1972 | 125 | 448 | 64 | 119 | 17 | 0 | 27 | 92 | 217 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 63 | 11 | 1 | 34 | 23 | .266(21) | .352 | .484 | .836 | ||
| 1973 | 127 | 483 | 60 | 130 | 14 | 0 | 20 | 76 | 204 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 37 | 3 | 1 | 35 | 20 | .269(13) | .318 | .422 | .740 | ||
| 1974 | 128 | 442 | 56 | 108 | 16 | 1 | 15 | 55 | 171 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 24 | 0 | 5 | 33 | 18 | .244(24) | .288 | .387 | .675 | ||
| Total | 2186 | 8094 | 1270 | 2471 | 418 | 74 | 444 | 1522 | 4369 | 190 | 5 | 90 | 969 | 205 | 43 | 729 | 257 | .305 | .379 | .540 | .919 | ||