Japanese baseball legend Isao Harimoto, who survived the 1945 Hiroshima Atomic Bomb as a child, has died in Tokyo at the age of 86, according to BBC Sport.
Harimoto, also known as the “Hit Machine”, recorded 3,085 hits during his 23-season career, the most in Japanese professional baseball history.
He remains the only player in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) history to reach 3,000 hits.
Harimoto also hit 504 home runs and stole 319 bases, making him the only NPB player to record at least 500 home runs and 300 stolen bases. In Major League Baseball, only Willie Mays, Alex Rodriguez and Barry Bonds have matched that combination.
In 1962, Harimoto helped the Toei Flyers win their first Japan Series title. The 18-time All-Star entered the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1990.
Harimoto was born Jang Hun in Hiroshima in 1940 to Korean parents. He grew up in Japan when Koreans faced widespread prejudice and legal restrictions. He later became a Japanese citizen and adopted the Japanese name Isao Harimoto.
A childhood accident that severely burned his right hand complicated Harimoto’s path to baseball success. The injury left his thumb and forefinger immobile and curled his other fingers. He therefore used a specially designed glove on his right hand and learned to bat and throw with his left hand.
Harimoto also survived one of the defining tragedies of the 20th century.
Hiroshima Atomic bomb
Harimoto was five years old when the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. He later recalled how his mother used her body to shield him and his sister when the bomb exploded. Another sister died in the attack.
Despite those early hardships, Harimoto went on to build one of the most remarkable careers in Japanese baseball.
After joining the Toei Flyers in 1959, he spent 16 seasons with the club before playing for the Yomiuri Giants and Lotte Orions. He won seven batting titles, including four consecutive titles from 1967 to 1970, a feat Ichiro Suzuki later matched.
Harimoto made 2,752 appearances before retiring in 1981.
Before becoming a prominent baseball pundit and commentator, Harimoto helped establish South Korea’s professional KBO baseball league in 1982.
Following his death, the Golden Players Club, also known as Meikyukai, honoured Harimoto and expressed its gratitude for his contributions to baseball.
Harimoto overcame physical disability, prejudice and the trauma of surviving the atomic bombing of Hiroshima to become one of Japan’s greatest baseball players. His legacy extends far beyond his remarkable statistics.
