TOKYO, Jun 04 (News On Japan) –
Shigeo Nagashima, certainly one of Japan’s most iconic postwar figures and often known as “Mr. Pro Baseball,” has died on the age of 89, it was realized on June third. A local of Chiba Prefecture, Nagashima helped outline an period {of professional} baseball and have become a nationwide hero.
After graduating from Sakura First High School (now Sakura High School) in Chiba and Rikkyo University, he joined the Yomiuri Giants in 1958. In the 1959 “Emperor’s Game” attended by Emperor Hirohito, he hit a dramatic walk-off dwelling run that turned one of the crucial memorable moments in Japanese baseball historical past. Known for his clutch hitting and fiery persona, he earned the nickname “The Burning Man.”
Nagashima performed a pivotal function in turning skilled baseball into Japan’s hottest sport in the course of the high-growth interval. Alongside slugger Sadaharu Oh, he led the Giants by a golden period that symbolized postwar restoration and optimism.
Source: Kyodo