Japanese baseball legend Shigeo Nagashima dies at 89

Field Level Media|published: Tue 3rd June, 17:37 2025

Former Yomiuri Giants slugger Shigeo Nagashima (R) and former Giants and New York Yankees outfielder Hideki Matsui hold a golden bat presented by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (not pictured) at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo May 5, 2013. Nagashima and Matsui received the s People’s Honor awards on Sunday for achievements in their careers. REUTERS/Tsuyoshi Matsumoto/Pool

Shigeo Nagashima, a Japanese Baseball Hall of Famer who spent more than three decades as a player and manager for the Yomiuri Giants, died Tuesday. He was 89.

The Giants said Nagashima died of pneumonia at a Tokyo hospital.

Nagashima won an impressive 11 Japan Series championships in his 17-year playing career, including nine straight from 1965-73.

Nicknamed Mr. Giants and Mr. Professional Baseball, Nagashima played in 2,186 games for the club and was a career .305 batter who hit 444 home runs, 418 doubles and 74 triples while driving in 1,522 runs. He stole 190 bases and scored 1,270 runs.

Shortly after his retirement, he was named the Giants' manager. He held the role from 1975-80 and was fired but returned as the manager from 1993-2001, leading the Giants to two championships in 1994 and 2000.

Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, the country's biggest present-day sports icon, posted photos of himself with Nagashima on Instagram with the caption, "May your soul rest in peace."

--Field Level Media