Baseball legend Isao Harimoto, who survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, has died aged 86.
The Korean-Japanese icon, who was born in Hiroshima in 1940 to Korean parents who migrated to Japan during the country’s rule of Korea, died in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Growing up, he overcame huge adversity as a child. Firstly he was involved in an accident in 1944 that left him with severe burns on his right hand.
The result of that left him with limited mobility in his thumb and forefinger, while his middle three fingers became permanently curled.
Then a year later, he survived the United States of America’s atomic bombing of Hiroshima during World War II on August 6, 1945.
Harimoto, whose birth name was Jang Hun, survived after his mother used her body to shield him and one of his sisters from the blast. However, sadly another sister did not survive. Between 60,000 and 80,000 people were killed instantly – with the final death toll calculated at 135,000.
Korean-Japanese baseball legend Isao Harimoto died aged 86 in Tokyo on Wednesday
Known as the ‘Hit Machine’ he recorded the most hits in Japanese baseball history at 3,085
After a difficult childhood, Harimoto later turned his attention to baseball. He had to learn to play left-handed due to his injuries and wore a custom glove to fit his injured right hand that allowed him to catch the ball.
But despite those hindrances, Harimoto enjoyed a distinguished 23-year career – playing for Toei Flyers, the Yomiuri Giants and the Lotte Orions across his homeland. At the Flyers he helped them win their first Japan Series in 1962.
Known as the ‘Hit Machine’ he recorded the most hits in Japanese baseball history at 3,085 and is the only player in Nippon Professional Baseball League (NPB) to surpass the 3,000 landmark.
Furthermore he is the only player in NPB history to hit over 500 home runs and steal more than 300 bases – with his figures at 504 and 319 respectively. By comparison, only three players in Major League Baseball history have achieved the same feat in Barry Bonds, Willie Mays and Alex Rodriguez.
An 18-time All-Star, he was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1990.
The Golden Players Club, one of Japan’s two halls of fame, wrote: “All members of the Meikyukai express our deep respect and gratitude for Mr Isao Harimoto’s many years of great achievements, and we sincerely pray [following] his passing.”
