Shigeo Nagashima

was a Japanese professional baseball player and manager. Nicknamed "Mr. Pro Baseball" of Japan and "Mr. Giants", Nagashima first began playing baseball in elementary school, before playing at his high school in Chiba Prefecture before playing as a third baseman for Rikkyo University. After winning the batting title for two straight years in the Tokyo Big6 Baseball League, he made his professional debut in 1958 with the Yomiuri Giants after signing with them months prior. In his rookie season, he led the league in home runs and runs batted in, with 29 and 92 respectively, and ultimately received rookie of the year honors. Nagashima and Sadaharu Oh would later become a dual force in being the best hitters in the game, in which Nagashima won the season MVP award five times. After retiring in 1974, he became the manager of the Giants from 1975 to 1980, and again from 1993 to 2001; during this time, he won the Japan Series twice.

Early life and amateur career

Nagashima was born on February 20, 1936, in Sakura, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. He began playing in fourth grade of elementary school, and idolized Fumio Fujimura, who was an infielder and pitcher for the Hanshin Tigers. Nagashima also played baseball at his local high school in Chiba Prefecture, and on the Rikkyo University baseball team in 1955–1957 as a third baseman. During this period, he also won the batting title for two consecutive years in the Tokyo Big6 Baseball League, in 1956 and 1957 respectively, 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. However, he instead signed with the Giants in 1958 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 Kaneda (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 home runs (29) and runs batted in (92), and was subsequently 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. Regardless, he had a batting average of .305 and also stole 37 bases. The Giants would ultimately make it to the 1958 Japan Series where they won the first three games; however, the opposing Nishitetsu Lions won the next four games in the seven-game series to overcome the 3–0 deficit. Nagashima scored two home runs in the series.

Nagashima played perhaps his most well-known game on June 25, 1959, when the Japanese emperor Hirohito 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 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 to 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). As a result of his dominant performances with the Giants, he was nicknamed "Mr. Pro Baseball" of Japan and "Mr. Giants".

After winning his sixth batting title in 1971, Nagashima suddenly fell into a hitting slump and no longer posted the batting statistics he had previous achieved in 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 last at-bat. The game was followed by an elaborate retirement ceremony.

Managerial career

Nagashima's appointment as manager of the Yomiuri Giants was announced on November 21, 1974, one month after his retirement, and was given control of the team in the same month. He recruited third baseman Davey Johnson from the majors, who became the first ever non-Japanese player to play for the Giants. However, the Giants ended the season in last place for the first time in the team's history. Despite this, Nagashima made further changes 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 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 with a 58–62 record. Criticism towards Nagashima increased, the team's owners decided to fire Nagashima during the 1980 season. Nagashima's immense popularity caused controversy among the fans after his firing, and the ''Yomiuri Shimbun'' experienced a significant decrease in publications after Nagashima's firing, with some people angered at its "misreporting" of the situation.

Nagashima returned to the Yomiuri Giants for the 1993 season, when Tsuneo Watanabe became the new owner of the team in 1996 (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. The Giants won the Central League Pennant in 1994, 1996, and 2000, winning the Japan Series in 1994 and 2000, and he managed the team until 2001. For the 2000 Japan Series, Nagashima was managing against his former teammate, Sadaharu Oh, who was the manager for the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks.

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.

Personal life and recognition

Nagashima had four children. His eldest son, Kazushige Nagashima, is a former professional baseball player, and currently works as a sportscaster. He also played for the Yomiuri Giants when his father was manager, and later became an actor and TV personality. His eldest daughter works as a businesswoman, and his younger daughter served as a newscaster. His youngest son is a professional race-car driver. Kazushige had twin daughters in 2004, making Nagashima a grandfather. He lost his wife, Akiko, on September 18, 2007.

His jersey number (3) is now a retired number for the Yomiuri Giants.

On May 5, 2013, Nagashima was awarded the People's Honour Award, alongside Hideki Matsui whom he had picked in the 1992 draft. In 2021, he received the Order of Culture for the first time as a former professional baseball player. Nagashima was one of the torchbearers at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

On September 7, 2022, Nagashima was hospitalized after suffering a brain hemorrhage. He died in Tokyo on June 3, 2025, at the age of 89, from pneumonia. He received a private funeral in Tokyo on June 7.

Career statistics

Player

Managerial record

See also

* List of top Nippon Professional Baseball home run hitters

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nagashima, Shigeo
1936 births
category:2025 deaths
Baseball people from Chiba Prefecture
Deaths from pneumonia in Japan
Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame inductees
Japanese baseball players
Managers of baseball teams in Japan
Nippon Professional Baseball MVP Award winners
Nippon Professional Baseball players with retired numbers
Nippon Professional Baseball Rookie of the Year Award winners
Nippon Professional Baseball third basemen
Olympic baseball managers
People from Sakura, Chiba
People's Honour Award winners
Recipients of the Order of Culture
Rikkyo University alumni
Yomiuri Giants managers
Yomiuri Giants players