Ohtani leads tributes as Japan's 'Mr. Pro Baseball' dies at 89
This picture taken on November 5, 1965 shows Shigeo Nagashima of the Yomiuri Giants (STR)
Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani led the tributes to Japanese baseball legend Shigeo Nagashima following his death on Tuesday aged 89.
Known as "Mr. Pro Baseball", Nagashima starred for Japan's most popular team, the Yomiuri Giants, winning nine straight Japan Series titles from 1965 to 1973.
Advertisement
He formed a lethal partnership with Sadaharu Oh, who holds the world record for hitting the most home runs, and the pair are credited with cementing baseball's status as Japan's favourite sport.
Their batting exploits captivated a Japanese public enjoying new economic prosperity out of the ruins of World War II, with families tuning in to watch games on black and white TV sets.
Nagashima's outsized personality and easy charisma made him a popular public figure and symbol of a confident new Japan.
He hit a dramatic walk-off home run to seal a win for the Giants in the first professional game ever attended by Japan's emperor in 1959.
Advertisement
"May your soul rest in peace," Ohtani wrote on Instagram to his 9.5 million followers.
Nagashima retired in 1974 after a 17-year playing career during which he won the Central League batting title six times and was home run king twice.
He played in 2,186 games and hit 444 home runs.
Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary said Nagashima was "a sunny person".
"He left so many brilliant records in the world of professional baseball for many years, and gave bright dreams and hopes to society as a national star," he said.
amk-hih/pst
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Cardinals Welcome Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers to Busch Stadium
Cardinals Welcome Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers to Busch Stadium originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Coming off back-to-back series losses to the Rangers and Royals, the Cardinals will play host Shohei Ohtani and to the reigning World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers this weekend at Busch Stadium. Advertisement Despite dropping their last two series, the Cardinals are still six games above .500 entering play this weekend, with a record of 34-28. Unfortunately for St. Louis, the Cubs are still red-hot and now have a five game lead in the NL Central. The Dodgers are coming off a four-game series split against the Mets. With a record of 38-25, they currently hold a two-game lead over the Padres for first place in the NL West. Cardinals celebrate after Willson Contreras' walk-off singleJeff Curry-Imagn Images Friday, June 6, 7:15 p.m. CT How to watch/listen: FanDuel Sports Network Midwest, Matrix Midwest, KMOV-4, KMOX 1120 AM/104.1 FM Probable starters: Cardinals: Sonny Gray (6-1, 3.65 ERA) Dodgers: Justin Wrobleski (1-1, 8.00 ERA) Advertisement Saturday, June 7, 1:15 p.m. CT How to watch/listen: FanDuel Sports Network Midwest, KMOX 1120 AM/104.1 FM Probable starters: Cardinals: Erick Fedde (3-5, 3.82 ERA) Dodgers: Yoshinobu Yamamoto (6-4, 2.39 ERA) Sunday, June 8, 1:15 p.m. CT How to watch/listen: FanDuel Sports Network Midwest, KMOX 1120 AM/104.1 FM Probable starters: Cardinals: TBD Dodgers: TBD What to watch for: 1. Can Cardinals pitchers right the ship? After the Cardinals' pitching was lights-out for the majority of the month of May, it's been a rough last week or so. In their last six games, the Cardinals are allowing an average of nearly seven runs per game. Their starters haven't been able to go deep into games, and the bullpen has looked shaky to say the least. Advertisement 2. Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers stars It's no secret that this Dodgers' lineup is absolutely loaded. Alongside Shohei Ohtani are former MVP winners Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, as well as Will Smith, who will likely be the NL's starting catcher in this year's All-Star Game. In 12 career games vs St. Louis, Ohtani is hitting .275 with two homers. 3. Michael McGreevy returns? With the starting pitching seemingly on the ropes and the Cardinals playing 13 games in 13 days, manager Oli Marmol has hinted at going back to a six-man rotation. With Sunday's starter still yet to be announced, it seems likely McGreevy will be making his return to the big leagues this weekend. McGreevy has shined is his brief time at the major league level, posting a 1.57 ERA over 28.2 IP. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
Geek Tyrant
2 hours ago
- Geek Tyrant
Mia Goth Joins Ryan Gosling in Shawn Levy's STAR WARS: STARFIGHTER — GeekTyrant
Mia Goth is officially joining the Star Wars universe. The actress known for her wild, intense performances in Pearl , Infinity Pool , and MaXXXine , is now co-starring with Ryan Gosling in Star Wars: Starfighter , the new standalone film from director Shawn Levy. There's no word yet on who Goth is playing, but her casting immediately adds some interesting energy to the project. I assume she will be playing the villain, a role that was previously offered to Mikey Madison and Jodie Comer. Starfighter is set about five years after The Rise of Skywalker, picking up the galaxy's story after the Skywalker saga ended. The film will introduce a fresh set of characters and carve out new territory in the canon. The story revolves around a "a 15-year-old boy on a mission with his uncle, played by Ryan Gosling. They're being pursued by a duo of villains—one male, one female.' At this year's Star Wars Celebration in Tokyo, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and chief creative officer Dave Filoni officially announced the project, setting the stage for a new theatrical era of Star Wars . The film is expected to begin shooting this fall and is locked in for a May 28, 2027 release. Levy Previously said of the film: 'This is a standalone. It's not a prequel, not sequel. It's a new adventure. It's set in a period of time that we haven't seen explored yet.' Behind the scenes, Jonathan Tropper is writing the script. Tropper has a long creative history with Levy, having written The Adam Project and This Is Where I Leave You , and he's also the creator of Apple TV+'s Your Friends & Neighbors . This marks another unexpected pivot in Goth's career, which is full of very wild and interesting choices. She'll soon be seen in Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein , sharing the screen with Jacob Elordi and Oscar Isaac, and is also set for Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey alongside an ensemble that includes Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Anne Hathaway, and Robert Pattinson. I'm really curious to see how this Star Wars: Starfighter movie turns out. Source: Variety
Forbes
3 hours ago
- Forbes
K-Pop Icons Seventeen Reach A Major Milestone With New Bestseller
Seventeen's Happy Burstday debuts at No. 38 on the U.K.'s Official Album Downloads chart, earning ... More the group its tenth placement on that tally. SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - JUNE 04: SEVENTEEN pose at the photocall during SEVENTEEN's Airbnb Experience celebrating the group's 10th anniversary at Replace Hannam on June 04, 2025 in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo byfor Airbnb) Seventeen is one of the most prolific K-pop groups in history. The boy band, which features 13 members despite its name, churns out at least one major project every year — and that's not even counting the work of its sub-units, which combine several singers from the outfit to release music under different names. The K-pop icons score a new bestseller in the United Kingdom this week, marking a milestone success in a Western market where the large troupe is still making itself heard. Happy Burstday manages to appear on just one ranking in the U.K. following its global debut. The title enters the Official Album Downloads chart at No. 38. The set didn't sell well enough to appear on the all-format sales list, nor did it rack up enough total units (via a blended consumption methodology) to become Seventeen's first placement on the all-encompassing Official Albums chart, but this win is still meaningful for the South Korean act nonetheless. Seventeen has now collected a milestone 10 appearances on the Official Album Downloads chart. Happy Burstday is the group's second top 40, following last year's Spill The Feels. That project peaked at No. 20 and spent two frames on the ranking, becoming the first from the K-pop superstars to hold on for more than one stay on the tally. As Happy Burstday arrives, lead single 'Thunder' also manages to reach several tallies. The tune places on multiple lists, launching inside the top 20 on both the Official Singles Downloads and Official Singles Sales rosters, where it enters at Nos. 14 and 16, respectively. In both instances, the group rises higher than ever, with 'Thunder' becoming the band's top-peaking tune. Previously, 'Maestro,' which debuted in May 2024, held that honor, but it failed to reach the top 20 on one of the two rankings, missing doing so on the purchase-only lists by just a few spaces.
