Sadaharu Oh facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sadaharu Oh |
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Sadaharu Oh in 2023
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| First baseman / Manager | |||
| Born: May 20, 1940 Sumida, Tokyo, Japan |
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| debut | |||
| April 11, 1959, for the Yomiuri Giants | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| October 12, 1980, for the Yomiuri Giants | |||
| NPB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .301 | ||
| Hits | 2,786 | ||
| Home runs | 868 | ||
| Runs batted in | 2,170 | ||
| Stolen bases | 84 | ||
| Teams | |||
As player
As manager
As executive
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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 Baseball Hall of Fame |
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| Induction | 1994 | ||
| Wang Chen-chih Sadaharu Ō |
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Hand print of Sadaharu Oh
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| Chinese name | |||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 王貞治 | ||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 王贞治 | ||||||||||||
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| Japanese name | |||||||||||||
| Kanji | 王 貞治 | ||||||||||||
| Kana | おう さだはる | ||||||||||||
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Sadaharu Oh (Japanese: 王貞治, Ō Sadaharu; born May 20, 1940), also known as Wang Chen-chih (Chinese: 王貞治; pinyin: Wáng Zhēnzhì), is a famous Japanese-born Chinese former professional baseball player and manager. He is currently the chairman of the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks baseball team in Japan. Oh played his entire career for the Yomiuri Giants and holds the world record for career home runs with 868. This is over 100 more than the MLB record holder, Barry Bonds.
Oh was a left-handed batter and thrower, mainly playing first base. He joined the Giants in 1959 as a pitcher but soon became a full-time hitter. With help from coach Hiroshi Arakawa, Oh developed his special "flamingo" leg kick. After three years, he became a star in Japanese baseball. He won the home run title 15 times and was an All-Star 18 times. Oh was not just a power hitter; he also won the batting championship five times and the Japanese Central League's batting Triple Crown twice.
With Oh on their team, the Yomiuri Giants won 11 Japan Series championships. This included an amazing nine wins in a row from 1965 to 1973. Oh was named the Central League's Most Valuable Player nine times. He even won MVP twice when his team didn't win the league championship. This happened in 1964 when he hit 55 home runs, setting a new Japanese record. That record stood until 2013.
Besides his world record for home runs, Oh set many other Japanese batting records. These include runs batted in (RBI) with 2,170, slugging percentage (.634), and bases on balls (2,390). In 1977, he received the first-ever People's Honour Award in Japan. He was welcomed into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1994.
After he stopped playing, Oh managed the Giants from 1984 to 1988. He also managed the Fukuoka Daiei/Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks from 1995 to 2008. In 2006, he led the Japanese national team to victory in the first-ever 2006 World Baseball Classic. They beat Cuba to win the championship. Today, he is the chairman of the Hawks.
Contents
Early Life and Baseball Start
Oh was born in Sumida, Tokyo, Japan, on May 20, 1940. He was one of six children. His mother was Japanese, and his father was Chinese. Even though he was born in Japan, Oh is a citizen of the Republic of China. This is because his father chose to keep his original citizenship.
High School Baseball Success
Oh joined his high school baseball team. In 1957, his team, Waseda Jitsugyo High School, reached the Spring Koshien Tournament. Oh was the team's best pitcher. Before the tournament, he got blisters on his pitching fingers. Despite the pain, Oh pitched and won four games in a row. His team won the championship!
Becoming a Professional Player
In 1959, Oh signed his first professional contract with the Yomiuri Giants. He started as a pitcher, but he wasn't strong enough for professional pitching. So, he switched to playing first base. He worked very hard with coach Hiroshi Arakawa to improve his hitting. This is when he developed his famous "flamingo" leg kick.
His batting average quickly improved from .161 in his first year to .270 in 1960. His home runs also more than doubled. By 1962, Oh was hitting 38 home runs.
Setting Home Run Records
In 1964, Oh hit 55 home runs in one season. This was a single-season record that he held for 37 years. He hit over 50 home runs in a season two other times, in 1973 and 1977.
Oh became friends with Hank Aaron, another famous home run hitter from Major League Baseball. They had a friendly home run derby in 1974. Oh had already become the first Japanese player to hit 600 career home runs that year.
Oh retired from playing baseball in 1980 when he was 40 years old. He had an amazing career with 2,786 hits, 2,170 RBIs, a lifetime batting average of .301, and a world record 868 home runs.
Managing and Leadership
After his playing career, Sadaharu Oh became the assistant manager for the Yomiuri Giants from 1981 to 1983. He then became the manager of the Giants from 1984 to 1988. He led the Giants to win the Central League championship in 1987.
In 1995, he returned to baseball as the manager of the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks, which later became the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. Oh led the Hawks to win three Pacific League championships and two Japan Series titles.
Leading Japan to World Victory
In 2006, Oh managed the Japan national baseball team. He led them to win the first-ever 2006 World Baseball Classic championship. This was a huge moment for Japanese baseball.
Oh took a break from the Hawks in 2006 for health reasons. He recovered and returned to coaching. He retired as manager at the end of the 2008 season. Since then, he has worked in a leadership role for the Hawks.
Personal Life and Legacy
Sadaharu Oh was married to Kyoko Oh and they had three daughters. Their second daughter, Rie, born in 1970, is a sportscaster.
Promoting Baseball for Kids
In 1988, Oh and Hank Aaron started the World Children's Baseball Fair (WCBF). This event helps make baseball more popular by working with young players around the world.
Oh has received many honors. In 2002 and 2005, he was named an Ambassador-at-Large for the Republic of China (Taiwan). In 2009, he received the "Order of Brilliant Star" in Taipei, which he called "The highest honor of his life." During the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo (which happened in 2021), he was one of the people who carried the torch in the stadium.
Other Interesting Facts About Sadaharu Oh
- In 1988, Oh and Hank Aaron started the World Children's Baseball Fair (WCBF). This group helps make baseball more popular by working with young players.
- On December 4, 2007, Oh said that he believes his career record of 868 home runs will be broken one day. He thought Alex Rodriguez might do it. (Rodriguez retired with 696 home runs.)
- In 2002 and 2005, the President of Taiwan, Chen Shui-bian, named him an Ambassador-at-Large for the Republic of China.
- On February 5, 2009, President Ma Ying-Jeou gave Sadaharu Oh the "Order of Brilliant Star" award in Taipei. Oh said it was "The highest honor of his life."
- During the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo (which happened in 2021), he was one of the people who carried the torch in the stadium.
Images for kids
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Hand print of Sadaharu Oh
See also
In Spanish: Sadaharu Oh para niños
