Sadaharu Oh

Who is Sadaharu Oh?

Sadaharu Oh, also known as Wang Chen-chih, is a retired Japanese–Taiwanese baseball player and manager who holds the world lifetime home run record, having hit over 100 more than the American record holder Barry Bonds of Major League Baseball.

Oh batted and threw left-handed and primarily played first base. Oh, who was born in Sumida, Tokyo the son of a Chinese father and a Japanese mother, had originally signed with the powerhouse Yomiuri Giants in 1959 as a pitcher, but was soon converted to first base. Under the tutelage of coach Hiroshi Arakawa, Oh developed his distinctive "flamingo" leg kick. His batting average jumped from .161 in his rookie season to .270 in 1960, and his home runs more than doubled. His performance dipped slightly in both statistical categories in 1961, but Oh truly blossomed in 1962. He was a five-time batting champion and led all Japanese players in home runs fifteen times and won the Central League most valuable player award nine times. In 1977, Sadaharu Oh became the first recipient of the People's Honor award.

Oh played his entire 22-year professional career with the Yomiuri Giants and was their manager from 1984 to 1988. Oh holds the world career home run record with 868 home runs, and held Japan's single-season home run record with 55 until Wladimir Balentien broke the record in 2013. He also managed the Fukuoka Daiei/Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks from 1995 to 2008 and he was the manager of the Japanese national team in the inaugural World Baseball Classic. The Japanese team defeated the Cuban national team for the championship. He is currently the chairman of the Hawks.