Sadaharu Oh

Sadaharu Oh
Sadaharu Oh in 2023
First baseman / Manager
Born: (1940-05-20) May 20, 1940 (age 84) Sumida, Tokyo, Japan
Batted: Left Threw: Left
NPB 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 Yomiuri Giants (1959–1980) As manager Yomiuri Giants (1984–1988) Fukuoka Daiei Hawks • Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks (1995–2008) As executive Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks (2009-present)
Career highlights and awards
As player 11× Japan Series champion (1961, 1963, 1965–1973) 9× Central League MVP (1964, 1965, 1967, 1969, 1970, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977) 2× Japanese Triple Crown (1973, 1974) 3× Japan Professional Sports Grand Prize (1974, 1976, 1977) Hit for the cycle on April 25, 1963 Yomiuri Giants #1 retired As manager 2× Japan Series champion (1999, 2003) Fukuoka Daiei/SoftBank Hawks #89 honored As executive 7× Japan Series champion (2011, 2014, 2015, 2017–2020) NPB/World records 868 Career Home runs (World record) 1.079 Career OPS (Japanese record) 2,170 Career Runs batted in (Japanese record)
Member of the Japanese
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction	1994

Wang Chen-chih Sadaharu Ō
Hand print of Sadaharu Oh
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	王貞治
Simplified Chinese	王贞治
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Wáng Zhēnzhì Bopomofo ㄨㄤˊ ㄓㄣㄓˋ Gwoyeu Romatzyh Wang Jenjyh Tongyong Pinyin Wang2 Chên1-chih4
Japanese name
Kanji	王 貞治
Kana	おう さだはる
Transcriptions Romanization Ō Sadaharu

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 Japanese-born Chinese former professional baseball player and manager who is currently the chairman of the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). Oh's playing career spanned across four decades, during which he played for only the Yomiuri Giants. He holds the world career home run record at 868, over 100 more than MLB record holder Barry Bonds.^[1]

Oh batted and threw left-handed and primarily played first base. Originally signed with the powerhouse Giants in 1959 as a pitcher, Oh was soon converted to a full-time hitter. Under the tutelage of coach Hiroshi Arakawa, Oh developed his distinctive "flamingo" leg kick. It took Oh three years to blossom, but he went on to dominate Nippon Professional Baseball. He was a 15-time home run champion and was named to the Central League All-Star team 18 times. More than just a power hitter, Oh was a five-time batting champion and won the Japanese Central League's batting triple crown twice. With Oh at first base, the Yomiuri Giants won 11 Japan Series championships, including 9 in a row from 1965 to 1973. Oh was named the Central League's Most Valuable Player nine times.

In addition to the world career home run record, Oh set many other NPB batting records, including runs batted in (RBI) (2,170), slugging percentage (.634), bases on balls (2,390), and on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) (1.080). He held Japan's single-season home run record with 55, until Wladimir Balentien broke the record in 2013. In 1977, Oh became the first recipient of the People's Honour Award. He was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1994.

After retiring as a player, Oh served as the Giants' manager from 1984 to 1988. He also managed the Fukuoka Daiei/Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks from 1995 to 2008.^[2] He was the manager of the Japanese national team in the inaugural World Baseball Classic, which defeated Cuba for the championship. He is currently the chairman of the Hawks.