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Baseball Legend Isao Harimoto Dies at 86, Survived Hiroshima Bombing
Confirmed
In Short: Japanese baseball icon Isao Harimoto, who survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and became the first player from his country to reach 3,000 hits, has passed away at the age of 86.
Isao Harimoto, the legendary baseball player who survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima at the age of five, has died at the age of 86. His survival was due to his mother shielding him and his sister from the blast. Harimoto went on to achieve a record 3,085 career hits in Nippon Professional Baseball, a feat that still stands today.
The Golden Players Club, one of Japanese baseball's two halls of fame, expressed deep respect and gratitude for Harimoto's many years of great achievements, and sincerely prayed for his passing. Harimoto was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1990, and was named the Pacific League MVP in 1962.
Harimoto, known as the Hit Machine, was a 18-time all-star player who helped the Toei Flyers win their first Japan Series in 1962. He is the only player in Nippon Professional Baseball League history to reach 3,000 hits, a record that has only been matched by three players in Major League Baseball history: Barry Bonds, Willie Mays, and Alex Rodriguez.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara expressed that Harimoto carved an immortal footprint in Japanese baseball history and made a significant contribution to the country's development of baseball. He was also loved by baseball fans for his candid and passionate commentary.
What's confirmed
- Isao Harimoto, the legendary baseball player who survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima at the age of five, has died at the age of 86. His survival was due to his mother shielding him and his sister from the blast. Harimoto went on to achieve a record 3,085 career hits in Nippon Professional Baseball, a feat that still stands today.
- The Golden Players Club, one of Japanese baseball's two halls of fame, expressed deep respect and gratitude for Harimoto's many years of great achievements, and sincerely prayed for his passing. Harimoto was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1990, and was named the Pacific League MVP in 1962.
- Harimoto, known as the Hit Machine, was a 18-time all-star player who helped the Toei Flyers win their first Japan Series in 1962. He is the only player in Nippon Professional Baseball League history to reach 3,000 hits, a record that has only been matched by three players in Major League Baseball history: Barry Bonds, Willie Mays, and Alex Rodriguez.
- Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara expressed that Harimoto carved an immortal footprint in Japanese baseball history and made a significant contribution to the country's development of baseball. He was also loved by baseball fans for his candid and passionate commentary.
What's still developing
- The five-year-old survived unharmed - in 2011 he explained that his mother used her body to shield him and his sister after the flash of the bomb exploding.
- "He was loved by baseball fans for his candid yet passionate commentary. We would like to express our renewed respect and condolences," the top government spokesman told a press conference.
- Atomic bomb survivor Harimoto, a Japanese Baseball Hall of Famer, achieved the feat despite severe burns from an accident at age 4 that left him with limited mobility in the fingers of his right hand.