Editorial

14:30 JST, June 4, 2025

With his spectacular plays and beaming smile, Shigeo Nagashima brightened an era. He was truly a sun- or sunflower-like figure. Together with fans across Japan, we pray for him to rest in peace.

Nagashima, the lifetime honorary manager of the Yomiuri Giants, has passed away. He was 89. As a player and manager, he achieved numerous accomplishments and solidified the popularity of professional baseball in Japan. He was a national star worthy of the title “Mr. Pro Baseball.”

The bigger the stages were, the more the “man with the burning spirit” demonstrated his abilities. In the game attended by the then Emperor and Empress in 1959, he hit a dramatic walk-off home run off Hanshin Tigers pitcher Minoru Murayama in the bottom of the ninth inning. With slugger Sadaharu Oh, Nagashima was the driving force for........

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