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Wiki Wanderings: Sadaharu Oh
Oct. 27th, 2020 09:41 pmSadaharu Oh hit 868 home runs in Japanese professional baseball, a world record.
As a high school student, he was not allowed to play in the National Sports Festival, because he is not a Japanese citizen; he was born and raised in Tokyo, but he holds Taiwanese (ROC) citizenship through his father.
In addition to the career record, Oh also set a Japanese single-season record with 55 home runs in a season, a record that stood until 2002 when it was surpassed by Wladimir Balentien, who is Curaçaoan-Dutch. On three previous occasions, foreign-born players had approached the record, but faced teams managed by Oh late in the season that refused to throw them strikes.
As a high school student, he was not allowed to play in the National Sports Festival, because he is not a Japanese citizen; he was born and raised in Tokyo, but he holds Taiwanese (ROC) citizenship through his father.
In addition to the career record, Oh also set a Japanese single-season record with 55 home runs in a season, a record that stood until 2002 when it was surpassed by Wladimir Balentien, who is Curaçaoan-Dutch. On three previous occasions, foreign-born players had approached the record, but faced teams managed by Oh late in the season that refused to throw them strikes.
