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Japanese Baseball Legend Isao Harimoto Dies at 86

evening · · thread: Japanese Baseball Legend Isao Harimoto Dies at 86

2 sources across 2 countries · Japan · South Korea · 1 of them is linked to a state

Who reported this

  • Kyodo News Japan · Centre · Non-profit publisher cooperative
  • Yonhap South Korea · Centre · State-affiliated · Cooperative; statutory national agency with state subsidy

What the colours mean

  • Left
  • Centre-left
  • Centre
  • Centre-right
  • Right
  • A hatched block means the outlet is affiliated with, or controlled by, a state.

Political lean describes where an outlet sits within the politics of its own country. It is never a position on a single global scale.

Political lean is comparable inside one country and not across them, which is why the bar groups by country first. Publicly funded broadcasters are not marked as state-linked.

The owner of each outlet is listed as a matter of record, not as a judgement about the outlet.

Every outlet covering this story shares the same political lean; read with that in mind.

Isao Harimoto, the all time hits leader in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) history, died at a hospital in Tokyo on Wednesday at the age of 86. The Golden Players Club announced his passing. Harimoto, also known as Jang Hun, recorded 3,085 career hits during 23 seasons from 1959 to 1981. He remains the only player in NPB history to achieve over 3,000 hits.

Born in Hiroshima in 1940 to Korean parents, Harimoto survived the atomic bombing of the city at age five. He overcame severe burns from the blast that limited the mobility of the fingers on his right hand. Throughout his career, he earned seven batting titles, one MVP award, and the 1959 Rookie of the Year award. His career statistics include 504 home runs, 1,676 RBIs, and a.319 lifetime batting average.

Harimoto played for the Toei Flyers, the Yomiuri Giants, and the Lotte Orions. After retiring in 1981, he became a well known television commentator. He also served as a special adviser to the commissioner of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) from 1982 to 2005. In 2007, the South Korean government awarded him the Mugunghwa Medal, the highest in the Order of Civil Merit.

Reports on his identity and legacy vary by regional focus. One center lean source emphasizes his role as a Japanese baseball legend and his contributions to the development of the sport in Japan. Another center lean source frames him as a Korean Japanese legend, highlighting his Korean citizenship and his ties to South Korea.

Regarding his final moments, a source familiar with the matter stated that an ambulance was called Wednesday afternoon after Harimoto was found in the driver seat of his car near his home in Tokyo. Foul play is not suspected.

How each side framed it

Centre
Both center lean outlets focused on his athletic achievements, though one emphasized his Japanese legacy while the other highlighted his Korean identity.

Sources

100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.