Ichiro Suzuki, Shohei Ohtani, Sadaharu Oh… These are just a few of the greatest baseball athletes in the history of Japan. In this article, we will learn a little more about the great names that marked the lives of the Japanese in this sport that is very popular in the land of the rising sun.
Below we list the 10 most prominent players of all time in the sport. Baseball, known as Yakyuu (野球 – やきゅう), is the most watched and practiced sport by the Japanese, especially if we exclude martial arts (sumo, aikido, karate, and judo).
Read also: Guide – All 12 Major Baseball Teams in Japan
Table of Contents
10 – Isao Harimoto
He holds the impressive record for most hits in NPB history, with a total of 3085 hits. His significant contribution to the sport was recognized in 1990, when he was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame.
Harimoto is also known for being a survivor of the atomic bombing in Hiroshima in 1945. After his retirement, he continued as a commentator and critic, sharing his vast experience and knowledge.
9 – Masanori Murakami
Masanori Murakami made history as his country’s pioneer in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played as a pitcher for the San Francisco Giants between 1964 and 1965, opening doors for future generations of Japanese players in the American league.
8 – Hideo Nomo
Legendary right-handed pitcher who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers between 1995 and 1998. In the MLB, he achieved an impressive 1918 strikeouts, while in the NPB he accumulated a remarkable 1204. Combined, the total strikeouts amount to 3122. He was the first Japanese player to permanently transfer to the United States league (Major League Baseball).
In addition to the Dodgers, he also played for the New York Mets (1998), Milwaukee Brewers (1999), Detroit Tigers (2000), Boston Red Sox (2001), Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2005), and Kansas City Royals (2008). He was an All-Star in 1995 and also achieved two no-hitters (1996 and 2001) in the league.
7 – Katsuya Nomura
Catcher who played for three teams in his career: Nankai Hawks, Lotte Orions, and Seibu Lions. He won two Japan Series as a player and three more as a coach. He accumulated 2901 valid hits (H) in his career, 1988 runs batted in (RBI), and 657 home runs (HR).
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1989.
6 – Koji Uehara
Legendary pitcher for the Yomiuri Giants and the Boston Red Sox. His resume includes a World Series (2013), an MLB All-Star selection (2014), American League MVP (2013), 9x NPB All-Star, and two Japan Series titles (2000 and 2002).
In addition to the Red Sox, Koji Uehara also played for the Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers, and Chicago Cubs.
5 – Shigeo Nagashima
The “Mr. Giants” played his entire life for the Yomiuri Giants, from 1958 to 1974. Additionally, he was the team’s coach from 1975 to 1980 and returned in the 1990s, when he managed the team from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (inducted in 1988), Nagashima is widely regarded as one of the greatest of all time. He played as a third baseman and won 11 Japan Series titles as a player and 3 more as a coach.
4 – Hideki Matsui
Nicknamed “Godzilla,” Hideki Matsui made history playing for the New York Yankees for seven seasons (2003-2009). He was an All-Star in 2003 and 2004, winning the 2009 World Series and also being the MVP (most valuable player) that year.
He was also notable for his philanthropy. He financially helped thousands of families affected by natural disasters that struck the Indian Ocean (2004) and the Fukushima region (2011) in Japan.
3 – Ichiro Suzuki
The “Laser Beam” was probably the best Japanese baseball player of the 20th century. With extreme precision in pitching and ground hits, Ichiro is expected to be one of the next candidates for the MLB Hall of Fame, along with CC Sabathia, in the 2025 voting.
He has an impressive 3089 valid hits (H) in his career, along with 10 All-Star selections, 10 Gold Glove awards, and 3 Silver Slugger awards.
He was an idol for the Seattle Mariners and the New York Yankees. He retired in 2019 at the age of 45.
2 – Sadaharu Oh
Also known as the “king of home runs,” Sadaharu Oh (王貞治 – Ou Sadaharu) played for nearly 30 years for the top NPB team, the Yomiuri Giants, where he set numerous records and won important awards. As a player, Oh has the unmatched record of 868 home runs, a number greater than that of Barry Bonds, the current MLB HR record holder (762).
1 – Shohei Ohtani
Shohei Ohtani (大谷翔平 – Ootani Shouhei) is undoubtedly the best player in the world today. He is having his first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers after receiving the largest contract in American sports history (around 700 million dollars). In 2023, he suffered a serious injury that has prevented him from pitching in the league. Nevertheless, just by hitting, Ohtani continues to be the big name in contemporary baseball. As of the date of this article, the Japanese player has already reached the mark of 30 home runs in the season.
He has been elected MVP (most valuable player) twice and unanimously, and Ohtani is also the only player in Major League Baseball (MLB) history to have 40 home runs and 10 credited wins. One factor to consider is that, at only 30 years old, there are still great seasons ahead for this legend of Japanese baseball.
We recommend reading: Shohei Ohtani – The genius of world baseball
Honorable Mentions
- Takehiko Bessho
- Kazuo Matsui
- Morimichi Takagi
- Kazuyoshi Tatsunami
- Koji Yamamoto
- Minoru Murayama
- Kenta Maeda
- Hideki Irabu
- Masahiro Tanaka
- Yu Darvish
- Kazuhiro Yamauchi
- Kazuhiro Kiyohara
- Hiromitsu Kadota
- Yutaka Fukumoto
- Masaichi Kaneda
- Hisashi Iwakuma
- Daisuke Matsuzaka
- Hiroki Kuroda
- Kazuhiro Sasaki
- Masataka Yoshida
- Hayato Sakamoto
- Tetsuto Yamada
- Yusei Kikuchi
- Yoshinobu Yamamoto
- Shota Imanaga
- Masao Kida
- Yoshinori Hirose
- Shintaro Fujinami
- Hiroki Kokubo
- Akinobu Okada
- Shigeru Mizuhara
- Seiya Suzuki
- Tadahito Iguchi
- Eiji Sawamura
- Tetsuharu Kawakami
- Hiromitsu Ochiai
- Akinori Iwamura
- Takuro Ishii
- Tomoaki Kanemoto
- Sachio Kinugasa
- Katsuo Osugi
- Nori Aoki
- Koichi Tabuchi
- Kazuhiro Wada
- Makoto Matsubara
- Masahiro Doi
- Yuki Yanagita
- Suguru Egawa
- Tatsunori Hara
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