Sadaharu Oh: Japan’s Home Run King and His 868 Home Runs

Sadaharu Oh batting in his Giants playing days
Photo: Unknown author via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

Legends › Sadaharu Oh: Japan's Home Run King and His 868 Home Runs

Sadaharu Oh hit 868 home runs. No pro player anywhere has hit more in a top league. Not Hank Aaron. Not Barry Bonds. Not Babe Ruth.

He did it for the Yomiuri Giants, from 1959 to 1980. He stood at the plate on one leg, like a flamingo. He won 15 home run titles. He won the MVP award nine times. And his team won the Japan Series 11 times.

Then he became a manager. He led the Giants. He led the Hawks for 14 years. And he led Japan to win the first World Baseball Classic in 2006.

Here’s the thing. Oh is more than a great hitter. In Japan, he is a hero to almost everyone. Even people who do not watch baseball know his name.

This page tells his whole story. We start with his family and school days. Then we go through his years as a player, his records, and his years as a manager.

New to Japanese baseball? Start with how NPB works. For more great players, see our legends page.

Quick Facts

  • Born: May 20, 1940, in Sumida, Tokyo.
  • Bats and throws: Left.
  • Position: First base.
  • Team: Yomiuri Giants, 1959 to 1980.
  • Games: 2,831.
  • Batting average: .301.
  • Hits: 2,786.
  • Home runs: 868. That is the most in pro baseball.
  • RBI: 2,170.
  • Walks: 2,390.
  • Home run titles: 15.
  • MVP awards: 9.
  • Triple Crowns: 2, in 1973 and 1974.
  • Hall of Fame: The Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame, in 1994.

His Family

Oh was born on May 20, 1940, in Sumida, a part of Tokyo.

His mother was Japanese. His father came from China. His father ran a Chinese restaurant called Gojuban.

Oh’s papers say he was born on May 20. But in his own book, Oh says he was really born on May 10. His parents waited to report the birth. He was a weak baby, and they were not sure he would live.

His father kept his Chinese citizenship. It was the citizenship of the Republic of China, which today is Taiwan. So Oh did too. Even though he was born in Japan, and lived his whole life in Japan, he is a citizen of the Republic of China.

He was one of six children. He had a twin sister. Sadly, she died when she was just over a year old.

Meeting Arakawa

When Oh was a boy, he played baseball in a park.

One day in late 1954, a man rode by on a bike and stopped to watch. The man was Hiroshi Arakawa. He was a player for the Mainichi Orions. Arakawa saw that the boy had a lot of talent.

Oh threw with his left hand. But he batted right-handed. Why? His father had told him to use his right hand for things like chopsticks and pencils. So he held a bat that way too.

Arakawa told him to try batting left-handed. Oh did. He hit a double. From then on, he batted left.

Years later, Arakawa would be his coach on the Giants. And he would help make Oh a legend.

Koshien and a Hard Lesson

Oh went to Waseda Jitsugyo High School, in Tokyo. He was a pitcher.

In the spring of 1957, his school made it to Koshien. Koshien is the big national tournament for high schools. You can learn more about it on our Koshien guide and our page on Koshien Stadium.

Oh had bad blisters on his pitching hand. But he pitched anyway. He threw four complete games in four days. And his school won the whole thing.

The next spring, in 1958, Oh hit home runs in two games in a row at Koshien.

But there was also a hard lesson. There was another big sports event that year, called the Kokutai. It is a national sports meet in Japan. Oh was not allowed to play in it. The reason was that he was not a Japanese citizen.

Joining the Giants

In 1959, Oh joined the Yomiuri Giants. They signed him as a pitcher.

He was not good enough to pitch in the pros. So the team moved him to first base.

His first year was rough. He hit just .161. He hit 7 home runs.

In 1960, he got better. He hit .270. But he still struck out a lot. In 1961, he slipped a bit again.

The Giants were not sure he would make it.

The Flamingo

After the 1961 season, the Giants hired Arakawa as their batting coach. He was the man who had seen Oh play as a boy.

Arakawa had an idea. Oh started his swing too late. Pitches got in on him before he could get the bat around. So Arakawa had him lift his front leg as the pitcher lifted his. That got him started sooner. Oh would stand on one leg, then step and swing.

People called it the flamingo stance. It looked strange. But it worked.

Oh first used it in a game on July 1, 1962. He went on to hit 38 home runs that year. He won his first home run title.

Arakawa had Oh work very hard. One drill is famous. A piece of paper hung from a string. Oh used a real sword to cut it. This helped him keep his timing. He practiced so much that the mats on the floor wore thin.

55 Home Runs in 1964

In 1964, Oh hit 55 home runs. That was a new record for one season in Japan.

On May 3 of that year, he hit four home runs in one game.

He won the MVP that year. The Giants did not win the pennant. But his home runs were too much to ignore.

His 55 stood as the record for a long time. Tuffy Rhodes tied it in 2001. Alex Cabrera tied it in 2002. In 2013, Wladimir Balentien finally broke it. He hit 60.

The O-N Cannon

Oh batted third for the Giants. Batting fourth was Shigeo Nagashima. He was a huge star too.

Fans called the pair the “O-N Cannon.” O for Oh. N for Nagashima.

Pitchers had a hard time. If they walked Oh, they had to face Nagashima. If they pitched to Oh, he might hit one out.

The two were not close friends off the field. But on the field, they were the best pair in Japan.

Nine Straight Titles

With Oh and Nagashima, the Giants won and won.

From 1965 to 1973, the Giants won the Japan Series nine years in a row. People call it “V9.” No team in Japan has come close to that.

In all, the Giants won the Japan Series 11 times with Oh on the team.

You can read more on our Yomiuri Giants history page.

Two Triple Crowns

A Triple Crown means a player leads the league in batting average, home runs and RBI. All in the same year. It is very hard to do.

Oh did it two years in a row.

  • 1973: .355 average, 51 home runs, 114 RBI.
  • 1974: .332 average, 49 home runs, 107 RBI.

He won the MVP in 1974 too. Once again, the Giants did not win the pennant that year.

The Home Run Derby With Hank Aaron

In 1974, Hank Aaron passed Babe Ruth. He became the home run king in MLB.

That fall, Aaron came to Japan. On November 2, 1974, he and Oh had a home run contest. It was at Korakuen Stadium in Tokyo.

Aaron won, 10 to 9.

The two became friends. In 1988, they started the World Children’s Baseball Fair together. It brings kids from around the world to play baseball.

Home Run 756

Aaron finished his career with 755 home runs.

On September 3, 1977, Oh hit number 756. He hit it off Koji Suzuki of the Yakult Swallows.

All of Japan cheered. The government gave him a new award, the People’s Honour Award. He was the very first person to get it.

His Titles and Awards

Oh won more titles than almost anyone.

  • Home run titles: 15. He won 13 in a row, from 1962 to 1974. He won two more, in 1976 and 1977.
  • RBI titles: 13.
  • Batting titles: 5.
  • MVP awards: 9.
  • Best Nine: 18 years in a row, from 1962 to 1979.
  • All-Star teams: 18.

He also won the MVP twice in years when his team did not win the pennant. That was in 1964 and 1974.

You can see more title winners on our title holders page and our home run title page. For the Best Nine, see our Best Nine award page.

His Career Numbers

Here are his career numbers in Japan:

  • Games: 2,831.
  • Hits: 2,786. That is third in Japan, after Isao Harimoto and Katsuya Nomura.
  • Home runs: 868. That is first.
  • RBI: 2,170. That is first.
  • Walks: 2,390. That is first.
  • Batting average: .301.
  • Slugging: .634. That is first.

His OPS is about 1.080. Some sources say 1.079. Either way, it is the best in Japan.

Why Pitchers Walked Him

Oh walked 2,390 times. Why so many?

Pitchers were scared of him. Many would rather put him on first base than give up a home run.

He also had a great eye. He did not swing at bad pitches.

His Last Year

In 1979, Oh hit .285 with 33 home runs and 81 RBI. For the first time since 1962, he did not lead the league in average, home runs or RBI. It was a sign that he was slowing down.

In 1980, Oh was 40 years old. He hit 30 home runs.

That made 19 years in a row with 30 or more home runs. Still, he felt he was not good enough anymore.

On November 4, 1980, he said he would retire.

Manager of the Giants

After he quit playing, Oh became a coach for the Giants. He worked under the manager, Motoshi Fujita, from 1981 to 1983.

From 1984 to 1988, Oh was the manager. In 1987, the Giants won the pennant.

After the 1988 season, the Giants made a change. Fujita came back as manager.

Manager of the Hawks

In 1995, Oh became the manager of the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks.

It took time. But Oh built them up. The Hawks won the pennant in 1999, 2000 and 2003. They won the Japan Series in 1999 and 2003.

In 2000, the Hawks met the Giants in the Japan Series. The Giants were managed by Nagashima. So people called it the “ON series.” The Giants won.

Oh managed the Hawks until 2008. Then he moved to the front office. He is the team’s chairman.

You can read more on our Softbank Hawks history page.

The Record Chase Problem

There is a sad side to the 55 home run record.

Three times, a player from outside Japan got close to Oh’s 55. Each time, they had to play a team that Oh managed. And each time, the pitchers would not throw them strikes.

  • 1985: Randy Bass had 54 home runs going into the last game. It was against Oh’s Giants. They walked him four times.
  • 2001: Tuffy Rhodes had 55. He faced Oh’s Hawks late in the year. They walked him.
  • 2002: Alex Cabrera had 55. Oh told his pitchers to throw strikes. Most of them did not.

Many people were upset. It looked like Japan wanted to keep the record for a Japanese player. Read about these players on our page on Americans in NPB.

The 2006 WBC

In 2006, there was a new event called the World Baseball Classic. It brought top teams from many countries.

Oh was the manager for Japan. Japan won it. They beat Cuba in the final.

Read the full story on our Japan in the WBC page.

Fighting Cancer

In July 2006, Oh found out he had stomach cancer.

On July 17, 2006, he had surgery. Doctors took out his stomach. The cancer was caught early. The surgery went well. Oh came back to manage the Hawks.

Honors

Oh has won many honors.

  • 1977: The first People’s Honour Award.
  • 1994: The Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame.
  • 2009: An award from Taiwan, called the Order of Brilliant Star.
  • 2025: The Order of Culture, on October 17. He was the second baseball player to get it, after Nagashima.

Timeline

  • 1940: Born on May 20, in Tokyo.
  • 1954: Meets Hiroshi Arakawa.
  • 1957: Wins spring Koshien as a pitcher.
  • 1959: Joins the Giants. Hits .161.
  • 1962: Starts the flamingo stance. Wins his first home run title.
  • 1964: Hits 55 home runs. Wins MVP.
  • 1965 to 1973: The Giants win nine straight Japan Series.
  • 1973: First Triple Crown.
  • 1974: Second Triple Crown. Home run derby with Hank Aaron.
  • 1977: Hits home run 756. Gets the first People’s Honour Award.
  • 1980: Retires with 868 home runs.
  • 1984 to 1988: Manages the Giants.
  • 1995 to 2008: Manages the Hawks.
  • 1999: Hawks win the Japan Series.
  • 2003: Hawks win the Japan Series again.
  • 2006: Leads Japan to win the first WBC. Has cancer surgery.
  • 2025: Gets the Order of Culture.

Key Terms

  • Flamingo stance: Oh’s way of hitting. He lifted his front leg high and waited.
  • O-N Cannon: Oh and Nagashima, the Giants’ big hitters.
  • V9: The Giants’ nine straight Japan Series titles, from 1965 to 1973.
  • Triple Crown: Leading the league in average, home runs and RBI in one year.
  • People’s Honour Award: A top award from Japan’s government. Oh got the first one.
  • Kokutai: A national sports meet in Japan.

More terms are in our glossary.

Common Questions

How many home runs did Sadaharu Oh hit? He hit 868 in Japan. That is the most by any pro player in a top league.

Is Oh’s record better than Hank Aaron’s? Aaron hit 755 in MLB. Oh hit 868 in Japan. Japan’s parks were often smaller. Pitching was different too. So it is hard to compare. But both were great.

Is Sadaharu Oh Japanese? He was born in Japan and lived there his whole life. But he is a citizen of the Republic of China, which is Taiwan. His father came from China.

What team did Oh play for? Only one. The Yomiuri Giants, from 1959 to 1980.

Did Oh ever play in MLB? No. He spent his whole career in Japan.

What does Oh do now? As of the 2025 season, he is the chairman of the Softbank Hawks.

The Bottom Line

Sadaharu Oh is the home run king of baseball. He hit 868 home runs for the Giants.

He was not a star right away. He hit .161 his first year. Then Arakawa taught him the flamingo stance. After that, he won 13 home run titles in a row.

With Nagashima, he led the Giants to nine straight Japan Series titles. Then he became a great manager. He won two titles with the Hawks. He led Japan to win the first WBC.

As of the 2025 season, his 868 home runs still stand. No one has passed him.

For more legends, see our legends page. For other players who hit lots of home runs in Japan, see Hideki Matsui’s Giants years.

Sources