Sadaharu Oh
Sadaharu Oh
Sadaharu Oh, also known as Wang Chen-chih, is a retired Japanese–Chinese baseball player and manager who played 22 seasons for the Yomiuri Giants in Nippon Professional Baseballfrom 1959 to 1980. Oh holds the world lifetime home run record, having hit 868 home runs during his professional career. He established many NPB batting records, including runs batted in, slugging percentage, bases on balls, and on-base plus slugging. In 1977, Sadaharu Oh became the first recipient of the People's Honor award. He...
NationalityJapanese
ProfessionBaseball Player
Date of Birth20 May 1940
CountryJapan
Since Korea won two games, we felt we had to win tonight's game. And Tamura's three-run home run in the first inning took off the pressure.
We struggled to score runs against some very good pitching.
We have a saying in Japanese that 'the third time will reveal the truth' and since we've lost twice to South Korea and both were games that we lost by one run and gave up two runs in the eighth inning, we would love the opportunity to meet them again and win.
I had strong legs that would have made me a good sumo wrestler and I used that to my advantage, but my home runs were achieved by technique.
No one can stop a home run. No one can understand what it really is, unless you have felt it in your own hands and body. As the ball makes its high, long arc beyond the playing field, the diamond and the stands suddenly belong to one man. In that brief, brief time, you are free of all demands and complications.
I never coached a team for a tournament like this, and never thought the pressure to be so high. Baseball is the best sport. Everyone has to work together. There is nothing more wonderful than that Japanese players did such a wonderful job and showed that to everyone in the world.
I was 99 percent sure that our chances to advance to the semi-finals were finished.
Again, it was the same right fielder who made that catch at Tokyo Dome. It changed a situation from one where we could have scored to one in which we did not. It has been indicative of the way momentum has flowed in this tournament.
I'm 100 percent sure. I spoke to him recently and told him we really want him to be a part of our team.
I have no intention of resigning. I wouldn't mind dying at a ballpark. I would like to aim high for the team next year.
It will be a very tough competition. The level of play will be very high and there will be teams that want to beat us, so we knew we had to go with a strong team.
This was for all of the fans back home in Japan.
We gave everything we had. We learned that our opponents' desire was higher than ours.
To be honest, I haven't felt this thrilled in a long time.