Shigeo Nagashima

Shigeo Nagashima
長嶋茂雄 / 長島茂雄
Shigeo Nagashima; 長嶋茂雄 / 長島茂雄
	Nagashima in November 2021
	Third baseman
	Born: February 20, 1936; Sakura, Chiba, Empire of Japan (Now Japan)
	Died: June 3, 2025 (aged 89); Tokyo, Japan
	Batted: Right Threw: Right
NPB debut
	April 5, 1958, for the Yomiuri Giants
Last appearance
	October 14, 1974, for the Yomiuri Giants
NPB statistics
Batting average	.305
Home runs	444
Hits	2,471
Runs batted in	1,522
Win–loss record	1,034–948
Winning %	.522
	Stats at Baseball Reference
Teams
	As player Yomiuri Giants (1958–1974); As manager Yomiuri Giants (1975–1980, 1993–2001);
Career highlights and awards
	As player 11× Japan Series champion (1961, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973); 17× Best Nine Award (1958–1974); Central League Rookie of the Year (1958); 5× Central League MVP (1961, 1963, 1966, 1968, 1971); 4× Japan Series MVP (1963, 1965, 1969, 1970); Japan Professional Sports Grand Prize (1971); Yomiuri Giants #3 retired; As manager 2× Japan Series champion (1994, 2000); Matsutaro Shoriki Award (1994);
Member of the Japanese
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction	1988

Shigeo Nagashima (長嶋茂雄 or 長島茂雄, Nagashima Shigeo; February 20, 1936 – June 3, 2025) was a Japanese professional baseball player and manager. Nagashima first began playing baseball in elementary school, before playing at his high school in Chiba Prefecture, part of Kanto Region, just before he played as a third baseman for Rikkyo University. After winning the batting title for two straight years in Tokyo Big6 Baseball League, Nagashima made his professional debut in 1958 with the Yomiuri Giants. In his rookie season, he led the Central League in home runs and runs batted in, with 29 and 92 respectively and ultimately received Rookie of the Year honors. With the arrival of Sadaharu Oh in 1959, the two would both become a dual force in being the best hitters in the game that earned the nickname "O-N Cannon" for one of the most dominant dynasties in NPB history, and Nagashima won league MVP five times while being named to the Best Nine Award in every season he played; his four Japan Series MVP award wins is still the most in NPB history. After retiring in 1974, he became as a manager of the Giants from 1975 to 1980, and again from 1993 to 2001; during this time, he won the Japan Series twice.

His nicknames includes "Mr. Pro Baseball", "Mr. Giants", and "Hot Man" of Japan,

Nagashima is regarded as a beloved national figure of postwar Japan, on par with Hibari Misora and Yujiro Ishihara. His bright personality endeared him to the Japanese people, extending beyond the Giants and professional baseball.