In the annals of baseball history, there is one home run hitter whose name stands above the rest: Sadaharu Oh, his 868 home runs hit across 22 seasons with the Yomiuri Giants a record that will seemingly never be reached. Now 84 years old, and with a passion and joy for baseball that still burns brightly, Oh was in attendance for Tuesday's opener of the Tokyo Series, a glittering baseball pin on his jacket lapel.
"I never remember seeing this level of excitement from fans and players," Oh said during the Dodgers 4-1 win, with MLB Japan’s Sho Kurematsu translating. "Now coming here, I get to see directly the old timers' impact and, with all the other players here, a new level of excitement. It's really exciting for me to have been there before and now be here seeing everything unfold."
While Oh got to see "Mashi" Murakami become the first Japanese player in the Major Leagues during his own playing career in Japan, the game is drastically different today. Not only are there five Japanese superstars on the Cubs and Dodgers rosters playing in the Tokyo Series, but there have been 81 Japanese-born Major Leaguers. It has become the norm for players from America, Cuba, and beyond to come and play in Japan.
That impact is something Dodgers manager Dave Roberts noticed. The two of them met on the field before the game, which was a “dream come true,” to the Dodgers skipper.
“I consider Oh-san a friend,” Roberts said, “and so to see him here in person, I think the fans all were excited to see him. There’s a lot of Major League players, former players, up on the field that got to take a picture with him, and he really appreciated that. I just think, again, it’s just bringing Japanese baseball with Major League Baseball. It was a really special moment.”
That type of global game was something Oh long dreamed of. He partnered with MLB's home run king, Hank Aaron, to start the World Children's Baseball Fair in 1990 to “promote friendship among children and help to create a borderless world.”
"There's nothing that makes me happier," Oh said. "I've always thought that as soon as kids learn to embrace baseball, you find something enjoyable about yourself and baseball. I feel that this is something that was a dream, not just from myself, but Hank Aaron, too. I feel happy about this, and I feel Hank Aaron would also be very happy about where we are right now. I'm more than excited about where baseball is right now."
Oh's always wanted to find a way to get more kids playing baseball. When he retired, the idea struck him:
"People are going to see me as the home run king here," Oh said. "Why not involve the home run king of the United States? We talked and it came together."
The fair is still held every year, Oh getting to see the vision that he and Aaron shared of young children from around the world playing baseball together continuing on.
Oh’s love for the game is clear: He smiles, laughs and jokes when talking about the game and his career; his face lights up as the crowd roars in response to the action out on the field. The game is very different from the one he played, but there are still more similarities than differences.
"The thing that has changed, that you can notice and that all fans will notice, is that pitchers are throwing harder, and that means hitters need to swing the bat faster. Batters are getting bigger," Oh said. "But what remains unchanged is the hitters’ approach. The basics of hitting is attacking the fastball first, and everything around changeups and offspeed pitches is supplementary and complimentary. I feel that hasn't changed. I see that in Ohtani's approach at the plate. I hope I will see the rest of the other Japanese hitters follow in his footsteps and be able to embrace that approach."
He admits that Major League Baseball is a lot more complex than it used to be, that advances in the game have made it a more difficult one for all players. But if Oh were to play today?
"Despite the game being harder now, you have to take on challenges in life!" Oh said. "I’m confident in my ability to hit the ball far and I think I could hit pretty well even in today’s game."
Oh may be the home run king and he may still be a hero to young Japanese stars and those from around the globe. But Oh is most proud of the impact he's made in helping inspire children to find joy in the sport that gave him so much. He thinks this will lead to someone eventually breaking his record -- an outcome he relishes.
"My mission is to bring baseball to kids, to the next generation, and I want kids to learn baseball, find something about themselves, find a new objective through baseball," Oh said. "Right now I'm just happy about where we are right now, and I want this to translate to one day someone beating my home run record. I welcome it. I hope it happens someday, and I hope more kids will get involved in this game."
