The Sadaharu Oh Story - Part I

First in a three-part series

“He showed us all how much you can accomplish if you set your mind to it. And that’s a beautiful thing.’‘ — Hiroshi Arakawa, Sadaharu Oh’s batting sensei

Sadaharu Oh has retired. The legendary baseball figure, suffering from ill health in the wake of cancer surgery, appeared in his last game as manager of the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks in October 2008, putting an end to a remarkable 50-year career in baseball.

The news of his departure from the field triggered a wave of nostalgia among older fans for an era they recalled with great fondness, tinged perhaps with a sense of guilt that they could have appreciated their hero a little bit more than they did.

Oh was one of the two iconic figures of his generation and of a time known as the “Golden Age of Japanese Baseball.” He and his legendary teammate, matinee idol Shigeo Nagashima, formed the powerful cleanup duo on the Yomiuri Giants known as the “O-N Cannon,” often compared to Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig of New York Yankees fame.