Isao Harimoto, A-bomb survivor and Japan baseball great known as ‘Hit Machine,’ dies at 86

Japanese baseball legend and atomic bomb survivor Isao Harimoto passed away at the age of 86 in Tokyo. Widely known as the "Hit Machine," Harimoto holds the record for the most hits in Japanese professional baseball history, with 3,085 hits during a 23-season career. He also hit 504 home runs and stole 319 bases, making him the only Nippon Professional Baseball player to record at least 500 home runs and 300 stolen bases.

Harimoto, who was five years old when the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, overcame numerous challenges, including a childhood accident that left his right hand severely burned, and discrimination faced by Koreans in Japan. He joined the Toei Flyers in 1959 and spent 16 seasons with the club before playing for the Yomiuri Giants and Lotte Orions.

Harimoto was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1990 and later helped establish South Korea's professional KBO baseball league.

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