Japanese baseball legend Isao Harimoto, touted as 'hit machine,' dies at 86

Japanese baseball legend Isao Harimoto, who was also an atomic bomb survivor, passed away at the age of 86 in a Tokyo hospital on Wednesday, according to an informed source.

Harimoto, a Japanese Baseball Hall of Famer, established the career hits record in Nippon Professional Baseball with 3,085 hits across 2,752 games. This impressive feat was accomplished despite suffering severe burns from an accident at the age of 4, which left him with limited mobility in the fingers of his right hand.

Born to Korean parents in Hiroshima, Harimoto survived the atomic bombing of the western Japanese city by the United States on August 6, 1945, when he was just 5 years old. After completing his high school education in Osaka, he began his professional baseball career in 1959 and was awarded Rookie of the Year. He later won the MVP award in 1962.

Renowned as a seven-time batting champion, Harimoto was widely recognized as the "hit machine" due to his remarkable consistency at the plate. He played for the Toei/Nippon Ham franchise, the Yomiuri Giants, and the Lotte Orions throughout his career before retiring in 1981.

Post-retirement, Harimoto transitioned into a prominent role as a television commentator. Throughout his later life, he frequently shared his experiences as an atomic bombing survivor, emphasizing the importance of peace in media interviews. Additionally, he spoke about the discrimination he faced in Japan owing to his Korean heritage.