Korean Japanese baseball legend Jang Hun dies at 86
Korean Japanese baseball legend Jang Hun, the all-time hits leader in Japanese professional baseball history, has died at 86. The Golden Players Club, an exclusive body honoring elite Japanese baseball players, announced Jang passed away Wednesday morning at a hospital in Tokyo. Born in Hiroshima to Korean parents in 1940, Jang played for 23 seasons in the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) from…
Baseball legend Jang Hun, the all-time hits leader in Japanese professional baseball history, has died at the age of 86. Born in Hiroshima to Korean parents in 1940, Jang played for 23 seasons in the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) from 1959 to 1981. He holds the league's record with 3,085 career hits and remains the only player in NPB history with over 3,000 hits.
Jang, whose Japanese name was Isao Harimoto, also launched 504 home runs and drove in 1,676 runs, ranking seventh and fourth on the all-time list, respectively. His lifetime batting average of .319 placed him in third place. Jang won seven Pacific League batting titles, one league MVP award, and the 1959 Pacific League Rookie of the Year award, earning 18 All-Star selections throughout his career.
He held Korean citizenship during his career but claimed to have received Japanese citizenship several years ago.
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Also reported by 2 other outlets
- Baseball Legend Jang Hoon Dies at Age 86 world.kbs.co.kr
- Korean Japanese baseball legend Jang Hun dies at 86 en.yna.co.kr
