Sadaharu Oh

Oh's string of records and achievements made him the toast of Japanese baseball in the 1960s and 1970s. From 1963 to 1970, he hit 40 or more home runs per year. His personal best of 55 home runs in the 140-game 1964 season was a Japanese record. His batting average was .305 in 1963 and remained above .300 for the next seven years.

With Oh's performance on its side, the Giants saw 12 Japan Series crowns and from 1965 to 1973 won nine consecutive championships, an accomplishment never achieved in any other sport. Oh won triple crowns for both 1974 and 1975. He and the Giant's other batting sensation, Shigeo Nagashima, were Japan's equivalent of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. During their joined career, the so-called O-N Cannon team of Oh and Nagashima hit home runs in the same games 106 times.

Oh broke many Japanese records. In 1972 he hit a record seven home runs in seven consecutive games. Two years later, he reached the 600 home run mark. Oh won 13 consecutive home run titles.

What put Oh in the history books was his surpassing of American Hank Aaron's home run record of 755 in 1978, and his achievement of a 22-year career total of 868 home runs. Oh hit 113 more home runs than Aaron in 448 fewer games.

Overall, Oh was named the Central League's most valuable player 9 times, played on 18 All Star teams, and won 9 Gold Glove awards. His career consisted of 868 home runs, 2,786 hits, 2,170 runs batted in, 1,967 runs, 2,390 walks, and a slugging percentage of .634. His lifetime batting average was .301.