The First and Only NPB Player with 3,000 Hits
.319 Batting Average and 504 Home Runs Over 23 Seasons
Rose to the Top Despite Atomic Bombing and Disability in His Right Hand
Contributed to the Launch of Korean Professional Baseball
Jang Hoon (Japanese name Isao Harimoto), a legendary hitter of Korean descent who holds the record for the most career hits in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), has passed away at the age of 86.
On September 10, Yonhap News Agency, citing Japanese broadcaster TBS and the Meikyukai (a club of current and former NPB players), reported that Jang Hoon died on September 9 at a hospital in Tokyo. The Meikyukai paid tribute to Jang Hoon, stating, “He earned the love of many fans through his outstanding batting achievements and rigorous attitude toward baseball,” adding, “Even after retirement, he conveyed the appeal of the sport as a commentator and analyst for many years, making significant contributions to promoting and developing baseball among the next generation.”
Korean-Japanese commentator Jang Hoon (Japanese name Isao Harimoto), a hero of Japanese professional baseball, has passed away. Yonhap News Agency
Born on June 19, 1940, in Hiroshima, Japan as a second-generation Korean resident, Jang Hoon faced a difficult childhood. At the age of five, he experienced the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, during which he lost his sister. He suffered a burn injury to his right hand, leaving him with a disability, but overcame this adversity to become one of Japan’s most prominent left-handed hitters.
After attending Osaka’s prestigious Naniwa Sango High School, Jang Hoon joined the Toei Flyers in 1959, winning the Rookie of the Year award in his debut season. In 1961, he claimed his first batting title, and in 1962, he led his team to a league championship, earning the Pacific League Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. From 1967 to 1970, he secured the batting title for four consecutive seasons and won it a total of seven times over his career. After stints with Toei, Nittaku Home, and Nippon Ham, he moved to the Yomiuri Giants in 1976, then finished his career with the Lotte Orions (now Chiba Lotte). In 1980, he became the first player in NPB history to reach 3,000 hits.
Over 23 seasons until his retirement in 1981, he appeared in 2,752 games, posting a batting average of 0.319, 3,085 hits, 504 home runs, 1,676 RBIs, and 319 stolen bases. Notably, his 3,085 hits remain the all-time NPB record even 45 years after his retirement. His achievements of over 500 home runs and 300 stolen bases also exemplify his exceptional power and speed on the field.
Jang Hoon, a second-generation Korean resident born in Hiroshima, Japan in 1940, played in Nippon Professional Baseball from 1959 to 1981. He set the record for the most hits with 3,085, finishing his career with a batting average of 0.319, 504 home runs, and 1,676 RBIs. Yonhap News Agency
His connection to baseball continued long after his playing career ended. He was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1990 and remained active as a commentator and analyst for many years. In particular, he became widely known to the Japanese public for his candid criticism as a regular panelist on the long-running TBS sports program “Sunday Morning,” appearing for more than 20 years from 1999 to 2021 and sharply calling out underperforming plays.
He visited stadiums until just a couple of months before his passing. On July 27, 2026, at the “Suntory Dream Match 2026” held at Tokyo Dome, Jang Hoon appeared as a pinch hitter at the age of 86. The opposing pitcher, Koji Uehara, intentionally walked him, drawing smiles and applause from the crowd.
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Jang Hoon also maintained a special connection to Korean baseball. Familiar to Korean fans by his Korean name ‘Jang Hoon’, he served as a special adviser to the president of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) around the launch of the Korea Professional Baseball league in 1982, contributing to Korea-Japan baseball exchange and the development of professional baseball in Korea. In recognition of these contributions, he received the Maengho Medal for Sports Merit from the Republic of Korea in 1980 and the First Class Mugunghwa Medal of the Order of Civil Merit in 2007. Over the years, Jang Hoon, who had maintained Korean citizenship, revealed for the first time in an interview with Japan’s Sankei Shimbun in 2024 that he had obtained Japanese citizenship several years earlier.
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