On This Date in Sports September 3, 1977: Sadaharu Oh

In collaboration with the Sportsecyclopedia.com

Sadaharu Oh of the Yomiuri Giants hits his 756th career homer to surpass Hank Aaron as the all-time career home run leader in professional baseball worldwide. Sadaharu Oh would finish his career in 1980 with a Nippon Professional Baseball record of 868 home runs. He played his entire career with the Giants in Tokyo.

Sadaharu Oh is the best player to have never played Major League Baseball. Born May 20, 1940, in Tokyo, Oh made his professional debut in 1959 with the Yomiuri Giants. After struggling in his first few seasons, he worked with his hitting coach Hiroshi Arakawa to develop his famous leg kick to help drive the ball. In 1963, Sadaharu Oh became the premier slugger in Japanese Baseball, leading the league in round-trippers 15 out of 16 seasons. This included 1964, when he set the single-season record with 55 home runs.

All of Japan was watching when Sadaharu Oh, the All-Time home run leader in Nippon Professional Baseball, came into a game against the Yakult Swallows at Korakuen Stadium in Tokyo. In the first inning, Oh was walked by Yasumiro Suzuki. Still, his second at-bat resulted in a historic moment as Sadaharu Oh drove the ball into the right field stands to give the Yomiuri Giants a 3-0 lead. The fan who caught the ball was given an autograph ball and bat and treated to a trip to a hot springs spa. Meanwhile, Sadaharu Oh was given the Medal of Honor by Japanese Prime Minister Takeo Fukuda.

Sadaharu Oh led the league for the final time in 1977, hitting 50 home runs. He was not finished setting milestones, as he topped 800 home runs in 1978 and finished his career with 868 home runs when he retired in 1980. Though Sadaharu Oh never played in the majors, he did face Hank Aaron in a Home Run Derby in Tokyo on November 1, 1974. The contest would be won by Hank Aaron 10-9.