A big fight with Mr. Nomu from the first year, and a fierce battle with a hangover! In memoriam, Hiromitsu Kadota, the legend of his “stiff battle with fans”.

An “artist” who hit a total of 567 home runs, ranking third all-time behind Sadaharu Oh and Katsuya Nomura, has passed away. Hiromitsu Kadota (74 years old). According to his relatives, he had been in poor health in recent years and had been convalescing for some time.

Kadota, who was active with the Nankai and Orix teams, won the home run and batting titles at the age of 40 with his full swing and competitive nature. FRIDAY” conducted a long interview with him in July 2006. From the article at that time, we would like to look back on the spectacular half life of the “unflappable cannon” and his legend both on and off the field (Some contents have been modified. (Some corrections have been made. Titles are omitted hereafter.

He said, “I used to get a lot of criticism from my old man. He said, ‘You swing too hard,’ and ‘You don’t have to hit home runs. You don’t have to hit a home run; you just have to get on base before me, whether it’s a walk or a hit. That’s your job.

When I first joined the team, I was batting third and he was batting fourth. If I hit home runs, he said, “Don’t hit because you won’t be able to score runs. He always put himself first. There were a lot of players like that in the Pacific League, especially in the Kansai area.

A “small giant,” a “cannon of the ages,” and the “Hawks’ No. 4” – such was the nickname given to a man loved by fans from the 1970s to the 1990s. Hiromitsu Kadota, who won the homerun and batting titles at the age of 40.

Kadota joined Nankai in 1970. The player-manager of the Hawks at the time was Katsuya Nomura, whom Kadota called “Ossan. Kadota, who was named one of the “Three Evil Men” along with Meneki Emoto and Yutaka Enatsu, laughs at Nomura, saying, “Ossan is the one who is evil.

If I can’t make it to the pros within four years, I’ll quit baseball.”

Before touching on his battle with Mr. Nom, Kadota looks back on the events leading up to his professional career.

After graduating from high school (Tenri High School in Nara Prefecture), I joined a textile company called Kuraray Okayama (Okayama Prefecture). The players worked at the factory until the evening and practiced at night, but I declared that I wanted to be a pro from the start. I didn’t come here to learn a trade. After a few years, I’ll quit here and go pro, so I don’t need you to teach me anything about fiber.

I know it sounds cocky when I think back on it, but I had decided that if I couldn’t make it to the pros within four years, I would quit baseball. But the level of Kuraray was very high at that time, and I was an alternate in my first or second year. One day, when I was getting impatient, one of my teammates said to me, “Guys who can hit home runs start out as professional players. He didn’t take it personally.

I’m sure he didn’t mean to offend me, but his words made me angry. If you say that, I’ll hit a home run, too. From then on, I swung the bat for hours every day in front of the big mirror in the dormitory until I was satisfied, whether I was hung over or puking. Thanks to that, my batting distance gradually increased, and in my third year, I was assigned to play cleanup. That’s when it all started. I became conscious of always swinging fully.

In his fourth year, Kadota decided that his limit was set, and he was drafted second overall by Nankai and entered the professional ranks. What awaited him was the baptism of Mr. Nomu.

I was called into the manager’s office at spring camp and asked, “Is there a difference between working adults and pros?” I was asked, ‘Is there a difference between working adults and pros? He said, “Yes, they are. When I answered, ‘Amateurs practice more,’ the old man’s face changed color. What’s your strong point? What’s your strong point? He said, “What’s your merit?

I replied, “I can hit as many hits as I want. It takes power and skill to actually hit a home run, but I had confidence that I could always hit a home run after practicing hard during my working days.

Immediately after the season opener, Kadota was used as a substitute batter. 1 batter, 2 batters…… Kadota, true to his word, got a hit and recorded 5 hits in a row. The record was broken in his sixth at bat. Then, Mr. Nomu called him out. The following exchange took place.

Mr. Nomu, you said, “I can hit for anything. Was that a lie?

Kadota: What?　Do I have to keep on hitting?

Nomu-san Of course. You have to take 100% responsibility for your words!

If you say that much, I’ll be like, “What are you talking about, idiot? I would lose my temper. I think I hit a home run in my seventh at-bat.

Two home runs in a row in the game commemorating the fate of Nomu-san

Kadota’s true talent was to hit home runs with a full swing. Mr. Nomu had warned Kadota to stop swinging so hard, but Kadota, who had been a regular since his second year, ignored him and stuck to his own style. His battle with Mr. Nomu came to an abrupt end in 1977. Nomu was dismissed as manager due to problems with his mistress.

He said, “I felt much better when I could bat the way I wanted to bat now. When he moved to Seibu in August 1980 and played an unprecedented 3,000 games, I told him before the game that I wanted to return the favor.

When I went into the batter’s box for my third at-bat, he said, “Is this what you call repaying a favor? That’s enough,” he blurted out. So I decided to leave the third at-bat at second base.

After Mr. Nom left the team, Kadota’s career continued to progress steadily. However, he had a bad year, and ruptured the Achilles tendon in his right foot during practice in the spring camp of 1979, which almost ended his career.

The following year, the opening game was against Kintetsu at the Nissei Stadium. The manager at the time, Yoshinori Hirose, told me, ‘Cado will be removed from the starting lineup,’ but I bowed down and begged him. Please use him. Please give me this game. If I didn’t make it in this game, I didn’t care if I had to bat in place of him or be sent down to the second team.

I entered the game as the designated hitter, batting sixth against ace Keiji Suzuki. When I got to 3 balls in the first at-bat, I knew that a straight ball would come next. Sure enough, it was a fastball down the middle. The full-swinging pitch was a home run …… that turned the game around. I was so happy. After the game, I remember walking home from the nearest station to my house with tears streaming down my face and singing a crazy song like, “This is the beauty of being a man. I was so happy that I had made a comeback,” he said.

Kadota is also a bold man when he drinks.

I think it was during a trip to Tokyo where I had dinner with manga artist Shinji Mizushima (a big Nankai fan). We ended up drinking a lot of beer and whiskey, and we got drunk. Dr. Mizushima said, “Hey, hey, hey, are you okay? You’ve got to get two hits in tomorrow’s game. I was getting worked up, so I said, “Two hits?　I’ll hit three! I’ll hit three!

The next day was a day game against Nippon Ham. I was feeling very queasy and nauseous with a hangover, but I had some sake left over, so I was in a bad mood. But perhaps because I still had some sake left in my body, my shoulders relaxed and I was able to get three hits while feeling dizzy. I was relieved that I managed to keep my promise to Mr. Mizushima, but after the game, I immediately returned to my lodgings and went to bed.

Kadota continued to put his passion into the game, but he was never popular with the team. The stadium was always deserted.

There were people sleeping in the bleachers, there were groups of people playing “somen,” a Japanese noodle dish, and it was just a mess. I once found a couple making out in the outfield and said to them, ‘What are you doing here?

Because there were so few customers, the yells echoed through the crowd. When I got out of the game, they would yell, “Oh, Kadota, put your guts into it and hit it! When I got out of an outing, they would yell at me, “Oh, Kadota, put your guts into it and hit! When I was in a bad mood, I would get angry and talk back to the office worker who was yelling at me. What’s the matter with your guts? You’re just complaining because you got scolded by your boss, you idiot! You’re just complaining because you got scolded by your boss, you idiot!

One of the most intense incidents was with a fan of the Nishitetsu Lions.

If the Nishitetsu Lions were to win, we were in big trouble. They would yell at us, ‘You people are licking our brains! and the bloodthirsty fans would throw stones at us. One time, as I was returning to the bench after a win over Nishitetsu, a small, hard object fell on me. My neck was cut and covered in blood, and I asked myself, “What was that? I looked closer and saw that it was a broken piece of a bottle.

When I took my place in the outfield immediately after hitting a home run, I was yelled at by the crowd, “What the hell are you doing, Kadota! I was yelled at so loudly. A male fan even climbed over the fence and came into the field. He lunged at me, and I braced myself, thinking, “I’m going to get stabbed! I braced myself, thinking, ‘I’m going to get stabbed! Then he said, “Give me your autograph! He held out a piece of colored paper and a pen. I was so surprised. The referee called time and stopped the game for the fan. I signed his autograph and shook his hand. The guy said, “Thanks a lot! ‘ and he climbed over the fence back into the bleachers, and the game resumed.”

A pitch hit Higashiuo directly in the leg in anger at the inside corner!

On the field, too, there were fierce battles with rival pitchers. Hisashi Yamada of the Hankyu and Choji Murata of the Lotte ……. In those days, the Pacific League had many great pitchers who would go down in baseball history.

Osamu Higashio of the Seibu team was a nasty pitcher who always threw hard and fast to the inside corner. I was hit by him several times. I thought, ‘I’ll return the favor,’ so I once hit Higashio directly in the thigh with a pitch.

Higashio was hit by a sharp pitch and fell to the ground with a cry of “Gasp! and fell to the ground. Higashio was unable to get up and the game was suspended, so Kadota went to the mound and called out to him.

Kadota: Hey, Tombi (a nickname for Higashi O), are you all right?

Higashio What are you talking about? The head of your bat was pointing toward me. You were ready to go for it, weren’t you? I’m counting on you!

Kadota Did you understand?

Higashio I understand. Atta-ta-ta. ……

Kadota, now we’re even. You can’t hit me.

Higashio: I understand.

Since then, Tombi has never hit me.

Hisashi Yamada, the Hankyu ace with a submarine pitching style, was Kadota’s biggest opponent.

My batting form has a wide step and I scoop the ball from underneath. That’s why I could hit home runs with balls that were low enough to bounce, but I wasn’t good with high pitches. Yamada’s pitches were tricky because they floated up from underthrowing the ground. As Yamada got older, he learned to use a sinker after his fastball lost speed. Even so, he never threw a sinker to me. I guess he knew I was good at hitting low.

Another pitcher who gave Kadota a hard time was Choji Murata of the Lotte baseball team, who had a masakari pitching style.

Just looking at his unique form was depressing,” he said. Especially with his fork, even I, who excelled at low pitches, couldn’t get a hit off of it at first. Day in and day out, I wondered how I could hit it. So when I read, “The next one is the fork,” I started very slowly and hit it from the top as hard as I could.

It was like hitting a bunker shot. This way, I was able to make the fork, which I had struggled so much with, into a home run. Since then, Murata rarely throws a fork to me. It was a great accomplishment.

He also had a great player on his side. It was September 1989 when he joined the Orix.

It was a game against Daiei at Nishinomiya Stadium, and I hit a counterattack home run in the bottom of the third inning with four runs trailing. When I came back to the home plate with a smile on my face, Boomer, the next batter, a big man standing 2 meters tall and weighing 100 kg, greeted me with his right hand raised high in the air. I raised my right hand and gave him a high-five, too. The next moment I felt a sharp pain. My right shoulder had dislocated.

I had a habit of dislocating it. I yelled, “Ah! I cried out and cowered on the spot. I went straight to the hospital, but the doctors would not touch my shoulder for fear of aggravating the baseball player’s injury. I became numb and said, ‘Hey, you’re a doctor!　You’re a doctor! and put his shoulder back by himself.

Kadota’s competitive spirit burned even in the face of rookies, and in 1990, when Kintetsu’s Hideo Nomo was selected by eight teams, the most in baseball history, he was so competitive that he vowed, “I’m going to hit a home run first.

I repeatedly watched videos of Nomo’s pitches and studied them. I went for early-morning runs at a nearby golf course and worked out a lot. The first team Nomo faced after the season opener was Seibu. I prayed, ‘Kiyohara, Akiyama, and Destrade, don’t ever hit. The Orix were next. Although we were on the same side, I prayed from the bench, ‘Don’t hit Matsunaga, Fukura, and Boomer (who were hitting in front of Kadota).

As I wished, no one hit a home run off Nomo, and I was given the opportunity to bat. But Nomo’s fastball, which I saw at bat, had a terrible trajectory that hopped in my hands. It was a tornado, and it was hard to get the timing right. I thought, “I can’t hit it like this,” but I put my foot down on one fastball and flashed my bat. Then I hit a big homerun to right field. It was a brilliant hit, even for me. Incidentally, the pitcher I faced in my retirement game was also Nomo, and I struck out on three pitches after swinging at all of his fastballs.

Satoru Komiyama, a clever pitcher who joined the Lotte team from Waseda University, was also baptized by Kadota.

When I read an article about Komiyama in the newspaper, he said, ‘College and the pros are the same. I was angry at him for being so cocky. I thought, ‘Well, I should have shown him how a pro pitcher hits. In our first match, I hit the ball back to the pitcher with all my might. The ball hit Komiyama in the chest and rolled to left field. I asked him, “Are you all right? but Komiyama was silent. I heard from someone that he said later, ‘I don’t even want to look at Kadota’s face anymore.

Kadota, who left behind numerous legends, put down his bat in October 1992. On the business card of the man who had always insisted on a full swing, the words “Hit a homerun” were engraved. I am sure that in heaven, he is thinking about his ideal of the home run. Gassho.