<figure id="attachment_426998" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1790px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-426998"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="ba9572fd"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/06/0e01843cf0e2665be2fc3d1239b7f159.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-426998" class="wp-caption-text"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Shigeo Nagashima tosses a ball high into the air with his left hand for his dog (from the May 3, 2013 issue).</span></figcaption></figure>
<h2><b>Wearing sneakers marked with a red number &#8220;3&#8221;</b></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mr. Nagashima’s gaze, smiling warmly, was fixed on a small ball. That ball was indeed thrown by Shigeo Nagashima himself.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Known as the “Mr. Pro Baseball,” who built the glorious golden era befitting the name of the “Glorious Giants,” Nagashima passed away on June 3 at 6:39 a.m., aged 89. The cause of death was pneumonia.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Nagashima had suffered a stroke and was rushed to the hospital in March 2004 at his home in Denenchofu. At that time, he was leading Japan’s “Dream Team” baseball squad for the Athens Olympics.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Afterwards, it was reported that he made a miraculous recovery, but his whereabouts and condition remained unknown. Meanwhile, our magazine continued to report on his rehabilitation. We look back on his unyielding spirit from past articles.</span></p>
<p><b>[The day of his first rehabilitation at the origin, Tamagawa (April 19, 2013 issue)]</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In June 2005, the year after his stroke, our magazine witnessed Nagashima walking with a cane along the embankment of the Tamagawa River.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">That day, Nagashima completed his daily rehab in a Tokyo park despite the light rain, then was driven to the Tamagawa embankment. With the former Giants’ Tamagawa Ground to his left, he started walking with a cane. Wearing black sneakers marked with a red number “3,” his steps were strong and determined.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Nagashima felt a renewed confidence in returning to his uniform and visited the Tamagawa Ground for the first time since his illness to report this progress. This was how it appeared to our magazine, which had been closely watching his rehab every day.</span></p>
<p><b>[3,330 days since the stroke! Nagashima threw a ball (May 3, 2013 issue)]</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The day Nagashima threw a ball again—the moment all baseball fans had been waiting for—was finally witnessed by our magazine.</span></p>
<h2><br style="font-weight: 400;"><br style="font-weight: 400;"></h2>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead="Mr. Nagashima's powerful appearance during his rehabilitation"></div>
<h2><b>The person Mr. Nagashima smiled at</b></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On April 15, 2013, exactly 3,330 days after suffering a stroke in 2004, Mr. Nagashima was diligently doing rehabilitation at a park near the former Giants’ Tamagawa Ground. According to a nearby resident:</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Lately, every Monday, I see Mr. Nagashima at this park. Apart from a slight limp in his right leg, he walks steadily, with steps that hardly suggest he’s ill.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">That day, Mr. Nagashima greeted a woman walking her dog with a loud “Good morning!” After receiving an oval ball for the dog with his left hand, he raised it high and threw it about three meters. Although it wasn’t a white baseball, it was the moment Mr. Nagashima finally threw the ball again.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The dog caught the ball when it landed and brought it back to Mr. Nagashima. Laughing heartily, bending down, he threw the ball up into the air once more. He only threw these two pitches, but it was a moment that clearly showed his recovery was underway.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Many fans surely hoped for the day when he could again throw full force with his right hand. Though that wish was never fulfilled, this smile undoubtedly became a great source of hope for his supporters.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">For us fans, Mr. Nagashima’s smile is eternally immortal. We pray for his peaceful rest.</span></p>
<h2><br style="font-weight: 400;"><br style="font-weight: 400;"></h2>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead="Mr. Nagashima's powerful walk"></div>
<figure id="attachment_426999" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2500px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-426999"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="57c9bfbc"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/06/00c548d382cc96001fef1e5d81f1ff2c.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-426999" class="wp-caption-text"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mr. Shigeo Nagashima taking a walk beside the former Giants’ Tamagawa Ground in June 2005 (from the April 19, 2013 issue)</span></figcaption></figure>
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<figure id="attachment_427001" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2500px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-427001"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="46b402bf"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/06/d0ecf454a1ddb3d370d82a79fb475428.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-427001" class="wp-caption-text"><span style="font-weight: 400;">In 2005, Shigeo Nagashima took a walk in a park for rehabilitation.</span></figcaption></figure>
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 Sota Shima

 On June 3, Shigeo Nagashima passed away. Since his stroke in March 2004, this magazine has repeatedly reported on Mr. Nagashima's indomitable fighting spirit as he continued his rehabilitation. We look back at the image of Nagashima, who continued to give hope to his fans.

[In Memoriam] Shigeo Nagashima’s 3,330-Day Fight After Stroke — The Day Mr. Giants Took the Mound Again

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