In Memoriam: “Miraculous Rehabilitation” and “Apology” to Fans… Memories of Shigeo Nagashima Seen Only in This Magazine

In March, he encouraged Otani…

The greatest “national hero” of the Showa era has passed away.

At 6:39 a.m. on June 3, “Mr. Professional Baseball” Shigeo Nagashima died of pneumonia at a Tokyo hospital. He was 89 years old.

In September 2010, he suffered a brain hemorrhage at home and was hospitalized in a Tokyo hospital. While continuing his treatment, he visited Tokyo Dome to encourage manager Shinnosuke Abe, and also visited Shohei Otani at the preseason match between the Dodgers and the Giants in March of this year.

He was a key figure in the Giants’ V9 run from 1965-1973, and his offensive and defensive performances captivated fans until his retirement in 1974. He helped make professional baseball a popular sport. At the time of his retirement, he said, “My Giants will be immortal forever,” which became a quote that will remain in history. He went on to lead the Giants to five league championships and two Japan championships during his two terms as manager, a total of 15 years. Even after his retirement, he remained a symbol of professional baseball. Let us look back at Nagashima’s footsteps from past articles in this magazine.

Nagashima’s letter of apology to the fans after winning the “10.8 decisive battle” (October 28, 1994 issue)

On October 8, 1994, the final game between the Giants and the Chunichi at Nagoya Stadium, the “10.8 decisive battle,” was a game that would go down in professional baseball history, with the winner of the game winning the league championship. Nagashima (58 at the time), who won the decisive game to win the long-desired league championship, sent a message of apology to the fans to this magazine.

I am very sorry for making the fans who had been waiting for the championship so anxiously in the latter half of the season. I don’t care what happens to me as a manager, but I fought together with the players for the sake of the fans, and I feel that I have managed to put a face on it by winning the championship. I think that the fans must have been especially happy because the game went all the way to the final game.

The Giants had indeed made their fans very anxious this season, acquiring Hiromitsu Ochiai (40 at the time), then Chunichi’s main gun, in a FA deal and other major reinforcements, and making a dash for the lead at the start of the season in April. However, in the second half of the season, the batting lineup stagnated and they were tied for the lead with Chunichi, who had been in hot pursuit in the closing stages of the season. However, they managed to win the championship, and their next goal was to become the number one team in Japan.

[Claude] We were in the Japan Series, and our opponent was Seibu. It was my dream and my great goal to beat Seibu from the time I took over as manager. Of course, Seibu has the most talented and experienced team of the 12 teams, and they have the obvious ability to outscore the other teams when the time comes. As for the Giants, they are their strongest opponent and a formidable foe.

However, since the game is a matter of luck, we will not know the outcome until we meet them. We will just have to fight with all our might to achieve our long-cherished goal of becoming the number one team in Japan. I believe that the fact that the players fought hard and overcame challenges in the final stages of the season in a battle in which they could not afford a single loss gave them great confidence and strength. In the Japan Series, as in the pennant race, I want to fight with the belief that we will win in the end.

Nagashima described the baseball style of Seibu manager Morigi Akira (57 at the time) as “theory-oriented and unrefined,” and said, “I want to stir things up with bold strategies as if I were a challenger. True to his word, they beat the mighty Seibu in the Japan Series, and Nagashima himself flew in the air for the first time on the stage of Japan’s No. 1 team.

Emergency hospitalization just before the Athens Olympics!　Only this magazine captured her “miraculous rehabilitation” (July 23, 2004 issue).

After retiring as manager of the Giants in 2001 and becoming manager emeritus for life, Nagashima next took over as manager of the Japanese national baseball team for the Athens Olympics. On March 4, 2004, five months before the Olympics, Nagashima (then 68) was hospitalized for a stroke, but was discharged from the hospital in May and reportedly “rehabilitating well,” but the details were shrouded in a thick veil. This magazine caught him in rehabilitation. The following is an excerpt from an article written at the time.

On a certain day in June, in a room of an ultra-luxury condominium in Tokyo. Mr. Kuroda was wearing a T-shirt and training pants, sitting on a chair. A walking stick was propped up in his hand. Although his right hand was hanging from his shoulder, he was very active, making a fist with his left hand, flexing and extending his arms, and lifting and crossing his legs.

His desire to compete in Athens is probably what motivates him. When he was first admitted to the hospital, he did not seem to understand the situation he was in, but now he is actively engaged in rehabilitation. Currently, a physical therapist, an occupational therapist, and a speech therapist are providing onsite rehabilitation services. In addition, we have a thorough team approach to medical care, with the doctor in a management role, nurses, caseworkers, and others holding conferences to decide on policies for treatment and rehabilitation. Since she has never been ill, she seems to be itching to move, and sometimes exceeds her normal rehabilitation time,” said a hospital official.

Mr. Nagashima performs gait training in his room and pedals slowly on his aerobike with his right leg, which is still paralyzed, secured to the pedals with a belt. He also received massages to loosen his stiffened joints, and worked hard on his rehabilitation. His appearance fully conveyed his desire to revive himself.

However, his doctors did not give him permission to travel to Japan, and Mr. Nagashima’s wish was not granted. The national team was led by head coach Kiyoshi Nakahata (then 50). On July 3, 2005, Mr. Nagashima made his first public appearance since his collapse. He was applauded and cheered loudly by the fans when he appeared in front of the audience for the first time in a year and four months with a smile on his face.

After that, through hard rehabilitation, Nagashima gradually began to make public appearances. In 2006, he was hospitalized for gallstones, and his physical strength was also deteriorating. However, he participated in the torch relay for the Tokyo Olympics in 2009, and the sight of him walking slowly across the National Stadium, supported by Sadaharu Oh, Hideki Matsui, and others, encouraged many people.

Mr. Nagashima was a hero until the end. May he rest in peace.