Sadaharu Oh says his record of 868 career home runs will not stand forever. In fact, in a 2009 interview, he predicted that Alex Rodriguez could hit has many as 1,000 home runs because his technique is sound and his physique is excellent for baseball hitting. To watch the interview, click on http://www.zimbio.com/watch/nj4kukUP_5w/Japan+homer+king+eyes+ARod/Sadaharu+Oh
In August of 1977, Sports Illustrated ran a cover story highlighting
Oh’s dominance of the Japanese baseball and influence on the global
game. In it, writer Frank DeFord posted the question of whether the man
known as the “Japanese Babe Ruth” would have been able to compete in the
U.S.
 The response from U.S. contemporaries (players, coaches and
managers alike) was virtually unanimous...Sadaharu Oh could be a
dominant hitter in any league, even playing against the MLB’s best.
Here’s how he matched up against MLB players of his era. In 13 Japan
series games, Oh hit 25 home runs against visiting pitchers including:
Hall-of-Famers Steve Carlton, Jim Palmer and Tom Seaver.
"Whether
you're in America or Japan," said Sadaharu Oh in the 1977 interview with
Sports Illustrated., "the home run is the ultimate challenge...and the
ultimate achievement.”
And he would know, having hit more home runs
than anyone else in the history of the game. Oh had 95 multi-homer games
in his 22-year career, including: 90 two-homer games, 4 three-homer
games, and 1 four-homer game. These amazing batting stats led him to
win two consecutive Triple Crowns in 1973 and 1974 and nine MVP Awards.
In addition, he was named an All-Star in 20 of his 22 seasons.
Here’s
What Major Leaguers Had To Say About Sadaharu Oh Davey Johnson (the
only man to have been a teammate of Oh and Aaron): “Oh would have hit
700 homers in the US. He would be a good hitter anywhere in the
world. Quality is still quality.”
Tom Seaver: “He sure hit me. He was
a superb hitter, who hit consistently and with power. If he played in
the U.S., he would have hit 20-25 home runs a year, and what’s more,
he’d be a lifetime .300 hitter. He had tremendous discipline at the
plate. He knew the strike zone extremely well. .He could pull your hard
stuff, and you couldn’t fool him off-speed.”
Hal McRae: “Oh had
tremendous patience as a hitter. I don’t know how many he would have hit
here - start with 20 (a year) at least. He was a great All Star who
would have been a Hall of Famer.”
Pete Rose: “There’s no question in
my mind Oh would have hit 800 home runs if he’d played here. If he
played in a park tailored to his swing, he’d have hit 35 homers a year
and hit he’d hit .300, I’ll tell you that.”
Don Baylor: “Oh could
have played anywhere at any time. If he played in Yankee Stadium, being
the left handed pull hitter he is, I have no doubt he’d hit 40 home runs
a year.”
Frank Howard: “He would have hit 30-35 home runs a year and
hit from .280 -.320 and drive in up to 120 runs a year. The point
being, he rates with the all-time stars of the game.”
Greg Luzinski:
“There’s no question he’d have been a great player in the United States,
that he was a super talent.”
Brooks Robinson: “He could have played
in the big leagues with the best players in the world. Not as many home
runs [as he hit in Japan], but he would have hit his share and hit for
average. He was just an outstanding hitter.”
Frank Robinson: “I’m
sure he would have hit in the 30’s [of homers per year] and probably in
the low 40’s. Thirty home runs a year add up to over 600 home runs, and
he’d do that if he played the same number of years here that he played
there.”
Don Drysdale: “He would have hit for average and power here.
In a park tailored to his swing, there’s no telling how many he would
have hit. He was always ready for anything we threw him. We were all
impressed.” |
