Legendary Baseball Hitter Isao Harimoto Dies at 86

Tokyo, Sept. 10 (Jiji Press)--Isao Harimoto, the first and only player in the history of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball Organization, or NPB, to achieve more than 3,000 career hits, died on Wednesday afternoon, it was learned Thursday. He was 86.

Harimoto collected a total of 3,085 hits during his 23-year career at the NPB.

Born in the western Japan city of Hiroshima, he started his professional career with the Toei Flyers, now the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, in the NPB's Pacific League, in 1959.

He soon became a starting player on the Flyers' first team roster and won the league's rookie of the year award in the year.

Harimoto accumulated hits with his signature wide-angle hitting technique. He also had an ability to send multiple base hits, including home runs. He became the Pacific League's leading hitter for the first time in 1961 with an average of .336 and clinched the title a total of seven times in the league, including in the four consecutive seasons from 1967 to 1970.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]