JAPAN: TOKYO BATTING ACE SADAHARU OH EQUALS WORLD HOME RUN RECORD (1977)

Japan's most famous baseball batter, Sadaharu Oh of Yomiuri Giants on Wednesday (31 August) hit the 755th home run of his career to equal the American Henry (Hank) Aaron's world record. Oh a pitch from lefthander Michio Miura of the Taiyo Whales into the of Tokyo's Korakuen Stadium. It was Oh's 39th home run of the season.

The setting was perfect for Oh's historic swat. He was on his home part before a capacity crowd of 50,000 fans, eager to see their hero go for the records book
Oh is 37-years-old and has been a star with the Giants for 19 seasons. This was his first at-bat of the evening against the lean, southpaw pitcher.

Miura left fly, Oh's bat flashes through and the ball arcs into the packed stands. The crowd were ecstatic to see their hero deliver the goods.

This was Oh's 365th home run at the Korakuen Stadium and a gift for his parents, who were in the crowd. His father, a Tokyo restaurateur, is a Chinese, born in Taiwan and his mother is Japanese. Oh himself was born in Japan. He's headed the country's home run list every season since 1962 except for 1975, when he had a rare patch of poor form. Hank Aaron had held the record alone since 1974, often he'd passed the long-standing total of 714 struck by the New York Yankee's immortal Babe Ruth.
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