Nagashima, 'Mr. Pro Baseball' of Japan, dies at 89

One of Japan's baseball icons has passed away.

Shigeo Nagashima, who was known in the country as "Mr. Pro Baseball," died at age 89, the Yomiuri Giants confirmed on Tuesday.

Nagashima played all 17 seasons of his career with the Giants, playing third base and batting .305 with 444 home runs and a .919 OPS as he helped lead the team to nine straight Japan Series titles from 1965-73.

After he retired as a player, Nagashima managed the Giants from 1975-80, then again from 1993-2001, capturing two more Japan Series titles during the latter stint. One of those titles (1994) came with the help of future MLB star Hideki Matsui.

Like his Giants teammate Sadaharu Oh, who hit 868 home runs, Nagashima was one of the most well-known people in Japan for decades. As evidence of that, his death was also announced in newspaper extras that were handed out to passers-by on the country's street corners, according to The Associated Press.

Nagashima "gave bright dreams and hopes to the society," said Yoshimasa Hayashi, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary, according to the AP.

Nagashima's fame came decades before Japanese stars such as Ichiro Suzuki and Shohei Ohtani became household names in the United States. But his influence remained.

Before the Dodgers' game on Monday night, Ohtani shared three photos of himself with Nagashima on Instagram, including two taken in March during the MLB Tokyo Series.

"May your soul rest in peace," Ohtani wrote.