Obituary: Masaichi Kaneda, Japanese baseball legend with Korean roots

Pitcher, who grew up in an era of ethnic prejudice, won a record 400 games

Masaichi Kaneda unleashes a pitch for the Yomiuri Giants in 1969, his final year in a pro career that began in 1950. © Kyodo

ROBERT WHITING, Contributing writer

October 8, 2019 18:48 JST

The Japan sporting world is mourning the passing of one of its great icons, Masaichi Kaneda, who died on Oct. 6 at the age of 86.

Kaneda was the most dominant pitcher in the history of Japanese professional baseball. In a 20-year career, spanning the 1950s and 1960s, he won a record 400 games, far more than anyone else, a total surpassed only by two pitchers in North America's Major League Baseball.