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8.17.2007

the real home run king

All the hoopla and fanfare over Barry Bonds record-breaking 756th home run has sort of come and gone. But at this point, between being one of the most disliked players in baseball and allegations of performance-enhancing substances, I think a lot of folks just rolled their eyes at Bonds' feat. Besides, beating Hank Aaron's record? 755? That's nothing. The real home run king is Japan's Sadaharu Oh, who played with the Tokyo Yomiuri Giatns from 1959 to 1980 and hit more home runs than any other professional player... in the world. 868. Beat that, Barry. Here's a good profile on Oh from the Los Angeles Times: Home run king and gentleman. Humble and revered in Japan, he sounds a bit like the anti-Bonds.