Isao Harimoto, Japanese Baseball's All-time Hit King, Dies at 86 in Tokyo Hospital

Isao Harimoto, Japanese baseball's all-time hit king, died at a Tokyo hospital on Wednesday at age 86. Harimoto finished his career with 3,086 hits in Nippon Professional Baseball, a record that still stands. He played for the Toei Flyers, Nippon-Ham Fighters, and Lotte Orions from 1959 to 1981, and was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1990. His death was confirmed by his family and the league.