Nothing in this world is certain, except death and taxes. While individuals can still accept the hard truth of the former, they certainly try to evade the latter. It’s especially hard to digest the fact when the latter happens to a personality one admires. Even the baseball world is not untouched. While MLB has lost many icons recently, the Japanese world of professional baseball also lost two legends a few days ago.

Baseball is as much an American sport as it is Japanese. While the current generation is more familiar with the likes of Shohei Ohtani, Shigeru Sugishita and Manabu Kitabeppu commanded legions of their own fans once upon a time. The former dominated an era of Chunichi Dragons baseball, while the latter did the same with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp.

No one could throw a forkball like Shigeru Sugishita could

A forkball is a uniquely Japanese move. While New York Mets rookie Kodai Senga is currently associated with his own special version of it, it was originally Sugishita who mastered it. Thus, gaining a nickname, “God of the Forkball.” The trademark pitch led him to winning more than 30 games twice (winning at least 23 games each season), with a total of 215 career game victories. He was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985.

His contributions to the Dragons were endless and led him to win three Eiji Sawamura Awards, a top honor for starting pitchers. Sugishita dominated the Central League for the 10 seasons (1949-1958) he played in the Nagoya-based team. Fans and critics loved him alike. In 1954, he was named the CL MVP and the MVP of the Japan Series.

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After retiring at age 32, the former pitcher went on to manage future Dragons. He briefly returned to the mound in 1961 but decided to go back to managing, this time for the Hanshin Tigers, and later a television announcer. A few days ago, the Chunichi Dragons announced that the former pitcher had passed away at a Tokyo hospital because of pneumonia at the age of 97.

Manabu Kitabeppu was popularly known as the ‘Precision Machine’

Rarely, any other professional pitcher has the kind of control over a ball that Kitabeppu did. Another Central League star, he was the first of the Carps to have 200 wins. 1979 and 1980 were among two of his best years, therein he helped the team win consecutive Japan Series titles. A sensational pitcher, Kitabeppu, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012.

The beloved player announced in 2020 that he had been battling with T-cell leukemia. The former ace braved cancer for many years but ultimately succumbed to it on June 16, 2023 at 65.

He elevated his team during his active days, was named the CL MVP in 1986, and won the Eiji Sawamura Award in 1982 as well as 1986. Then he adopted the role of pitching coach for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp and dedicated his life to the organization.

Japan will feel the absence of these two great individuals. Sayonara, Sugishita-kun, Kitabeppu-kun.

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