From our other sites
The story
Following the death of former professional baseball player and longtime commentator Isao Harimoto (known by his nickname “Harry”), a thread on 5ch filled up with story after story from his life. One recounts how, during the season Shohei Ohtani was chasing the home run title, Harimoto deliberately avoided watching games on TV at night, instead learning the results from the next morning’s newspaper and beaming with joy. Another recalls how he personally lobbied the Lotte manager at the time to give playing time to a then-minor-leaguer named Hiromitsu Ochiai, having spotted his talent early. Alongside these, posters also revisited darker chapters — the discrimination he faced as an ethnic Korean in Japan, and his outdated remarks about women’s boxing — painting a fuller picture of both the light and shadow in his life.
What people said
That one's on Nomura, lol
He'd find out about the home runs from the newspaper the next morning and his eyes would light up with joy.
He said he felt ashamed for once insisting Ohtani should focus purely on pitching.
If he'd lived just a few more years, his view might've changed even more 😢
Most MLB games are played in the morning Japan time anyway, so what's that even supposed to mean?
Yeah, back in the day he got seriously discriminated against on this internet forum called '2channel.' (5ch's predecessor)
Just from that jump alone you can tell his athleticism was insane
More like 'What's even fun about this?' right?
↓
Harry graduates from Sunday Morning (leaves the show)
↓
Kazuyoshi Miura: "Thank you for your tough love all these years, Mr. Harimoto! Great work!!"
↓
Harry: "☺"
Lol, turns out Harry was the one who ended up quitting
Yeah, that's right
That's why the two of them are close
Well, if he'd focused on just one, being the best in the world would've been a breeze, so it can't be helped
Whether it'd really be a 'breeze' aside, the possibility was there — and more importantly, doing both definitely shortens a player's career
Why's Kanemura so full of himself?
Looking at his stats, he really wasn't that great a player
Probably bluffing because he's insecure
Can't think of anyone else with that 'outspoken commentator' vibe
Isn't that more like TBS pushing some political-correctness narrative? Doesn't really fit Darvish
Darvish's kind of lacking in charm though
There's Uehara though
He's got S-tier natural talent for it
Same with Kin-yan — even doing the whole 'out-of-touch old man' shtick, that smile just makes you go 'aww'
He was never really an unlikable guy to begin with
The 'jealous-of-Ohtani old man' bit is a no-go though
Harry was the 'jealous-of-Nomura old man' too, so it evens out
Green chili pepper lol
Well, I guess that tracks with the values of Harry's generation
Honestly, thinking about it normally, I'd say don't do it either
Because if people genuinely hate you, it's game over
Background and Key Points of This Discussion
Isao Harimoto was long known for his blunt, unfiltered commentary on a signature segment of the TV show “Sunday Morning,” and his opinions — sometimes seen as reflecting a generational divide — often stirred controversy. The anecdotes shared in this thread about Shohei Ohtani, Hiromitsu Ochiai, and Kazuyoshi Miura were received warmly, revealing a side of him at odds with his image as a stubborn, out-of-touch old-timer. At the same time, posters also revisited the discrimination he faced throughout his playing career as someone with roots in the Korean peninsula, with some weighing his remarks and attitudes not just as a heartwarming story, but in light of the era he came from. Public opinion of a well-known figure tends to swing favorable right after their death, and this thread is a textbook example of that pattern.
*This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Nandemo Jikkyo G) thread “[Good News] Only good stories keep coming out about Harimoto now that he’s dead.”
Leave a Reply