Kazushige Nagashima

is a Japanese tarento, sports commentator and former professional baseball player. His father is Japanese baseball legend Shigeo Nagashima. Biography Nagashima was born in Tokyo, Japan, the oldest son of former Japanese national team manager Shigeo Nagashima and his wife Akiko. His brother, Masaoki, is a race car driver, and his sister, Mina, is a newscaster. Nagashima's wife is his business manager, and they have twin daughters. Professional career Nagashima entered Rikkyo University, following his father, and attracted much attention from professional scouts, being the son of Shigeo Nagashima. He was drafted in the first round of the 1988 draft by the Yakult Swallows, and his first professional hit was a home run against the Yomiuri Giants, and the pitcher was Bill Gullickson. He was touted as the next big star in Japanese baseball, after his father, but failed to live up to expectations. Nagashima did not hit or field well, and his playing time decreased as the years went on. In 1992, he spent a year with the Los Angeles Dodgers single-A team in the United States, but made little improvement. He was about to be released from the Swallows in 1992, but was traded for money to the Yomiuri Giants, where his father was the manager. He did not play any better with the Giants, but his team won the league championship in 1994, and the father-son combination became a pet topic of the Japanese media. Nagashima suffered various injuries to his wrists and ankles during this period, and in 1993, he went to the U.S. to undergo surgery.