Hall of Fame slugger Hiromitsu Kadota, No. 3 on all-time HR list, dies at 74

Kadota watches one of his 567 career home runs during a Nankai Hawks' game against the Seibu Lions on Aug. 27, 1987, at Osaka Stadium. (Credit: The Yomiuri Shimbun)

Pro baseball Hall of Famer Hiromitsu Kadota, whose 567 career home runs are currently third on Japan pro baseball's all-time list, has died, it was learned Tuesday. He was 74.

Kadota starred mainly for the Nankai Hawks, the predecessor of Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, in a career that spanned 23 years and included the Pacific League MVP award in 1988.