Tokyo Yakult Swallows slugger Munetaka Murakami became the first player in 18 years to win a batting Triple Crown in Japan pro baseball, and he capped it in dramatic fashion by breaking one of Japan's most cherished records in his final at-bat of his final game of the regular season.
Murakami belted his 56th home run during the Swallows' 8-2 victory over the Yokohama DeNA BayStars at Tokyo's Jingu Stadium. This beat the record held by Yomiuri Giants legend Sadaharu Oh for most by a Japanese-born player, which had stood since 1964.
The 22-year-old Murakami went 2-for-4 to finish the season with a Central League-leading .318 average, and his two RBIs gave him a CL-high 134.
