Tigers slugger Sato wins 1st Triple Crown since Murakami
NISHINOMIYA, Japan (Kyodo) -- Teruaki Sato of the Central League-winning Hanshin Tigers became the first Triple Crown winner since Munetaka Murakami i
Teruaki Sato, a player for Japan's Hanshin Tigers, achieved the Triple Crown in the 2023 Nippon Professional Baseball season, becoming the first player to do so since Munetaka Murakami in 2022. Sato, who was 27 at the time, hit 39 home runs, drove in 106 runs, and batted .306, leading all categories in the Central League. This accomplishment marks the ninth instance of a player achieving the Triple Crown, a feat previously accomplished by Murakami, Haruyasu Nakajima, Katsuya Nomura, Sadaharu Oh, Hiromitsu Ochiai, Boomer Wells, and Nobuhiko Matsunaka.
Sato, who was not initially focused on winning the Triple Crown, shared that his primary goal was to improve his batting average. He attributed his success to gradually building his skills and objectively assessing his batting strengths and weaknesses. Sato, the 2022 CL MVP, led the Tigers to their first consecutive Central League championships alongside his stellar offensive performance.
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