In the previous column, I wrote about the results of my research on the home run and batting average rankings of all the Run Batted In (RBIs)–leading hitters in each league since the start of modern Major League Baseball. This time, I'll present the results of my research on the batting average rankings of all the league–leading home run hitters since the start of modern Major League Baseball, and conversely, the home run rankings of all the league–leading batting average hit

At the conclusion of last year's (2025) regular season, I noticed something surprising regarding the players who led their respective leagues in Runs Batted In (RBIs). In the National League, the RBI leader was Kyle Schwarber, who also topped the league in home runs. While this fact didn't seem odd, I was surprised to find his batting average ranked extremely low—60th in the league. Meanwhile, the American League RBI leader was Cal Raleigh—who also led the league in home run

In a column on this website two posts ago, I wrote about how surprised I was that Ichiro's slugging percentage—both the raw figure and his ranking—dropped significantly in Major League Baseball compared to his time in Japan. In fact, there is something else that surprised me greatly when comparing his Japanese and MLB careers: his on-base percentage (OBP). An incredibly wonderful interview with Ichiro by Yuta Ishida. "Ichiro Interviews: Complete Edition" (in Japanese, Bungeis

I've long been curious about home run hitters. It's often said that home run hitters also tend to strike out and walk a lot, but to what extent is this true? Certainly, home run hitters likely focus on powerful swings, which could lead to more strikeouts. However, there are players like Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams who hit many home runs but strike out infrequently. And while pitchers are likely to be more wary of home run hitters, leading to more walks, the degree of this l

Munetaka Murakami, a talented hitter who played in Japanese Professional baseball, will be playing for the Chicago White Sox starting this year. I imagine that baseball fans in the United States don't know much about what kind of baseball player Munetaka Murakami is. So, I'd like to talk about him from my own personal perspective. A magazine featuring all 56 home runs hit by Munetaka Murakami in 2022 (in Japanese, 2022, TAKARAJIMASHA, INC., Tokyo, Japan) When talking about

This is a sequel to my last column. In my last column, I wrote about my personal analysis of the “rankings in eight batting categories.” Every year, I research each player’s league ranking in eight batting categories: hits, walks, home runs, runs, RBIs, batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage. I believe that players who achieve the top five in the league in all eight categories can be considered the best hitters in MLB. This is merely one example of wha

I’ ve been steadily conducting various analyses of Major League Baseball records for a long time, but they’ re all based on my own personal preferences. One of these analyses is the “rankings in eight batting categories.” Each year, I examine each player’ s league ranking in eight categories: hits, walks, home runs, runs, RBIs, batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage. It’ s difficult to achieve high rankings in all eight categories. For example, a player

In the summer of 2010, while on a road trip around the United States, I stopped in Madison County, Iowa, to see Roseman Bridge, the covered bridge made famous by the novel "The Bridges of Madison County " by Robert James Waller. This is an internationally bestselling novel about the love story between a photographer who comes to Madison County to photograph covered bridges and a local married woman. The 1995 film of the same name based on this novel was also a huge hit, star

One hundred years ago, in 1925, a remarkable event took place in Major League Baseball. This year, 2025, marks the 100th anniversary of that event, yet it's not even mentioned in Japan. What about in the United States? That remarkable event was Rogers Hornsby winning the Triple Crown. This was Hornsby's second Triple Crown. He was the first player in Major League Baseball history to win the Triple Crown twice (later Ted Williams was the only player to do so twice). Furthermo

To hit a lot of doubles, you need to consistently hit the ball hard with the bat. This means that players who hit a lot of home runs also...

Wednesday, September 28, 1960, at Fenway Park. If you get what I'm talking about from this, you must be a big MLB fan. That day, a...

My wife, Chiaki Mukai, is an astronaut and has flown twice on the space shuttle. Her second space flight was the nine-day STS-95 mission...

Since 1901, when the modern era of Major League Baseball began, eight players have achieved a batting average of .400 a total of 13...

In 1941, Joe DiMaggio set a record of 56-game hitting streak. It is incredible that he had 56 consecutive games with at least one hit in...

I would like to start with the words that Ty Cobb seems to have said. Unfortunately, I have forgotten when and where I read them, so I...