This story originally appeared in the Japanese newspaper Yukan Fuji in 2017.
TOKYO — It feels good to hit a home run. You swing the bat, connect with a pitch and send it over the outfield fence. It sends a chill down your spine.
Sadaharu Oh, who hit 868 of them, said it was “ecstasy.”
Hideki Matsui, who hit over 500 of them said it was “tottemo ii kimochi.”
The famous Reggie Jackson said, “It was better than sex.” (Although some of Jackson’s teammates thought he may have been exaggerating).
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Robert Whiting's Japan to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.