Hanshin Tigers infielder Teruaki Sato finished the Central League season with a .306 average, 39 home runs and 106 RBIs, the first NPB triple crown since Munetaka Murakami in 2022.
Hanshin Tigers infielder Teruaki Sato won the Central League triple crown on Thursday as the regular season ended at Koshien. Sankei reported a .306 batting average, 39 home runs and 106 runs batted in.
It is the first Nippon Professional Baseball triple crown since Munetaka Murakami of the Yakult Swallows in 2022, and the ninth player to do it, for the 13th time overall. For Hanshin, it is the first since Randy Bass in 1985 and 1986.
Sato, 27, is from Hyogo and joined Hanshin as the top draft pick in 2021 after playing at Kinki University. He won the home-run and RBI titles in 2025 and played in the World Baseball Classic in March. He was the league's only .300 hitter this season. He missed a second straight 40-home-run season by one.
The figures were locked when Hanshin finished its schedule against Yakult. Sankei did not report a separate award ceremony.
The triple crown is a season statistical result. It is not a playoff outcome.