Tokyo Yakult Swallows slugger Munetaka Murakami said he had a feeling that something special was going to happen at the ballpark on Aug. 2. 

“I had a dream that I hit a home run today. So I was thinking, ‘Maybe,’” he said afterward.

Indeed, the 22-year-old had a night at the plate that others can only dream about, making Nippon Professional Baseball history by hitting five home runs in five consecutive at-bats.

In Major League Baseball, hitting four home runs in a row is not a rarity, as many of the game's greatest names have accomplished it, including Barry Bonds, Mickey Mantle and Lou Gehrig.

In NPB history, 13 players achieved the feat, including Sadaharu Oh in 1964, one of the greatest home run hitters in the world, who played for the Yomiuri Giants. In 1986, Randy Bass, a popular hitter who led the Hanshin Tigers to its first championship, also hit four consecutive home runs.

But the number “five” has remained elusive--until the fireworks show put on Aug. 2 at Meiji Jingu Stadium in central Tokyo.

'KNEW THE BALL WAS GONE'

Expectations started growing after Murakami, who leads the Central League in home runs, on July 31 hit three homers in a row in a game against the Tigers at Hanshin Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture.

The following game on Aug. 2 was scheduled against the Chunichi Dragons at Meiji Jingu Stadium, the Swallows’ home park.

In his first at-bat, Murakami hit a slow curve ball, thrown by the Dragons’ Yuya Yanagi, into the top tier of the right field stands, tying the four-in-a-row record.

The last time the record was matched was in 1997 when Nigel Wilson of the Nippon Ham Fighters hit four consecutive homers.

Murakami was not even born at the time.

The 19,000 spectators had their eyes glued to Murakami’s second at-bat in the third inning.

With one out and a runner on first base, Murakami swung at Yanagi’s “change-up” breaking balls and missed twice.

On the 3-2 count, Yanagi threw another breaking ball. But the slugger did not miss this time.

The ball flew high and far, landing in the left-center field stands.

Murakami said he knew the ball was gone immediately after he hit it. 

“My left hand felt good, and the follow-through with my right hand was good, too. So I thought it was going to go into the stands,” he said.

Murakami received a bouquet of flowers and smiled at the fans, who gave him a standing ovation.

Murakami stepped to the plate for the third time in the sixth inning with no outs and the bases empty. Fans started anticipating a possible “sixth.”

But apparently Murakami was not fixated on breaking his own record.

After Murakami fell behind with two strikes in the count, he did not try to pull an outside pitch and slapped it down the left field line for a double.

The fans probably felt disappointed, but Murakami looked unconcerned and content to be standing on second base. 

Murakami ultimately scored in the inning, bringing the Swallows the game-deciding fifth run.

SWALLOWS' MANAGER, RIVALS IN AWE

The young slugger’s accomplishment blew away the minds of friends and foes.

Shingo Takatsu, the Swallows’ skipper who used to be a pitcher and played for the 2005 World Series champion Chicago White Sox, said seeing Murakami hitting five homers in a row gave him the urge to pick up a glove again.

“It makes me want to go up against him,” Takatsu, 53, said.

“I know the match-up could never happen and that’s probably why I think that way,” Takatsu said. “But I want to see him and feel how he plays from the pitcher’s mound.”

Kazuyoshi Tatsunami, the Dragons’ manager and once a feared hitter himself, said: “We knew he’s on a roll, and, of course, we had strategies and consciously attempted to stop him.”

“But he nailed it, beautifully,” Tatsunami, 52, said.

Murakami’s record-setting performance made not only the Dragons but also a home run-king rival raise the white flag in surrender.

Hotaka Yamakawa, the 30-year-old super-slugger of the Saitama Seibu Lions, is far ahead of the pack in leading the Pacific League in home runs with 30.

“Five homers in a row... The word ‘incredible’ is not good enough to describe what Murakami did. It’s sick!” he said.

Of the NPB race for home run king, Murakami has racked up 39 after the game on Aug. 2.

Yamakawa said, “Until halfway through the season, I was thinking, I want to beat Murakami. But I gave up on that already.”

THE ROAD TO STARDOM

Murakami was selected in the first round of the NPB draft by the Swallows and joined the team in 2018.

In 2021, he hit 39 home runs to win the Central League’s home run king title and became the youngest to capture the league’s MVP award. The Swallows won the Japan Series that year.

With all his accomplishments, Murakami is known for his humbleness around the league.

“I never think of baseball as a job. It is part of my life,” Murakami said during the NPB All-Star games held last week.

“Each day, I relish many things--the pain, the joy and the fun--while playing (baseball),” he said.