Japanese slugger Teruaki Sato seeking a move to Major League Baseball

TOKYO (AP) — Teruaki Sato of the Hanshin Tigers is aiming to be the next Japanese slugger to move to American baseball.

Sato, who hit 39 home runs this season with 106 RBIs and a batting average of .306, is looking for a move to Major League Baseball through the posting system, the Japanese news agency Kyodo has reported.

He won the triple crown in Japan's Central League.

“I am grateful to the team for respecting my wishes,” Sato said in a statement from the Tigers.

Sato was a member of Japan's national team that reached the quarterfinals of this year’s World Baseball Classic.

In his career in Japan, Sato has played 803 games, recorded a batting average of .271 with 163 home runs and 518 RBIs.

Japanese players have made a huge mark on MLB, particularly over the past three decades. Former Mariners star Ichiro Suzuki has been elected to the Hall of Fame. Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto last year helped the Los Angeles Dodgers become Major League Baseball’s first repeat World Series champion in a quarter-century, with Ohtani earning a fourth MVP award and Yamamoto selected World Series MVP.

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