Yomiuri Giants captain Shinnosuke Abe celebrated Christmas with a memorable pay raise after becoming the third player in Japanese baseball history to reach the ¥600 million plateau Tuesday.
Abe signed a two-year deal with the Central League champions worth ¥600 million annually, up ¥30 million from his old contract.
Former major leaguers Kazuhiro Sasaki (¥650 million) and Hideki Matsui (¥610 million), who were with the Yokohama BayStars and the Giants respectively, are the only two others to have made as much as Abe.