The Tokyo Yakult Swallows' Tetsuto Yamada has been full of surprises since earning the Central League club's regular second base job a year ago, and his home run in the second game of the All-Star Series last Saturday shows we never quite know what to expect from him.

The Kansai native made a reputation for himself as a slugging shortstop for Osaka's Riseisha High School in the finals of the summer national high school championships at Koshien Stadium. Yet the park had not been a favorite of his as a pro — something that may have changed on Saturday. Three days after his 22nd birthday, Yamada took Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles right-hander Takahiro Norimoto out to straight-away left field.

"Playing an All-Star game there was great, but I have not done well at Koshien," Yamada told Kyodo News on Tuesday at Jingu Stadium. "I haven't been able to picture myself hitting there."