It was probably only a matter of time before Tetsuto Yamada made his presence felt. When he did, he produced one of the greatest performances in the history of the Japan Series.
Yamada hit three home runs in three consecutive trips to the plate, driving in five runs, and the Tokyo Yakult Swallows beat the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks 8-4 in Game 3, a back-and-forth contest, on Tuesday night at Jingu Stadium.
"I was able to hit really well, but I've never felt this way before," Yamada said after the game.