Brandon Laird has become a favorite among Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters fans for his home run celebration, not to mention the homers themselves, which sees him mimic a chef making sushi.
There was a lot to celebrate on Saturday night, when he hit three home runs against the Orix Buffaloes to bring his season total to a Pacific League-best 35, three ahead of the Seibu Lions' Ernesto Mejia through Saturday's games. When he was asked to give a message to the fans, Laird, who usually professes his love of sushi during his hero interviews, said simply, "sushi paradise."
The Fighters slugger is moving closer to the first 40-homer season in the PL since the Lions' Takeya Nakamura hit 48 in 2011.