After a slow start to his first season as a professional, Kotaro Kiyomiya provided fans with a small glimpse of what made him the most sought-after player in last fall's NPB draft.
The Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters rookie hit his first two pro home runs on Friday during a ni-gun contest against the Chiba Lotte Marines' farm team. The 18-year-old Kiyomiya hit both off Lotte's Yuji Nishino, who has 16 wins and 86 saves on the ichi-gun level, and finished the game with three hits and six RBIs.
He went deep again on Sunday, picking up home run No. 3 in another game against the Marines.