Munetaka Murakami clutched two water bottles in his hand as he sprinted onto the field to help douse Tokyo Yakult Swallows rookie Kazuya Maruyama, who clinched the Central League pennant for Yakult with a sayonara double on Sunday at Jingu Stadium.
Murakami later wrapped Swallows captain Tetsuto Yamada in a hug as his teammate sobbed into his chest. He then helped direct traffic when the players grabbed manager Shingo Takatsu and flung him skyward during the celebratory victory toss. Takatsu went airborne seven times and said he was scared each time he went up.
“I wondered if we could toss him into the heavens,” Murakami joked later.