Munetaka Murakami put together a historic season in Japanese baseball in 2022. Still, the Tokyo Yakult Swallows slugger is already looking over the horizon and across the sea at a new challenge.

When asked if he wanted to play in MLB one day, Murakami admitted it was on his mind.

“Of course,” he said during a news conference at the Japan National Press Club on Monday. “Only a few players can get the chance to play in America. Of course, I want the challenge. I can’t say at what age, but the sooner the better. That is something I have to discuss with the team. If I can go, I want to go as soon as I can.”

There are probably many in MLB who feel the same way after the 22-year-old put the baseball world on notice with his performance this past season.

Murakami, batting in the cleanup spot all year, became the youngest NPB player to win a Triple Crown, hitting .318 with 56 home runs and 134 RBIs for the Swallows in the Central League. He led all NPB batters in home runs and RBIs and finished third in batting average.

Murakami is the first NPB player to win a Triple Crown since the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks’ Nobuhiko Matsunaka in 2004, and the first CL player since Hanshin Tigers great Randy Bass in 1986.

"To be honest, I don't really feel anything now," he said about the achievement. "As I move forward, I want to have the kind of career where I can look back on this as something great.”

Murakami led Japanese baseball with a 1.168 on-base plus slugging percentage and with 118 walks — no other player finished with more than 92. He was also the NPB leader in home runs and RBIs and was third in batting average. He won three (consecutively) of the six monthly MVP awards handed out.

Murakami’s 56 homers were the second most in a single season, behind only former Swallows slugger Wladimir Balentien’s record of 60. Murakami, however, set the mark for Japan-born players, surpassing the 55 Yomiuri Giants legend Sadaharu Oh hit in 1964.

The young slugger, who passed Oh on the final day of the season, was still left with a tinge of regret he could not climb even higher.

“When I reached 50 home runs late in the season, I thought it would be a good goal to hit five more and match Oh-san,” Murakami said. “If I had set a higher goal for myself, 61 or 65 home runs, the result might have been different.”

Murakami’s bid to catch Balentien captivated Japan. His at-bats and highlights were appointment viewing and he dominated the back pages of sports newspapers. He hit home runs in bunches, connecting on a record five in five at-bats at one point during the season. He had 12 multi-homer games. Murakami’s final tally was six fewer than the Chunichi Dragons had as a team.

He said the final day of his whirlwind season — when he saw off a late challenge from the Dragons’ Yohei Oshima for the batting title and also hit his 56th home run — is what he will remember most.

"That is an amazing memory," he said.

Murakami’s performance helped lead to team success for the Swallows, who won their second straight CL pennant and made a return trip to the Japan Series. The Swallows beat the Orix Buffaloes in six games to win the Japan Series crown in 2021 but fell against Orix in seven games this year.

As Murakami heads into the 2023 season, reclaiming the throne is a priority.

"I can't say what my numbers will be, but I still feel regret that we could not become the top team in Japan," he said. "I believe that next year we can win our third straight league title and then become the best in Japan."

Before Murakami tries to guide the Swallows back to the promised land, he will attempt to help Samurai Japan win the World Baseball Classic title in March.

The slugging infielder is a candidate to bat in the cleanup spot for Hideki Kuriyama's squad.

He made his presence felt during national team duty earlier this month, with four home runs in three games against the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, Yomiuri Giants and the Australian national team.

Murakami said he wants to level up for next season. While he does not know what kind of numbers he’ll have — he wants to do even better than this year — he also seems well aware of his limits.

When someone wondered if he might put up a Triple Three season ( a .300 average, 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases) alongside another Triple Crown, Murakami chuckled.

“No, that’s impossible,” he said with a smile.