Shohei Ohtani has become the first Japanese player to lead a U.S. major league in home runs, capturing the American League title with 44 on Sunday, the last day of the regular season.
The two-way star achieved the feat despite playing in just 135 games before undergoing season-ending elbow surgery last month.
He is the first Japanese player to win an MLB batting crown since 2004, when Ichiro Suzuki led both leagues in average and claimed his second AL batting title as a member of the Seattle Mariners.