Yuki Yanagita and his wacky swing are back and once again dominating the Japan All-Star Series
The Japan All-Star Series is not just about showing off some of Major League Baseball's premier talent to fervent fans who don't get to see them very often. It works in reverse as well.
Case-in point? SoftBank Hawks center fielder Yuki Yanagita. He has been one of Nippon Professional Baseball's elite players over the last four seasons, batting .334/.444/.604 with 119 homers and a 1.048 OPS while setting a career-high with 36 dingers in 2018.
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Yanagita's pop is no joke, but sometimes, his swing can produce some highly amusing results -- as fans familiar with the 2014 Japan All-Star Series might recall.
Four years ago, Yanagita earned series MVP honors for his prolific performance. He also once swung so hard that his helmet flew off.
So far in 2018, the highlight-reel hitting from Yanagita is back ...
... and as evidenced on Saturday, so is his extremely GIF-able swing:
Given how hot Yanagita is right now, it shouldn't be a shocker that he managed to get a bloop single despite the off-balance hack. He's now 5-for-7 with a pair of homers and six RBI through two games.
Perhaps another series MVP is just around the corner ... and some more funky swings, too.
