Ariel Martínez hit his eighth home run of the campaign in four at-bats this Friday and drove in his team’s only run in the Nippon Ham Fighters’ 5-1 loss to the SoftBank Hawks at Es Con Field in Hokkaido.
The first baseman from Matanzas, Cuba had gone yard since June 7th, maintained his average at .251 and increased his total RBIs to 33 on the season. Martínez looks like a prime candidate to repeat as an All-Star this season.
In his five seasons in the NPB with Nippon Ham and Chunichi he hits .259 with 34 homeruns,142 RBIs and slashes. 344/.421/.765. Expect to see Martínez play with the Cuban National Team in the upcoming Premier 12.
Cuban action on the day:
NPB:
Ariel Martínez (NH) 4-1,HR,RBI,R
KBO:
Guillermo Heredia (SSG) 3-1
CPBL:
No action on the day