The following spring, Hideki looked ready to have a breakout season. He was in command of every at-bat, and his lightning-fast swing was even faster thanks to off-season workouts. His forearms were a subject of much discussion. Though not McGwire-like, they showed that his time in the weight room was paying off.

Nagashima was no fool. He installed Hideki as the team’s cleanup hitter—a huge honor for such a young man. Hideki tore it up, challenging for the league home run crown right down to the last day of the season. He trailed Takeshi Yamasaki of the Chunichi Dragons by one homer and might have caught him had the Dragons not been the opponent in the final game. Chunichi hurlers walked Hideki four times.

Hideki’s consolation was another pennant for the Giants. The club had played so-so ball through June. By early July, the Giants found themselves nearly 12 games behind the Hiroshima Carp. No one was running away with the Central league flag, however. Yomiuri bore down and good things started to happen. Saito and Balvino Galvez—who had replaced Jones—were lights-out, tying for the league lead with 16 victories apiece and finishing 1-2 in the ERA race. American import Jeff Manto was a bust, but Mack had a good year with 22 homers.

The big difference in the Giants, especially down the home stretch, was Hideki. Just 22, he was torching Central League pitchers. By season’s end, the Giants were five games up, and Hideki was leading the league in runs and among the leaders in homers, RBIs, batting and extra-base hits. He finished at .314 with 38 HR and 99 RBIs—and was an easy pick for MVP.

The Giants met the Orix Blue Wave in the Japan Series and fell in five games. Ichiro Suzuki and company just had too much for the Yomiuri club.

After winning a pennant and MVP award, Hideki worked even harder in the off-season. For one thing, he knew enemy pitchers would really come after him in 1997. But he also started thinking about the “ultimate” challenge—playing in the Major Leagues. Countryman Hideo Nomo had enjoyed great success with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and like most Japaene players, Hideki wondered how a hitter might fare under the same circumstances. He was so intrigued by the prospect of playing in America that he secretly began taking English lessons.

That winter, in appreciation for his wonderful season, the Yomiuri club doubled Hideki’s salary from 80 million yen to 160 million. The Giants even offered a long-term deal—a great compliment. But Hideki told team officials that he preferred to improve year-by-year, and that is how he would like to be paid.

Hideki was handed the center field job as the 1997 season opened. The move made sense because Mack was no longer with the Giants, and the team had acquired Yoshinibu Takahashi, a natural right fielder. Hideki wasn’t going to make any highlight reels, but he had the skills and work ethic to become a dependable center fielder.

While Hideki was busy mastering his new position, the rest of the Giants apparently forgot how to play. They had a disastrous year, finishing 20 games out of first place. The pitching was okay, but the Yomiuri offense went into the toilet. Luis de los Santos—a star in the Taiwan League—bottomed out in Japan, and slugger Pedro Castellano was even worse.

Surrounded by futility, Hideki did his best to carry the team himself. Though he just about duplicated his MVP numbers (.298, 37 HR, 103 RBIs), he couldn’t save the floundering Giants.