Teruaki Sato Hits Monster 146-Meter Home Run off Tokyo Dome Billboard, Earning 1 Million Yen Prize

In a rivalry matchup between the Yomiuri Giants and the Hanshin Tigers at Tokyo Dome on August 11, 2026, Hanshin Tigers infielder Teruaki Sato stunned fans with an astounding display of power. In the top of the ninth inning, Sato smashed a towering two-run home run—his 24th of the season—estimated at a staggering distance of 146 meters (479 feet), hitting the right-center field electronic billboard directly.

With a blistering exit velocity of 180 km/h (112 mph) and a launch angle of 24 degrees, the ball struck the "RENOSY" digital billboard high above right-center field. The blast set a new record for the longest home run distance in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) across both leagues this season. Sato's moonshot marks the first time a batter has hit the right-field billboard at Tokyo Dome since Yoshitomo Tsutsugo in 2015, and the very first since the stadium upgraded its billboards to LED digital displays in 2022.

For hitting the target, Sato was awarded the "Big Board Award" by the sponsor, which comes with a 1,000,000 yen cash prize. When the award announcement echoed through Tokyo Dome, Sato was seen smiling in the dugout and raising his right hand in celebration to loud cheers from the traveling Tigers fans.

The monstrous shot capped off a dominant performance by Hanshin, who cruised to a 9-1 victory behind home runs from Koji Chikamoto, back-to-back homers from Shota Morishita, and a brilliant pitching display by Shoki Murakami, who allowed just one run over eight innings. Social media erupted following the hit, with comments praising Sato's "out-of-this-world power" and congratulating him on the 1-million-yen payout, driving "Billboard Hit" to the top of the trending topics on X (formerly Twitter).

The context

The rivalry between the Kansai-based Hanshin Tigers and the Tokyo-based Yomiuri Giants is the oldest and most famous matchup in Japanese Professional Baseball (NPB). Tokyo Dome, home of the Giants, features prominent sponsor billboards high above the outfield stands. Hitters who manage to strike these designated "Big Boards" directly on the fly are awarded special prizes—a famous tradition at Tokyo Dome that showcases extraordinary power and provides high entertainment value for fans.

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