Tomohiro Nioka homered three times and became the first player in Japanese baseball to hit grand slams in consecutive at-bats as the Yomiuri Giants walloped the Chunichi Dragons 15-4 in the Central League on Sunday.
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| Tomohiro Nioka of the Yomiuri Giants belts a two-run homer during the first inning of Sunday's game against the Chunichi Dragons at Tokyo Dome. |
Nioka, who turned 30 on Saturday, had 10 RBIs on the night, falling one shy of the record of 11 runs driven in in one game set by Shigeya Iijima (Daiei Stars) in 1951. Nioka also became the second player after Iijima to hit two grand slams in one game.