Wladimir Balentien flips on the television and takes in a rare moment of relaxation. Instead of his Tokyo Yakult Swallows uniform, which will be worn later, he's clad simply in a red T-shirt commemorating his back-to-back home run titles and yellow shorts from a past NPB All-Star Series.

Here in the relative peace of this small, air-conditioned room near the team's clubhouse it's quiet, and the space offers a brief respite from both the unrelenting heat of a Tokyo summer and the glare of an ever-brightening spotlight.

"Everywhere you go, people are talking about you," Balentien tells the Japan Times. "When you go to a restaurant, everywhere I go right now, it's a lot of talk going on. It's hard to not pay attention to it. I just want to focus and try to do my best and at least get to where my goal is right now."