Munetaka Murakami homered twice and drove in six runs to power the Central League-leading Tokyo Yakult Swallows to a 7-4 interleague title-clinching win over the Pacific League's Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks on Saturday.
The Swallows improved to 13-4 in the annual interleague session, when each team plays six three-game series against the rival league. Yakult earned ¥30 million ($223,000) in prize money for clinching the best interleague record.
"We are aware of the Pacific League's strength, and I'm proud to have won every series against their teams," Yakult manager Shingo Takatsu said.