CHICAGO - Seiya Suzuki hit his 100th Major League Baseball home run as the Chicago Cubs demolished the San Diego Padres 23-3 on Wednesday for their fifth straight victory.
Suzuki opened the scoring with his 13th homer of the season, a three-run shot that soared 426 feet (130 meters) over center field in the first inning at Wrigley Field.
The Japanese outfielder finished 3-for-5 with three RBIs.
Speaking after the game, the 31-year-old former Hiroshima Carp star reflected on making the leap to MLB ahead of the 2022 season.
"Coming to a different country to play baseball was a major challenge, but I was able to keep striving for improvement," Suzuki said.
"My teammates and other people supported not just me but my family as well, creating an environment where I could focus on baseball with peace of mind. I am grateful to everyone around me."
Suzuki became the fourth Japanese player to amass 100 MLB home runs, following Hideki Matsui, Ichiro Suzuki and Shohei Ohtani.
In other MLB action, Houston Astros starter Tatsuya Imai (5-4) was knocked out after 1-1/3 innings in an 8-3 loss to the Minnesota Twins. The Japanese right-hander walked five and gave up five runs on four hits, including two home runs.
Ohtani had his scheduled pitching start pushed back from Wednesday to Friday by the Los Angeles Dodgers, who were beaten 7-1 by the Athletics in West Sacramento. The two-way star went 0-for-5 at the plate at Sutter Health Park.
