 On September 10, 2013, Balentien hit his 55th home run.He subsequently broke the record, hitting his 56th and 57th home runs, on September 15, 2013 at home against the Hanshin Tigers, ultimately finishing the season with 60.Late in the 2013 season, it was revealed that NPB had secretly introduced a livelier baseball, resulting in a marked increase in home runs league-wide.