Nov. 4 -- TWO HOMERS FOR HOWARD

It's Japanese custom that, when a player hits a home run, children present him with flowers after he crosses the plate and before he arrives at the dugout.

Ryan Howard could practically plant a garden Saturday.

After a day of sightseeing in Tokyo with his mother and sister, Howard got back to business, belting back-to-back home runs in the MLB All-Stars' 8-6 victory over their Japanese counterparts.

“When I hit my first home run I got a little flower, so I thought I might get a bouquet if I hit another one,” Howard joked with reporters.

According to reports, the second homer traveled an estimated 450 feet and had the Tokyo Dome buzzing. Also, fans booed when Howard was issued a four-pitch walk in his third at-bat.

I guess they don't see power like Howard's very often in the Far East.

Here are some other quotes and pictures, courtesy of the Associated Press and MLB.com.

"This whole trip for me has been fun," said Howard. "The whole team is just having a great time. It's been easy to just come out and relax and play. To go out and do what we did and have the game we did today was a lot of fun.

"When I first got here and was doing interviews, the first question was 'How many home runs are you going to hit?' The fans here, they do have high expectations. I also play in Philadelphia, so I'm used to it. For me, it does feel good. Any time you can hit a home run and help your team get runs, it definitely feels good. The fans are excited, and they're satisfied as well so it's good all around."

"We got a chance to see one of the great young talents in the game," MLB manager Bruce Bochy said. "A guy like Ryan Howard doesn't come along very often, and fans are getting a chance to see a very talented young player that's going to have a tremendous career."