TOKYO — Japanese home run king Sadaharu Oh paid tribute to Hideki Matsui after the Oakland Athletics' outfielder hit his 500th homer.

"Five hundred is a figure that carries a lot of worth in the major leagues," Oh said Thursday. "To keep hitting home runs during a tough schedule while maintaining your conditioning is not easy."

Matsui has 168 home runs in the majors and 332 for the Yomiuri Giants.

Oh hit a record 868 home runs over 22 seasons with the Giants.