Professional baseball's MVP = Most Valuable Player of the Season was announced, and pitcher Toshiki Murakami, who contributed to Hanshin's first Japan title in 38 years, won the award for the first time in the Central League.
Murakami became the first pitcher in Central League history to win the Rookie of the Year award at the same time.

In addition, Orix pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who won four major starting pitcher titles in the Pacific League for the third consecutive year, became the first player since Ichiro to win the award for the third consecutive year.

The MVP of professional baseball is determined by the sum of the votes cast by reporters and others from 1st to 3rd place.

The 25-year-old Hanshin pitcher Murakami, who was named the MVP of the Central League, pitched in just two games for the first team until last season, but in his third season, he pitched in 1 games, posting a record of 2-3 with a 22.10 ERA, winning the best ERA title for the first time and contributing greatly to Japan's first championship in 6 years.

Murakami also won the Rookie of the Year award, and in the Pacific League, pitcher Isamu Kida of Japan Ham in 1 and pitcher Hideo Nomo of Kintetsu before the merger with Orix in 75 won both the Rookie of the Year and MVP awards at the same time, but this was the first time in Central League history.

On the other hand, 38-year-old Orix pitcher Yamamoto, who was named the Pacific League MVP, posted a 1980-1990 record, 2.25 ERA, 7 strikeouts, and a 16.6-1 winning percentage, and won the four major starting pitcher titles for the first time in three consecutive years: most wins, best ERA, highest winning percentage, and most strikeouts.

He was also selected for the Sawamura Award, which is given to a pitcher who pitches a complete game as a starter, for the third year in a row.

He is the third player to win the MVP award three years in a row, after pitcher Hisashi Yamada of Hankyu, the predecessor of Orix, who won the award from 21 to 169, and Ichiro of Orix, who won the award from 7 to 2.

Pacific League MVP pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto: "I want to catch up with the great seniors"

Orix pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who won the Pacific League MVP = Most Valuable Player award, said, "I am happy to have won the award for the third year in a row, following last year's Ototoshi.

Regarding the fact that he became the first player to win the award three years in a row since Ichiro, he said, "I'm a big senior in the baseball world and Orix, and I'm happy to have been able to do the same as Ichiro, but I'm a great senior, so I want to do my best every day to catch up as much as possible."

On top of that, regarding his aim to move from professional baseball to the big leagues this season, he said, "We lost the Japan Series, so I can't say that I have left anything undone, but I think I have had a smooth professional baseball life. I want to cherish each and every day and continue to work hard."

The rookie king is

The rookie of the year award went to Hanshin's Murakami, who received 306 of the 285 valid votes in the Central League.

Murakami, a 5-year-old pitcher who joined the club with the fifth pick in the draft, pitched in just two games for the first team until last season, but this season his consistent pitching shined through, winning the title of best ERA for the first time with a record of 25-1 and a 2.10 ERA, and contributing greatly to the team's first ERA-win title in Japan in 6 years.

This is the ninth Hanshin player to be named Rookie of the Year in seven years, after Shun Takayama in 1.

On the other hand, the Pacific League Rookie of the Year award was Orix pitcher Yamashita, who received 75 votes out of 38 valid votes.

Yamashita is a 2016-year-old right-handed pitcher in his third year who joined the club with the No. 7 pick in the draft.

Until last year, he didn't pitch in the first team due to injury, but this season he was selected as the opening pitcher.

Taking advantage of his large physique of 9 meter 267 cm tall and weighing 241 kg, he has a powerful straight line with a maximum speed of nearly 21 kg and a curve with a large drop, and he started 1 games and posted a record of 3 wins and 1 losses and an ERA of 1.90.

He left the team at the end of August due to a back injury, but he helped Orix win three consecutive league titles.

This is the 98th Orix player to be selected as the Rookie of the Year in two years, since pitcher Daiya Miyagi.

Central League Rookie of the Year pitcher Yoshiki Murakami: "I'm glad we got the win"

Hanshin pitcher Yoshiki Murakami, who won the Central League Rookie of the Year award, expressed his delight, saying, "I thought I had a chance, but I'm happy to feel like I've finally won the award."

He also revealed his interaction with teammate Shota Morishita, who also competed for the rookie title, and smiled, saying, "He told me, 'Don't do it in your third year, give it to your first year,' but I'm glad I won it."

He also pointed to his first start against the Giants in April, where he pitched a perfect game without allowing a single runner to reach the seventh inning in his first start, saying, "I was nervous, but I was able to complete the seventh inning and get a strikeout from Kazuma Okamoto, the No. 3, which gave me the most confidence," and added, "I knew that as a Hanshin fan, I was far from being the best in Japan. I wanted to be the best in Japan, so it was a very good season for me as a team and myself."

Regarding winning the MVP = Most Valuable Player award, he said, "There are many other good players, so I never thought I would win it.

He also commented on becoming the first player in the history of the Central League to win both the MVP and Rookie of the Year awards at the same time, saying, "I am the first player in professional baseball since Mr. Nomo and the first in the Central League, so it was great to be able to make a name for myself."

Looking ahead to next season, he said, "I want to win the title of best defensive percentage for the second year in a row, which is my main goal, and I want to continue to strive for better results than I have ever done, win more than 1 games, and further reduce my ERA."

Pacific League Rookie of the Year Pitcher Shunpei Yamashita: "I want to be No. 1 in everything"

Orix pitcher Shunpei Yamashita, who won the Pacific League Rookie of the Year award, expressed his delight, saying, "I wasn't aware of it at all at the start of the season, so I'm very happy because it's something I can't do on my own."

When asked what impressed him in his words, he said, "It was a year full of firsts, but I think Coach Nakajima was especially important to me.

Looking ahead to next season, he said, "I think my role as a starter is to pitch all year, so that's a big challenge. I want to do my best to do what I have been given in the position I have been given."

Shoriki Matsutaro Award Special Prize Shohei Otani "I'm honored to receive this award"

During the NPB Awards on the 28th, the Shoriki Matsutaro Award, which is given to the person who has made the most contribution to professional baseball, was also awarded, and a message was received from Shohei Ohtani of the Major League Baseball Angels, who received the special award for the second time.
Ohtani said, "I am honored to receive the Shoriki Matsutaro Special Award for the second time in recognition of my performance this season and my WBC victory. We look forward to your continued support next season."