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Japan Series Most Valuable Player Award

Award in Japan

Award in Japan

FieldValue
nameJapan Series Most Valuable Player Award
imageKaoru Betto.jpg
captionKaoru Betto was the inaugural Japan Series MVP Award winner, for the 1950 Mainichi Orions
awarded_forMost valuable player of the Japan Series
presenterNippon Professional Baseball
countryJapan
year1950
holderHotaka Yamakawa (Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks)

The Japan Series Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award is given to the player deemed to have the most impact on his team's performance in the Japan Series, which is the final round of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) postseason. The award was first presented in 1950.

The series follows a best-of-seven playoff format and occurs after the two-stage Climax Series. It is played by the winners of the Final Stage round of the Central League and the Pacific League.

Kaoru Betto won the inaugural award in 1950 with the Mainichi Orions. Depending upon definitions, the first non-Japanese to win the award was either Andy Miyamoto in 1961 or Joe Stanka in 1964. Fifteen Japan Series MVPs were inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame; Osamu Higashio (1982) was the first pitcher to appear solely as a reliever to win the Japan Series MVP, with only Dennis Sarfate (2017) joining him since. Of the first fifteen winners of the award since 2000, only three are still active in professional baseball as a player. Hideki Matsui and Norihiro Nakamura are they only two Japan Series MVPs to play in Major League Baseball (MLB). While Nakamura's MLB career lasted less than one season, Matsui's lasted ten seasons. He became the first (and so far only) player to be named both a Japan Series and a World Series MVP after winning the latter award in 2009. The reigning Japan Series MVP is Hotaka Yamakawa of the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.

Numerous players of the 76 Japan Series MVPs have also won the NPB MVP or the Eiji Sawamura Award in the same season. Five players won the Eiji Sawamura Award and the Japan Series MVP in the same season: Shigeru Sugishita (1954), Takehiko Bessho (1955), Tsuneo Horiuchi (1972), Takashi Nishimoto (1981), Takehiro Ishii (1992); Sugishita, Horiuchi, and Ishii are the only players to have won all three awards in the same season. Twelve players have won the Japan Series MVP in the same season in which they won the NPB MVP: Betto (1950), Bessho (1952), Kazuhisa Inao (1958), Tadashi Sugiura (1959), Shigeo Nagashima (1963), Stanka (1964), Hisashi Yamada (1977), Randy Bass (1985), Tom O'Malley (1995), Furuta (1997), Matsui (2000), Dennis Sarfate (2017).

Six players have won the award multiple times. Nagashima has won the most Japan Series MVP awards with four wins (1963, 1965, 1969–1970). The remaining five players all won the award twice: Bessho (1952, 1955), Horiuchi (1972–1973), Kimiyasu Kudoh (1986–1987), Koji Akiyama (1991–1999), Atsuya Furuta (1997, 2001), and Toshiaki Imae (2005, 2010); Akiyama is the only player to have won the award with different teams. There has been one occasion on which multiple winners were awarded in the same Japan Series: Masayuki Dobashi and Masayuki Tanemo in 1962.

Pitchers have been named Series MVP 21 times, 13 of which appeared in both starting and relief roles in the Series.

Winners

Year
Links to the article about that corresponding Japan Series
Member of the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
Active player
Indicates multiple award winners in the same Japan Series
Indicates number of times winning Japan Series MVP at that point (if he won multiple times)
YearPlayerTeamPositionSelected statisticsNote(2)(2)(3)(4)(2)(2)(2)(2)(2)
1950Mainichi OrionsOutfielder
1951Yomiuri GiantsOutfielder
1952Yomiuri GiantsPitcher
1953Yomiuri GiantsFirst baseman
1954Chunichi DragonsPitcher
1955Yomiuri GiantsPitcher
1956Nishitetsu LionsShortstop
1957Nishitetsu LionsOutfielder
1958Nishitetsu LionsPitcher
1959Nankai HawksPitcher
1960Taiyō WhalesSecond baseman
1961Yomiuri GiantsOutfielder
1962Toei FlyersPitcher
1962Toei FlyersCatcher
1963Yomiuri GiantsThird baseman
1964Nankai HawksStarting pitcher
1965Yomiuri GiantsThird baseman
1966Yomiuri GiantsOutfielder
1967Yomiuri GiantsCatcher
1968Yomiuri GiantsOutfielder
1969Yomiuri GiantsThird baseman
1970Yomiuri GiantsThird baseman
1971Yomiuri GiantsOutfielder
1972Yomiuri GiantsPitcher
1973Yomiuri GiantsPitcher
1974Lotte OrionsOutfielder
1975Hankyu BravesPitcher
1976Hankyu BravesOutfielder
1977Hankyu BravesPitcher
1978Yakult SwallowsFirst baseman
1979Hiroshima Toyo CarpShortstop
1980Hiroshima Toyo CarpOutfielder
1981Yomiuri GiantsStarting pitcher
1982Seibu LionsRelief pitcher
1983Seibu LionsOutfielder
1984Hiroshima Toyo CarpOutfielder
1985Hanshin TigersFirst baseman
1986Seibu LionsPitcher
1987Seibu LionsPitcher
1988Seibu LionsShortstop
1989Yomiuri GiantsFirst baseman
1990Seibu LionsFirst baseman
1991Seibu LionsOutfielder
1992Seibu LionsStarting pitcher
1993Yakult SwallowsStarting pitcher
1994Yomiuri GiantsStarting pitcher
1995Yakult SwallowsFirst baseman
1996Orix BlueWaveInfielder
1997Yakult SwallowsCatcher
1998Yokohama BayStarsOutfielder
1999Fukuoka Daiei HawksOutfielder
2000Yomiuri GiantsOutfielder
2001Yakult SwallowsCatcher
2002Yomiuri GiantsShortstop
2003Fukuoka Daiei HawksStarting pitcher
2004Seibu LionsStarting pitcher
2005Chiba Lotte MarinesThird baseman
2006Hokkaido Nippon-Ham FightersOutfielder
2007Chunichi DragonsThird baseman
2008Saitama Seibu LionsPitcher
2009Yomiuri GiantsCatcher
2010Chiba Lotte MarinesThird baseman
2011Fukuoka SoftBank HawksFirst baseman
2012Yomiuri GiantsStarting pitcher
2013Tohoku Rakuten Golden EaglesStarting pitcher
2014Fukuoka SoftBank HawksOutfielder
2015Fukuoka SoftBank HawksFirst baseman
2016Hokkaido Nippon-Ham FightersThird baseman
2017Fukuoka SoftBank HawksPitcher
2018Fukuoka SoftBank HawksCatcher
2019Fukuoka SoftBank HawksOutfielder
2020Fukuoka SoftBank HawksCatcher
2021Tokyo Yakult SwallowsCatcher
2022Orix BuffaloesOutfielder
2023Hanshin TigersOutfielder
2024Yokohama DeNA BayStarsOutfielder
2025Fukuoka SoftBank HawksFirst baseman

References

References

  1. Coskrey, Jason. (November 11, 2008). "Lions bare teeth to claim Japan Series". [[The Japan Times]].
  2. Miyamoto was a Japanese-America born in [[Hawaii]]. Stanka, a native of the [[Oklahoma]], is indisputably non-Japanese.
  3. "List of Hall of Famers". [[Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame.
  4. Armstrong, Jim. (January 21, 2010). "Matsui backs idea of global World Series". [[The Japan Times]].
  5. link. [[Sports Hochi]]
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  67. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2010/11/08/baseball/japanese-baseball/marines-win-game-7-2010-japan-series/
  68. "Lee Dae-ho wins MVP in Japan Series". koreatimesus.com.
  69. (October 29, 2016). "Former Yankee Laird leads Nippon Ham to Japan Series title".
  70. Allen, Jim. (November 4, 2017). "Baseball: Hawks stave off BayStars to clinch Japan Series in 6 games". Kyodo News.
  71. Coskrey, Jason. (November 4, 2018). "Hawks shut out Carp in Game 6, capture back-to-back Japan Series crowns". The Japan Times.
  72. Coskrey, Jason. (23 October 2019). "Hawks sweep Giants to win third straight Japan Series". The Japan Times.
  73. Coskrey, Jason. (November 26, 2020). "Hawks sweep Giants again to clinch fourth straight Japan Series title". [[The Japan Times]].
  74. (November 27, 2021). "Baseball: Shingo Kawabata pinch-hit drives Swallows to Japan Series title".
  75. (October 30, 2022). "Baseball: Orix wins franchise's 1st Japan Series in 26 years". Kyodo News.
  76. "38年ぶり日本一の阪神 MVPは近本! 歴代単独3位のシリーズ14安打でチームをけん引". Sponichi.
  77. "DeNA・桑原将志がシリーズMVP！ハマのガッツマン6戦12安打9打点の大暴れ 全身でチームを鼓舞". Sponichi.
  78. "ソフトバンク山川穂高がシリーズMVP！3戦連発含む4戦連続安打で計7打点 第2戦5打点、第4戦はV弾". Sponichi.
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