Yomiuri Giants pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano is going to need to find room in his suitcase for another piece of hardware depending on his plans for 2021.
The Kyojin ace, who many expect to be pitching for an MLB club in 2021, was named the Central League MVP during the NPB Awards on Thursday night. Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks slugger Yuki Yanagita won the honor in the Pacific League.
Hiroshima Carp pitcher Masato Morishita was named Rookie of the Year in the CL, with Seibu Lions reliever Kaima Taira taking the award in the PL.
Sugano, who was also CL MVP in 2014, finished the season 14-2 with a 1.97 ERA in 20 starts. The right-hander led the Central League in wins and also topped the CL with an .875 winning percentage.
“As a starting pitcher, I’m happy about the number of wins, but of course I couldn’t achieve that by myself,” Sugano said. “So I’d like to express my gratitude to everyone.”
Yanagita also became a two-time MVP, winning the PL award for the first time since 2015. He finished second in the Pacific League with a .342 average, and third with 29 home runs and 86 RBIs. Yanagita has been one of the main pieces of a Hawks dynasty that won its fourth straight Japan Series title this season.
« I’m really happy, » Yanagita said. « It’s thanks to all my teammates, the coaches and staff. Without them, I wouldn’t have been able to win this award. »
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Source : Baseball – The Japan Times