Japan Series Most Valuable Player Award

The Japan Series Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award (日本シリーズ最高殊勲選手, Nippon Shirīzu Saikō Shukun Senshu) 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.^{[citation needed]} The award was first presented in 1950.

Japan Series Most Valuable Player Award
Awarded for	Most valuable player of the Japan Series
Country	Japan
Presented by	Nippon Professional Baseball
First award	1950
Currently held by	Hotaka Yamakawa (Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks)

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; Higashio is also the first and only pitcher to appear solely as a reliever to win the Japan Series MVP. 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 Yutaro Sugimoto of the Orix Buffaloes.

Sixteen of the 60^{[needs update]} Japan Series MVPs have also won the NPB MVP or the Eiji Sawamura Award in the same season. Shigeru Sugishita (1954), Tsuneo Horiuchi (1972) and Takehiro Ishii (1992) are the only players to have won all three awards in the same season. Two players won the Eiji Sawamura Award and the Japan Series MVP in the same season: Takehiko Bessho (1955) and Takashi Nishimoto (1981). Ten 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) and Matsui (2000).

Five 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 four players all won the award twice: Bessho (1952, 1955), Horiuchi (1972–1973), Kimiyasu Kudoh (1986–1987), Koji Akiyama (1991–1999) and Furuta (1997, 2001); 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

Key
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)

Year	Player	Team	Position	Selected statistics
1950	Kaoru Betto^§	Mainichi Orions	Outfielder	.500 batting average 12 hits 3 runs batted in
1951	Yuko Minamimura	Yomiuri Giants	Outfielder	.563 batting average 9 hits 4 runs batted in
1952	Takehiko Bessho^§	Yomiuri Giants	Pitcher	3–0 record in 3 appearances (2 complete game starts) 4 earned runs allowed in 22 innings pitched 10 strikeouts
1953	Tetsuharu Kawakami^§	Yomiuri Giants	First baseman	.556 batting average 15 hits 5 runs batted in
1954	Shigeru Sugishita^§	Chunichi Dragons	Pitcher	3–1 record in 5 appearances (4 complete game starts) 6 earned runs allowed in 38+2⁄3 innings pitched 28 strikeouts
1955	Takehiko Bessho^§ (2)	Yomiuri Giants	Pitcher	3–1 record in 5 appearances (3 starts); 2 complete games 4 earned runs allowed in 30+2⁄3 innings pitched 9 strikeouts
1956	Yasumitsu Toyoda^§	Nishitetsu Lions	Shortstop	.458 batting average 11 hits 4 runs batted in
1957	Hiroshi Ohshita^§	Nishitetsu Lions	Outfielder	.389 batting average 7 hits 3 runs batted in
1958	Kazuhisa Inao^§	Nishitetsu Lions	Pitcher	4–2 record in 6 appearances (5 starts); 4 complete games 8 earned runs allowed in 47 innings pitched 32 strikeouts
1959	Tadashi Sugiura^§	Nankai Hawks	Pitcher	4–0 record in 4 appearances (3 starts); 2 complete games 5 earned runs allowed in 32 innings pitched 20 strikeouts
1960	Akihito Kondo	Taiyō Whales	Second baseman	.200 batting average 3 hits 2 runs batted in
1961	Andy Miyamoto	Yomiuri Giants	Outfielder	.409 batting average 9 hits 7 runs batted in
1962^{^}	Masayuki Dobashi	Toei Flyers	Pitcher	2–1 record in 6 appearances (2 starts) 4 earned runs allowed in 20+2⁄3 innings pitched 12 strikeouts
1962^{^}	Masayuki Tanemo	Toei Flyers	Catcher	.357 batting average 5 hits 5 runs batted in
1963	Shigeo Nagashima^§	Yomiuri Giants	Third baseman	.360 batting average 3 home runs 7 runs batted in
1964	Joe Stanka	Nankai Hawks	Starting pitcher	3–1 record in 4 games started; 3 complete games 4 earned runs allowed in 29+1⁄3 innings pitched 21 strikeouts
1965	Shigeo Nagashima^§ (2)	Yomiuri Giants	Third baseman	.381 batting average 8 hits 6 runs batted in
1966	Isao Shibata	Yomiuri Giants	Outfielder	.565 batting average 13 hits 7 runs batted in
1967	Masaaki Mori^§	Yomiuri Giants	Catcher	.273 batting average 6 hits 4 runs batted in
1968	Shigeru Takada	Yomiuri Giants	Outfielder	.385 batting average 10 hits 8 runs
1969	Shigeo Nagashima^§ (3)	Yomiuri Giants	Third baseman	.409 batting average 4 home runs 6 runs batted in
1970	Shigeo Nagashima^§ (4)	Yomiuri Giants	Third baseman	.421 batting average 4 home runs 6 runs batted in
1971	Toshimitsu Suetsugu	Yomiuri Giants	Outfielder	.368 batting average 7 hits 7 runs
1972	Tsuneo Horiuchi^§	Yomiuri Giants	Pitcher	2–1 record in 4 appearances (2 starts); 1 complete game 7 earned runs allowed in 16+2⁄3 innings pitched 11 strikeouts
1973	Tsuneo Horiuchi^§ (2)	Yomiuri Giants	Pitcher	2–0 record in 3 appearances (1 complete game start) 2 earned runs allowed in 16+1⁄3 innings pitched 10 strikeouts
1974	Sumio Hirota	Lotte Orions	Outfielder	.400 batting average 10 hits 7 runs batted in
1975	Takashi Yamaguchi	Hankyu Braves	Pitcher	1–0 record and 2 saves in 6 appearances (1 complete game start) 6 earned runs allowed in 24+2⁄3 innings pitched 21 strikeouts
1976	Yutaka Fukumoto^§	Hankyu Braves	Outfielder	.407 batting average 11 hits 6 runs batted in
1977	Hisashi Yamada^§	Hankyu Braves	Pitcher	2–0 record and 1 save in 3 appearances (1 complete game start) 3 earned runs allowed in 15 innings pitched 10 strikeouts
1978	Katsuo Osugi^§	Yakult Swallows	First baseman	.310 batting average 4 Home runs 10 runs batted in
1979	Yoshihiko Takahashi	Hiroshima Toyo Carp	Shortstop	.444 batting average 12 hits 2 runs batted in
1980	Jim Lyttle	Hiroshima Toyo Carp	Outfielder	.400 batting average 3 Home runs 6 runs batted in
1981	Takashi Nishimoto	Yomiuri Giants	Starting pitcher	2–0 record in 2 complete game starts 1 earned run allowed in 18 innings pitched 14 strikeouts
1982	Osamu Higashio^§	Seibu Lions	Relief pitcher	2–1 record and 1 save in 4 appearances 0 earned runs allowed in 13+2⁄3 innings pitched 6 strikeouts
1983	Takuji Ota	Seibu Lions	Outfielder	.429 batting average 12 hits 3 runs batted in
1984	Kiyoyuki Nagashima	Hiroshima Toyo Carp	Outfielder	.333 batting average 3 Home runs 10 runs batted in
1985	Randy Bass^§	Hanshin Tigers	First baseman	.368 batting average 3 Home runs 9 runs batted in
1986	Kimiyasu Kudoh^§	Seibu Lions	Pitcher	1–1 record and 2 saves in 4 appearances (1 start) 2 earned runs allowed in 15 innings pitched 17 strikeouts
1987	Kimiyasu Kudoh^§ (2)	Seibu Lions	Pitcher	2–0 record and 1 save in 3 appearances (2 complete game starts) 1 earned runs allowed in 18+2⁄3 innings pitched 13 strikeouts
1988	Hiromichi Ishige	Seibu Lions	Shortstop	.389 batting average 3 Home runs 6 runs batted in
1989	Norihiro Komada	Yomiuri Giants	First baseman	.522 batting average 12 hits 5 runs batted in
1990	Orestes Destrade	Seibu Lions	First baseman	.375 batting average 6 hits 8 runs batted in
1991	Koji Akiyama^§	Seibu Lions	Outfielder	.276 batting average 4 Home runs 8 runs batted in
1992	Takehiro Ishii	Seibu Lions	Starting pitcher	2–0 record in 2 complete game starts 1 earned runs allowed in 19 innings pitched 18 strikeouts
1993	Kenjiro Kawasaki	Yakult Swallows	Starting pitcher	2–0 record in 2 games started 2 earned runs allowed in 15 innings pitched 12 strikeouts
1994	Hiromi Makihara	Yomiuri Giants	Starting pitcher	2–0 record in 2 complete game starts 1 earned runs allowed in 18 innings pitched 16 strikeouts
1995	Tom O'Malley	Yakult Swallows	First baseman	.529 batting average 9 hits 4 runs batted in
1996	Troy Neel	Orix BlueWave	Infielder	.176 batting average 3 hits 6 runs batted in
1997	Atsuya Furuta^§	Yakult Swallows	Catcher	.316 batting average 6 hits 3 runs batted in
1998	Takanori Suzuki	Yokohama BayStars	Outfielder	.480 batting average 12 hits 8 runs batted in
1999	Koji Akiyama^§ (2)	Fukuoka Daiei Hawks	Outfielder	.300 batting average 6 hits 2 Home runs
2000	Hideki Matsui^§	Yomiuri Giants	Outfielder	.381 batting average 3 Home runs 8 runs batted in
2001	Atsuya Furuta^§ (2)	Yakult Swallows	Catcher	.500 batting average 7 hits 3 runs batted in
2002	Tomohiro Nioka	Yomiuri Giants	Shortstop	.474 batting average 9 hits 5 runs batted in
2003	Toshiya Sugiuchi	Fukuoka Daiei Hawks	Starting pitcher	2–0 record in 2 games started 1 earned runs allowed in 15 innings pitched 9 strikeouts
2004	Takashi Ishii	Seibu Lions	Starting pitcher	2–0 record in 2 games started 0 earned runs allowed in 13 innings pitched 8 strikeouts
2005	Toshiaki Imae	Chiba Lotte Marines	Third baseman	.667 batting average 10 hits 4 runs batted in
2006	Atsunori Inaba	Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters	Outfielder	.353 batting average 6 hits 7 runs batted in
2007	Norihiro Nakamura	Chunichi Dragons	Third baseman	.444 batting average 8 hits 4 runs batted in
2008	Takayuki Kishi^†	Saitama Seibu Lions	Pitcher	2–0 record in 2 appearances (1 complete game start) 0 earned runs allowed in 14+2⁄3 innings pitched 16 strikeouts
2009	Shinnosuke Abe	Yomiuri Giants	Catcher	.304 batting average 7 hits 5 runs batted in
2010	Toshiaki Imae (2)	Chiba Lotte Marines	Third baseman
2011	Hiroki Kokubo	Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks	First baseman
2012	Tetsuya Utsumi	Yomiuri Giants	Starting pitcher
2013	Manabu Mima^†	Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles	Starting pitcher
2014	Seiichi Uchikawa	Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks	Outfielder
2015	Dae-ho Lee	Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks	First baseman
2016	Brandon Laird	Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters	Third baseman
2017	Dennis Sarfate	Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks	Pitcher
2018	Takuya Kai^†	Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks	Catcher
2019	Yurisbel Gracial	Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks	Outfielder	.375 average, three home runs, six RBIs
2020	Ryoya Kurihara^†	Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks	Catcher
2021	Yuhei Nakamura^†	Tokyo Yakult Swallows	Catcher
2022	Yutaro Sugimoto^†	Orix Buffaloes	Outfielder
2023	Kōji Chikamoto^†	Hanshin Tigers	Outfielder
2024	Masayuki Kuwahara^†	Yokohama DeNA BayStars	Outfielder
2025	Hotaka Yamakawa^†	Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks	First baseman

Winners

See also