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Pool photo / The Yomiuri Shimbun Central League MVP Tomoyuki Sugano, right, of the Yomiuri Giants and PL counterpart Kensuke Kondo of the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks pose together at the NPB Awards ceremony in Tokyo on Tuesday.
The Yomiuri Shimbun
15:47 JST, November 27, 2024
Yomiuri Giants hurler Tomoyuki Sugano showed he is still going strong in his mid-30s, taking home the Central League’s Most Valuable Player award for a third time at the NPB Awards ceremony on Tuesday in Tokyo.
The Giants, who won the CL pennant but failed to advance to the Japan Series, also had the league’s top rookie in fellow pitcher Hiromasa Funabasama.
In the Pacific League, the MVP went to outfielder Kensuke Kondo of the PL champion Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, while Saitama Seibu Lions pitcher Natsuki Takeuchi was named the Rookie of the Year.
Sugano, who went 15-3 in 24 appearances, led the CL in both wins and winning percentage (.833). It was the 35-year-old Sugano’s third MVP award following 2014 and 2020 as he helped the Giants win their first pennant in four seasons.
“This one feels totally different from the past ones,” Sugano said. “It was a season in my baseball career that I will never forget.”
It was the culmination of a remarkable turnaround for Sugano, who had struggled in recent years and even spent time on the farm team in the spring of 2023 in an effort to regain his pitching form.
“I keep believing that I could still do it,” said Sugano, who worked closely with roving pitching coach Yasuo Kubo and worked in the offseason on strengthening his lower body. “I feel that I regained velocity and crisp movement on my pitches.”
His accomplishment has emboldened Sugano to attempt to make a move to the major leagues this offseason, a dream that he had once abandoned after the 2020 season.
“I want to become No. 1 in the sport that I love,” Sugano said. “As long as I keep the passion I’ve had since I started baseball in the first year of elementary school, I can keep going.”
Pool photo / The Yomiuri Shimbun Yomiuri Giants pitcher Hiromasa Funabasama, who was named Rookie of the Year, attends the NPB Awards ceremony on Tuesday in Tokyo.
Funabasama, 28, in his second season as a pro, compiled a 4-0 record with 22 holds in 51 games, mainly as a middle reliever. “I did my job to be ready to pitch for all 143 games [of the season,]” he said.
Funabasama is the 21st Giants player to be named Rookie of the Year and the first since Taisei Ota in 2022.
Kondo, who joined the Hawks two years ago as a free agent from the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, was the lone PL player to bat over .300, finishing with a .314 average. He also hit 19 home runs.
“It took me some time, but I’m happy [to win the MVP award],” 31-year old Kondo said.
The Lions’ Takeuchi went 10-6 in 21 appearances, including five straight wins to start the season.
“I set a goal of winning the Rookie of the Year award and I’m honored to win it,” the 23-year-old southpaw said.
