Masahiro Tanaka followed up an amazing career first with something even more impressive the second time around.
Less than 24 hours after striking out 12 during a complete-game victory in his Japan Series debut, the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles ace was named the Sawamura Award winner for the second time.
¡°I¡¯m so happy,¡± Tanaka told Kyodo News. ¡°It¡¯s the biggest award a pitcher can receive. For an entire year, I was able to keep my place in the starting rotation, and the numbers followed.¡±
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