Joe Stanka¡¯s Pacific League MVP trophy was missing for over 30 years.
He won the award with the Nankai Hawks during the 1964 season. Pitching to catcher Katsuya Nomura, ¡°Big Thunder¡± went 26-7 with a 2.40 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in 277? innings. He was the first American pitcher of non-Japanese decent to win an MVP award in NPB.
There were plenty of baseball reasons to want to track down the trophy, but for Stanka¡¯s grandson Josh, it became personal as he watched his grandfather¡¯s health begin to fade. Joe Stanka died in October of 2018.
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