Nippon-Ham pitcher Hiromi Ito won his first Sawamura Award on the 27th. He is the team's second player to receive the award in 18 years, following Darvish in 2007. It is also the first time a player from Hokkaido has achieved this feat. "As pitcher, it's an award I've always dreamed of and a goal I've set for myself, so I'm truly honored to have been chosen. I'm truly happy that my pitching throughout the season has been recognized. I believe that the results I've achieved this year are due to the fact that I've practiced with purpose, starting with my own training, and pitching with all my might in the games throughout the season with the goal of helping the team win. I would like to express my gratitude to Manager Shinjo, who believed in me and encouraged me, to everyone on the team who supported me, my family, and of course, to the fans who continue to support me," Ito said in a statement.
In his fifth year as a professional, he started 27 games and won 14 wins, winning the most wins for the second year in a row and winning the most strike out with 195 strike out. He kept the starting rotation from the opening, and ERA showed a sense of stability with 2.52 and a win rate of 60.3 and 6%. There was not a single game in which he left without five innings, and he marked 6 complete game, and innings pitched marked 196 2/3 innings, which is more than 20 inning behind Seibu and Imai in second place.
Mr. Horiuchi, the chairman of the selection committee, said, "I have a feeling that Director Shinjo is not an ordinary person. I often hear and see him talking about going back to his roots. complete game I wonder if it is really possible to do so this year, since we did not do so until last year. Here again, Ito and one other person, Kitayama-kun? I have done four, and many other pitcher have also done complete game. So I think that Nichi-Ham's pitcher is the best place to get the Sawamura Award, and I think the director thinks so, too. I'm very pleased," he said, praising the Nippon-Ham and pitcher squads, which posted a record 23 complete game wins, the best in the two leagues.
The 28-year-old has also been selected as a member of the Samurai Japan training match against South Korea on November 15th and 16th. "I am very happy to receive this award, and I would like to continue to train hard every day in order to reach even greater heights," he said. With this new title in hand, the great ace from the north will embark on a new stage.
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