On the 4th, the selection committee for the 50th Matsutaro Shoriki Award, which is presented to managers and players who have contributed to the development of professional baseball, met in Tokyo. Manager Hiroki Kokubo (55), who led the Softbank Hawks to their second consecutive Japan Series title, became the third person in history to receive the award for two years in a row. He will be presented with a 5 million yen prize and a medal.

Good news arrived again this year for Softbank Hawks manager Kokubo, who led the strongest team. Through the team's public relations, he commented, 'I am deeply honored to receive the prestigious Matsutaro Shoriki Award for the second year in a row. On behalf of the team, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all the stakeholders and all the fans.'

In his third year in office this season, the team achieved its first three consecutive league titles since moving to Fukuoka. With 91 wins, 49 losses, and 3 draws, they dominated the field, finishing 11.5 games ahead of the second-place Seibu Lions. In the postseason, they defeated Nippon-Ham with three consecutive wins in the Final Stage of the Climax Series, and in the Japan Series, they swept DeNA—who had handed them a bitter defeat two years ago—with four straight victories.

It was by no means a smooth start. Arihara, who had the most wins last season, transferred to Nippon-Ham, and the ace Moinelo was unable to pitch until August due to poor conditioning. Nevertheless, from May onwards, the lineup with Masaki as the leadoff hitter went on a rampage, leading to 44 comeback victories, the most among the 12 teams. They also developed young talents such as Shoji, a second-year player who established himself as the regular shortstop late in the season, and 21-year-old Maeda Yu, who recorded 12 wins.

The fall camp was not held for the second consecutive year, and the manager is prioritizing time with his family. Before entering a brief off-season, he expressed a strong sense of mission, stating, 'The organization's goal itself is to aim to be the best in the world. Therefore, we have no choice but to set goals such as winning the league title and consecutive Japan Series championships. By accumulating these achievements, I want to reach a point where, in 10 or 15 years, if such a stage truly exists, people will say, "When you think of Japanese baseball, you think of The Hawks."' Even the challenge of a first-ever four-year consecutive championship for the club next season is merely a passing point. (Koichiro Shimao)

Hiroki Kokubo. Born October 8, 1971, in Wakayama City. 52 years old. After Seirin and Aoyama Gakuin University, he joined Daiei (now Softbank Hawks) as a second-round draft pick (reverse designation) in 1993. He was the Home Run king in 1995 and the RBI king in 1997. He was traded to The Giants in the 2003 offseason. He returned to his former team as a free agent in 2007. He retired from active play at the end of 2012. In a total of 2,057 games, he recorded 2,041 hits, a .273 batting average, 413 Home Runs, and 1,304 RBIs. He served as the manager of Samurai Japan from 2013 to 2017. After serving as the Softbank Hawks first-team head coach in 2021 and the second-team manager in 2022 and 2023, he became the first-team manager in 2024. Right-handed thrower and batter.

◆ Despite competing with Triple Crown winner Teruaki Sato, the manager's skills were highly evaluated; no 'Special Award' for the first time in six years... Selection process details

The selection process, which became a contest between Manager Kokubo and the Central League triple crown winner Sato of the Hanshin Tigers, resulted in a unanimous decision for Manager Kokubo. His leadership was highly praised, with Chairman Koji Yamamoto noting that he 'won three consecutive extra inning games in the Japan Series,' and committee member Ryusho Kadota stating that he 'combined the ruthlessness of replacing starter Yu Maeda with two outs in the fifth inning of Game 4 with the kindness of expressing gratitude for the cheers given to Hiroshi Matsumoto (who had given up home runs in Games 1 and 2) during the victory interview.'

Regarding Sato, even the "Special Award" was passed over. This marks the first time in six years that there has been no recipient of the Special Award. Committee member Kadota explained, "Past Triple Crown winners like Ochiai, Boomer, Bass, and Matsunaka did not receive it either." While Yakult's Murakami, the Central League Triple Crown winner, received the award in 2022, Chairman Yamamoto pointed out the difference in performance, stating, "Murakami had the home run record (56, the most by a Japanese player)." Since Sadaharu Oh, the Softbank Hawks chairman and head of the selection committee, was absent due to poor health, Yamamoto served as the acting chairman.