NPB announced the winners of the 2026 Commissioner's Special Award and the League Special Award. Seibu Lions outfielder Takumi Kuriyama (43), who retired from active duty this season, was honored with the Distinguished Service Award.

Kuriyama joined the Seibu Lions as a fourth-round draft pick in 2001 from Ikuei High School in Hyogo. Over a 25-year career spent entirely with the Seibu Lions, he appeared in 2,323 games and recorded a total of 2,152 hits. In 2008, he led the league with 167 hits in a single season to win the most hits title. His achievements were honored, including being selected for the Best Nine four times and winning the Mitsui Golden Glove Award once.

Kuriyama commented through the team, "I was happy when I received the news of the award. Since I have played in the Pacific League for 25 years, I also felt a sense of relief to receive this award. I believe the main reasons I was able to continue playing for so long are that I approached baseball with a desire to improve every year and that I continued to receive inspiration from my opponents. When the closer got me out, I would think, 'I want to hit it next time.' Being able to have many good battles like that gave me the strength to keep going for a long time. From now on, if there is anything I can do to help liven up the Pacific League, I want to be of service. To all the fans, please continue to attend games for both the Central and Pacific Leagues and keep giving the Pacific League your unchanging support."