On the 10th, both the Central and Pacific Leagues announced the winners of the "Daiju Life Monthly MVP Award" for May. In Pacific League 's pitcher category, the award went to Hiromi Ito pitcher 28) of Nippon-Ham. This is his third award, the first being in September and October of 2024.

In May, Ito took the mound in four games. On the 26th of the month, in a game against Hanshin Tigers (Koshien), he threw 130 pitches over nine innings, striking out 13 strike out and securing shutout game win with only seven hit allowed. He finished with an impeccable record of four wins in four games and ERA of 1.24.

Having participated in the WBC this season, he had appeared in six games by the end of April, with a record of 2 wins and 2 losses and ERA 3.99. "I'm really happy that I was able to produce results (in May) after trying different things while not being in very good condition in April," he reflected.

When asked about the factors that led to his improvement, he explained, "I think the biggest factor is that the strength of my straight pitches has returned." Looking ahead, he said, "I want to eliminate my own inconsistencies and create an atmosphere where people feel that we can win on the days Ito is pitching. I feel like I'm carrying the team's momentum and flow on my shoulders, so I want to work hard to embody that in terms of numbers."