The winners of the "Daiju Life Monthly MVP Award" for May 2026 have been announced. Hokkaido Nippon-Ham-Ham Fighters pitcher Hiroshi Ito received the award in pitcher category, while Saitama Seibu Lions fielder outfielder Nevin received the award in the position player category.

This is pitcher Ito's third award, the first being in September/October 2024. He is the 82nd player from Hokkaido Nippon-Ham pitcher receive the award, the first being Reyes in July 2025. In May, Ito started four games and went undefeated with four wins. He pitched 29 innings, striking out 31 strike out number inning pitched), allowing only 4 earned runs, and posting an impressive monthly ERA of 1.24.

Meanwhile, Nevin received the award for the second time, the first being in May 2025. He is only the third foreign player in The Lions history to win the monthly MVP award more than once, following pitcher Kuo Tai-yuan (4 times) and Cabrera (4 times). Although he got off to a late start this season due to injury, he returned to the first team in early May. He played in a total of 24 games, leading the offense with a batting average of .341, Home Run, and 19 RBI.

▼Comments pitcher Ito▼
"I'm very happy to receive this award for the third time. While the content of the award is important, I think it's a result of being able to contribute to the team's win, so I'm simply happy. I want to continue to do my best for the team so that I can produce results throughout the season."