Masahiro Tanaka followed up an amazing career first with something even more impressive the second time around.
Less than 24 hours after striking out 12 during a complete-game victory in his Japan Series debut, the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles ace was named the Sawamura Award winner for the second time.
"I'm so happy," Tanaka told Kyodo News. "It's the biggest award a pitcher can receive. For an entire year, I was able to keep my place in the starting rotation, and the numbers followed."