Right in the middle of important talks on where he plays next season, Tuesday was a rare day for Michihiro Ogasawara to show a relieved smile.
The Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters first baseman received the Pacific League's Most Valuable Player Award on Tuesday for the first time in his 10 years as a professional, while Chunichi Dragons outfielder Kosuke Fukudome was selected as the Central League MVP.
"This is something you can't win very often," said the smiling 33-year-old Ogasawara, who notched a batting average of .3125, 32 home runs and 100 RBIs for the Fighters, who won the Japan Series title for the first time in 44 years last month, at a Tokyo news conference.