Kimiyasu Kudo, who this month managed the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks to their third Japan Series victory in four years, won his third Matsutaro Shoriki Award on Tuesday.
Kudo, who won the award in 1987 as a player, also won as Hawks manager in 2015. Hall of Fame slugger Sadaharu Oh, the award's first recipient, has won four times. Yomiuri Giants manager Tatsunori Hara is the other three-time winner.
With injuries to key stars, including closer and 2017 MVP Dennis Sarfate, and inconsistent starting pitching, the Hawks finished second in the Pacific League. But in the end, Kudo's team stormed through the postseason to win the biggest prize.