One long reign continued while another came to an end at the 49th edition of the Mitsui Golden Glove Awards.
The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks led all teams with four players selected as the top defensive specialists at their position when the winners were announced at a Tokyo hotel on Friday afternoon.
Ryosuke Kikuchi, the Hiroshima Carp's dynamic second baseman, led all players with 283 votes and won the Mitsui Golden Glove in the Central League for the eighth straight year after a historic season in the Carp infield.