Orix Buffaloes ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto signed Tuesday for an estimated ¥650 million ($4.9 million) salary next year, making him the highest-paid player in franchise history.
His annual pay jumped from this year's ¥370 million after the 24-year-old right-hander won both the Pacific League MVP and Sawamura awards for the second consecutive year.
The Sawamura Award is given to Japan's most impressive starting pitcher. On June 18, Yamamoto threw a no-hitter against the Seibu Lions.
"I'm grateful for the excellent evaluation," Yamamoto said at the club's facility in Osaka.
Recently retired pitcher Chihiro Kaneko made ¥600 million in 2018, the previous highest salary for an Orix player.
Yamamoto had a 15-5 win-loss record with a 1.68 ERA and 205 strikeouts in 26 starts in 2022, leading the PL in wins, ERA, strikeouts and winning percentage.
He became the first Nippon Professional Baseball pitcher to lead a league in those four major categories in two straight years.
Japanese pro baseball salary figures are not made public and do not always reflect the actual amount players are paid.