Orix Buffaloes ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto has been named the top starting pitcher in Nippon Professional Baseball for the second year running.
This is only the sixth time that a player has won the consecutive Sawamura Awards since its inception in 1947 in honor of legendary Yomiuri Giants hurler Eiji Sawamura. It has been awarded annually except for a handful of years when no pitcher was deemed worthy.
The award selection committee made the announcement for the 2022 regular season in Tokyo on Monday.
