Kosei Shoji Wins First NPB Monthly MVP After 41-Strikeout Finish
Rakuten Eagles pitcher Kosei Shoji wins his first NPB monthly MVP after a 3-0 finish with a 1.00 ERA and 41 strikeouts.
World Baseball News Editorial Team , 2 min read 
Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles right-hander Kosei Shoji earned the first monthly MVP award of his NPB career on Tuesday after closing the regular season with 41 strikeouts and a 1.00 ERA across September and October.
NPB named Shoji the Pacific League’s top pitcher for the combined two-month period. The 26-year-old went 3-0 in five starts, allowed four earned runs over 36 innings and recorded his first professional shutout during a breakout finish to his fourth season.
Shoji turns dominant finish into first monthly award
Shoji led the Pacific League with 41 strikeouts during the award period and tied for the league lead with three wins. His 1.00 ERA ranked second.
The right-hander opened September by striking out 11 across eight scoreless innings against the Orix Buffaloes on September 2. Two weeks later, he threw 125 pitches in a six-hit shutout of the Chiba Lotte Marines, the first complete-game shutout of his professional career.
Shoji returned against Lotte on September 30 and delivered another eight scoreless innings, allowing four hits. Those three victories anchored a month in which he consistently missed bats while giving Rakuten length at the front of its rotation.
A career year for Rakuten’s emerging ace
The award capped Shoji’s strongest NPB season. He worked 159 innings, won nine games and finished with a Pacific League-leading 171 strikeouts, securing the first individual statistical title of his career.
That production represented a major step forward after injuries limited him earlier in his career. Shoji made his first Opening Day start in March and immediately set the tone with eight scoreless innings, nine strikeouts and no walks in a 10-0 win over Orix.
His late-season surge showed how much his combination of a mid-150s km/h fastball, forkball and improved command had developed. The monthly award also gives Rakuten a notable individual bright spot after the Eagles finished sixth in the Pacific League.
NPB names four September-October MVPs
Shoji was one of four players honored for September and October. Hanshin Tigers pitcher Haruto Takahashi won the Central League pitching award for the fourth time this season, while Tigers first baseman Yusuke Oyama earned his first monthly MVP.
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks outfielder Kensuke Kondo received the Pacific League batting award for the sixth time in his career after posting a .321 average, seven home runs, 16 RBIs and a .461 on-base percentage across 24 games.
For Shoji, however, Tuesday’s announcement marked a first — and confirmed his arrival among the Pacific League’s most difficult starters to face.
