FUKUOKA - SoftBank Hawks outfielder Tomoya Masaki received the Japan Series MVP award on Wednesday after delivering key performances at the top of the batting order in his team's sweep of the DeNA BayStars.
Masaki provided one of the most dramatic moments of the best-of-seven series when his 10th-inning walk-off home run gave the Hawks a 2-1 comeback win in Game 3 at Fukuoka's Mizuho PayPay Dome.
The 25-year-old leadoff hitter, who finished the series 7-for-16 with two home runs, said he was surprised to win the award and credited the veteran hitters behind him in the batting order.
"I was able to get this far simply by focusing on passing the baton to the experienced players behind me," Masaki said.
His success came at the end of a difficult season. He missed the start of the campaign due to a right leg infection and did not join the top team until mid-May. Once promoted, however, he settled into the leadoff role and became a fixture atop the batting order.
Ahead of the Japan Series, Masaki admitted feeling burdened by the responsibility of batting first for a championship contender.
"I was so focused on figuring out how to approach each at-bat," he said. "Hitting at the top of the order is such an important role, and honestly I felt more anxiety than confidence."
His emergence also marked a dramatic turnaround from last year, when shoulder surgery limited him to just two Japan Series plate appearances.
Reflecting on his performance, Masaki vowed to continue improving and return even stronger next season.
"I want to keep growing so that I can come back even better," he said.
