Fukuoka Softbank Hawk Kazumi Saito won the Japanese Sawamura Award, the league's equivalent to the Cy Young. I hesitate to call him their ace, because they have four dominant starters when they're going right. Saito is the second consecutive Hawk to win the award and it is the third time in the last four years a Hawk has won it. Toshiya Sugiuchi won it last season before struggling much of the 2006 season. Kazumi Saito tied for the award in 2003 with Tiger Kei Igawa. Oddly enough, much like Sugiuchi, Saito crashed and burned his season after taking home the award.
There was little doubt that Saito was going to win the award. He beat out Daisuke Matsuzaka, Kenshin Kawakami and Hiroki Kuroda. Saito won the Pacific League triple crown and matched Matsuzaka start for start most of the season. Kuroda and Matsuzaka were very close to him though. Here would have been my top five:
1. Kazumi Saito, 18-5 1.75 ERA
2. Daisuke Matsuzaka, 17-5 2.13 ERA
3. Hiroki Kuroda 13-6 1.85 ERA
4. Kenshin Kawakami 17-7 2.51 ERA
5. Kei Igawa 14-9 2.97 ERA
There was little doubt that Saito was going to win the award. He beat out Daisuke Matsuzaka, Kenshin Kawakami and Hiroki Kuroda. Saito won the Pacific League triple crown and matched Matsuzaka start for start most of the season. Kuroda and Matsuzaka were very close to him though. Here would have been my top five:
1. Kazumi Saito, 18-5 1.75 ERA
2. Daisuke Matsuzaka, 17-5 2.13 ERA
3. Hiroki Kuroda 13-6 1.85 ERA
4. Kenshin Kawakami 17-7 2.51 ERA
5. Kei Igawa 14-9 2.97 ERA
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