Golden Spirit Award
Award winners
Table:
Year
Player
Team
League
Position

1999
Hideki Matsui
Yomiuri Giants
Central

2000
Atsushi Kataoka
Nippon-Ham Fighters
Pacific

2001
Norihiro Nakamura
Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes
Pacific

2002
Tetsuya Iida
Yakult Swallows
Central

2003
Kazuki Inoue
Chunichi Dragons
Central

2004
Norihiro Akahoshi
Hanshin Tigers
Central

2005
Bobby Valentine
Chiba Lotte Marines
Pacific
Coach

2006
Tsuyoshi Wada
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
Pacific
P

2007
Daisuke Miura
Yokohama BayStars
Central
P

2008
Hisashi Iwakuma
Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles
Pacific
P

2009
Michihiro Ogasawara
Yomiuri Giants
Central

2010
Yu Darvish
Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters
Pacific
P

2011
Takeshi Yamasaki
Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles
Pacific

2012
Kyuji Fujikawa
Hanshin Tigers
Central
P

2013
Shinya Miyamoto
Tokyo Yakult Swallows
Central

2014
Takumi Kuriyama
Saitama Seibu Lions
Pacific

2015
Toshiaki Imae
Chiba Lotte Marines
Pacific

2016
Tetsuya Utsumi
Yomiuri Giants
Central

With reference to the provided table together with the background passages below.

Answer the following question: In which year did the team that club was purchased by software company DeNA win the award ? Return your answer as JSON: {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}. Base your answer solely on the given information.

The 1999 Nippon Professional Baseball season was the 50th season of operation for the league .
Hideki Matsui ( 松井 秀喜 , Matsui Hideki , born June 12 , 1974 ) , nicknamed Godzilla , is a Japanese former professional baseball outfielder and designated hitter who played baseball in Nippon Professional Baseball ( NPB ) and Major League Baseball ( MLB ) . He batted left-handed and threw right-handed . Matsui played the first ten seasons of his career in Japan for NPB 's Yomiuri Giants . During that span , he was a nine-time All-Star , three-time Japan Series champion , and three-time Central League Most Valuable Player ( MVP ) . In 2003 , Matsui transitioned to playing in MLB in North America , and spent his first seven seasons there with the New York Yankees . As a Yankee , he was a two-time All-Star and 2009 World Series champion , for which he was named the World Series MVP . After becoming a free agent , Matsui had one-year stints with three other MLB teams : the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim , Oakland Athletics , and Tampa Bay Rays . On July 28 , 2013 , Matsui signed a one-day minor league contract with the Yankees in order to officially retire with the team . During his 20-year playing career , Matsui hit 507 home runs - 332 in NPB and 175 in MLB . In 2018 , Matsui was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame .
The Yomiuri Giants ( 読売ジャイアンツ , Yomiuri Jaiantsu ) are a professional baseball team based in Bunkyo , Tokyo , Japan . The team competes in the Central League in Nippon Professional Baseball . They play their home games in the Tokyo Dome , opened in 1988 . The team 's owner is the Yomiuri Group , a media conglomerate which includes two newspapers and a television network . The Giants are the oldest team among the current Japanese professional teams . Their main rivalry is with the Hanshin Tigers , a team especially popular in the Kansai region . The Yomiuri Giants are regarded as The New York Yankees of Japan due to their widespread popularity , past dominance of the league , and polarizing effect on fans . ( Baseball fans who are indifferent about teams other than their local team often have an intense dislike for the Giants ; on the other hand , the Giants have a large fan base even in areas with a local team . ) The English-language press occasionally calls the team the Tokyo Giants , but that name has not been in use in Japan for decades . ( Lefty O'Doul , a former Major League Baseball player , named the team Tokyo Giants in the mid-1930s . ) Instead , the team is officially known by the name of its corporate owner , just like the Hanshin Tigers and Orix Buffaloes . The team is often referred by fans and in news headlines and tables simply as Kyojin ( 巨人 , the Japanese word for giant ( s ) ) , instead of the usual corporate owner 's name or the English nickname .
The Central League ( セントラル・リーグ , Sentoraru Rīgu ) or Ce League ( セリーグ , Se Rīgu ) is one of the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan . The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series . It currently consists of six teams from around the country . Unlike the Pacific League , designated hitters are not used during Central League home games .
The 2000 Nippon Professional Baseball season was the 51st season since the NPB was reorganized in 1950 .
Atsushi Kataoka ( 片岡 篤史 , Kataoka Atsushi , born June 27 , 1969 in Kumiyama , Kyoto , Japan ) is a former Nippon Professional Baseball infielder .
The Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters ( 北海道日本ハムファイターズ , Hokkaidō Nippon-Hamu Faitāzu ) are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Sapporo , Hokkaidō . They compete in the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball , playing the majority of their home games at the Sapporo Dome . The Fighters also host a select number of regional home games in cities across Hokkaidō , including Hakodate , Asahikawa , Kushiro , and Obihiro . The team 's name comes from its parent organization , Nippon Ham , a major Japanese food processing company . Founded in 1946 , the Fighters called Tokyo home for 58 years , as co-tenants of the Tokyo Dome with the Central League 's Yomiuri Giants near the end of their tenure in the capital city . The franchise has won three Japan Series titles , in 1962 , 2006 , and , most recently , 2016 .
The Pacific League ( パシフィック・リーグ , Pashifikku Rīgu ) or Pa League ( パリーグ , Pa Rīgu ) is one of the two professional baseball leagues constituting Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan . The winner of the league championship competes against the winner in the Central League for the annual Japan Series . It currently consists of six teams from around Japan .
The 2001 Nippon Professional Baseball season ended with the Yakult Swallows defeating the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes in the 2001 Japan Series 4 games to 1 .
Norihiro Nakamura ( 中村 紀洋 , Nakamura Norihiko , born July 24 , 1973 in Osaka , Japan ) is a Japanese former professional baseball third baseman . Nakamura spent almost all of his professional career in Japan with the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes . Nakamura had a .266 career batting average , 404 home runs and 1338 RBI , and was an eight-time All-Star and four-time Golden Glove winner . Nakamura is one of only 16 players to have hit 400 or more home runs in NPB .
The Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes ( 大阪近鉄バファローズ , Ōsaka Kintetsu Bafarōzu ) were a Nippon Professional Baseball ( NPB ) team based in Osaka , Japan , which was in the Pacific League . In 2005 the team was merged with the Orix BlueWave to become the team now known as the Orix Buffaloes . The team played in Fujiidera Stadium , and later in Osaka Dome . Although the team won four Pacific League championships , they lost all four Japan Series in which they played . The team 's batting lineup was known as Itemae Dasen ( いてまえ打線 ) .
The 2002 Nippon Professional Baseball season ended with the Yomiuri Giants defeating the Seibu Lions in the 2002 Japan Series 4 games to 0 .
Tetsuya Iida ( 飯田 哲也 , born May 18 , 1968 in Chōfu , Tokyo , Japan ) is a former Nippon Professional Baseball outfielder .
The Tokyo Yakult Swallows are a professional baseball team in Nippon Professional Baseball 's Central League . The Swallows are named after their corporate owners , the Yakult Corporation . From 1950 to 1965 , the team was owned by the former Japanese National Railways ( known as Kokutetsu ( 国鉄 ) in Japanese ) and called the Kokutetsu Swallows ; the team was then owned by the newspaper Sankei Shimbun from 1965 to 1968 and called the Sankei Atoms . Yakult purchased the team in 1970 and restored its original Swallows name in 1974 . Then it was renamed the Tokyo Yakult Swallows in 2006 .
The 2003 Nippon Professional Baseball season ended with the Daiei Hawks defeating the Hanshin Tigers in the 2003 Japan Series 4 games to 3 .
Kazuki Inoue ( 井上 一樹 , Inoue Kazuki , born July 25 , 1971 in Mizobe , Kagoshima , Japan ) is a former Nippon Professional Baseball outfielder .
The Chunichi Dragons ( 中日ドラゴンズ , Chūnichi Doragonzu ) are a professional baseball team based in Nagoya , the chief city in the Chūbu region of Japan . The team plays in the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball . They have won the Central League pennant 9 times ( most recently in 2011 ) and the Japan Series twice in 1954 and 2007 . They were also champions in the 2007 Asia Series .
The 2004 Nippon Professional Baseball season ended with the Seibu Lions defeating the Chunichi Dragons in the 2004 Japan Series . This season also saw the first and only players strike in Japanese professional baseball history . Players went on strike for two days in September because of the potential mergers and realignment .
Norihiro Akahoshi ( 赤星 憲広 , Akahoshi Norihiro , born April 10 , 1976 ) is a retired Nippon Professional Baseball player from Kariya , Aichi , Japan . He played as an outfielder for the Hanshin Tigers . Akahoshi announced his retirement on December 9 , 2009 . During the 2009 season , he was first deactivated in early July after sustaining a neck injury . Then , on September 12 , his last game , Akahoshi aggravated a spinal disc herniation when he dove headfirst in an attempt to catch a ball . He was diagnosed with spinal damage and has experienced pain in his neck and lower back as well as numbness in his hands and feet since .
The Hanshin Tigers ( Japanese : 阪神タイガース Hanshin Taigāsu ) are a Nippon Professional Baseball team playing in the Central League . The team is based in Nishinomiya , Hyōgo Prefecture , Japan , and are owned by Hanshin Electric Railway Co. , Ltd. , a subsidiary of Hankyu Hanshin Holdings Inc . The Hanshin Tigers are one of the oldest professional clubs in Japan . They played their first season in 1936 as the Osaka Tigers and assumed their current team name in 1961 .
In 2005 the Nippon Professional Baseball season ended with the Chiba Lotte Marines of the Pacific League defeating the Hanshin Tigers of the Central League in a four-game sweep in the Nippon Series .
Robert John Valentine ( born May 13 , 1950 ) , nicknamed Bobby V , is a former American professional baseball player and manager . He is currently the athletic director at Sacred Heart University . Valentine played for the Los Angeles Dodgers ( 1969 , 1971-72 ) , California Angels ( 1973-75 ) , New York Mets ( 1977-78 ) , and Seattle Mariners ( 1979 ) in MLB . He managed the Texas Rangers ( 1985-92 ) , the New York Mets ( 1996-2002 ) , and the Boston Red Sox ( 2012 ) of MLB , as well as the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball ( 1995 , 2004-09 ) . Valentine has also served as the Director of Public Safety & Health for the city of Stamford , Connecticut and an analyst for ESPN Sunday Night Baseball . In February 2013 , CBSSports.com hired Valentine to represent its Fantasy Sports business , including running a viral marketing campaign in which he made fun of the many times he was fired in his career and gave fans a chance to Hire or Fire Bobby V one more time .
The Chiba Lotte Marines ( 千葉ロッテマリーンズ , Chiba Rotte Marīnzu ) is a professional baseball team in Japan 's Pacific League based in Chiba City , Chiba Prefecture , in the Kantō region , and owned by Lotte Holdings Co. , Ltd .
In 2006 the Nippon Professional Baseball season ended with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of the Pacific League defeating the Chunichi Dragons of the Central League in the Japan Series .
Tsuyoshi Wada ( 和田 毅 , Wada Tsuyoshi , born February 21 , 1981 ) is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of the Nippon Professional Baseball League ( NPB ) . Wada pitched in the 2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing Olympics as well as the 2006 World Baseball Classic for the Japanese national team . He set a Tokyo Big6 Baseball League record with 476 strikeouts during his college career at Waseda University and was the Pacific League Most Valuable Rookie in 2003 .
The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks ( 福岡ソフトバンクホークス , Fukuoka Sofutobanku Hōkusu ) are a Japanese baseball team based in Fukuoka , Fukuoka Prefecture . The team was bought on January 28 , 2005 by the SoftBank Corporation . The team was formerly known as the Nankai Hawks and was based in Osaka . In 1988 , Daiei bought the team from Osaka 's Nankai Electric Railway Co. , and its headquarters were moved to Fukuoka ( which had been without NPB baseball since the Lions departed in 1979 ) . The Fukuoka Daiei Hawks won the Pacific League championship in 1999 , 2000 and 2003 and won the Japan Series in 1999 and 2003 , and as the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks won the Japan Series in 2011 , 2014 , 2015 , 2017 , 2018 , and 2019 .
The 2007 Nippon Professional Baseball season was the 58th season since the NPB was reorganized in 1950 .
Daisuke Miura ( 三浦 大輔 , born December 25 , 1973 ) is a Japanese former professional baseball player from Kashihara , Nara , Japan . He was a starting pitcher for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars from 1992 through 2016 .
The Yokohama DeNA BayStars ( 横浜DeNAベイスターズ , Yokohama Dī-Enu-Ē Beisutāzu ) are a professional baseball team in the Japanese Central League . Their home field is Yokohama Stadium , located in central Yokohama . The team has been known by several names since becoming a professional team in 1950 . It adopted its current name in 2011 when the club was purchased by software company DeNA . The minor league team shares the same name and uniform as the parent team and plays in the Eastern League . The minor league home field is Yokosuka Stadium , located in Yokosuka , Kanagawa .
The 2008 Nippon Professional Baseball season was the 59th season since the NPB was reorganized in 1950 . The regular season started on March 20 with the Pacific League opener , and on March 28 with the Central League opener . On March 25 and 26 , the Boston Red Sox and Oakland Athletics played 2 regular season Major League Baseball games at Tokyo Dome . During their visit , they also played exhibition games against the Hanshin Tigers and Yomiuri Giants .
Hisashi Iwakuma ( 岩隈 久志 , Iwakuma Hisashi , born April 12 , 1981 ) is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball ( NPB ) . He has played in NPB for the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes and Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles and in Major League Baseball ( MLB ) for the Seattle Mariners . Iwakuma made his professional debut with the Buffaloes in 2000 . He was named a NPB All-Star in 2003 and 2004 , and played in the 2004 Athens Olympics . He joined the Eagles in 2005 . As the Eagles ' reigning staff ace , Iwakuma won the Eiji Sawamura Award in 2008 , and was also a NPB All-Star that year . He appeared in the 2009 World Baseball Classic for the Japanese national team . Iwakuma was posted to Major League Baseball after the 2010 season , but he failed to come to an agreement with the winning bidder . After the 2011 season , Iwakuma signed with the Mariners . He was an MLB All-Star in 2013 , as well as the third-place finisher for the 2013 American League Cy Young Award . On August 12 , 2015 , Iwakuma became the second Japanese player ever to pitch a no-hitter in Major League Baseball ( joining Hideo Nomo , who threw two ) , throwing a three-walk , seven-strikeout 3-0 win over the Baltimore Orioles at Safeco Field . It was also his first MLB complete game , and the Mariners ' fifth no-hitter in team history .
The Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles ( 東北楽天ゴールデンイーグルス , Tōhoku Rakuten Gōruden Īgurusu ) , often shortened as the Rakuten Eagles ( 楽天イーグルス , Rakuten Īgurusu ) , are a baseball team based in Sendai , in Miyagi Prefecture , Japan . It has played in Nippon Professional Baseball 's Pacific League since the team 's formation in 2005 . The team is owned by the Internet shopping company Rakuten .
The 2009 Nippon Professional Baseball season is the 60th season since the NPB was reorganized in 1950
Michihiro Ogasawara ( 小笠原 道大 , born October 25 , 1973 in Mihama-ku , Chiba , Chiba Prefecture , Japan ) is a Japanese former professional baseball player . He is currently the second team coach for Chunichi Dragons in Japan 's Central League . He had an illustrious career spanning 18 years with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters , Yomiuri Giants , and the Chunichi Dragons where he won two Japan Series , two MVP awards in both the Pacific and Central leagues ; only one of two people to do so and the first to do it in consecutive seasons . He was an NPB All-Star 11 times . He was also a part of the 2006 and 2009 World Baseball Classic winning Japan sides .
The 2010 Nippon Professional Baseball season is the 61st season since the NPB was reorganized in 1950 .
Farid Yu Darvishsefat ( ダルビッシュ・セファット・ファリード・有 , Darubisshu Sefatto Farīdo Yū , born 16 August 1986 ) , popularly known as Yu Darvish , is a Japanese professional baseball starting pitcher for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball . Darvish previously played in MLB for the Texas Rangers and the Los Angeles Dodgers and in Nippon Professional Baseball for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters . In international play , Darvish pitched in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2009 World Baseball Classic as a member of the Japanese national team . He was considered by many to be the best pitcher in Japanese professional baseball prior to his arrival in Major League Baseball in 2012 . In his first MLB season , Darvish finished third in the American League ( AL ) Rookie of the Year balloting . The next season , he finished second in the AL Cy Young Award vote as he led the Major Leagues in strikeouts with 277 and finished fourth in the AL in earned run average ( ERA ) at 2.83 . On 6 April 2014 , Darvish reached the 500 strikeout mark in fewer innings pitched than any starting pitcher in MLB history .
The Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters ( 北海道日本ハムファイターズ , Hokkaidō Nippon-Hamu Faitāzu ) are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Sapporo , Hokkaidō . They compete in the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball , playing the majority of their home games at the Sapporo Dome . The Fighters also host a select number of regional home games in cities across Hokkaidō , including Hakodate , Asahikawa , Kushiro , and Obihiro . The team 's name comes from its parent organization , Nippon Ham , a major Japanese food processing company . Founded in 1946 , the Fighters called Tokyo home for 58 years , as co-tenants of the Tokyo Dome with the Central League 's Yomiuri Giants near the end of their tenure in the capital city . The franchise has won three Japan Series titles , in 1962 , 2006 , and , most recently , 2016 .
The 2011 Nippon Professional Baseball season is the 62nd season since the NPB was reorganized in 1950 . The season was delayed by the Tohoku earthquake . The Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles , based in northern Japan , and coached by Senichi Hoshino , were particularly affected by the quake , as the Miyagi Baseball Stadium was badly damaged . [ citation needed ] Because of energy concerns following the earthquake , NPB also imposed restrictions on games during the regular season . A three-hour-thirty-minute rule was imposed . If a game went past the 3:30 mark , regardless of inning , the inning in question would be the last inning . A game would be called should any blackout occur during the game . The 3:30 clock starts at the first pitch of the game and continues in case of any delay . As the season ends , the Yokohama BayStars was renamed as Yokohama DeNA BayStars as the owner changes .
Takeshi Yamasaki ( 山﨑 武司 , Yamasaki Takeshi , born November 7 , 1968 , in Chita , Aichi , Japan ) is a retired Japanese professional baseball player . During his 24 seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball , he played for the Chunichi Dragons , the Orix BlueWave , and the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles .
The 2012 Nippon Professional Baseball season is the 63rd season since the NPB was reorganized in 1950 .
Kyuji Fujikawa ( 藤川 球児 , Fujikawa Kyūji , born July 21 , 1980 ) is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Hanshin Tigers of Nippon Professional Baseball . He previously pitched for the Chicago Cubs and Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball ( MLB ) . Fujikawa pitched in the 2006 and 2009 World Baseball Classics as well as the 2008 Beijing Olympics . A prototypical power pitcher , Fujikawa is said to have one of the most explosive fastballs in all of Japanese professional baseball and is one of Japan 's premier relievers .
The 2013 Nippon Professional Baseball season is the 64th season since the NPB was reorganized in 1950 .
Shinya Miyamoto ( 宮本 慎也 , Miyamoto Shin'ya , born November 5 , 1970 ) is a former professional baseball player from Suita , Osaka , Japan . He played shortstop . He was chosen as the captain of the Japanese olympic baseball team for the 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics , and won a bronze medal in 2004 . He was also part of the 2006 World Baseball Classic Japanese baseball team .
The Tokyo Yakult Swallows are a professional baseball team in Nippon Professional Baseball 's Central League . The Swallows are named after their corporate owners , the Yakult Corporation . From 1950 to 1965 , the team was owned by the former Japanese National Railways ( known as Kokutetsu ( 国鉄 ) in Japanese ) and called the Kokutetsu Swallows ; the team was then owned by the newspaper Sankei Shimbun from 1965 to 1968 and called the Sankei Atoms . Yakult purchased the team in 1970 and restored its original Swallows name in 1974 . Then it was renamed the Tokyo Yakult Swallows in 2006 .
The 2014 Nippon Professional Baseball season is the 65th season since the NPB was reorganized in 1950 .
Takumi Kuriyama ( 栗山 巧 , Kuriyama Takumi , born September 3 , 1983 in Kobe , Hyōgo , Japan ) is a Nippon Professional Baseball player for the Saitama Seibu Lions in Japan 's Pacific League .
The Saitama Seibu Lions ( 埼玉西武ライオンズ , Saitama Seibu Raionzu ) are a professional baseball team in Japan 's Pacific League based north of Tokyo in Tokorozawa , Saitama . Before 1979 , they were based in Fukuoka in Kyushu . The team is owned by a subsidiary of Prince Hotels , which in turn is owned by the Seibu Group . The team experienced a recent period of financial difficulty , but the situation brightened when the team received a record ¥6 billion ( about $ 51.11 million ) posting fee from the Boston Red Sox for the right to negotiate a contract with Daisuke Matsuzaka . Between 1978 and 2008 , the team logo and mascot were based on the adult version of Kimba the White Lion , a classic Japanese anime series by Osamu Tezuka . [ a ] [ b ] In 2004 , former Seibu Lions player Kazuo Matsui became the first Japanese infielder to play in Major League Baseball .
The 2015 Nippon Professional Baseball season was the 66th season since the NPB was reorganized in 1950 . In the Central League , the Yakult Swallows claimed the pennant and defeated the Yomiuri Giants in the final stage of the Climax Series . In the Pacific League , the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks won the penant and defeated the Chiba Lotte Marines in the final stage of the Climax Series .
Toshiaki Imae ( 今江敏晃 , Imae Toshiaki , born August 26 , 1983 in Kyoto , Japan ) is a Japanese professional baseball player for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in Japan 's Nippon Professional Baseball . Imae won the Most Valuable Player award in both the 2005 and 2010 Japan Series . He selected 2018 NPB All-Star game [ jp ] .
The 2016 Nippon Professional Baseball season is the 67th season since the NPB was reorganized in 1950 .
Tetsuya Utsumi ( 内海 哲也 , Utsumi Tetsuya , born April 29 , 1982 in Kyoto , Japan ) is a Japanese professional baseball player for the Saitama Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball ( NPB ) . He previously played for the Yomiuri Giants .