Eiji Sawamura
The award was originally established by Japanese magazine "Nekkyū" in 1947 to honor the career of Eiji Sawamura, a power pitcher who enjoyed an illustrious career for the Tokyo Giants before being killed in combat during World War II. It is a special award that is independent of the official "Most Valuable Pitcher" award that is presented to one pitcher in each league (Central and Pacific) each year.