Kenshin Kawakami and Kazuyoshi Tatsunami, who both play for the Chunichi Dragons, on Tuesday won the Central League monthly MVP awards as the top-performing pitcher and position player in the month of May.
Kawakami, who matched a league high with three wins last month, earned his fourth career monthly MVP title while Tatsunami, who batted .412 with 35 hits during the period, received the award for the second time.
It is the first time since September 1999 that two Chunichi players were selected in the same month and only the second time in history.
In the Pacific League, Kintetsu Buffaloes right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma won the pitching honors for the second straight month, becoming only the sixth player in the league to accomplish the feat. Iwakuma posted four wins and had 40 strikeouts in May.
Daiei Hawks infielder Nobuhiko Matsunaka was chosen among all PL position players and won his first monthly MVP award since August last year and third time overall. The cleanup hitter batted .377 with eight homers and 22 RBIs.