Chiba Lotte Marines closer Masahide Kobayashi was named interleague MVP on Thursday after helping the Pacific League club have the best interleague record for the second straight year.
Kobayashi allowed only one run in his 19 outings and went 3-0 with 13 saves and a 0.47 ERA as the Marines finished 23-13, one game ahead of the Central League's Yakult Swallows in the standings, after about 40 days of interleague play.
Kobayashi was chosen over teammate Yasutomo Kubo, who posted a team-high four wins, and won 2 million yen in prize money.