Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters ace Yu Darvish won his first career monthly MVP award on Wednesday when the Pacific League named him the best pitcher for the month of August. Tohoku Rakuten Eagles first baseman Jose Fernandez was named the PL monthly MVP in the category for position players, receiving the honor for the first time in his career. The Central League selected Chunichi Dragons pitcher Kenta Asakura for the first time in his career and Tokyo Yakult Swallows left fielder Alex Ramirez for the second straight month. Darvish won all of his five starts with two complete game efforts, including his third shutout of the season in a 1-0 win over the Orix Buffaloes on Aug. 22, and had a 1.35 ERA over 40 innings.
