髙橋遥人 and 山野太一 18 % - Sawamura Award 2026

Q: Who is likely to win the 2026 Sawamura Award?

The best chances belong to 髙橋 遥人 18 %, 山野 太一 18 %, 村上 頌樹 17 %. The chance of no winner is 26 % (as of Oct 8, 2026). The award is decided by the selection committee at its discretion, so this page is not an official announcement.

Data as of Oct 8, 2026

Chance to win

髙橋遥人 18 %

4 / 7 → 4 / 7

The Sawamura Award is the annual honor for the best starting pitcher, judged against seven criteria: games, complete games, wins, win rate, innings, strikeouts and ERA. 髙橋遥人 (Hanshin) and 山野太一 (Yakult) are closest to the 2026 Sawamura Award, each at 18 % to win. Criteria met: 髙橋遥人 4 / 7 → 4 / 7, 山野太一 4 / 7 → 4 / 7. Chance of no winner 26 % (as of Oct 8, 2026).

Established in 1947, the Sawamura Award honors the best starting pitcher across both leagues. Selection is at the committee's discretion; this is not an official announcement.

Chance of winning the 2026 Sawamura Award

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Criteria met and projected season-end totals

The table below is reference data compiled by this site, not an official announcement.

Data as of Oct 8, 2026

Right-handed starterLeft-handed starter

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Player	Met	Games 25	CG 8	Wins 15	Win% .600	IP 180	SO 150	ERA 2.50
村上頌樹 (Hanshin)	4/7Unmet: CG / Wins / Win%	27	2	10	.526	180.1	155	1.85
髙橋遥人 (Hanshin)	4/7Unmet: Games / CG / IP	23	5	16	.842	159	150	1.87
山野太一 (Yakult)	4/7Unmet: CG / Wins / IP	25	0	12	.750	162.1	152	2.33
東克樹 (DeNA)	3/7Unmet: CG / Wins / IP / SO	25	1	12	.667	161.1	120	2.40
才木浩人 (Hanshin)	3/7Unmet: CG / Wins / IP / ERA	25	1	10	.667	154	175	2.51
平良海馬 (Seibu)	2/7Unmet: Games / CG / Wins / IP / SO	23	1	12	.706	146	141	1.36
前田悠伍 (SoftBank)	2/7Unmet: Games / CG / Wins / IP / SO	19	0	12	.923	111.2	95	2.10
前田健太 (Rakuten)	2/7Unmet: Games / CG / Wins / IP / SO	15	1	6	.600	86.1	74	2.19
上沢直之 (SoftBank)	2/7Unmet: Games / CG / Wins / IP / SO	22	0	10	.714	135.1	129	2.39
戸郷翔征 (Yomiuri)	2/7Unmet: Games / CG / Wins / IP / SO	14	1	5	.625	80	82	2.48
伊藤大海 (Nippon-Ham)	2/7Unmet: CG / Wins / Win% / IP / ERA	26	3	10	.500	172.2	159	3.18
九里亜蓮 (ORIX)	2/7Unmet: CG / Wins / Win% / IP / ERA	27	1	9	.429	163.2	150	3.19
荘司康誠 (Rakuten)	2/7Unmet: CG / Wins / Win% / IP / ERA	25	1	9	.500	159	171	3.45
井上温大 (Yomiuri)	1/7Unmet: Games / CG / Wins / Win% / IP / SO	23	1	10	.556	147	146	2.02
隅田知一郎 (Seibu)	1/7Unmet: Games / CG / Wins / Win% / IP / SO	24	4	10	.556	166.1	148	2.27

In innings pitched, .1 and .2 denote 1/3 and 2/3 of an inning.

Winners of the past 20 seasons and criteria met

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Year	Winner	Met
2025	伊藤大海 (Nippon-Ham)	3/7Unmet: CG / Wins / IP / ERA
2024	No winner	Best 4/7
2023	山本由伸 (ORIX)	4/7Unmet: Games / CG / IP
2022	山本由伸 (ORIX)	5/7Unmet: CG / IP
2021	山本由伸 (ORIX)	5/7Unmet: CG / IP
2020	大野雄大 (Chunichi)	3/7Unmet: Games / Wins / IP / SO
2019	No winner	Best 4/7
2018	菅野智之 (Yomiuri)	7/7
2017	菅野智之 (Yomiuri)	5/7Unmet: CG / IP
2016	Ｋ．ジョンソン (Hiroshima)	4/7Unmet: CG / IP / SO
2015	前田健太 (Hiroshima)	6/7Unmet: CG
2014	金子千尋 (ORIX)	5/7Unmet: CG / IP
2013	田中将大 (Rakuten)	6/7Unmet: CG
2012	攝津正 (SoftBank)	5/7Unmet: CG / IP
2011	田中将大 (Rakuten)	7/7
2010	前田健太 (Hiroshima)	6/7Unmet: CG
2009	涌井秀章 (Seibu)	7/7
2008	岩隈久志 (Rakuten)	6/7Unmet: CG
2007	ダルビッシュ有 (Nippon-Ham)	7/7
2006	斉藤和巳 (SoftBank)	6/7Unmet: CG

Through 2025, criteria met are judged with the thresholds of 10 complete games and 200 innings.

See nextClub strength breakdownHighest-rated club in its leagueHanshin PitchingA+ BattingA−Nippon-Ham PitchingB− BattingB−Club strength breakdown Highest-rated pitchersHighest-rated club in its leagueHanshin 髙橋遥人A− 村上頌樹A−Nippon-Ham 柳川大晟A 北山亘基B+Highest-rated pitchers Highest-rated battersHighest-rated club in its leagueHanshin 佐藤輝明S+ 森下翔太SNippon-Ham 水野達稀A レイエスB−Highest-rated batters Salary guidePer-player guides built from career stats since joining

The Sawamura Award criteria (7) - not all are required

The seven criteria are: 25+ games, 8+ complete games, 15+ wins, .600+ win percentage, 180+ innings, 150+ strikeouts, and an ERA of 2.50 or lower. The complete-game (10 to 8) and innings (200 to 180) thresholds were relaxed from the 2026 season, the award's 80th year, as announced by the selection committee in October 2025. Meeting all seven is not required, and since 2014 the criteria have been treated explicitly as guidelines rather than strict requirements.

What the Sawamura Award is

Established in 1947, the award goes to a single pitcher judged the best starter across both leagues rather than one per league. It is named after Eiji Sawamura, the legendary fastballer who pitched brilliantly against Babe Ruth's touring team in 1934; drafted three times, he was killed in the war in 1944 at age 27.

Frequently asked questions

What are the Sawamura Award criteria?

Seven items: 25+ games, 8+ complete games, 15+ wins, .600+ win percentage, 180+ innings, 150+ strikeouts, ERA 2.50 or lower (complete games and innings were relaxed from 2026). Not all are required; the committee judges holistically.

Must a pitcher meet all seven criteria to win?

No. The criteria are guidelines; the committee judges holistically, a policy made explicit since 2014.

Are there years with no Sawamura Award winner?

Yes - most recently 2019 and 2024. As complete games and long-innings seasons vanish, no-award years have become more frequent, so this page also shows the chance of no winner.

Who is likely to win the 2026 Sawamura Award?

The best chances belong to 髙橋遥人 18 %, 山野太一 18 %, 村上頌樹 17 %. The chance of no winner is 26 % (as of Oct 8, 2026). The award is decided by the selection committee at its discretion, so this page is not an official announcement.