Takahiro Okada and Kenta Maeda were recipients of the 2010 Hochi Pro Sports Award for Baseball on Wednesday.  Hisayoshi Chono was presented with the Fresh Award.

Comments from Maeda:

I don't care about strikeouts, but I do care about ERA and wins. (via Nikkan Sports)

I'd like to try playing in the Majors. (via Sanspo)

Comment from Okada:

I was able to win [the HR title] because Seibu's [Takeya] Nakamura got injured.  I was also lucky.  If Nakamura is healthy next year, I think he'll hit about 40 homers, and I'd to reach that and go over it.  (via Nikkan Sports)

The 2010 Battery Awards were handed out yesterday -- Toshiya Sugiuchi and Hidenori Tanoue picked up the award in the Pacific League while Kenta Maeda and Yoshiyuki Ishihara picked up the award in the Central League.

The All-Time Best Battery Award was also handed out yesterday.  Fans were asked to select one pitcher / catcher pair from the last 19 years (38 pitcher / catcher pairs in all) via mail-in ballots and the combo of Kimiyasu Kudo and Tsutomu Ito (the combo that won the first Battery Award in the PL in 1991) racked up the most votes.

The 2010 Golden Glove Awards were handed out earlier today.

Comments from the players from various media sites:

Kenji Jojima, C (HAN)*: I take my fielding very seriously so I was very pleased by winning this award. (Nikkan Sports)

Keiichi Hirano, 2B (HAN): This is like a dream since it was the furthest from my mind.  I'm feel honored. (Nikkan Sports)

Shinya Miyamoto, 3B (YAK)+: I figure I have a year or two left in the tank and so I'd like to try my best to win this award at least one more time. (Nikkan Sports)

Norichika Aoki, OF (YAK): I just need to keep working hard.  I'll do my best to continue focusing on my fielding. (Nikkan Sports)

Masato Akamatsu, OF (HIR): The "super" catch must have helped.  I'm happy.  I feel like this is a dream. (Nikkan Sports)

Kenta Maeda, P (HIR): I'm pretty good at fielding bunts and pick-offs so it was nice being selected. (Sanpo)

Motohiro Shima, C (RAK): I didn't think the numbers were good enough and I was on a last place team so I was really surprised I was selected.  I'll do my best to throw out more base-runners next season. (Nikkan Sports)

Hiroki Kokubo, 1B (SOF): It's been a while since I've seen a gold-colored glove.  I'm surprised at how different it looks compared to the gold-colored glove I have at home. (Nikkan Sports)

Kensuke Tanaka 2B (HAM): I want to do my best to make sure I win this award again next season. (Nikkan Sports)

Takumi Kuriyama, OF (SEI): I'm really surprised [to have won].  I don't know about tough plays, can't really do them, but I do my best to make sure that I make the players I'm supposed to. (Nikkan Sports)

Hideaki Wakui, P (SEI): I have confidence in my fielding abilities and it makes me happy I was selected.  As a team we fell apart toward the end, but I think it would be nice if I can continue winning this award while I'm an active player. (Nikkan Sports)

* Jojima did not attend, but provided a prepared statement.

+ Sadaharu Oh holds the record for oldest player to win a Golden Glove at  49 years, 5 month.  Miyamoto can surpass the mark if he win the award next season.

12/3/2010 10:08pm JST

The award ceremony took place today at a hotel in Tokyo.

11/21/2010 5:12pm JST

The NPB announced today that Kenji Jojima's walk-off blast in a game against the Yokohama Bay Stars on 3/27 was selected by fans as the top play in 2011.

Soichiro Amaya's fence-climbing catch on 8/22 (also against the Yokohama Bay Stars) was given an honorable mention (selected by a committee of 6 judges).

The Nippon Ham Fighters announced today that Eiichi Koyano was selected by fans to receive this year's Sapporo Dome MVP Award.

Yoshihiko Takahashi, Chiba Lotte Marines Ni-gun manager, was presented with the Ni-gun Championship Pennant during the Ni-gun Awards Ceremony today.

Eastern League

Titles

Awards

Western League

Titles

Awards

Central League

* once as DH, 5 times in the PL

Voting

Pitchers

Catchers

First Baseman

Second Baseman

Third Baseman

Shortstops

Outfielders

Pacific League

+ 4th time as first baseman, once as DH

Voting

Pitchers

Catchers

First Basemen

Second Basemen

Third Basemen

Shortstops

Outfielders

Designated Hitters

Central League

Most Valuable Player

Rookie of the Year

Titles

Other Awards

Pacific League

Most Valuable Player

Rookie of the Year

Titles

Other Awards

Norifumi Nishimura was selected to receive the Shoriki Matsutaro Award today (in addition to a money prize of 5M yen).

The voting committee for the Shoriki Matsutaro Award is made up Sadaharu Oh, Shigeru Sugishita, Futoshi Nakanishi, Koji Yamamoto, and Masao Taguchi.

Said Oh, "We made our selection based on the current rules and we felt the Chiba Lotte Marines deserved the award for winning the Nippon Series despite finishing in third place [during the regular season."

It seems the voting committee also felt that the fans and the oedan were deserving of the award as well.

The last Lotte player / manager to win the award was Bobby Valentine in 2005 (Nippon Series).

Winners of the 2010 Golden Glove Awards were announced today.

A couple of notes:

Kenji Jojima became the first catcher in the award's history to win a Golden Glove in either league.

The Carp lead both leagues with four Golden Glove Award winners.  The Fighters have three.

The Dragons (first time in 10 years) and Giants (first time in 4 years) did not have a single Golden Glove Award winner.

The Central League did not have a first base Golden Glove Award winner for the first time in the award's history.

There were a total 260 votes in the CL and 216 votes in the PL.

Central League

Pacific League