In talking about Nippon Professional Baseball, it is impossible to mention the great players of this league without mentioning Eiji Sawamura’s name. Arguably the greatest pitcher in the league’s history, Sawamura is known primarily because of the award that is named in his honor.

Sawamura was born on February 1, 1917, in Ujiyamada, Japan. As a 17-year-old high school student, he faced off against Major League Baseball all-stars as they visited Japan. That team featured Hall of Famers Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx and Charlie Gehringer. Sawamura struck out those batters in succession and impressed American manager Connie Mack with his performance. Mack tried to sign Sawamura but the Japanese pitcher objected, as he refused to play in America, due to his sentiments toward the country.

In his first professional season with the Yomiuri Giants in 1937, Sawamura went 14-3 with a 1.18 ERA as a 19-year-old. He pitched the first no-hitter in the league’s history with his performance. He followed that season by going 33-10 with a 1.38 ERA the next year.

Those two seasons were the best we saw of Sawamura. He was drafted into the Japanese military during the midst of World War II and serving in combat took a toll on his body. He returned to baseball in 1940 where he posted a 16-6 record with an ERA of 2.49 over the next two seasons. 1943 marked his last season, as he struggled going 0-3 with a 10.64 ERA.

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He went into combat in 1944 where he was killed in a ship that was attacked by American ships off the coast of Taiwan. He was only 27-years-old.

Nippon Professional Baseball began naming the award to the best pitcher in Sawamura and he was inducted into the leagues Hall of Fame in 1959.