SoftBank Hawks pitcher Liván Moinelo made history Wednesday when he was named the Pacific League’s Most Valuable Player at the NPB’s Annual Awards Gala, held at a Tokyo hotel becoming the first Cuban to win the award in the land of the rising sun.
The left-hander from Pinar del Río,Cuba led the entire NPB with a 1.46 ERA, whole also striking out 172 batters and posting a 12-3 record, helping his team capture its second consecutive league title. The 29-year-old starter becomes the fourth Latin American player to be named MVP of the regular season in the prestigious Japanese league, following Venezuelans Roberto Petagine (2001), Alex Cabrera (2002), and Alex Ramírez (2008 and 2009).
Moinelo becomes the first Latino to win the MVP and the Reliever of the Year (2020) in the history of the Nippon League, a season in which he led the circuit in holds. Over his nine seasons in the NPB with the Hawks, two as a starter he sports a 42-17 record and a 1.80 earned run average. This includes a 23-8 and a 1.66 ERA over his last two campaigns.
Career highlights and awards:
- Pacific League MVP (2025)
- Pacific League Best Relief Pitcher Award (2020)
- Pacific League hold leader (2020)
- NPB Golden Glove Award (2024)
- Pacific League ERA leader (2024)
- 5× Japan Series champion (2017–2020, 2025)
- 2x NPB All-Star (2022, 2025)