For the first time in a while, the panel that selects the Matsutaro Shoriki Award stepped out of the box when they named SoftBank Hawks closer Dennis Sarfate this year's winner.In recent years, the award -- for the player, coach, umpire or manager who makes the biggest contribution to Japanese pro baseball -- had been presented to the manager of the Japan Series-winning team. Not surprisingly, Sarfate was unfamiliar with the award but the more the 36-year-old pitcher learned, the more honored he felt."When I found out what the (Shoriki) award meant, I went, 'Wow. That's almost better than t…READ FULL ARTICLE
