At a news conference covered by approximately 100 members of the media, many of them from the New York papers and broadcast outlets, the Red Sox introduce Bobby Valentine as the team’s new manager. Boston announces that the 61 year-old skipper, who hasn’t managed in the big leagues since being fired by the Mets in 2002, has agreed to a two-year deal with the club, having options for 2014 and 2015.

ByTom

At a news conference covered by approximately 100 members of the media, many of them from the New York papers and broadcast outlets, the Red Sox introduce Bobby Valentine as the team’s new manager. Boston announces that the 61 year-old skipper, who hasn’t managed in the big leagues since being fired by the Mets in 2002, has agreed to a two-year deal with the club, having options for 2014 and 2015.

Seiichi Uchikawa of the Softbank Hawks wins the 2011 Pacific League Most Valuable Player Award‎ in his first season in the league. He hit a league-high .338 to become the second Nippon Pro Baseball player to win batting titles in both the Pacific League and Central League. The 2011 Central League MVP goes to Takuya Asao of the Chunichi Dragons, who went 7-2 with 10 saves and a 0.41 ERA in a league-high 79 appearances. Asao is the first CL reliever to win the award since Kazuhiro Sasaki in 1998 and Sasaki was a closer, while Asao was used primarily as a set-up man.

ByTom

Seiichi Uchikawa of the Softbank Hawks wins the 2011 Pacific League Most Valuable Player Award‎ in his first season in the league. He hit a league-high .338 to become the second Nippon Pro Baseball player to win batting titles in both the Pacific League and Central League. The 2011 Central League MVP goes to Takuya Asao of the Chunichi Dragons, who went 7-2 with 10 saves and a 0.41 ERA in a league-high 79 appearances. Asao is the first CL reliever to win the award since Kazuhiro Sasaki in 1998 and Sasaki was a closer, while Asao was used primarily as a set-up man.