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Shohei Ohtani, the only player to unanimously win two MVP awards in Major League Baseball, made it three on Thursday, when each of the 30 voters made him their first choice for the National League’s top honor.
Ohtani, the American League’s unanimous MVP in 2021 and 2023 as a two-way player with the Los Angeles Angels, did not pitch this year, his first with the Los Angeles Dodgers, after shoulder surgery in September 2023. He becomes the first primary designated hitter to win the award.
Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits his 50th home run of the season during a game against the Miami Marlins in Miami on Sept. 19, 2024, making him the first player in Major League Baseball history to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season. (Kyodo)
The Japanese star joined Frank Robinson as the only players in MLB history to win the MVP award in both leagues.
Robinson was the 1961 NL MVP with the Cincinnati Reds and the AL MVP in his Triple Crown-winning 1966 season with the Baltimore Orioles.
“I’m accepting this award as a representative of the Dodgers. I wouldn’t have been able to win it if it weren’t for my teammates,” Ohtani said. “If we didn’t play as a team, we would not even have gotten to the playoffs or won the World Series.”
“Of course, I don’t enter the season thinking I want to be MVP. I was more focused on being one of the guys within the team, and embracing the fans as well, and being accepted. And for the first half of the season that was my intent.”
Able to focus on his offense as he rehabbed as a pitcher, Ohtani led the NL with 54 home runs, 130 RBIs and 134 runs, while finishing second in stolen bases with 59. He became the first MLB player with 50 homers and 50 steals in the same season.
Ohtani also just missed the triple crown, with his .310 batting average falling .004 short of NL leader Luis Arraez of the San Diego Padres.
New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor and Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte were the other finalists for the NL MVP award.
The MVP was the crowning achievement in a year that started with Ohtani signing team sports’ most valuable contract — $700 million over 10 years — only for his season to open with news of a shattering betrayal.
Already the center of attention for everything he does on the field, Ohtani’s first games with the Dodgers, in Seoul, were accompanied by the news his interpreter and close friend Ippei Mizuhara had been embezzling millions of dollars from him to pay gambling debts.
The AL MVP award went to New York Yankees center fielder Aaron Judge, who was the unanimous choice over Yankees right fielder Juan Soto and Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr.
Judge batted .322 while leading MLB with 58 home runs and 144 RBIs.
The Los Angeles Dodgers celebrate their World Series victory over the New York Yankees after Game 5 at Yankee Stadium on Oct. 30, 2024. (Kyodo)
Combined photo shows Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani stealing his 40th base of the season and hitting his 40th home run in a game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Dodger Stadium on Aug. 23, 2024. (Kyodo)
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