Baseball

Shohei Ohtani Wins 3rd MVP Award; First Player in 58 Years to Take The Honor in Both Leagues

Captured from the MLB Network
Shohei Ohtani, appearing with his wife Mamiko on the MLB Network program, celebrates winning the Most Valuable Player award in the National League on Thursday.

By Toshiaki Obitsu / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

13:20 JST, November 22, 2024

LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers won the National League’s Most Valuable Player Award for the first time on Thursday.

This is the third MVP honor for Ohtani, 30, who won the award for the American League in 2021 and 2023, when he was playing for the Los Angeles Angels.

Like for the two previous wins, his victory was a unanimous one, with all 30 voting members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America ranking him first among the candidates. This is the first time a single player has been chosen unanimously three times. Ohtani also became the first player in 58 years, and the second ever, to win the award in both leagues.

He is also the first ever player to achieve the feat in two consecutive years. He now joins a twelve-way tie for the second-highest number of MVP awards won by any player. He is also the first to become an MVP after serving as a designated hitter throughout the season.

Photo by Koki Kataoka / The Yomiuri Shimbun
Shohei Ohtani of Los Angeles Dodgers reacts after hitting his 53rd home run of the season in the ninth game against Colorado Rockies in Los Angeles on Sept. 22.

Ohtani did not pitch this season, instead focusing solely on batting. He batted .310, hit 54 homers and earned 130 RBIs, topping the league charts for home runs for the second year in a row and for RBIs — the first time the latter has been achieved by a Japanese player.

With his 59 stolen bases, Ohtani became the first player in MLB history to record at least 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season.