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Alden Gonzalez
shohei ohtani He was named the National League Most Valuable Player on Thursday, garnering all 30 first-place votes from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America in the wake of another dynamic offensive season that included a successful return to pitching and was once again capped by a championship.
Ohtani has won four MVPs in the last five years, all in unprecedented fashion. Only Barry Bonds has more than seven.
philadelphia phillies slugger kyle schwarber stood second, and juan soto of New York Mets Came in third place. Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Geraldo Perdomo and Phillies shortstop tree turner Voting completed.
“It’s really an honor,” Ohtani said on MLB Network through an interpreter. “Before I say that, I wanted to give a big thank you to Juan Soto and Schwarber; they also had amazing seasons. They helped bring the best out of me in the competition.”
The 31-year-old Ohtani had already joined Hall of Famer Frank Robinson as the only players to win MVP in both the American and National Leagues. He is also the only player with more than one unanimous MVP in the four major American professional sports. Now, according to ESPN Research, Ohtani is the first player in MLB, NBA, NHL and NFL history to win both an MVP and a championship in his first two seasons with one team.
Ohtani joined the Dodgers on a heavily deferred 10-year, $700 million contract in December 2023, then chartered the 50/50 club and starred as the leadoff hitter during their march toward a World Series title in 2024, ultimately becoming the first full-time designated hitter to win MVP.
In 2025, Ohtani was equally impressive offensively, slashing .282/.392/.622 with 55 home runs and setting a franchise record for the second consecutive year. However, this time, he showed his skills as a hitter with his return to pitching.
Ohtani returned from a second repair of his ulnar collateral ligament and made 14 regular season starts for the Dodgers this season, posting a 2.87 ERA with 62 strikeouts in 47 innings.
In October, he further cemented his legacy as the game’s greatest player. Giving the Dodgers their second consecutive lead in Game 4 of the NL Championship Series, Ohtani pitched six scoreless innings, striking out 10 and adding three home runs. In Game 3 of the World Series, which lasted 18 innings, he came to bat all nine times, four of which he reached base on an intentional walk.
“Obviously the biggest thing is to be able to win the World Series,” Ohtani said. “That’s first and foremost. To be able to get an individual award, to be crowned MVP is the icing on the cake. But I’m grateful for the support of all my teammates, everyone around me, my support staff.”
Since the beginning of 2021, when he began his run as a pure two-way player Los Angeles AngelsOhtani has compiled a major league-leading 44.4 FanGraphs wins above replacement. is second in that list New York Yankees slugger aaron judge With 42.8.
