30 first place votes ‘swept’ unanimously
First unanimous MVP 3 times
MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, the only one in the history of the four major North American professional sports
Except for Ohtani, there is no unanimous winner twice.
Another unanimous MVP award gave Shohei Ohtani (LA Dodgers) another huge record. Beyond the Major League Baseball (MLB), it marked a milestone in the history of the four major American professional sports.
Ohtani was selected as National League MVP by an overwhelming margin as a result of the MVP award voting announced on the 22nd. He also set a record of becoming the first ‘designated hitter MVP’ since the designated hitter system was introduced in 1973, and was also named the second ‘MVP of both major leagues’ after Frank Robinson.
Above all, Ohtani swept all 30 first place votes and succeeded in winning the unanimous award. Ohtani succeeded in winning MVP awards twice in 2021 and 2023 while playing for the LA Angels, both of which were unanimous. In other words, his third MVP was also unanimously won.
Ohtani is the only player in MLB history to win unanimous MVP three times. There aren’t even two episodes, except for Otani. Ohtani’s MVP is that overwhelming.
Here’s another thing. Among the four major North American professional sports, Ohtani is the only player to have won the unanimous MVP award three times. No, Otani is the only person to have won the award twice. In the case of the National Basketball Association (NBA), Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors) in the 2015-2016 season remains the only unanimous winner.
The same is true for National Football League (NFL). Only Tom Brady in 2010 and Lamar Jackson in 2019 succeeded in winning the award unanimously. In the North American Ice Hockey League (NHL), only Wayne Gretzky in the 1980-1981 season and Connor McDavid in the 2020-2021 season succeeded in winning the unanimous award.
Michael Jordan, Brady, and Gretzky are legends among legends, each considered the best players in NBA, NFL, and NHL history. Even these legends have won only one unanimous award or none at all. This is a passage that shows how great Otani’s status is.
It would be no exaggeration to describe Ohtani’s season as one of the most dominant seasons by a hitter in baseball history. He had a batting average of 0.310, 54 home runs, 130 RBI, and 59 stolen bases. He surpassed the difficult 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases and created the first 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases season in history. Even though he was a designated hitter who did not contribute defensively, he had an ‘overwhelming’ season.
