Shohei Ohtani vom World Series-Champion Los Angeles Dodgers was unanimously named the National League’s Most Valuable Player, while New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge similarly took home the American League award on Thursday.
Japan-born Ohtani received all 30 first-place votes Baseball The Writers’ Association of America cites New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor and Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte.
“I couldn’t have received this award without my teammates,” Ohtani said through his interpreter during his appearance MLB Network.
“If my teammates weren’t there and we didn’t play as a team, we wouldn’t have even made the playoffs or won the World Series. So I just take this as a representation of the team receiving this award.”
It was the third MVP award for Ohtani, who was unanimously named American League MVP in 2021 and 2023 when he was a standout two-player with the Los Angeles Angels.
Ohtani joins Baseball Hall of Famer Frank Robinson, who won with Cincinnati in 1961 and with Baltimore in 1966, as the only players to win an MVP award in every league, but he is the first to do so in two consecutive years.
While rehabilitating from elbow surgery that prevented him from pitching in 2024, Ohtani, who signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers last December, became the first player in history with 50 or more home runs and 50 or more stolen bases in the same season.
Ohtani, who has been one of the best hitters in baseball since moving from Japan in 2018, reached the 50-50 milestone with arguably the best single-game performance by a player in MLB history.
During the September game in Miami, Ohtani needed a stolen base and two home runs to accomplish the historic feat, but instead delivered a supernatural performance, stealing two bases and going 6-for-6 with three home runs and a career-high 10 RBIs.
Ohtani, often compared to Major League Baseball great Babe Ruth for his elite-level pitching and hitting ability, led the National League in several categories this year, including home runs, RBI, runs scored and on-base -Percentage.
“I didn’t go into the season with the goal of getting the MVP award,” Ohtani said. “I was more focused on being one of the guys on the new team, the Dodgers.
“Of course I also wanted to hug the fans and kind of let them know who I am and that was my main focus this season.”
In the American League, Judge beat out Juan Soto — a free agent who spent the 2024 season with the Yankees — and Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. for the MVP award.
For Judge, who led the MLB in a number of categories – including homers, RBIs, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and walks – it was his second American League MVP award, which he also won in 2022.
Judge is the 17th multiple MVP winner in the American League.
“I want to congratulate Aaron on this outstanding honor and couldn’t be happier for such a great person and leader,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said in a statement.
“After having a front row seat to his MVP performance in 2022, I truly couldn’t imagine a player having a better, more complete baseball season. But that’s exactly what he did in 2024.”
“I am fortunate to have the opportunity to guide Aaron and I look forward to watching him continue to cement his legacy as one of the greatest players of this generation.”
