Shohei Ohtani made history on Thursday by becoming the first designated hitter in baseball history to win a Most Valuable Player award.
The Dodgers' star claimed was a unanimous selection in winning his first National League MVP award, and the second of his career, following his first season in Los Angeles.
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Ohtani became the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a single season, a feat he accomplished with a historic 6 for 6, three-homer, 10-RBI game Sept. 19 in Miami. He finished with 54 home runs and 59 stolen bases while hitting .310 and leading the Dodgers to the World Series.
New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor finished second in the MVP voting, collecting 23 of the 30 votes from the Baseball Writers' Association of America, and Ketel Marte of the Arizona Diamondbacks finished third.
"I think this MVP, I'm just representing the Dodgers," Ohtani said through his interpreter, Matt Hidaka, after accepting the award live on MLB Network. "It was just a complete team effort. I wouldn't have been able to receive this award if it weren't for my teammates. If my teammates weren't there, if we didn't play as a team, we would not have gotten to the playoffs or won the World Series. I'm representing the team receiving this award."
Ohtani was unable to pitch in 2024 while he rehabilitated his right elbow from surgery at the end of the 2023 season. That did not deter him from leading the Dodgers' offense as a DH — first as their number-2 hitter, then out of the leadoff slot for the second half.
What was he most proud of?
"The ultimate goal from the beginning was to win a World Series, which we were able to accomplish," Ohtani told the MLB Network panel.
Ohtani joined Frank Robinson as the only player to win an MVP award in both the American and National Leagues.
In 2023, Ohtani became the first player to win the award in a unanimous vote more than once. He signed a landmark 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers in Dec. 2023. Now he's won an MVP award unanimously three times.
More to come on this story from Newsweek Sports.
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