Top Male Athlete of the Year is revealed by AP after banner seasons from Shohei Ohtani and Scottie Scheffler

Los Angeles Dodgers sensation Shohei Ohtani may not be everyone’s choice for Athlete of the Year, but he has a pretty good handle on both sides of the Pacific thanks to baseball’s first 50/50 season and his first World Series crown.

The Japanese superstar ends 2024 by winning The Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year for the third time, tying him with basketball great Michael Jordan. He trails only four-time winners Lance Armstrong, Tiger Woods and LeBron James.

“I’m very honored,” Ohtani said through translator Matt Hidaka in an exclusive interview with the AP. ‘It’s clear that all the hard work has paid off. Maybe I’ll get the prize again next year.’

Swimmer Léon Marchand of France, who won four gold medals at the Paris Olympics, came second with 10 votes in the voting, announced Monday. Golfer Scottie Scheffler, whose wins this year include the Masters and an Olympic gold medal, was third with nine.

Remarkably, the two-time star has yet to pitch for the Dodgers since signing his then-record $700 million contract with the club before the 2024 season. However, after rehabbing his second Tommy John surgery on his throwing elbow, Ohtani is believed to be returning to the mound, where he didn’t finish fourth in the American League Cy Young voting until 2022, while with the Crosstown Angels.

When voted by 74 AP sports journalists and its members, Ohtani received 48 votes. He previously won the award in 2023 and 2021 when he was with the Angels.

“Growing up in Japan, I followed Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods,” he said. “I would see their accolades and see how successful they were in the United States.”

The AP award has been presented since 1931. Golfer Babe Didrikson won six times, most of them by a man or a woman.

The AP Sportswoman of the Year will be announced on Tuesday.

Ohtani moved from the beleaguered Los Angeles Angels to the powerhouse Los Angeles Dodgers and won his third Most Valuable Player award and first in the National League, led his new team to its eighth World Series championship and created the 50/50 club of the Major League Baseball by hitting 54 home runs and stealing 59 bases.

Ohtani signed a then-record $700 million, 10-year contract with the Dodgers in December 2023. Already a two-way superstar, he further enhanced his reputation despite not pitching all season while rehabbing from a second major right elbow surgery he underwent. in September 2023.

Ohtani went wild on offense, making every at-bat a must-see moment. The 6-foot-1 design hitter hit a career-high .310 while easily surpassing his previous career highs in home runs and stolen bases.

In September he achieved the previously unheard of score of 50/50 in a performance for the ages. Against the Miami Marlins in Florida, Ohtani went 6-for-6 with three home runs, 10 RBIs, two stolen bases and 17 total bases.

“It wouldn’t shock me if he went over 60/60 and 20 wins a year,” Brad Ausmus, who led the Angels in 2019 during Ohtani’s second season in Anaheim, said recently. “This man is the greatest athlete to ever play the game of baseball and there is no close second.”

Ohtani said he knew the Dodgers’ franchise record for most home runs in a season was 49. His previous record was 46, set in 2021.

“I actually wanted to get over that bar,” he said. ‘I was pleasantly surprised that I managed to break that record.’

Ohtani carried the Dodgers offensively during the regular season and he stayed healthy until Game 2 of the World Series. He injured his left shoulder trying to steal second base against the New York Yankees and ended the Series in pain.

He underwent surgery a few days after the Dodgers celebrated their championship in early November.

“I don’t have full range of motion yet, but it feels a lot better,” he told the AP. ‘There is no pain. There is of course still some tension, but slowly but surely things are getting better.’

Ohtani recently received an updated rehabilitation plan and he is focusing on the short term.

“I think it’s the small steps that are really important to achieving the ultimate goal of getting healthy again,” he said.

Ohtani also throws in the 70 mph range, which is typical for pitchers in the offseason.

“I’m going to slowly ramp up,” he said.

The Dodgers’ rotation for next season is in flux and Ohtani is waiting to see how this plays out.

“Maybe we’ll go with a five-man rotation with a bullpen (game), which we’ve done a lot this season, or maybe we’ll have a six-man rotation,” he said. ‘But it’s all about balancing when we can rest and recover. We’ll see where that takes us in the playoff chase. Of course I have to set my pace, but this situation will also determine how we get there.’

The Dodgers open the 2025 season in Japan, where Ohtani will be even more closely watched.

“My personal goal is to be fully healthy by the time the opening games start,” he said. “It would be great to be able to throw and hit, but the situation will take care of itself.”

Every time Ohtani steps up to the plate or takes the mound, there is a lot of pressure and expectation that he will deliver spectacular performances.

“I just go out there and try to stay true to myself,” he said. “I can only control what I can control and that’s where you trust your teammates. The guys behind me, you trust them to make the plays for you. I try not to really think about it.”

Ohtani also generated a lot of money for the Dodgers off the field.

Fans traveled en masse from Japan to see him play in the US. At Dodger Stadium, they paid extra for tours of baseball’s third-oldest venue, narrated by Japanese-speaking guides, and to be on the field during pre-game batting practice. A majority of fans purchased Ohtani-branded merchandise, especially his No. 17 jersey.

Ohtani’s presence also helped the Dodgers land a bevy of new Japanese sponsors.

Because Ohtani prefers to speak Japanese and uses an interpreter in the media, he is shrouded in a bit of mysticism. When asked before his first postgame series if he was nervous, he dropped a one-word answer in English: “No,” which drew laughter.

Japanese-born Dodgers manager Dave Roberts observed Ohtani’s interactions behind the scenes with his teammates, coaches and staff, and was impressed.

“I really believe that as good as a ballplayer he is, he’s a much better person. He’s very kind, thoughtful, he cares,” Roberts told the AP. “I’m just proud of whatever fame, glory or accolade he receives because he does it in such a respectful and humble way.”

Ohtani enjoys his privacy and rarely shares details about himself off the field. That’s why his February announcement via Instagram that he had married Mamiko Tanaka, a former basketball player, stunned his new teammates and the rest of the world.

The following month, after the Dodgers arrived in South Korea to open the season, he became engulfed in scandal when his longtime interpreter and friend, Ippei Mizuhara, was fired by the Dodgers after being accused of stealing millions of dollars of Ohtani’s money used to place bets. with an illegal bookmaker.

His new teammates rallied around Ohtani, who appeared not to have played any role in the misconduct, and publicly it didn’t seem to affect him, even if he was personally upset by it.

By June the commotion had subsided. Mizuhara pleaded guilty to federal bank and tax fraud charges and admitted to stealing nearly $17 million from Ohtani.

The public got a glimpse of Ohtani’s softer side in August, when his dog Decoy delivered a first litter to his owner during their joint bobblehead night. The Dutch Kooikerhondje exchanged an endearing high-five with Ohtani at the table.

As a result, Decoy became a celebrity in his own right, with his breed (pronounced COY-ker-HUND-che) making the list of the most mispronounced words of 2024. He and Ohtani were mentioned during the National Dog broadcast of last month. Show, where the small spaniel-like breed was among the participants.

“The breed’s numbers have dropped off a little bit, so if he gains a little bit of popularity, hopefully that will add up to his breed’s numbers,” Ohtani said. ‘I feel that in a small way we have been able to contribute to the dog’s popularity and I am sure Decoy himself would be happy with that.’

Ohtani will look to outdo himself next year as he eyes a repeat World Series title.

“It’s almost like you can win the Most Valuable Player award in the National League now because no one has that ability or talent,” Roberts said.

“I’m just excited to see what ’25 has for Shohei Ohtani.”