Shohei Ohtani of the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers was unanimously named the National League’s Most Valuable Player, while Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees similarly took home American League honors on Thursday.
The Japanese-born Ohtani earned all 30 first-place votes from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, beating out New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor and Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte.
“I wouldn’t have been able to receive this award without my teammates,” Ohtani said through his interpreter while appearing on MLB Network.
“Obviously, if my teammates weren’t there and we hadn’t played as a team, we wouldn’t have even made the playoffs or won the World Series. So for me, I take this as representing the team receiving this award.”
It was the third MVP award for Ohtani, who was named unanimous American League MVP in 2021 and 2023 while excelling in both directions while playing for the Los Angeles Angels.
Ohtani joins Baseball Hall of Famer Frank Robinson, who won in 1961 with Cincinnati and 1966 with Baltimore, as the only players to win an MVP award in each league, but he is the first to do so in consecutive years.
While recovering from elbow surgery that will leave him unable to pitch until 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 baseball’s best players since arriving from Japan in 2018, reached the 50-50 milestone with perhaps the best single-game performance by a player in MLB history.
During the Miami game in September, Ohtani needed a stolen base and two home runs to achieve this historic feat, but instead he delivered an otherworldly performance as he stole two bases and went 6-for-6 with a career-high three home runs and 10 RBIs.
Ohtani, who is often compared to Major League Baseball great Babe Ruth for his ability to throw and hit at an elite level, led the National League this year in several categories, including home runs, RBI, runs scored and on-base percentage.
“I didn’t go into the season trying to win the MVP award,” Ohtani said. “I was more focused on being one of the guys on the new team, on the Dodgers.
“I obviously also wanted to embrace the fans and let them know who I was, and that was my main focus going into this season.”
In the American League, Judge defeated 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 slew of categories — including home runs, RBIs, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and walks — this marked his second American League MVP award, having also won in 2022 .
Judge is the 17th multiple-time MVP winner in the American League.
“I would like to congratulate Aaron on achieving this distinguished honor, and I 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 2022 MVP performance, I honestly couldn’t imagine any player having a better and more complete baseball season. But that’s exactly what he achieved in 2024.
“I am beyond fortunate to have the opportunity to manage Aaron and look forward to seeing him further cement his legacy as one of the greatest players of this generation.”