Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge named MLB MVPs for second consecutive year

Baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani was recognized Thursday with his fourth MVP (Most Valuable Player) award in Major League Baseball, after an outstanding season in which he won his second straight title with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Japanese star now has the second most MVP awards in history, trailing only the seven won by Barry Bonds between 1990 and 2004.

Ohtani won the National League regular season MVP award while American Aaron Judge, star of the New York Yankees, received it for the American League.

The Japanese also became the first player to be voted MVP three years in a row unanimously, being picked first by the 30 votes of the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

Behind him, American Kyle Schwarber (Phillies) received 23 second-place votes and Dominicans Juan Soto (Mets) and Geraldo Perdomo (Diamondbacks) received four and three votes, respectively.

At 31, the Japanese prodigy continues to bolster a career that has already vaulted him into the conversation for the best of all time, thanks to his never-before-seen dual talent for pitching and hitting at the highest level.

He has won back-to-back MVP awards in the National League with the Dodgers and had previously won two more American League awards, in 2021 and 2023, when he was with the Los Angeles Angels.

Ahead of DiMaggio and A-Rod

With this recognition, Ohtani rose above a dozen players who had won three awards, which includes such legends like Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Alex Rodriguez (A-Rod) and Albert Pujols.

This season, Ohtani once again led the Dodgers to their second consecutive title, a feat that no one had achieved since 2000, with an agonizing win in Game 7 of the World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Japanese slugger hit 55 home runs, five behind leader Cal Raleigh (Seattle), and led the league in runs scored (146) and total bases (380).

In addition to his massive offensive production, Ohtani returned to pitching duties this season after recovering from an elbow injury, posting a 2.87 ERA in 47 innings with 62 strikeouts.

With his double-sided power restored, the phenom starred in the type of playoff heroics the Dodgers dreamed of when they handed him a $700 million, decade-long contract in 2024.

The greatest performance came in the win that completed the sweep against the Milwaukee Brewers in the N.L. Championship Series.

That night, Ohtani started on the mound, striking out 10 batters without giving up a single run and, on offense, he hit three home runs, completing one of the best individual games ever.

Judge repeats in the American League

In the American League, Aaron Judge won his second straight MVP award and the third of his career.

Unlike Ohtani, "The Judge" was not chosen unanimously this time, receiving 17 first-place votes and 13 second-place votes.

Behind him was Cal Raleigh, with 13 first-place votes and 17 second, while Dominican José Ramírez (Cleveland Guardians) received 19 in third.

Judge, who led the majors with a .331 average and connected on 53 home runs, closes the year on a high note after a disappointing playoff run with his Yankees.

A year after reaching the World Series, where they lost to the Dodgers, the Bronx Bombers were eliminated in October by the Blue Jays in the Divisional Series.