Shohei Ohtani has developed a habit of collecting MVP trophies — but his priority remains winning championships.
For the second straight year, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ two-way sensation captured both a World Series title and the league’s top individual honor. On Thursday night, Ohtani was unanimously selected as the National League’s Most Valuable Player, giving him the fourth MVP award of his career. That places him behind only Barry Bonds, who holds the record with seven, and makes Ohtani the only player to earn multiple unanimous MVP wins.
At age 31, surpassing Bonds doesn’t seem impossible, especially if Ohtani’s elite play continues to fuel deep postseason runs.
“If I’m performing well, it means I’m contributing to our wins,” Ohtani said through his interpreter. “So hopefully that means a few more MVPs down the road. But ultimately, winning games is what matters most.”
In the American League, Aaron Judge added another milestone of his own. The New York Yankees slugger earned his third career MVP award, becoming just the fourth player in franchise history to reach that mark. Judge narrowly defeated Seattle catcher Cal Raleigh, receiving 17 first-place votes to Raleigh’s 13 — the tightest MVP race since Mike Trout edged Alex Bregman by the same margin.
