Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani has been named one of baseball’s Most Valuable Players for the third year in a row, and the fourth time overall.
The 31-year-old played a key role in the Dodgers winning the World Series for a second straight year as they overcame the Toronto Blue Jays earlier this month.
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Ohtani is a rare “two-way” player, operating both as a pitcher and a hitter at the elite level, and was named the best player in the National League.
He is second on the all-time list, after Barry Bonds who won seven between 1990 and 2004. He has won all four of his MVPs in unanimous fashion with all 30 first-place votes.
“If I’m playing well as an individual that means I’m helping the team win, so in that sense, hopefully I can end up with a couple more MVPs,” Ohtani said through an interpreter. “But it’s all about winning games.”
Ohtani is the first player to win the honour in both of Major League Baseball’s two leagues after becoming the American League (AL) MVP in 2021 and 2023 while playing for the Los Angeles Angels.
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In the AL, outfielder Aaron Judge became the New York Yankees’ fourth three-time winner.
Judge, who won the AL award in 2022 and 2024, joined Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra and Mickey Mantle as three-time MVPs with the Yankees.
“It’s tough for me to wrap my head around,” Judge said. “It’s mind blowing from my side of things, because I play this game to win, I play this game for my team-mates, my family, all the fans in New York.
“You’ve got to pinch yourself every single day. It’s truly an incredible honour.”
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