Shohei Ohtani took another step toward legendary status by winning his third MLB MVP award. He is the only player in the four major U.S. sports with 3 unanimous MVPs.
It’s unanimous. Shohei Ohtani is the most valuable of the Most Valuable Players.
Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Ohtani was unanimously chosen as the 2024 National League MVP in voting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America announced Thursday.
While it seemed a foregone conclusion after his historic 50 home run/50 stolen base season — no player had reached both those plateaus in the same season — it was also another step toward legendary status.
With his 2024 MVP, Ohtani became the only player in the four major U.S. professional sports leagues — Major League Baseball, the National Football League, the National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League — to be an unanimous MVP more than once.
He has done it three times. Ohtani received every first-place vote for the American League MVP award in 2021 and 2023, in two of his final three seasons 30 miles down the coast with the Los Angeles Angels.
He joined Frank Robinson as the only players to win the award in both leagues. Robinson won the NL MVP with the Cincinnati Reds in 1961 and AL MVP with the Baltimore Orioles in 1966.
The award culminated a record-bracketing first season with the Dodgers.
Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700 million free agent contract negotiated by agent Nez Balelo of CAA in December, and he showed the value of the deal by slashing .310/.390/.646 with 54 homers, 59 stolen bases, 411 total bases and a 190 OPS+ as the Dodgers won the World Series.
“I obviously don’t go into the season trying to strive to get the MVP Award,” Ohtani said through interpreter Matt Hidaka on the MLB Network announcement show.
