Ohtani unanimous NL MVP, Judge claims AL honor

Shohei Ohtani, 31, of the Los Angeles Dodgers was unanimously voted the National League Most Valuable Player for the second consecutive year.

The Baseball Writers’ Association of America released the results of Major League Baseball MVP voting for both leagues on Nov. 14. Ohtani received all 30 first-place votes to claim the National League award for a second consecutive year.

At the plate this season, Ohtani hit .282 with 55 home runs and 102 RBIs. His 1.014 OPS led the National League. He also returned to the mound on June 17 against the San Diego Padres, pitching 47 innings across 14 appearances and recording a 1-1 record, a 2.87 ERA and 62 strikeouts.

Including the American League MVP honors he won with the Los Angeles Angels in 2021 and 2023, Ohtani has now earned four league MVP awards. All four were unanimous selections. The only player in MLB history with more MVP awards is Barry Bonds, 61, who won seven before retiring.

“The most important thing this year is that we won our second straight World Series title," Ohtani said. "Being selected as MVP on top of that leaves me with nothing more to ask for. I am truly grateful to my teammates and the staff.” Before Ohtani, the only player to win back-to-back World Series titles and also be named league MVP in those years was Joe Morgan (1943–2020), who did so with Cincinnati’s Big Red Machine in 1975 and 1976.

Aaron Judge, 33, of the New York Yankees also claimed the American League MVP for the second consecutive season. Judge received 17 first-place votes and 13 second-place votes for a total of 355 points, finishing 20 points ahead of league home run leader Cal Raleigh, 29, of the Seattle Mariners, who had 335 points. This is the first time in Major League Baseball history that both leagues produced repeat MVPs in the same year.


조영우 기자 jero@donga.com