Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter and New York Yankees center fielder Aaron Judge were named MVP of the National League and the American League, respectively, MLB announced Thursday.
Ohtani, 30, won the AL MVP award in 2021 and 2023. In his first year with the Dodgers, he hit .310 with 54 home runs and 130 RBI — leading the NL in the latter two categories. Ohtani also led the league in OPS and finished second in hits.
In addition to his prowess at the plate, Ohtani stole 59 bases, second among all players, making him the first major leaguer ever with at least 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season.
Los Angeles signed before the 2024 season after he spent the first six years of his MLB career with the Los Angeles Angels. Before he came to the U.S., Ohtani played professionally for five seasons in Japan, where he is a .
The Japanese government’s top spokesperson, Yoshimasa Hayashi, extended his “heartfelt congratulations” to Ohtani.
“I look forward to even greater successes by Mr. Ohtani for the next season and beyond,” he told reporters in Tokyo on Friday.
Ohtani helped lead the Dodgers to the best record in MLB in the regular season, then played a key role in . A two-way star who is also a starting pitcher, Ohtani did not pitch for Los Angeles this season after he underwent Tommy John surgery in September 2023.
Judge — whose Yankees lost to the Dodgers in five games in the World Series — won the MVP award in 2022. He hit .322 with 58 home runs and 144 RBIs for New York last season.
He led the AL in OPS, homers and RBIs and finished third in batting average.
Judge, 32, made his professional debut with the Yankees in 2016. He has hit at least 50 home runs in two of the last three seasons, . New York signed him to a nine-year, $360 million contract in December of that year.
The Yankees, led by Judge, finished first in the AL with 94 wins. Their World Series appearance was the franchise’s first since 2009.
