Ohtani’s Historic Achievement

Shohei Ohtani, now playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers, earned the National League MVP award for the 2023 season. This follows his American ​League MVP awards in 2021‍ and​ 2023 while wiht the Los⁤ Angeles Angels. ⁢ MLB.com ​reports that Ohtani received 30 first-place ​votes,‍ totaling 549‌ points, significantly outpacing runner-up Ronald acuña Jr. of the Atlanta braves.

Ohtani’s unique two-way talent – excelling as both a pitcher and a hitter – has redefined expectations for modern‌ baseball‍ players. He finished the 2023 season with a .304 batting average, 44‍ home runs, and 104 RBIs, while also​ posting a 3.14 ERA with 167 ​strikeouts in 135.1 innings‍ pitched before suffering a season-ending elbow injury in August. ESPN details the impact of his injury on his pitching future.

Judge Joins Yankees’ MVP Elite

In the American League, Aaron Judge secured​ his third ⁣MVP award, joining an exclusive group of New ⁢York Yankees⁤ legends. He previously won the AL MVP in 2022 and 2024. ⁤ The New York times notes that ​Judge joins Joe⁢ DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, and Mickey Mantle ‌as the⁣ only Yankees players to achieve this feat.

Judge’s 2023 season saw him batting .267 with​ 37 home runs and 89 RBIs despite being hampered by‍ a toe ⁣injury for much of the year. He received 28 first-place ‍votes,totaling 409 points. Baseball-Reference.com provides a comprehensive overview of the MVP voting results.

“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 amazing honor.”