LAS VEGAS— When it came to Major League Baseball's Most Valuable Player award, first there was Barry Bonds, and then there was everyone else.
over it 22 year careerBonds has won baseball's top individual honor seven times. Until this year, no one had more than three.
But, as with Bonds, the ability to do what no one else can has become his defining characteristic. Shohei Ohtanirise to superstardom.
And on Thursday, his career went up another notch as he was named MVP for the fourth time by a unanimous vote of the Baseball Writers Association. America to join Bonds in an exclusive club of more than three winners.
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“Of course it’s an honor,” Ohtani said in Japanese. “Being unanimously elected was also special for me.”
Like his three previous victories, which were also achieved by unanimous vote, Ohtani was effectively a lock. As a hitter only, he led the National League by wide margins in OPS (1.014) and slugging percentage (.622), was second in on-base percentage (.392), and despite not ranking in the top ten in batting average (.282, 13th), set a career high with 55 home runs, second only to Philadelphia's Kyle Schwarber in the fight for the crown. His 7.5 wins above replacement just passed Arizona's Geraldo Perdomo and Philadelphia's Trea Turner for the most in the league, according to Fangraphs.
And then there was his pitching.
In perhaps the most impressive moment of the season, Ohtani returned from his second Tommy John surgery – a procedure only a handful of jugs made a full recovery and showed most of his dominant form despite missing a year and a half on the mound.
In 14 starts, he had a 2.87 ERA, the second-lowest of his career. And although its gradual process of building up That meant he logged only 47 regular-season innings, managing to strike out 62 batters while pumping out 100-mph fastballs, power sweepers and hard splitters on his way to being a key player in the game. Dodgerspostseason rotation.
“Because I was rehabbing after T.J. and also had surgery on my left shoulder. [last offseason]”There was a big focus on being able to get back on the mound and being able to pitch,” Ohtani said. “So I think the challenge in that sense was more on the pitching side.”
Ohtani's most impressive moments of the season came in the playoffs, when he helped the Dodgers to their second straight victory. World Series title. He hit two home runs in the postseason opener. He is the author of the play for all times in Game four of the National League Championship Serieshitting three home runs and striking out 10 over six scoreless innings to win the NLCS MVP. He followed this up by collecting four extra-base hits and safely tying a postseason record nine times in a season. Dodgers win in 18th inning in Game 3 of the World Series.
However, Thursday's MVP award was a recognition of Ohtani's achievements in simply helping the Dodgers reach October. It was a reminder of the consistent dominance he has maintained over the past five years. And that puts him in territory occupied only by Bonds as he continues to prove that he is the greatest player in history.
“The most important thing is obviously the opportunity to win the World Series, and that comes first,” Ohtani said. “Winning an individual award and being named MVP is the icing on the cake. But I just really want to appreciate the support of all my teammates, everyone around me, my support staff.”
Before this season, Ohtani had won MVP honors in select company three times. Two of his old Angels teammates, Mike Trout And Albert Pujolsdid it. So did Yogi Berra, Roy Campanella, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Stan Musial, Jimmie Foxx, Mike Schmidt and Alex Rodriguez.
Only bonds outperformed this figure. Early in his career, he won three MVPs in four years (1990, 1992, 1993) and then four in a row (2001–04) when he was at the peak of his career with the San Francisco Giants.
What Ohtani has done over the last five seasons, in which he collected all four of his MVPs, rivals those stretches and is perhaps the most dominant performance in MLB history.
He had his breakout campaign in 2021, where he proved his two-way ability could translate to the majors, collecting 46 home runs and 100 RBIs as a hitter and a 3.18 ERA with 156 strikeouts as a pitcher. His encore came in 2023, when he finished second to Aaron Judge the previous year, posting his best offensive numbers (44 home runs in the American League, an MLB-best 1.066 OPS and his first .300 batting average) even in an injury-interrupted year.
Since signing with the Dodgers, Ohtani has continued in that vein.
Even without pitching last year, he won his third unanimous MVP, reaching his first MLB season with 50 homers and 50 steals, while also setting career highs with 130 RBIs and a .310 batting average. This made him the first hitter to win the award, and he joined Frank Robinson as the second player to win MVP in both leagues.
There was no drama in the voting again this year, with Ohtani finishing ahead of fellow finalists Schwarber and Juan Soto of the New York Mets, who finished second and third, respectively.
“Obviously, I never go into the season with the goal of winning MVP,” Ohtani said. “At the end of the day, we want to play in the World Series. So I think MVP just depends on how you perform throughout the season. If I play well individually, that means I'm helping the team win.”
Given that Ohtani will return to a more normal pitching schedule next season, he will almost certainly enter 2026 as the MVP favorite again. He will try to match Bond's record of winning the award four years in a row and help the Dodgers complete their trifecta of World Series winners.
“In that sense,” he said of contributing to the team’s success, “hopefully I can end up with a couple more MVPs.”
“But at the end of the day,” he added, “it’s all about winning games.”
Indeed, over the past half-decade he has won at almost everything.
