Sao Viet

Shohei Ohtani won his fourth MVP award, joining only Barry Bonds in surpassing three as he cements his case for greatest player ever.

—

by

Binh
in

Shohei Ohtani Just Won His Fourth Career MVP Award And His Second In L.A. — Here’s Why His Latest Honor Is Making History

Ohtani is the only player in MLB, NBA, NFL, or NHL history to win both an MVP award and a championship in each of his first two seasons with a team.

Image shows Shohei Ohtani as the Dodgers travel to play in Tokyo
All-Pro Reels from District of Columbia, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
 
Shohei Ohtani Renamed His MVP Award To ‘Team Effort’ Ahead of The World Series
Few players in baseball carry the kind of impact that Shohei Ohtani does. He dominates at the plate and on the mound and does
both at an elite level. For the third straight year, the Dodgers’ two-way superstar has some hardware to show for it.
Shohei Ohtani wins fourth MVP award. Will he catch Barry Bonds? - Los Angeles Times

Unanimous MVP Again

Thursday night, Ohtani was unanimously named National League MVP by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, announced on MLB Network. He beat out Kyle Schwarber and Juan Soto, claiming his fourth MVP overall and his second in just two seasons with L.A.

“The biggest thing is obviously winning the World Series,” Ohtani said through an interpreter. “Being named MVP is just icing on the cake. I really appreciate the support from my teammates and staff.”

Making History

No player in MLB, NBA, NFL, or NHL has ever won MVP and a championship in each of their first two seasons with a team until Ohtani. And this is just one of many ways he’s rewritten the record books.

He’s only the second player in history to win four MVPs, joining Barry Bonds. And he’s one of just two to take the award in three straight seasons. Ohtani has also become the only player with multiple unanimous MVP honors and the first to win multiple MVPs in both leagues.

Back on the Mound

After rehabbing from a second major elbow surgery in 2024, Ohtani returned fully to two-way form in 2025. He posted a 2.87 ERA in 14 starts, striking out 62 in 47 innings, all while putting up a 1.014 OPS and a career-high 55 home runs at the plate. He also scored 146 runs, a Dodgers-era record and just two shy of the franchise mark set in 1890.

“It was different this year coming back from injury,” he said. “Pitching was the bigger challenge this year, but being a hitter and pitcher are both tough.”

A Legend in L.A.

Between hitting and pitching, Ohtani ranked among the top players in the Majors on both WAR leaderboards – second overall according to FanGraphs, and third according to Baseball Reference. In L.A., expectations are high, but Ohtani keeps exceeding them. The Dodgers got their superstar. And baseball got its legend.