2022 season misses out on award due to '62 home run' jerseys
Becomes the first MLB player to win unanimous MVP honors since 2021
Shohei Ohtani (29, Los Angeles Angels), who won the American League (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) trophy for the second time in two years, said, "I wanted to win MVP last year, too."
Ohtani was named the AL MVP by the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) on Sunday (July 17).
It's the first time he's won the award since 2021. As he did two years ago, Ohtani was a unanimous MVP winner, receiving 30 first-place votes (totaling 420 points). This is the first time a player has won the MVP voting unanimously more than once.
"I wanted to win the MVP last year, but Aaron Judge (New York Yankees) had a great season, so of course he got it," Ohtani said after the announcement.
"So this year, I wanted to come back stronger and challenge for the MVP again. My goal was to get to the top, and I feel like all my hard work paid off," he said.
Ohtani, who won his first MVP award of 2021, had an incredible season last year.
He went 15-9 with a 2.33 ERA as a pitcher in 2022, and as a hitter, he batted .273 with 34 home runs, 95 RBIs, and 11 doubles. It was a phenomenal performance that only a pitcher and hitter like Ohtani can produce.
However, Ohtani's bid for a second consecutive MVP was thwarted by "slugger" Judge.
Judge hit .311 with 62 home runs and 131 RBIs last year. The 62 homers broke Roger Maris' 1961 AL single-season record of 61.
Jersey earned 28 first-place votes in the MVP voting, easily edging out Ohtani, who received just two first-place votes.
Ohtani swallowed his disappointment and fought hard to come out on top once again, and promptly reclaimed the MVP trophy.
Ohtani finished the year with a 10-5 record and a 3.14 ERA on the mound and a .304 batting average with 44 home runs and 95 RBIs at the plate. His season was cut short by an elbow injury, but he was so dominant that all of our voters gave him their first-place vote.
Rehabbing from elbow ligament reconstruction surgery in September, Ohtani promised to come back even stronger. "My rehabilitation is going really well so far," he said, "Everything has to be done slowly and correctly. I will come back stronger next time."
Meanwhile, the big league superstar's MVP win has also garnered attention for his dog.
Ohtani was seen with his dog on the MVP announcement screen. After the announcement, Ohtani high-fived his dog and took care of him with affection. "The real MVP is Ohtani's dog," MLB.com wrote in an article titled "On this night, the dog was the star of the show." 토토사이트