Shohei Ohtani

Ohtani in 2023

Los Angeles Dodgers – No. 17

Designated hitter / Pitcher

Born: 5 July 1994 (age 30)
Mizusawa, Iwate, Japan

Bats: Left

Throws: Right

Professional debut

NPB: March 29, 2013, for the Hokkaidō Nippon-Ham Fighters

MLB: March 29, 2018, for the Los Angeles Angels

NPB statistics
(through 2017 season)

42–15

2.52

624

.284

297

48

166

13

MLB statistics
(through April 30, 2025)

Win–loss record

38–19

Earned run average

3.01

Strikeouts

608

Batting average

.282

Hits

911

Home runs

232

Runs batted in

577

Stolen bases

154

Stats at Baseball Reference

Teams

Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters (2013–2017)
Los Angeles Angels (2018–2023)
Los Angeles Dodgers (2024–present)

Career highlights and awards

NPB

MLB

4× All-Star (2021–2024)
World Series champion (2024)
3× MVP (2021, 2023, 2024)
4× All-MLB First Team (2021–2024)
2× All-MLB Second Team (2021, 2022)
AL Rookie of the Year (2018)
3× Silver Slugger Award (2021, 2023, 2024)
2× Hank Aaron Award (2023, 2024)
2× Home run leader (2023, 2024)
NL RBI leader (2024)

Team Japan

World Baseball Classic MVP (2023)
2× All-World Baseball Classic Team (2023²)
WBSC Premier12 All-World Team (2015)
WBSC Player of the Year (2015)
3× Japan Professional Sports Grand Prize (2016, 2018, 2023^[b])

Medals

Men's baseball

Representing Japan
World Baseball Classic
	2023 Miami	Team
WBSC Premier12
	2015 Tokyo	Team

Shohei Ohtani

Ohtani's name in kanji

Japanese name

Kanji

大谷翔平

Hiragana

おおたにしょうへい

Transcriptions
Romanization	Ōtani Shōhei

Shohei Ohtani (Japanese: 大谷翔平, Hepburn: Ōtani Shōhei, pronounced [oːtaɲi ɕoːheː]; born July 5, 1994) is a Japanese professional baseball designated hitter and pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Nicknamed "Shotime",^[1] he has previously played in MLB for the Los Angeles Angels and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. Because of his elite contributions as a hitter and as a pitcher, a rarity as a two-way player, Ohtani's prime seasons have been considered among the greatest in baseball history, with some comparing them favorably to the early career of Babe Ruth.^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6]

Considered early on as an elite two-way player, Ohtani was the first pick of the Fighters in the 2012 NPB draft. He played for the Fighters from 2013 through 2017 as a pitcher and an outfielder, and won the 2016 Japan Series with them. The Fighters posted Ohtani to MLB after the 2017 season, and he signed with the Angels, soon winning the 2018 American League (AL) Rookie of the Year Award.

Following an injury-plagued 2019 and 2020, Ohtani hit 46 home runs and struck out 156 batters en route to winning his first AL Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) in 2021, a statistically unprecedented two-way season that saw him bestowed with the Commissioner's Historic Achievement Award.^[c] In 2022, he became the first player in the modern era to qualify for both the hitting and pitching leaderboards in one season, finishing third in the AL with 219 strikeouts.^[d]

Ohtani won his second AL MVP in 2023, leading the AL with 44 home runs while recording 10 wins as a pitcher. He was the first player to win multiple unanimous MVPs and the first Japanese-born player to win a league home run title.^[8] After the 2023 season, Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers, the then-largest contract in professional sports history.^[9] Unable to pitch in 2024 while recovering from a second elbow injury, Ohtani played as a DH for the Dodgers. He became the first player in MLB history to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season and was unanimously named the 2024 National League MVP.^[e] He won the 2024 World Series in his first MLB postseason appearance.

Internationally, Ohtani represents Japan. At the 2023 World Baseball Classic, he won the MVP Award for the tournament following Japan's victory over the United States. The 2023 final was one of the most-watched baseball games in history,^[11] culminating with Ohtani striking out Angels teammate and USA captain Mike Trout on a full count, securing a 3–2 win and Japan's third title.^[12]

Early life

[edit]

Ohtani was born to Kayoko and Toru Ohtani in Mizusawa (now part of Ōshū), Iwate, Japan, on July 5, 1994. His mother Kayoko was a national-level badminton player in high school and his father Tōru (徹) worked at a local automobile manufacturing plant and was an amateur baseball player who played in the Japanese Industrial League.^[13]^[14]

Ohtani is the youngest of three children. He has one older sister, Yuka, and one older brother, Ryuta (龍太), who is also an amateur baseball player in the Japanese Industrial League.^[13] In Japan, Ohtani was known as a "yakyū shōnen" (野球少年; "baseball boy")—a kid who lives, eats and breathes baseball.^[14] Coached by his father, he displayed an aptitude for the game at an early age.^[15] He began playing baseball in his second year of elementary school, and as a seventh-grader, Ohtani recorded all but one of 18 outs in a six-inning regional championship game.^[13]^[14]

Amateur career

[edit]

As a teenager, Ohtani could have played baseball for any powerhouse high school team in big cities such as Osaka or Yokohama.^[14] Instead, he opted to stay local, selecting Hanamaki Higashi High School in Iwate Prefecture, Northern Japan,^[16] the same high school as pitcher Yusei Kikuchi, whom he admired;^[17] Ohtani competed there as a swimmer^[18] and played baseball.^[13] Ohtani's high school baseball coach, Hiroshi Sasaki, said that he was a fast swimmer who could have competed in the Olympics.^[19]

Under Sasaki's guidance, Hanamaki Higashi's players lived on campus, returning home for only six days a year. Sasaki would assign toilet cleaning chores to Ohtani, to teach him humility.^[14] In 2012, Ohtani threw a 99 mph (160 km/h) fastball as an 18-year-old high school pitcher, which at the time, had set a Japanese high school baseball record until it was surpassed by Rōki Sasaki's 101 mph (163 km/h) fastball in 2018.^[20] Ohtani threw the pitch in the Japanese national high school baseball championship tournament, commonly called Summer Koshien.^[21] In the 2012 18U Baseball World Championship, Ohtani had an 0–1 win–loss record with 16 strikeouts, eight walks, five hits, five runs, and a 4.35 earned run average (ERA) in 10+1⁄3 innings pitched.^[22]

Professional career

[edit]

Ohtani expressed a desire to move directly to the major leagues after high school and received interest from numerous teams including the Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers.^[21]^[23] On October 21, 2012, he announced that he would pursue a career in Major League Baseball (MLB) rather than turn professional in Japan.^[24] The Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters decided to draft him in the 2012 NPB Draft nevertheless, despite knowing that there was a high likelihood he would not play for them. After an exclusive negotiating window between him and the Fighters, Ohtani announced that he would sign with the Fighters and spend some years in Japan before a possible MLB move.^[15]^[25] Hokkaido said it would allow Ohtani to serve as a pitcher and position player; the Los Angeles Dodgers, who had become Ohtani's top-choice MLB team, were not prepared to let him play both ways.^[26] He was assigned the jersey number 11, previously worn by Yu Darvish.^[27]

Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters (2013–2017)

[edit]

2013: Rookie season

[edit]

Ohtani made his debut at age 18 in the Fighters' season-opening game on March 29, 2013, playing as a right fielder.^[28] He was selected for a Pacific League roster spot for the 2013 All-star game. As a pitcher, he finished the season with a 3–0 record in 11 starts. As a rookie Ohtani was used in both the outfield (leading the Fighters with 51 games in right) and as a pitcher.^[29] He was the second Nippon Pro Baseball (NPB) rookie drafted out of high school the previous year to be used as both a pitcher and position player, following Kikuo Tokunaga in 1951; Ohtani was the first to start in both roles. He was the first NPB pitcher since Takao Kajimoto in 1963 to bat 3rd, 4th, or 5th and the first rookie hurler to do so since Junzo Sekine in 1950. He was the second player, following Osamu Takechi (also 1950), to start a game as a pitcher, bat in the heart of the order (3rd through 5th), and get a hit and a run batted in (RBI) in that game. He missed time during the year with a right ankle sprain and right cheekbone fracture.

For the season, he was 3–0 with a 4.23 ERA, 33 walks, and 46 strikeouts in 61+2⁄3 innings. and hit .238/.284/.376 in 204 plate appearances.^[1] He had seven outfield assists and one error. His 8 hit batsmen tied Manabu Mima, Tadashi Settsu, Hideaki Wakui and Ryoma Nogami for fifth in the Pacific League. Ohtani received 4 of the 233 votes for the Nippon Professional Baseball Rookie of the Year Award (Pacific League), tying Tatsuya Sato for a distant second behind Takahiro Norimoto.^[30] During his five-year tenure with the Fighters, Ohtani opted to live in the team's provided dormitories, while his parents oversaw his finances.^[14]

2014: Second NPB All-Star selection

[edit]

Throughout the entire season, Ohtani performed double-duty as a pitcher and outfielder, utilizing his strong throwing arm as well as his impressive batting skills. As a hitter, he batted .274, with 28 extra-base hits (including 10 home runs), 31 RBIs, and a .842 on-base plus slugging percentage in 234 plate appearances. As a pitcher, he was 11–4 with a 2.61 ERA in 24 starts and struck out 179 (third in NPB) in 155+1⁄3 innings.^[31] His 10.4 strikeouts per nine innings led the league and opponents hit just .223 against him.

In a September 7 game against the Orix Buffaloes, he homered to straightaway center at Kyocera Dome to become the first Japanese player to reach double digits in both home runs and wins.^[32]^[33] He tossed a 1–0 shutout against Orix on September 13 and became the first pitcher out of high school to record a 1–0 shutout victory within his first two years for the Fighters since Toshiaki Moriyasu in 1967. He also became the first pitcher out of high school to notch two shutout victories within his first two years in the NPB since Yu Darvish.^[34]

During the July 2014 All-Star Game, he threw a 101 mph (162 km/h) fastball in the bottom of the first inning, setting a new record for the fastest official pitch thrown by a Japanese pitcher, beating the record set by the Yakult Swallows' Yoshinori Sato in 2010 (100 mph (161 km/h)).^[35] The jersey he wore during the game sold for 1.75 million yen ($17,000), making it the top seller at the All-Star 2014 charity auction. The proceeds were donated to three Tohoku earthquake children's relief funds.^[36]

On October 5 against the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, Ohtani recorded the fastest pitch by a Japanese pitcher in an official game, tying Marc Kroon's allord for NPB pitchers. The pitch came against lead-off hitter Akaminai Ginji in the 1st inning. With the count 0–1, Ohtani threw a fastball that registered 101 mph (162 km/h) on the stadium radar gun and shattered Ginji's bat in half. He also hit 101 mph twice against the second hitter, Aoi Enomoto. Of the 15 pitches he threw in the first inning, eight were in the 160s; 99s in MPH.^[37]

During the postseason, Ohtani was chosen to become a member of the national team, dubbed Samurai Japan, and participated in the Suzuki All-Star Series,^[38] a five-game friendly competition with a squad of major leaguers. In Game 1, he pitched one shutout inning in relief, retiring three consecutive batters. He started Game 5 at the Sapporo Dome and, although his team ultimately lost (3–1), he wasn't charged with an earned run (he gave up two unearned), and of the 12 outs he recorded in four innings, he got seven via strikeout. He threw mostly fastballs, even clocked one at 99 mph (160 km/h), occasional curveballs, and a few forkballs in the mid-140s, including one he threw perfectly in the second inning to strike out Tampa Bay Rays star Ben Zobrist.^[39]^[40]^[41]^[42]

In December, he became the second player out of high school in NPB history to reach 100M yen in salary in his third year, after Daisuke Matsuzaka in 2001. His new contract more than tripled his previous salary estimated at 30M yen.^[15]

2015: Pacific League Pitcher Best Nine and ERA leader

[edit]

2015 marked Ohtani's third professional season (and second full season). Though his offensive production declined somewhat (five home runs), his performance on the mound was among the best in the league, earning him the starter role in the 2015 All-Star Game and the pitching spot in the end-of-year Pacific League Best Nine awards. Ohtani started the 2015 NPB All-Star Game 1 for the PL. He went two innings and struck out two, allowing one run (on a double by Yoshitomo Tsutsugo and a single by Jose Lopez), relieved by Nishi with a 1–0 deficit. The PL would lose 8–6 but he got a no-decision. He finished the season 15–5 with a 2.24 ERA, 196 strikeouts, and only 100 hits in 160+2⁄3 innings. He led the PL in ERA (.14 over Nishi), tied Wakui for the most wins, and was second in strikeouts (19 behind Norimoto, though he threw 34 fewer innings). He rarely played the field but did see some action at DH, hitting .202/.252/.376 with five home runs in 109 at-bats. He made the Best Nine as the PL's top hurler. He finished third in MVP voting again, placing behind Yanagita and Shogo Akiyama for the 2015 Pacific League MVP. Ohtani placed third in MVP voting (first among pitchers) and was one of three candidates considered for the 2015 Sawamura Award, given annually to the top pitcher in either league.^[43]

Ohtani led the league in wins and winning percentage with a 15–5 record in just 22 starts, and his 2.24 ERA, five complete games, and three shutouts were also the best in the league. All these stats were career bests, as were his 196 strikeouts, 0.909 WHIP, and 11 strikeouts per nine innings.^[44]

Ohtani was dominant for the Japanese national team in the 2015 Premier 12. He hit 100 mph while blowing away eventual champion South Korea (10 K, 2 H, 2 BB, 0 R in 6 IP) before Norimoto was relieved. Facing South Korea again in the semifinals, he was even sharper (11 K, 0 BB, 1 HB, 1 H in 7 IP). He did not give up a hit until Keun-woo Jeong singled in the seventh inning and had the most whiffs in a game for the first Premier 12 ever.^[45] Norimoto relieved with a 3–0 lead but he and two other relievers combined to allow four in the 9th to blow it as Japan fell in a shocking defeat. He tied for the event lead in ERA and led in strikeouts while allowing the lowest average by a starting pitcher. He was named the All-Star SP for the event (Sho Nakata was the only other member of Samurai Japan to be picked for the All-Star team).^[46]

2016: Japan Series champion and Pacific League MVP

[edit]

In 104 games and 382 plate appearances in 2016, Ohtani hit 22 home runs. He also hit 18 doubles, 67 RBI, batted .322 with an OBP of .416, scored 65 runs, and had seven stolen bases. He won the Best Nine award as the designated hitter (DH).^[47] Ohtani was the same dominant pitcher on the mound. In 21 games pitched, he had a career-low ERA of 1.86. He had a 10–4 record, struck out 174 batters in 140 innings with 4 complete games and one shutout. He also won the Best Nine award as a pitcher and won the Pacific League MVP. He got nearly double as many votes as any other pitcher for the PL for the 2016 NPB All-Star Game; he had 300,025 while second place Shota Takeda had 158,008.^[48] He could not pitch in the event due to a blister on his finger but wound up starring as a DH.^[49] In Game 1, he batted for DH Yuya Hasegawa and lined out in the 8th against Scott Mathieson. Starting at DH and hitting 5th in Game 2, he homered off Shoichi Ino in the 5th to start the PL comeback from a 3–0 deficit. He singled against Ryo Akiyoshi in the 7th and scored on a hit by Kenta Imamiya for a 4–3 lead. Coming up with a 5–4 deficit in the 8th, he singled off Shinji Tajima to bring in Shogo Akiyama with the tying run. He thus produced three of the PL's five runs in the 5–5 tie, earning him game MVP honors. He hit 102.5 mph (165 km/h) on the radar gun during the year, setting a new NPB record.^[50] The record was broken by Thyago Vieira five years later, but he still holds the record for a Japanese player.

He finished the year at .322/.416/.588 with 22 home runs in 382 plate appearances on offense and a 10–4 record and a 1.86 ERA on the mound with 174 strikeouts in 140 innings. He tied for 8th in the PL in wins and was third in strikeouts (behind Norimoto and Kodai Senga).^[51]

He led Nippon Ham to the 2016 Japan Series, but lost the opener to the Hiroshima Carp; he struck out 11 in 6 innings but allowed 3 runs, two on a homer by Brad Eldred and one on a steal of home by Seiya Suzuki. Down 2 games to 0, he came up big as the DH in Game 3, getting three hits, a run, and an RBI. In the bottom of the 10th, he singled off Daichi Osera score Nishikawa with the winner; Nippon Ham would take the next three games to win their second Japan Series title. Teammate Brandon Laird would win the Series MVP. Ohtani hit .375/.412/.625 with four doubles, doing more on offense than on the mound for the Series.^[52]

He made the Best Nine as the top pitcher and top DH in the PL. He became the first player to receive the awards as both a pitcher and a hitter.^[53] He topped four-time Cuban MVP Alfredo Despaigne easily at DH (190 votes to 47; three others combined for eight votes) but the vote at pitcher was closer (he had 111 of 245 votes, Ishikawa 69 and Tsuyoshi Wada 61). He was the runaway winner of the 2016 Pacific League Most Valuable Player Award, getting 253 of 254 first-place votes (Naoki Miyanishi got the other one) and one second-place vote. He had 1,268 vote points, to 298 for runner-up Laird.^[54]

2017: Final season in the NPB

[edit]

In 2017, he played in 65 games, hitting .332 with eight homers and 31 RBIs while posting a 3–2 record, a 3.20 ERA, and 29 strikeouts as a pitcher.^[55] In September, it was revealed that Ohtani would ask to be posted at the end of the season to play in Major League Baseball in 2018. However, before that could happen, he had surgery on his right ankle in early October. The injury had originally occurred in the 2016 Japan Series and had cost him a chance to play in the 2017 World Baseball Classic in addition to restricting his playing time during the season.^[56]^[57] On November 21, 2017, MLB and NPB came to a posting agreement for Ohtani.^[58]

Because he was under 25 years old, Ohtani was subjected to international signing rules. This capped his bonus at $3.557 million and limited him to a rookie salary scale, while the signing team also had to pay a $20 million posting fee to the Fighters. Ohtani narrowed his finalists to seven teams, signing with the Angels for a $2.315 million bonus.^[59]

Los Angeles Angels (2018–2023)

[edit]

On December 9, 2017, Ohtani signed his deal with the Los Angeles Angels.^[60] On December 13, it was revealed that he had been diagnosed with a first-degree UCL sprain in his right elbow and received a platelet-rich plasma injection to treat the injury.^[61]

Initial reception by American media

[edit]

Ohtani's debut MLB spring training in 2018 was disastrous and the majority of American news sources were extremely disappointed, concluding that he could not accomplish even one of his two-way abilities.^[62]^[63]^[64]^[65]^[66] Over two spring games against major leaguer batters, in just 2.2 innings pitching he gave up three home runs^[62] and had a 27.0 earned run average^[65]^[66] (average ERA for MLB pitchers was 4.14 that year). He completed his five game spring training, three of which against minor leaguers, with an 11.7 ERA^[65] in pitching, and 4 hits for 32 at bats,^[67]^[62] .125/.222/.125 in batting^[68]^[62] (batting average/on-base percentage/slugging percentage, averaged .248/.318/.409 for MLB batters that year). Several major newspapers suggested he needed plenty of Triple-A minor league appearances before starting for Angels.^[69]^[70]^[68]^[71] By the end of Ohtani's impressive 2018 MLB regular season, the American media admitted they wrote off Ohtani far too early.^[62]^[68]

2018: AL Rookie of the Year

[edit]

Before the start of the season, the Angels announced that they would use him as both a hitter and a pitcher.^[72] Ohtani started as the designated hitter on Opening Day, March 29, against the Oakland Athletics, singling in his first at-bat off of Kendall Graveman.^[73] On April 1, he made his pitching debut, striking out six batters in six innings while allowing three runs, to pick up his first MLB win.^[74] On April 3, Ohtani hit his first MLB home run, a 397-foot three-run homer against Josh Tomlin.^[75] On April 6, he hit his third home run in three days, becoming the first Angels rookie to do so.^[76] In only his second start on the mound on April 8, Ohtani took a perfect game through 6⅓ innings before allowing a hit. Overall, Ohtani pitched seven scoreless innings while striking out 12.^[77] On June 8, he was placed on the injured list for the first time in his MLB career due to a Grade 2 UCL sprain in his right elbow. He received platelet-rich plasma and stem-cell injections to treat the injury.^[78]

Ohtani was activated from the injured list as a hitter on July 2^[79] and on August 3, hit two home runs against the Cleveland Indians, marking his first career multiple-home run game and his first two home runs in a road game.^[80] After not pitching for 11 weeks, Angels manager Mike Scioscia announced that Ohtani would start the game against the Houston Astros on September 2.^[81] However, hampered by a tight back and sore finger he only lasted 2+1⁄3 innings in the game.^[82]

Ohtani ended his first major league season with a batting average of .285, a .361 on-base-percentage, 22 home runs, 61 RBIs, and 10 stolen bases. In 10 starts on the mound, he notched a 4–2 record with a 3.31 ERA, 1.16 walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP), and 63 strikeouts.^[83] His .564 slugging percentage ranked seventh overall among MLB players with at least 350 plate appearances for this season. He became the second-fastest Angels rookie to reach 20 home runs, and he joined Babe Ruth as the only MLB players with 10 pitching appearances and 20 homers in a season.^[84] He also won the American League Rookie of the Month award twice; in April and in September.^[85]

On September 3, it was revealed that Ohtani would undergo Tommy John surgery, after an MRI showed new damage to his UCL.^[86] He underwent the surgery on October 1.^[83] On November 12, he was named the American League Rookie of the Year.^[87]

2019: Injury-shortened season

[edit]

On May 7, 2019, Ohtani played in his first game with the Angels since undergoing Tommy John surgery, batting as a designated hitter against the Detroit Tigers.^[88] In a June 13 game against the Tampa Bay Rays, he became the first Japanese-born player to hit for the cycle in MLB history.^[89] On September 12, his season prematurely ended after it was revealed that he needed surgery to repair a bipartite patella. He finished the season batting .286/.343/.505 with 18 home runs, 62 RBIs, and 12 stolen bases in 106 games.^[90]

2020: Continued injury struggles

[edit]

The 2020 MLB season did not start until July 24 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[91] On July 24, Ohtani was the first ever automatic player on second base in an official MLB game at the start of the 10th inning as part of one of the new 2020 MLB season rules in a game against the Oakland Athletics. He was thrown out in a rundown.^[92] On July 26, Ohtani returned to the mound against the Oakland Athletics, making his first pitching appearance since September 2018. He allowed five runs and was removed from the mound without recording an out, starting his season with a loss and an infinite ERA.^[93] After his second start he began to experience discomfort in his right arm, and it was eventually revealed that he had a flexor strain in his right elbow after undergoing an MRI.^[94] He was shut down from pitching for the rest of the season.^[95]

On the offensive side, Ohtani finished the season batting .190/.291/.366 with seven home runs, 24 RBIs, and seven stolen bases in 43 games.^[96] The culmination of experiencing injuries in his 2019 and 2020 campaigns led to Ohtani describing feeling "frustrated" and "useless". He went on to say that while his 2019 had been disappointing, his 2020 had been "more like pathetic" because he could not pitch or hit the way he wanted to. Ohtani said, "[Until 2019], I could more or less do the things I wanted to do. I'd pretty much never experienced the feeling of wanting to do something but being completely unable to do it."^[97]

2021: Unanimous AL MVP

[edit]

After the results of the 2019 and 2020 seasons, Ohtani spent the offseason overhauling himself.^[97]^[98] He adjusted his diet,^[97]^[98] threw bullpen sessions earlier than usual and took batting practice against live pitching, an offseason first for him.^[97]^[98] He also embraced data and technology to optimize his training and recovery and also tinkered with a changeup.^[97] Furthermore, in spring training, the Angels and Ohtani agreed to allow him to play without limitations or restrictions and drop the "Ohtani Rules",^[99] a plan the Angels mirrored from Ohtani's schedule in Japan and had implemented since his 2018 rookie season that restricted his usage to a schedule of pitching once a week and hitting only three to four times between starts.^[98]

On February 8, Ohtani agreed to a two-year $8.5 million contract with the Angels, avoiding arbitration.^[100] On June 23, he hit for himself as a pitcher and the second batter in the lineup with designated hitter rules in place, making it the first time in MLB history that an American League team chose not to use a DH while a National League team used one.^[101] On July 7, he hit his 32nd home run of the year, a solo shot off of Boston Red Sox starter Eduardo Rodríguez, passing Hideki Matsui's mark in 2004, for the most home runs hit during a season by a Japanese-born player in MLB.^[102] Ohtani became the first player to be selected as an All-Star as both a position player and a pitcher.^[103] Ohtani participated in the 2021 Home Run Derby on July 12. He lost to Juan Soto in the first round, but set a record for the most home runs in the Derby of at least 500 feet with six.^[104] In the All-Star Game, he was the starting pitcher and leadoff designated hitter for the American League.^[105]

Ohtani in September 2021 against the Texas Rangers

On July 26, in his 15th pitching start of the season against the Colorado Rockies, Ohtani became the first pitcher in league history to register 100 strikeouts while holding a major-league-leading 35 home runs before the end of July, as no pitcher had ever recorded triple-digit strikeouts and added more than nine home runs in the same season.^[106] Additionally, in the same game, Ohtani became the first pitcher to throw a scoreless top half and record a hit, a RBI, a stolen base and a scored run while playing in an AL ballpark since Luis Tiant did so for the Minnesota Twins on April 26, 1970.^[107]

Ohtani would finish the month of July as the first player in Major League history to ever have at least 37 home runs and 15 stolen bases before the end of July.^[108] And for the second straight month, Ohtani also earned his second American League Player of the Month Award, becoming the first back-to-back Player of the Month Award winner in either league since Chase Headley in August and September 2012, and the first in the AL since Josh Hamilton in 2012. For July, he produced nine home runs, 19 RBIs, 16 walks, and a .282/.396/.671 slash line in 23 games at the plate, and a 1.35 ERA with 17 strikeouts and one walk in 20 innings.^[109]

On August 18, Ohtani hit his 40th of the year, becoming the first left-handed batter in Angels history to reach 40 home runs, surpassing lefty Reggie Jackson's 1982 record of 39.^[110] He capped off the month of August by stealing his 20th base in a game on August 28 against the San Diego Padres, becoming the first Japanese-born player^[111] and the first player in Angels history to hit 40 home runs and have 20 stolen bases in the same season. He joined Alex Rodriguez in 2007 and Ken Griffey Jr. in 1999 as the 3rd AL player to accomplish this feat before September. He also became the first AL player to reach both of those totals in a season since Curtis Granderson in 2011.^[112]

From September 22 to 25, Ohtani drew 13 walks in a 4-game span, tying an AL/NL record set by Babe Ruth in 1930, Bryce Harper in 2016, and Yasmani Grandal in 2021. He drew a career-high four walks on September 22 and three walks on September 23, against the Houston Astros, followed by four more walks on September 24 and two walks on September 25 against the Seattle Mariners.^[113] His 11 walks drawn in the three-game span also tied the MLB record set by Harper in 2016.^[114]

On September 26, Ohtani reached the 150-strikeout milestone against the Seattle Mariners and finished the year unbeaten at home, going 6–0 with a 1.95 ERA in 13 starts. Ohtani's home ERA was the lowest by an Angels starter since Jered Weaver in 2011. He also became the sixth starter in AL or NL history to make at least 13 home starts without a losing decision and an ERA below 2.00 in a season.^[115] In the last game of the season against the Seattle Mariners, he passed teammate Mike Trout's 45 home runs in a single season to finish with the second-most home runs in a season in Angels history at 46, trailing only Troy Glaus' 47 home runs in 2000.^[116]

For the year, Ohtani finished his pitching campaign by making 23 starts on the mound, going 9–2 with a 3.18 ERA, 156 strikeouts, 1.09 WHIP, and 44 walks in 130 1/3 innings.^[116] On the hitting side, Ohtani finished with an American League-leading 20 intentional walks, which was the most by an AL player since Trout in 2018. Ohtani, who batted .257/.372/.592, including 46 home runs — runner-up for the MLB lead in homers, 100 RBI, 103 runs, and 26 steals in 155 games and 639 plate appearances, hit several milestones to close his season, reaching both 100 RBIs and 100 runs for the first time in his career. He also tied for the MLB lead with eight triples to go along with 26 stolen bases. Ohtani became the first player in MLB history to have at least 45 homers, 25 stolen bases, 100 RBIs, 100 runs, and eight triples in a season and the second player in AL history to record at least 45 homers and 25 stolen bases in a season, joining Jose Canseco in 1998.^[116] He led the league with a wins above replacement (WAR) value of 9.1 and finished third in home runs (46), fourth in slugging percentage (.592), fifth in OPS (.965), first in triples (eight), fifth in drawing walks (96), eighth in stolen bases (26), second in extra-base hits (80), second in intentional walks (20), fifth in OPS+ (158), and first in power-speed number (33.2).^[117]

Ohtani was unanimously voted the American League Most Valuable Player, becoming the 23rd pitcher and first designated hitter to win the award.^[118] For the 2021 All-MLB Team, Ohtani is the only player to be named to both teams, first team and second team, in the same season (as a designated hitter and starting pitcher respectively).^[119] He became the first pitcher, the first Japanese player and the first Angels player to win the Edgar Martínez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award.^[120] Ohtani was also awarded the Silver Slugger Award for being the best offensive player at the designated hitter position in the American League,^[121] and was named to Time 100's list of most influential people of 2021,^[122] which culminated to many end-of-the-season-accolades. He was named Associated Press AP Athlete of the Year,^[123] Sporting News Athlete of the Year,^[124] Baseball Digest Player of the Year^[125] and Baseball America Major League Player of the Year.^[126] From his MLB peers he was given Sporting News Player of the Year Award,^[127] Players Choice Player of the Year Award, and Players Choice American League Outstanding Player Award.^[128] He was also named as both the team's Los Angeles Angels Player of the Year of 2021 and the team's Nick Adenhart Pitcher of the Year Award, as voted by his teammates.^[129]

Additionally, Ohtani's 2021 season was recognized for two Guinness World Records titles: (1) the first MLB player to achieve 100+ innings and record 100+ strikeouts as a pitcher, and 100+ RBIs, hits and runs as a batter in a single season and (2) the first player to start the MLB All-Star Game as a pitcher and a designated hitter.^[130] He also became the 16th recipient of the Commissioner's Historic Achievement Award, awarded by Commissioner Rob Manfred,^[131] who formally recognized Ohtani's 2021 season as "historically significant" and "unprecedented", calling it "so special that it was important to recognize the historic achievement that took place in 2021 with an award just about 2021."^[131] Ohtani was offered Japan's national honor, the People's Honour Award, by the Prime Minister of Japan in recognition of his accomplishments, but Ohtani rejected it, saying it was "still too early" for such an award.^[132] On December 22, The Sporting News released the article "The 50 greatest seasons in sports history, ranked". In it, Ohtani's 2021 season was ranked No.1, topping great seasons by athletes such as Babe Ruth, Michael Jordan, Tom Brady, Wayne Gretzky, and Lionel Messi.^[133]

2022: AL MVP finalist and dominant two-way season

[edit]

On March 22, 2022, Major League Baseball introduced a new rule that allows for a pitcher in the batting order to remain in the game as a designated hitter after they are pulled from the pitching mound, colloquially dubbed the "Ohtani rule".^[134] The Angels named him as the Opening Day starting pitcher^[135] and he pitched 4+2⁄3 innings against the Houston Astros, allowing one earned run and one walk while striking out nine.^[136] He became the first player in MLB history to start Opening Day as both the starting pitcher and the leadoff hitter.^[137]

Ohtani recorded two home runs, including a grand slam, on May 9, against the Tampa Bay Rays, marking the second time of the season and the eighth time in his career for Ohtani to record a multi-homer game, surpassing Ichiro Suzuki for the most by a Japanese-born player in MLB history,^[138] The grand slam was the first of his professional career, including both NPB and MLB.^[139] On May 14, he hit his 100th career MLB home run, making him the third Japanese-born player with at least 100 homers in the majors, trailing only Hideki Matsui with 175 and Suzuki with 117. Ohtani also joined Babe Ruth as the only players with at least 100 home runs and at least 250 strikeouts as a pitcher.^[140]

On June 9, Ohtani hit a go-ahead two-run home run and pitched seven innings, including throwing a 101 mph fastball to strike out Rafael Devers to end the third – the hardest strikeout pitch of his career, in a win over the Boston Red Sox to end the Angels' 14-game losing streak, the longest in franchise history.^[141] The victory resulted in a six-game pitching span from June 9 to July 13, where Ohtani went 6–0 with a 0.45 ERA (39.2 IP & 2 ER) and 58 strikeouts, (while also hitting eight HR with a .997 OPS), while becoming the fourth pitcher all-time to go 6–0 with 58+ SO and 2-or-fewer ER in a six-game span, joining Cy Young winners Johan Santana (2004), R.A. Dickey (2012) and Clayton Kershaw (2014).^[142]

In a two-game span from June 21–22, 2022, Ohtani made MLB history by becoming the first player in the American League or National League to have at least eight RBIs in a game and strike out at least 10 batters the next day.^[143] On June 21, Ohtani hit a pair of three-run homers and set a career-high with eight RBIs, becoming the first player born in Japan to have eight RBI in a game and just the eighth player in Angels history to have eight RBIs in a game. Ohtani's eight RBIs were the most by an Angels player since Garret Anderson had a franchise-record 10 RBIs against the New York Yankees on August 21, 2007. It was also the most RBIs in a game by a Japanese-born player, surpassing seven-RBI games from Matsui in 2009 and Tadahito Iguchi in 2006.^[144]

On July 6, 2022, against the Miami Marlins, Ohtani made MLB history again by becoming the first player since RBI became an official statistic in 1920 to record 10 strikeouts as a pitcher, two RBIs as a batter, and a stolen base all in a single game.^[145] His 111 strikeouts over 81 innings pitched in the game made him the first Angels pitcher to record 110 K's in the first half in fewer than 100 innings and the first Angels pitcher to 110 K's in the first half since Garrett Richards in 2014. He also became the fourth Angels player with multiple seasons of 15 home runs and 10 stolen bases before the All-Star break and the eighth Major Leaguer since earned runs were official in 1913 to record 40-plus strikeouts and zero earned runs in a four-start span.^[145]

For a second straight year, Ohtani was voted into All-Star Game by fans as the starter at the designated hitter position^[146] and he was selected as a starting pitcher again.^[147] Ohtani announced; however, that he would only participate as a hitter in the All-Star Game, even though he was considered as a candidate to start for the AL team. He declined to pitch, citing a scheduling conflict and his preference to "prioritize the season over the All-Star Game."^[148]

In a game against the Oakland Athletics where he pitched and hit, Ohtani completed three historical feats on August 9, 2022. Ohtani joined Babe Ruth in an exclusive 10-homer, 10-win club; moved up on the all-time home run list for Japanese-born players; and set a single-season career high in strikeouts. Ohtani tossed six scoreless innings to earn his 10th win of the season for the first time in his Major League career. He and Ruth are the only two players in AL and NL history to win at least 10 games on the mound and hit at least 10 home runs in the same season. Ed Rile and Bullet Rogan also accomplished this feat in the Negro leagues as well. Ohtani's 25th home run of the season was his 118th career home run, which surpassed Ichiro Suzuki's 117 career home runs to become second place on the all-time Major League home run list for Japanese-born players. Ohtani's five strikeouts in the game brought him to 157 on the season, a new single-season high eclipsing his 2021 total of 156. Combined with his playing days in Nippon Professional Baseball, Ohtani reached 1,000 strikeouts between NPB (624) and MLB (379).^[149]

The Angels avoided arbitration with Ohtani on October 1, signing him to a one-year deal worth $30 million for the 2023 season. At $30 million, the deal set a new record for a player in his third year of arbitration, surpassing the $27 million Mookie Betts received before the 2020 season, and also gave Ohtani the biggest salary raise of any arbitration-eligible player until (Juan Soto broke it with $30.1 million); a $24.5 million raise from his 2022 salary of $5.5 million and $3 million of 2021.^[150]

Ohtani finished his 2022 season with a 15–9 record, a 2.33 ERA, and 219 strikeouts in 166 innings. He also hit .273/.356/.519 with 34 homers, 30 doubles, 11 stolen bases, and 95 RBIs in 157 games. Among AL pitchers, Ohtani finished the year first in SO/9 innings rate (11.87), third in strikeouts (219), fourth in ERA (2.33) and tied for fourth in wins (15), while amongst AL hitters, Ohtani ranked fourth in homers (34), fifth in OPS (.875), fifth in total bases (304), third in intentional walks (14), tied for third in extra-base hits (70), fifth in slugging (.519), tied for fourth in triples (6), seventh in RBIs (95), seventh in walks (72), and tied for eighth in runs (90).^[7] Ohtani also led the majors with a home-to-first average time of 4.09 seconds and was the only player in the majors to tally at least six triples and 34 home runs in 2022 (making him the only player to do so in a second consecutive year).^[142] He hit a ball with the highest exit velocity in major league baseball for the season, at 119.1 mph.^[151] He also had the fastest speed running from home plate to first base, at 4.09 seconds.^[152] He was once again named as both the team's Los Angeles Angels Player and Pitcher of the Year,^[150] won a second straight Edgar Martínez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award,^[153] and was runner-up for the American League Most Valuable Player Award.^[154]

2023: Second unanimous AL MVP

[edit]

Fresh off being named the Most Valuable Player of the 2023 World Baseball Classic, Ohtani made his second straight Opening Day start for the Angels' while batting third in the lineup against the Athletics on March 30.^[155] On May 10, he struck out Jeremy Peña of the Astros for his 502nd career pitching strikeout, passing Babe Ruth on the all-time strikeout list. With the feat, he also set the record for most pitching strikeouts by a player with 100 home runs.^[156]

Ohtani was named AL Player of the Week for the fifth time in his career after hitting six home runs, going .435 (10-for-23), 12 RBIs, 10 walks and a 1.893 OPS over seven games from June 12 to 18, 2023, at the plate and picking up a win as starting pitcher on June 15, 2023, against the Texas Rangers. At the time, he was leading MLB in homers (24), RBIs (58), and total bases (175) while slashing .300/.384/.632 .^[157] The honor would also tie him with Suzuki for the most by a Japanese-born player.^[158]

Ohtani would finish the month of June by winning his sixth career AL Player of the Week award, surpassing Suzuki for the most by a Japanese-born player, after hitting six home runs with a 1.783 OPS over a seven-day span from June 26 to July 2, 2023, including a career-long 493-foot home run, the longest homer in the 2023 MLB season;^[159] as well as winning his third career American League Player of the Month for June.^[160] His performance in June was considered to be the best June in MLB history, as over 126 plate appearances, he batted .394 and led the major leagues in on-base percentage (.492), slugging percentage (.952), OPS (1.444), home runs (15), RBIs (29), extra-base hits (25) and total bases (99). He also threw 30⅓ sterling innings, with a 3.26 ERA, 37 strikeouts, and an opponent slash line of .228/.302/.368 as a starting pitcher.^[161]^[162]

Ohtani earned an automatic spot on the 2023 All-Star roster after being the leading vote-getter in the American League All-Star ballot during Phase 1 of fan voting, received 2,646,307 votes as the starter in the DH position.^[163] He was also elected as an All-Star pitcher for the American League, making it the third straight year Ohtani was named an All-Star as both a pitcher and a DH.^[164] He would enter the All-Star Game with 30+ homers for the second time in his career, having hit 33 previously in 2021. Like 2022, Ohtani opted to participate only as a hitter in the All-Star Game and not pitch due to a blister.^[165]

On July 27, Ohtani pitched a complete-game shutout during game one of a doubleheader against the Detroit Tigers, recording his first complete game (and shutout) of his MLB career. He struck out eight batters and walked three, allowing just one single. He later went on to hit two home runs during game two.^[166] For July, Ohtani earned his seventh career AL Player of the Week award^[167] and fourth career American League Player of the Month.^[168]

Ohtani recorded his second career grand slam and his 43rd home run in a loss against the Rays on August 19.^[169] On August 23, he hit his 44th home run of the 2023 season but was removed from his start against the Cincinnati Reds after 1⅓ inning after experiencing what was initially reported as arm fatigue. It was later revealed that Ohtani would not pitch for the rest of the 2023 season and the 2024 season after suffering a ulnar collateral ligament tear in his right elbow. He finished his 2023 season on the mound with a 10–5 record, posting a 3.14 ERA and striking out 167 batters.^[170] On September 16, he was ruled out for the remainder of the season after suffering an oblique strain. He received elbow surgery performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache on September 19, 2023, to address the UCL tear in his right elbow.^[171]

In 135 games as a hitter, he batted .304/.412/.654 with 44 home runs, 95 RBI, and 20 stolen bases.^[172] Ohtani ended the 2023 regular season as the first Japanese-born player to lead a U.S. major league in home runs, capturing the American League title with 44 home runs.^[173] Ohtani led the league with a wins above replacement (WAR) value of 10.1, slugging percentage (.654), OPS (1.066), adjusted OPS+ (184), offensive win percentage (.810), and finished second in on-base percentage (.416), fourth in home runs (44), ninth in batting average (.304), fifth in triples (eight), second in intentional walks (21), second in adjusted batting wins (5.8), second in adjusted batting runs (60), fifth in extra-base hits (78), fifth in runs created (138), and tenth in walks (91).^[117]

For the second time in his career, Ohtani was unanimously voted the American League Most Valuable Player, becoming the first player in MLB history to win MVP by unanimous vote twice.^[8] He was also named to the 2023 All-MLB Team, becoming the first player to ever be named to both first teams in the same season (as a designated hitter and starting pitcher respectively).^[174] He won his third straight Edgar Martínez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award,^[175] his second Silver Slugger Award for being the best offensive player at the designated hitter position in the American League,^[176] and his first career AL Hank Aaron Award.^[177] For the third straight year, the Angels announced that Ohtani was once again the team's Los Angeles Angels Player of the Year of 2023, as voted by his teammates.^[178] Ohtani won his second Associated Press AP Athlete of the Year, joining a group of 11 male athletes to have received the honor multiple times,^[179] and his second Baseball America Major League Player of the Year honor.^[180] From his MLB peers, he was awarded his second Players Choice American League Outstanding Player Award.^[181] Ohtani's contract expired after the 2023 season and he became a free agent for the first time in his career.^[182]

Los Angeles Dodgers (2024–present)

[edit]

On December 11, 2023, Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the largest contract in professional sports history at the time.^[9] His wages were structured so that $68 million per season was deferred until after the deal's conclusion, to be paid out from 2034 to 2043.^[183]

2024: World Series champion, 50–50 club, and unanimous NL MVP

[edit]

Ohtani on his way to 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in April 2024.

Because of his elbow injury and consequent surgery in September 2023, Ohtani and the Dodgers announced that he would not pitch in the 2024 season.^[184] Ohtani debuted with the Dodgers as the designated hitter on March 20 against the San Diego Padres in Seoul, as part of the MLB Seoul Series.^[185] He hit his first home run as a Dodger against the San Francisco Giants on April 3, six years to the day after his first Major League home run.^[186]^[187] On April 21, Ohtani hit the 176th home run of his career, passing Hideki Matsui for the most by a Japanese player in MLB history,^[188] and hit his 200th on July 13.^[189]

In the All-Star Game, he hit a three-run home run in the top of the third, scoring the National League's only runs and making him the first and only All-Star player with a win on the mound and a home run at the plate.^[190]^[191]

On August 3, Ohtani joined the 30–30 club—30 home runs and 30 steals in a season—in his 108th game, becoming the third-fastest player in Major League history to do so.^[192] On August 23, Ohtani stole second base in the fourth inning and hit his first career walk-off home run: a grand slam off Colin Poche of the Tampa Bay Rays. His performance made him the fastest player to join the 40–40 club, accomplishing the feat in his 126th game of the season, beating Alfonso Soriano's 2006 record by 21 games.^[193] In his September 19 game against the Miami Marlins, Ohtani set multiple MLB and Dodgers franchise records. Ohtani had six hits—a single, two doubles, and three home runs, for 10 RBI—and stole two bases in six at-bats.^[194] He became the first and only player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a single season. He also became the 16th player in MLB history to reach 10 or more RBI in a single game, and the first since July 7, 2018.^[194]^[195]^[196]^[197] He broke the Dodgers records for RBI in a game, passing James Loney and Gil Hodges (9),^[198] and home runs in a season, passing Shawn Green (49).^[199] Multiple media outlets and sports reporters called it "one of the greatest" single-game performances in history.^[200] On September 27, Ohtani became the first player in 23 years to tally 400 total bases in season, and next day, he broke Ichiro's record for most stolen bases in season by a Japanese-born player with 57.^[201]^[202] Ohtani finished the season by playing in 159 games, with a .310 batting average, and a league leading 54 home runs and 130 RBI while stealing 59 bases.^[203]

Ohtani made his postseason debut on October 5, in Game 1 of the National League Division Series, hitting a game-tying three-run home run in his second at-bat.^[204]^[205] He had four hits in 20 at-bats in that series while striking out 10 times.^[206] In the National League Championship Series against the New York Mets, he performed better, with eight hits and two home runs in 22 at-bats to go along with nine walks and only seven strikeouts.^[207] His 17 times reaching base and nine runs scored in the series both set new franchise records for a postseason series.^[208] The Dodgers claimed the National League pennant with the series win, sending the team and Ohtani to the World Series, the first such appearance for him in his career.^[209] In Game 2 of the World Series, Ohtani suffered what was initially described as a left shoulder subluxation when he slid into second base on an attempted steal in the seventh inning.^[210] Despite the injury, he was back in the Dodgers lineup the following game.^[211] He had only two hits in 19 at-bats in the series, with a double, two walks and five strikeouts.^[212] The Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees in five games, giving Ohtani his first career World Series championship.^[213] After the season, it was revealed that the injury he suffered in Game 2 of the World Series was actually a torn labrum in his left shoulder, for which he underwent surgery upon the conclusion of the series.^[214]

After the 2024 season, with his 50–50 performance, Ohtani won the National League Most Valuable Player award unanimously. It was his third career unanimous MVP award, second consecutive unanimous MVP award, and his first in the National League. With this distinction, he became the first and only player in Major League Baseball history to win three MVP awards unanimously, two consecutive unanimous MVP awards, and unanimous MVP awards in both the American and National leagues. Additionally, he became the second player after Frank Robinson to win MVP awards in both leagues.^[215] On December 23, Ohtani won his third AP Male Athlete of the Year award, tying Michael Jordan for the second-most wins in history.^[216]

2025

[edit]

Ohtani started his second year with the Dodgers as the designated hitter on March 18 against the Chicago Cubs in Tokyo, as part of the MLB Tokyo Series 2025, batting 2–for–5 with a double in his first game playing in Japan as a Major Leaguer.^[217] On the next night, he hit his first home run of the season off of relief pitcher Nate Pearson.^[218] On April 2, Ohtani went 3–for–4 with two singles and hit his second career walk-off home run: a solo home run off Raisel Iglesias of the Atlanta Braves in extra innings.^[219]

International career

[edit]

2012 WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup

[edit]

Ohtani was selected to Japan's Under-18 National Team that eventually finished in sixth place at the 2012 U-18 Baseball World Cup in Seoul.^[220]

2015 WBSC Premier12

[edit]

In the inaugural WBSC Premier12 tournament, Ohtani earned a bronze medal with the Japanese national team. He was the ace of Japan's pitching staff, which also featured Kenta Maeda. As the number one starter, Ohtani made two pitching appearances for Samurai Japan, both against Japan's arch-rival South Korea, winning Game 1 of the opening round and getting a no-decision in the semifinals. Ohtani was subsequently named to the 2015 World Baseball Softball Confederation All-World Team and was named the 2015 WBSC Baseball Player of the Year.^[221]

2017 World Baseball Classic

[edit]

Ohtani was on the 28-man roster for the Japan National Baseball Team of the 2017 World Baseball Classic, but was forced to withdraw due to an ankle injury.^[222]

2023 World Baseball Classic

[edit]

Ohtani played for the Japan National Baseball Team in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.^[223] He was named the Pool B MVP for his hitting and pitching performances in the group stage of the tournament.^[224] He earned the save in the championship game after pitching the final inning of Japan's win over the US in the final, striking out his Los Angeles Angels teammate Mike Trout with a 3-2 slider to seal Japan's WBC championship, and won the tournament's MVP award after batting .435/.606/.739 as a hitter and posting a 1.86 ERA and 11 strikeouts in 9 2⁄3 innings as a pitcher.^[225]

After helping Team Japan clinch its third WBC title, Ohtani became the only player to be named to the All-WBC team at two separate positions, having been named to the 2023 team as both a designated hitter and a pitcher.^[226]

Awards and achievements

[edit]

Honours

[edit]

MLB

World Series champion (2024)
2× American League Most Valuable Player (2021, 2023)
National League Most Valuable Player (2024)
Commissioner's Historic Achievement Award (2021)
4× American League Player of the Month (June 2021, July 2021, June 2023, July 2023)
National League Player of the Month (September 2024)
7× American League Player of the Week (April 8, 2018; September 9, 2018; June 20, 2021; July 4, 2021; June 18, 2023; July 2, 2023; July 30, 2023)
4× National League Player of the Week (May 5, 2024; June 23, 2024; September 22, 2024; September 29, 2024)
7× All-MLB Team selection
- 5× All-MLB First Team (2021, 2022, 2023², 2024)
- 2× All-MLB Second Team (2021, 2022)
4× MLB All-Star selection (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)
American League Rookie of the Year (2018)
2× Hank Aaron Award (2023, 2024)
3× Silver Slugger Award at Designated Hitter (2021, 2023, 2024)
4× Edgar Martínez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)
3× Los Angeles Angels Player of the Year (2021, 2022, 2023)
2× Nick Adenhart Pitcher of the Year Award (2021, 2022)
Players Choice Award for Player of the Year (2021)
2× Players Choice Award for American League Outstanding Player (2021, 2023)
Players Choice Award for National League Outstanding Player (2024)

NPB

Japan Series champion (2016)
Pacific League Most Valuable Player (2016)
5× NPB All-Star selection (2013–2017)
3× Pacific League Best Nine (2015–2016²)
Pacific League Battery Award (2015)^[f]

National

World Baseball Classic champion (2023)
World Baseball Classic Most Valuable Player (2023)
2× All-World Baseball Classic Team selection (2023²)
WBSC Premier12 bronze medalist (2015)
WBSC All-World Team selection (2015)
WBSC Player of the Year (2015)^[227]
3× Japan Professional Sports Grand Prize (2016, 2018, 2023^[g])

Media

3× AP Male Athlete of the Year (2021, 2023, 2024)^[123]^[179]^[216]
2× Baseball America Major League Player of the Year (2021, 2023)
Baseball America Rookie of the Year Award (2018)
Baseball Digest Player of the Year (2021)
2× The Sporting News Athlete of the Year (2021, 2024)^[124]
2× The Sporting News MLB Player of the Year Award (2021, 2024)
The Sporting News Rookie of the Year Award (2018)
5× ESPY Award winner
- 4× Best Major League Baseball Player (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)
- Best Male Athlete (2022)
2x Hickok Belt (2021, 2024)
Topps All-Star Rookie Team (2018)
Time 100 Most Influential People (2021)^[228]

State/Local

City stamp and postcard collection in Mizusawa, Iwate – 2023^[229]
May 17 recognised as the "Shohei Ohtani Day" in Los Angeles County, California – 2024^[230]
Special Japan Airlines A350-900 aircraft named the "Dream Sho Jet" – 2024^[231]

MLB statistical achievements

[edit]

**American League statistical leader**
Category	Times	Seasons
Home runs leader	1	2023
On-base percentage leader	1	2023
Slugging percentage leader	1	2023
On-base plus slugging leader	1	2023
Total bases leader	1	2023
Intentional base on balls leader	1	2021
Triples leader	1	2021
At bats per home run leader	1	2021
Power–speed number leader	1	2021
Wins above replacement leader	2	2021, 2023
Win probability added leader	1	2021
Strikeouts per nine innings pitched leader	1	2022
Notes: Per Baseball-Reference.com. Through the 2023 season.

**National League statistical leader**
Category	Times	Seasons
Home runs leader	1	2024
Extra base hits leader	1	2024
On-base percentage leader	1	2024
Slugging percentage leader	1	2024
On-base plus slugging leader	1	2024
Runs batted in leader	1	2024
Runs scored leader	1	2024
Total bases leader	1	2024
At bats per home run leader	1	2024
Power–speed number leader	1	2024
Wins above replacement leader	1	2024
Win probability added leader	1	2024
Notes: Per Baseball-Reference.com. Through the 2024 season.

Player profile

[edit]

Pitching

[edit]

Ohtani is a 6-foot-3-inch (1.91 m), 210-pound (95 kg) right-handed starting pitcher.^[232] With an overhand delivery,^[233] he throws a four-seam fastball averaging 97 miles per hour (156 km/h)^[232] topping out at 102.5 mph (165 km/h),^[234] an 86–93-mile-per-hour (138–150 km/h) forkball/split-finger fastball^[235]^[236] with late diving action,^[237] an occasional curveball, and a solid slider at 85–91 miles per hour (137–146 km/h).^[238] He posted a walks per nine innings rate of 3.3 across his NPB career.^[31] Ohtani has been compared to Justin Verlander by some MLB scouts^[239] because of his ability and affinity for throwing harder in high-leverage spots, as well as later in games.^[240] Whereas most pitchers throw only a little harder in big spots than they do in normal ones and most pitchers lose speed as the game goes on, Ohtani, like Verlander, is able to reserve power and staying power in order to conserve energy without throwing max effort on every offering.^[240]

Batting and fielding

[edit]

Ohtani is a left-handed batter. He is a designated hitter and often considered a power hitter capable of leading the league in home runs.^[117] Ohtani also demonstrates elite baserunner skills, with a sprint speed and feet-first sliding technique allowing him to have been a league leader in stolen bases, bunt hits and infield-hit rate.^[240] Scouts have timed Ohtani running from the batter's box to first base in as little as 3.8 seconds.^[241] For the 2021 season, his 28.8 feet per second (19.6 mph) sprint speed ranked in the 92nd percentile of all players, as did his 3.51 second 80-foot split^[242] and he also recorded the fastest home to first average sprint time in the Majors at 4.09 seconds,^[240]^[243]^[244] while recording a then career-high 26 stolen bases.^[116]

Off the field

[edit]

Personal life

[edit]

Ohtani has been nicknamed "Shotime".^[1]

Ohtani is one of Japan's most celebrated athletes,^[14] and has faced intense media scrutiny from the Japanese press his whole adult life.^[27] Due to the high-profile nature of his two-way efforts, the Fighters have protected Ohtani from some of the media onslaught, while Ohtani has tended to keep to the team dormitory and the gym, leading a semi-monastic, baseball-centric existence, a byproduct of holding down two jobs in the big leagues.^[27]

Ohtani has a Kooikerhondje dog named Dekopin, also known as Decoy.^[245] The dog received an honorary visa from the Embassy of the United States, Tokyo.^[246] In connection with his $7.85 million home purchase, Ohtani established an LLC named "Decopin", which he named after his dog.^[247]^[248]^[249]

Ohtani is married to former professional basketball player Mamiko Tanaka.^[250] Ohtani announced in February 2024 that he had married but declined to disclose his wife's identity except to say, "She's a normal Japanese woman".^[251] The next month, he revealed her identity by posting a photograph of himself with Tanaka.^[250] On December 29, 2024, Ohtani announced on Instagram that they were expecting their first child.^[252]^[253] On April 19, 2025, Ohtani announced on Instagram that he and Tanaka had welcomed their first child, a daughter.^[254]

Endorsements and mass media coverage

[edit]

Ohtani has been represented by agent Nez Balelo of CAA Sports since 2017, shortly after announcing his plans to pursue an MLB career.^[255] He was listed in Forbes 30 under 30 Asia class of 2018 in the field of Entertainment & Sports.^[256] In 2021, Ohtani was named to Time 100's list of most influential people of 2021^[122] and awarded the Commissioner's Historic Achievement Award by Commissioner Rob Manfred.^[131]

In 2023, Ohtani endorsement earnings were estimated to be an MLB league-leading $35–40 million, up from his MLB league-leading $20 million endorsement earnings in 2022, which tripled from his MLB league-leading $6 million endorsement earnings in 2021.^[257]^[258] By 2025, his estimated endorsements had risen to $100 million for the year.^[259] Ohtani has proven to be a hit on both sides of the Pacific, with deals with 20 companies, including New Balance and Fanatics/Topps,^[260] in the U.S. and Hugo Boss, Kosé, Porsche Japan, Kowa, Mitsubishi Bank, Japan Airlines, Salesforce, Nishikawa Co., and Seiko in Japan.^[261]^[259]

In 2022, Ohtani became a brand ambassador for Kowa, Mitsubishi Bank, Japan Airlines, Salesforce,^[261] Porsche Japan as part of their 'Porsche Driving Athlete' family and Fanatics.^[262]^[263] In 2023, Ohtani added two new deals with New Balance^[264] and Japanese cosmetics company Kosé.^[265] Ohtani was the first Asian player to be a cover athlete of MLB The Show in 2022.^[266]^[267] In 2025, Ohtani's likeness was added to Fortnite, making him the first MLB player available in the game.^[268]

Ohtani's previous partnerships included Asics, Descente, Oakley, New Era, FTX, Savas, and Aquarius.^[269] On November 16, 2021, it was announced that Ohtani joined cryptocurrency exchange FTX as a global ambassador,^[270] partnering on various animal charitable initiatives;^[271] however, in November 2022, FTX filed for bankruptcy, wiping out billions of dollars in customer funds. Ohtani, alongside other spokespeople, was sued for promoting unregistered securities through a class-action lawsuit^[272]^[273] with his lawyers filing for Ohtani's dismissal from the FTX lawsuit in April 2023.^[274]

Interpreter gambling scandal

[edit]

While not fluent, Ohtani speaks passable English as well as Spanish, but prefers to speak to the media through an interpreter who translates from his native Japanese to English, and vice versa.^[275] Ippei Mizuhara was Ohtani's personal interpreter with the Angels and Dodgers, having known Ohtani since he was 18, starting in 2013 during Ohtani's days with the Fighters.^[276] Mizuhara's role went beyond solely translating to include confidant, conditioning coach, and throwing partner.^[277]^[278]

In March 2024, an ESPN investigation uncovered $4.5 million in wire payments from Ohtani's bank account to a Southern California bookmaking operation under federal investigation. On March 19, Mizuhara told ESPN that the money was for repaying his gambling debts. He said he had asked Ohtani for the money and that Ohtani himself transferred the funds to the bookie. Mizuhara also told this story to the Dodgers clubhouse after a game that day. However, as ESPN prepared to air the interview on the morning of March 20, Ohtani's law firm issued a statement reading, "We discovered that Shohei has been the victim of a massive theft, and we are turning the matter over to the authorities." That afternoon, the Dodgers fired Mizuhara, who had signed a contract with the team when Ohtani joined.^[279] Will Ireton, who had served as an interpreter for Kenta Maeda, took over as Ohtani's interpreter.^[280] At a March 25 press conference, Ohtani made his first public statement about the incident, telling reporters that he had never bet on sports or had any knowledge of the debt until the team meeting on March 19.^[281]

On April 11, the US Attorney for the Central District of California charged Mizuhara with one count of bank fraud after an investigation determined that he had impersonated Ohtani with his bank, had illegally changed settings on the bank account and had stolen over $16 million from that account.^[282] On June 4, following Mizuhara's guilty plea, Ohtani was officially cleared of any wrongdoing in the affair.^[283]^[284] In February 2025, Mizuhara was sentenced to repay Ohtani $17 million along with a 57-month prison sentence.^[285]

On May 9, 2024, Lionsgate Television announced the development of a scripted series based on the interpreter gambling scandal.^[286]

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]

^ Shared with Shōta Ōno.
^ As part of the Japan national baseball team.
^ Ohtani recorded over 100 runs, RBIs and hits as a batter while recording over 100 innings thrown and strikeouts as a pitcher. No player had made 10 starts and hit 30 home runs, or hit 10 home runs while striking out 100 batters in the same season before in MLB history.
^ He reached the thresholds of 3.1 plate appearances and one inning pitched per team game with 586 at-bats and 166 innings pitched.^[7]
^ Ohtani joined Frank Robinson as the only players to win the MVP award in both leagues and became the first DH to win the award in MLB history.^[10]
^ Shared with Shōta Ōno.
^ As part of the Japan national baseball team.

References

[edit]

^ ^a ^b ^c 木下大輔 (April 11, 2018). "日本ハム中田３号俺が元祖「ＳＨＯＴＩＭＥ」だ". 日刊スポーツ (in Japanese). Archived from the original on June 2, 2022. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
^ Secatore, Dan; Joiner, Bryan (March 24, 2023). "Shohei Ohtani is the Greatest Baseball Player of All Time". Over the Monster. Archived from the original on March 24, 2023. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
^ Camras, Noah (September 30, 2022). "Angels News: Is Shohei Ohtani Having the Greatest Single Season Ever?". SI.com. Archived from the original on March 24, 2023. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
^ "Babe Ruth vs. Shohei Ohtani: Key stats to know in debate over MLB's best two-way player ever". March 29, 2023. Archived from the original on June 24, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
^ Verducci, Tom (July 5, 2021). "Shohei Ohtani Isn't Babe Ruth—He's Better". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on June 24, 2023. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
^ "Only One Player Has Ever Been As Good As Shohei Ohtani". June 30, 2021. Archived from the original on June 4, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
^ ^a ^b Bollinger, Rhett (October 5, 2022). "Ohtani makes history again, becoming 1st player to do this". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on October 6, 2022. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
^ ^a ^b "Shohei Ohtani first player to win MVP by unanimous vote twice". Los Angeles Times. November 16, 2023. Archived from the original on November 17, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
^ ^a ^b Wexler, Sarah (December 11, 2023). "$700M stunner: Ohtani to Dodgers on biggest deal in sports history". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on December 12, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
^ Toribio, Juan (November 22, 2024). "Unanimous yet again: Ohtani wins third career MVP Award". Major League Baseball. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
^ "USA-Japan WBC Title Game Could Be the Most-Watched Baseball Game in History". March 21, 2023. Archived from the original on May 30, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
^ "Japan tops Team USA in dramatic finish to claim 3rd Classic title". Major League Baseball. March 21, 2023. Archived from the original on March 22, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Father of baseball star Ohtani coached son with life tips in 'very ordinary' upbringing". Mainichi Daily News. December 11, 2017. Archived from the original on October 7, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Hernández, Dylan (September 29, 2017). "Column: Japanese baseball star Shohei Ohtani could be double threat in big leagues". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 18, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c "大谷、年俸１億円！松坂以来史上２人目の高卒３年目"大台"". Sponichi Annex. December 5, 2014. Archived from the original on December 11, 2014. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
^ Hernandez, Dylan (September 29, 2017). "Japanese baseball star Shohei Ohtani could be double threat in big leagues". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 18, 2021. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
^ Hernández, Dylan (December 12, 2017). "Column: The next Shohei Ohtani is already waiting in the wings". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 7, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
^ Verducci, Tom (September 14, 2021). "The Ohtani Rules". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on October 5, 2021. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
^ Hernández, Dylan (April 27, 2021). "Column: Shohei Ohtani's Ruthian two-way journey began in Japan, accelerated under Joe Maddon". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 7, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
^ Adler, David (March 19, 2023). "'It's as if he's throwing his soul': Get to know Japanese ace Roki Sasaki". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on October 19, 2023. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
^ ^a ^b Feinsand, Mark (October 22, 2012). "Yanks intrigued by Japanese teen phenom with 100 mph fastball". Daily News. New York. Archived from the original on August 15, 2017. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
^ Belson, Ken (October 24, 2012). "Hoping to Skip Japan League for U.S." The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
^ Sullivan, T.R. "Rangers interested in Japanese righty Ohtani". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
"Cherington confirms team has met with Ohtani". Archived from the original on October 26, 2012. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
"This page has been removed". The Guardian. Archived from the original on December 24, 2018. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
^ "Japanese high school fireballer opting for MLB". October 21, 2012. Archived from the original on April 2, 2016. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
Miller, Doug. "Fans taken by Ohtani's set of skills, innocence". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on June 18, 2018. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
^ "A Japanese propaganda film helped Shohei Ohtani follow a path to making baseball history". Insider.com. Archived from the original on October 31, 2023. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
^ Hernandez, Dylan (July 12, 2021). "Column: From Shohei Ohtani to Naomi Osaka, Japanese athletes dominate during golden era". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 25, 2022. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c Lindbergh, Ben (July 12, 2021). "Inside Shohei Ohtani's Superhero Origin Story". The Ringer. Archived from the original on July 28, 2021. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
^ Coskrey, Jason (May 24, 2013). "Fighters rookie Otani makes solid impression in mound debut". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on October 7, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
^ Miller, Doug (November 29, 2017). "Fans taken by Ohtani's set of skills, innocence". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on June 18, 2018. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
^ "Ogawa, Norimoto win Rookie of the Year awards". The Japan Times. November 25, 2013. Archived from the original on April 13, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
^ ^a ^b "Shohei Ohtani Japanese Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball Reference. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
^ Coskrey, Jason (September 8, 2014). "Otani may create unique challenge". The Japan Times. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
^ "Ohtani hits HR to notch rare double". The Japan News. September 7, 2014. Archived from the original on September 17, 2014. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
^ "default". Sanspo.com. September 14, 2014. Archived from the original on September 17, 2014. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
^ Bertha, Mike (November 10, 2014). "Shohei Ohtani (Japan's Steve Nebraska) and other players to look for during the Japan All-Star Series". MLB.com. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
^ "September 8 release". 日本野球機構 (NPB.or.jp). September 8, 2014. Archived from the original on September 22, 2014. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
^ "大谷、ついに出た１６２キロ！日本人最速！公式戦最速タイ". Sponichi Annex. October 5, 2014. Archived from the original on October 7, 2014. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
^ "Samurai Japan unveils remaining players for MLB series". The Japan Times. October 9, 2014. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved October 9, 2014.
^ Cromwell, Carter. "2014 Suzuki All-Star Series: Samurai Japan vs. MLB All-Stars –". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
^ MLB (November 18, 2014). MLB@JPN: Japan's Ohtani dials it up vs. MLB All-Stars. Retrieved April 15, 2025 – via YouTube.
^ MLB (November 18, 2014). MLB@JPN: Ohtani fans the side for Japan in the 1st. Retrieved April 15, 2025 – via YouTube.
^ MLB (November 18, 2014). MLB@JPN: Ohtani fans Zobrist to end the inning. Retrieved April 15, 2025 – via YouTube.
^ "Hiroshima's Kenta Maeda wins 2015 Sawamura Award". yakyubaka.com. Archived from the original on November 15, 2016. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
^ Berg, Ted (May 22, 2015). "Japanese righty Shohei Otani throws 100 mph and plays DH on off-days". For The Win – USA Today. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
^ Bertha, Mike (November 8, 2015). "Japanese two-way prodigy Shohei Ohtani is already dominating at the Premier 12 tournament". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
^ "WBSC Premier12 All-World Team announced". WBSC. November 21, 2015. Archived from the original on November 24, 2015. Retrieved November 21, 2015.
^ Coskrey, Jason (November 25, 2016). "Otani makes history with Best Nine selection at both pitcher and DH". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
^ Coskrey, Jason; Nagatsuka, Kaz (November 29, 2016). "Otani, Arai win MVP awards". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
^ Coskrey, Jason (July 16, 2016). "Fellow All-Stars rave about Otani's special talents". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
^ Axisa, Mike (September 14, 2016). "WATCH: Shohei Otani breaks his own record, throws Japan's fastest pitch ever". CBS Sports. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
^ Birenbaum, Jonah (March 14, 2017). "Watch: Otani launches mammoth HR in NPB exhibition". theScore.com. Archived from the original on October 31, 2023. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
^ "Here are four reasons why Shohei Ohtani was named MLB Pipeline's No. 1 prospect". Major League Baseball. January 27, 2018. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
^ "2016年度表彰選手投票結果（ベストナイン）". npb.jp. Archived from the original on September 1, 2017. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
^ "The file on Shohei Ohtani". RSN. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
^ Kram, Zach (September 13, 2017). "Shohei Ohtani, the Most Exciting Player in the World, Is Coming to MLB". The Ringer. Archived from the original on October 7, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
^ "Shohei Otani: 'Hope to do my best in America from next year on'". ESPN. November 10, 2017. Archived from the original on November 10, 2017. Retrieved November 11, 2017.
^ "In Short Order: Shohei Otani is an even better hitter than you probably expected". Major League Baseball. November 17, 2017. Archived from the original on November 18, 2017. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
^ "Shohei Ohtani's path to MLB cleared after new posting agreement is reached before deadline". November 21, 2017. Archived from the original on December 30, 2017. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
^ "Angels' Shohei Ohtani beats Yankees' duo to win AL Rookie of the Year". Archived from the original on November 13, 2018. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
^ "Angels officially welcome 2-way star Ohtani". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on February 27, 2018. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
^ "Angels' Shohei Ohtani had platelet-rich plasma injection in pitching elbow, GM confirms". ESPN. December 13, 2017. Archived from the original on December 13, 2017. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Crocker, Kenny (November 13, 2018). "Another open letter to Shohei Ohtani". Pinstripe Alley. Vox Media.
^ Sheinin, Dave (March 19, 2018). "Shohei Ohtani's spring struggles underscore the difficult path to two-way success in MLB". Washington Post – via Denver Post.
^ Rogers, Jesse (March 24, 2018). "Shohei Ohtani uneven in final spring game; Mike Scioscia calls it 'great outing'". ESPN.
^ ^a ^b ^c Bloom, Barry M. (March 24, 2018). "Shohei Ohtani Appears On Track To Open Season With Angels". Forbes.
^ ^a ^b Nightengale, Bob (March 21, 2018). "Shohei Ohtani, Angels undaunted by rocky spring: 'He's going to wow us,' says Mike Trout". USA Today.
^ Hickey, John (March 29, 2018). "Shohei Ohtani singles in first major league at bat for Angels". USA Today.
^ ^a ^b ^c Lindbergh, Ben (September 14, 2018). "Shohei Ohtani's Abbreviated Rookie Season Has Still Been a Near-Miracle". The Ringer.
^ Guardado, Maria (March 22, 2018). "Inbox: Could Shohei Ohtani start in the Minors? Beat reporter Maria Guardado answers Angels fans' questions". MLB.com Angels correspondent.
^ Moura, Pedro (March 14, 2018). "As Ohtani's struggles continue, is starting the season at Triple A a possibility?". The Athletic, New York Times.
^ Passan, Jeff (March 10, 2018). "The verdict is in on Shohei Ohtani's bat and it's not good". Yahoo Sports. Archived from the original on March 18, 2018.
^ Berg, Ted (February 26, 2018). "It's really happening: Two days after pitching, Shohei Ohtani will DH for the Angels". For The Win – USA Today. Archived from the original on October 5, 2021. Retrieved October 5, 2021. This shouldn't really qualify as news, as the Angels have made it clear since they signed Shohei Ohtani in December that they would allow him to continue working as both a pitcher and a hitter like he did successfully in the NPB in Japan.
^ Gutierrez, Paul (March 30, 2018). "Angels' Ohtani: 'Never going to forget' first at-bat, a single". ESPN. Archived from the original on April 5, 2018. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
^ Guardado, Maria (April 1, 2018). "Sho time! Ohtani dazzles in mound debut". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on June 18, 2018. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
^ Guardado, Maria (April 3, 2018). "Shohei Ohtani hits first MLB home run". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on April 8, 2018. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
^ Guardado, Maria (April 7, 2018). "Ohtani homers in his third straight game". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on August 20, 2018. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
^ Yang, Avery (April 8, 2018). "Shohei Ohtani retires first 19, fans 12 over 7 scoreless". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on April 9, 2018. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
^ Guardado, Maria (June 8, 2018). "Shohei Ohtani has UCL sprain, placed on DL". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
^ "Angels' Shohei Ohtani activated from DL, goes 0-for-4 versus M's". ESPN. Associated Press. July 2, 2018. Archived from the original on July 11, 2018. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
^ "Shohei Ohtani homers twice, his first two on the road". Major League Baseball. August 3, 2018. Archived from the original on October 31, 2023. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
^ "Shohei Ohtani ready to pitch Sunday after nursing 11-week UCL injury". ESPN. August 30, 2018. Archived from the original on August 31, 2018. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
^ Guardado, Maria (September 2, 2018). "Ohtani's velocity dip in return not elbow-related". mlb.com. Archived from the original on January 15, 2024. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
^ ^a ^b "Ohtani has successful Tommy John surgery". Major League Baseball. October 1, 2018. Archived from the original on October 2, 2018. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
^ "Shohei Ohtani named AL Rookie of the Year by Baseball Digest". Fox Sports. October 31, 2018. Archived from the original on November 2, 2018. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
^ "Shohei Ohtani earns second Rookie of the Month award". Fox Sports. October 2018. Archived from the original on October 3, 2018. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
^ Gonzalez, Alden (September 5, 2018). "Shohei Ohtani slams 2 homers after Tommy John surgery recommendation". ESPN. Archived from the original on September 6, 2018. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
Gonzalez, Alden (September 26, 2018). "Angels' Shohei Ohtani will have Tommy John at start of offseason". ESPN. Archived from the original on September 26, 2018. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
^ Schoenfield, David (November 12, 2018). "Ohtani tops Yanks duo for AL Rookie of the Year". ESPN. Archived from the original on March 22, 2023. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
^ Schmehl, James (May 7, 2019). "Ohtani activated as DH, hitting 3rd tonight". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on July 17, 2019. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
^ Townsend, Mark (June 13, 2019). "Shohei Ohtani becomes first Japanese-born player to hit for the cycle". Yahoo Sports. Archived from the original on June 14, 2019. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
^ Bollinger, Rhett (September 12, 2019). "Ohtani to have left knee surgery, season over". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on December 23, 2019. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
^ Simon, Andrew (July 6, 2020). "MLB's 60-game schedule for 2020 unveiled". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
^ Yomtov, Jesse (July 25, 2020). "Shohei Ohtani makes blunder as first baserunner under MLB's new extra-inning rule". USA Today. Archived from the original on July 25, 2020. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
^ Bollinger, Rhett (July 26, 2020). "Ohtani's return goes awry: 5 runs, no outs". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on August 1, 2020. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
^ Bollinger, Rhett (August 3, 2020). "Shohei (flexor) won't throw for 4–6 weeks". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on August 4, 2020. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
^ Beacham, Greg (August 4, 2020). "Maddon: Shohei Ohtani won't pitch again for Angels this year". Associated Press. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
^ Stephen, Eric (December 21, 2020). "2020 Angels in review: Shohei Ohtani". Halos Heaven. Archived from the original on July 3, 2022. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Lindbergh, Ben (March 9, 2021). "The Dream of Shohei Ohtani Is Alive". The Ringer. Archived from the original on March 9, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Harris, Jack (February 18, 2021). "Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani is happy to be free of restrictions on his use". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 5, 2021. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
^ Miller, Scott (May 14, 2021). "Shohei Ohtani Unleashed". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 5, 2021. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
^ "Angels' Shohei Ohtani: Avoids two years of arbitration". CBS Sports. February 8, 2021. Archived from the original on May 25, 2021. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
^ Bollinger, Rhett (June 23, 2021). "'Why not Ohtani?': Angels make DH history". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on July 28, 2021. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
^ Beacham, Greg (July 8, 2021). "Ohtani hits 32nd HR, tops Matsui's Japanese sluggers record". The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
^ Bollinger, Rhett (July 4, 2021). "Trailblazer Ohtani in ASG as hitter, pitcher". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on July 4, 2021. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
^ "2021 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby: Results, bracket and highlights as stars swung for the fences in Denver". ESPN. July 12, 2021. Archived from the original on July 12, 2021. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
Bollinger, Rhett (July 14, 2021). "Ohtani earns historic win with perfect 1st". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on July 23, 2021. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
^ Owens, Jason (July 12, 2021). "All-Star Game: Shohei Ohtani named AL starting pitcher after MLB bends rules for Kevin Cash". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on July 13, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
^ Guerrero, Daniel (July 26, 2021). "Los Angeles Angels manager Joe Maddon says star Shohei Ohtani should win the AL MVP award: 'It's not even close'". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on July 27, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
^ Gonzalez, Alden (July 26, 2021). "Ohtani pitches, hits and runs through Rox". ESPN. Archived from the original on July 27, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
^ Bollinger, Rhett (July 29, 2021). "Ohtani steals way into record books in loss". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on August 2, 2021. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
^ Harrigan, Thomas (August 2, 2021). "Ohtani, Schwarber named June's top players". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on October 4, 2021. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
^ Bollinger, Rhett (August 19, 2021). "Whoa! Ohtani's best game yet? 40th HR, 8 IP". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on August 19, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
^ Castillo, Mo (August 30, 2021). "What did Shohei Ohtani do this week? Become the first Japanese-born player to go 40–20". Yahoo! Sports. Archived from the original on September 9, 2021. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
^ Bollinger, Rhett (August 28, 2021). "Sho shakes off injury, makes Halos history". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on March 23, 2022. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
^ Bollinger, Rhett (September 25, 2021). "Ohtani a triple threat as Halos rout Mariners". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on September 26, 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
^ Bollinger, Rhett (September 24, 2021). "Fearsome Ohtani walking at historic rate". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on September 27, 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
^ Bollinger, Rhett (September 26, 2021). "'An absolute ace': Sho K's 10 in home finale". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on September 26, 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Bollinger, Rhett (October 3, 2021). "46 HRs, 100 RBIs: Shohei caps dream season". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on October 3, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Register Players Encyclopedia - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on December 12, 2023. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
^ Castrovince, Anthony (November 18, 2021). "A 2-way and a 2-time MVP in Ohtani, Bryce". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on November 19, 2021. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
Fletcher, Jeff (November 18, 2021). "Angels' Shohei Ohtani wins American League MVP". Orange County Register. Archived from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
^ Castrovince, Anthony (November 23, 2021). "The '21 All-MLB Team is here. And it's stacked". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on December 8, 2021. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
^ Bollinger, Rhett (November 29, 2021). "Ohtani wins 2021 Edgar Martinez DH Award". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on November 30, 2021. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
"Ohtani Wins This Year's Edgar Martinez DH Award". Nippon.com. November 30, 2021. Archived from the original on November 30, 2021. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
^ "2021 Los Angeles Angels Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on November 12, 2021. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
^ ^a ^b Rodriguez, Alex (September 15, 2021). "The 100 Most Influential People of 2021, Shohei Ohtani". Time. Archived from the original on September 15, 2021. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
^ ^a ^b Beacham, Greg (December 28, 2021). "One of a kind: Ohtani wins AP Male Athlete of Year award". AP News. Archived from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
^ ^a ^b Foster, Jason (December 31, 2021). "Shohei Ohtani is the 2021 Sporting News Athlete of the Year". Sporting News. Archived from the original on December 30, 2021. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
^ Ladson, Bill (October 7, 2021). "Ohtani is Baseball Digest's Player of the Year". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on October 7, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
^ Glaser, Kyle (October 22, 2021). "Shohei Ohtani Is Baseball America's 2021 MLB Player Of The Year". Baseball America. Archived from the original on October 22, 2021. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
^ Fagan, Ryan (October 28, 2021). "'Beyond incredible': Shohei Ohtani constantly left MLB peers in awe during historic 2021 season". Sporting News. Archived from the original on October 28, 2021. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
^ Randhawa, Manny (October 28, 2021). "The 2021 Players Choice Award winners are..." Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on October 29, 2021. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
^ "Ohtani named team MVP and Pitcher of Year". NHK. September 25, 2021. Archived from the original on October 4, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
^ "Tokyo Tower to light the sky in Angels' colors to celebrate Shohei Ohtani's MVP season". Major League Baseball. November 18, 2021. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c Castrovince, Anthony (October 26, 2021). "Ohtani wins Historic Achievement Award". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on October 27, 2021. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
^ Lies, Elaine (November 21, 2021). "Japan floated idea of national honour for MLB's Ohtani, but he declined". Reuters. Archived from the original on July 1, 2022. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
^ Fagan, Ryan (December 22, 2021). "The 50 greatest seasons in sports history, ranked". Sporting News. Archived from the original on December 26, 2021. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
^ Baer, Jack (March 22, 2022). "MLB adds Shohei Ohtani rule to universal DH". Yahoo! Sports. Archived from the original on September 28, 2022. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
^ Bollinger, Rhett (March 25, 2022). "Opening Day Sho-time! Ohtani to pitch 1st". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
^ Gonzalez, Alden (April 7, 2022). "Los Angeles Angels' Shohei Ohtani strikes out nine, hitless at plate in loss to Astros". ESPN. Archived from the original on September 28, 2022. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
^ Bollinger, Rhett (April 7, 2022). "What else is new? Ohtani makes more history". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on September 29, 2022. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
^ "Shohei Ohtani went yard twice on Monday for his 8th career multi-HR game, breaking a tie with Ichiro for the most multi-HR games by a Japanese-born player in MLB history". ESPNStatsInfo. May 10, 2022. Archived from the original on May 10, 2022. Retrieved May 10, 2022 – via Twitter.
^ Bollinger, Rhett (May 9, 2022). "'Having the most fun right now': Ohtani hits first slam as a pro". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on May 10, 2022. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
^ Bollinger, Rhett (May 15, 2022). "Ohtani becomes third Japanese player to join 100-homer club". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on June 7, 2022. Retrieved May 15, 2022.
^ Wexler, Sarah (June 9, 2022). "Sho-stopper: Ohtani does it all as Halos end skid". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on June 23, 2022. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
^ ^a ^b Bollinger, Rhett (October 6, 2022). "Shohei Ohtani – making history". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on October 6, 2022. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
^ Bollinger, Rhett (June 22, 2022). "Historic 2-game Sho: 8 RBIs, new-high 13 K's!". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on October 2, 2022. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
^ Bollinger, Rhett (June 22, 2022). "Sho stunner: Two HRs, career-high 8(!) RBIs". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on June 23, 2022. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
^ ^a ^b Leckie, Paige (July 6, 2022). "'He can't quench his thirst': Ohtani's latest act another marvel". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on July 7, 2022. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
^ Bollinger, Rhett (July 8, 2022). "Ohtani, Trout win starting spots for AL at ASG". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on July 9, 2022. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
^ Bollinger, Rhett (July 10, 2022). "History repeats: Ohtani a two-way All-Star again". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on July 12, 2022. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
^ Bollinger, Rhett (July 18, 2022). "Ohtani to slug – but not pitch – in All-Star Game". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on August 12, 2022. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
^ Chen, Sonja (August 10, 2022). "Quite a Sho: Ohtani ties Ruth, passes Ichiro in same game". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on August 10, 2022. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
^ ^a ^b Bollinger, Rhett (October 1, 2022). "Ohtani inks $30M deal for '23, gets 2 awards, extends career-best hit streak". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on October 6, 2022. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
^ "Major League Leaderboards » 2022 » Batters » Statcast - Exit Velocity". FanGraphs Baseball. Archived from the original on October 24, 2022. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
^ "Statcast Custom Leaderboards - HP to 1B". Baseball Savant. Archived from the original on May 1, 2023. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
^ Bollinger, Rhett (November 28, 2022). "Ohtani honored with 2nd straight Outstanding DH Award". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on February 1, 2023. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
^ Bollinger, Rhett (November 17, 2022). "Ohtani finishes 2nd for AL MVP Award". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on February 6, 2023. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
^ Bollinger, Rhett (March 24, 2023). "Angels-A's Opening Day starting pitchers: Ohtani vs. Muller". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on October 19, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
^ Perry, Dayn (May 10, 2023). "Shohei Ohtani passes Babe Ruth to set a record for most pitching strikeouts by a player with 100 homers". CBSSports.com. Archived from the original on May 22, 2023. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
^ Bollinger, Rhett (June 20, 2023). "Players of the Week: Ohtani, Harris honored". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on June 20, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
^ "Shohei Ohtani named AL Player of the Week for the fifth time". japantimes.co.jp. June 21, 2023. Archived from the original on October 19, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
^ "Acuña is NL Player of the Week; Ohtani, Germán share AL honor". Major League Baseball. July 3, 2023. Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
^ "MVP favorites headline monthly awards for June". Major League Baseball. July 3, 2023. Archived from the original on July 4, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
^ Snyder, Matt (July 1, 2023). "Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani just had the best June in MLB history — yes, even better than Babe Ruth". CBSSports.com. Archived from the original on September 29, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
^ Passan, Jeff (July 5, 2023). "Did Shohei Ohtani just have the best month in MLB history?". ESPN. Archived from the original on October 19, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
^ Bollinger, Rhett (June 22, 2023). "Ohtani to start at DH in All-Star Game as leading AL vote-getter". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on July 6, 2023. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
^ Bollinger, Rhett (July 2, 2023). "Ohtani again taking two-way talents to All-Star Game". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on October 6, 2023. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
^ Bollinger, Rhett (July 10, 2023). "Ohtani, Estévez rep Angels at All-Star Game". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on October 6, 2023. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
^ Klemish, Dawn (July 27, 2023). "Off trade block, Ohtani lifts Halos toward October". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on July 28, 2023. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
^ Murphy, Brian (July 31, 2023). "Ohtani, Alonso named Players of the Week". Major League Baseball. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
^ "Monthly award winners for July announced". Major League Baseball. August 2, 2023. Archived from the original on August 2, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
^ Anderson, RJ (August 19, 2023). "Shohei Ohtani hits grand slam, Angels turn triple play but lose in extra innings against the Rays". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on October 8, 2023. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
^ Bollinger, Rhett (August 23, 2023). "Ohtani has UCL tear, won't pitch again in '23". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on August 24, 2023. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
^ Bollinger, Rhett (September 19, 2023). "Ohtani has elbow surgery, expected to hit in '24, pitch by '25". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on October 6, 2023. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
^ Gonzalez, Alden (September 16, 2023). "Angels' Shohei Ohtani out for season; elbow procedure soon". ESPN. Archived from the original on October 3, 2023. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
^ "Ohtani becomes first Japanese MLB home-run champion". The Japan Times. October 2, 2023. Archived from the original on October 3, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
^ Casella, Paul (December 16, 2023). "Here are your 2023 All-MLB First and Second Team winners". MLB.com. Archived from the original on December 17, 2023. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
^ Bollinger, Rhett (November 30, 2023). "Three-peat! Ohtani wins Outstanding DH Award again". MLB.com. Archived from the original on December 18, 2023. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
^ "Shohei Ohtani wins 2023 Silver Slugger Award". MLB.com. November 9, 2023. Archived from the original on December 18, 2023. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
^ Paul, Casella (December 16, 2023). "Ohtani, Acuña pad trophy cases with Hank Aaron Awards". MLB.com. Archived from the original on December 18, 2023. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
^ "Shohei Ohtani named Angels' team MVP for third straight year". japantimes.co.jp. October 1, 2023. Archived from the original on December 18, 2023. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
^ ^a ^b Murphy, Brian (December 23, 2023). "Ohtani wins 2nd AP Top Male Athlete honor in 3 years". MLB.com. Archived from the original on December 26, 2023. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
^ "Better Than Babe: Shohei Ohtani Shatters Precedent As 2023 MLB Player Of The Year". BaseballAmerica.com. October 2, 2023. Archived from the original on December 18, 2023. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
^ "Players Choice Award winners earned admiration of peers". MLB.com. November 2, 2023. Archived from the original on December 18, 2023. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
^ "Here are the 2023-24 free agents for every team". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on November 2, 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
^ Ardaya, Fabian and Evan Drellich (December 11, 2023). "Shohei Ohtani to defer $68 million per year in unusual arrangement with Dodgers: Sources". The Athletic. Archived from the original on December 11, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
^ Brandt, David (February 28, 2024). "Shohei Ohtani won't pitch this season after major elbow surgery, but he can still hit. Here's why". AP News. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
^ Toribio, Juan (March 20, 2024). "Dodgers flex lineup strength with late comeback in Seoul opener". MLB.com. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
^ Toribio, Juan (April 4, 2024). "Shohei Ohtani hits first home run with Dodgers". MLB.com. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
^ Guardado, Maria (April 4, 2018). "Shohei Ohtani hits first Major League home run". MLB.com. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
^ Wexler, Sarah (April 21, 2024). "Ohtani passes Matsui for most HRs by Japanese-born MLB player". mlb.com. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
^ Kornacki, Steve (July 13, 2024). "Ohtani reaches 200-homer milestone vs. Tigers". MLB.com. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
^ @MLB (July 16, 2024). "Shohei Ohtani is the only player in MLB history to earn a win on the mound and hit a home run at the plate in his #AllStarGame career. 👑" (Tweet). Retrieved July 16, 2024 – via Twitter.
^ Feinsand, Mark (July 16, 2024). "Ohtani crushes 400-ft. HR, pulls off unprecedented All-Star feat". MLB.com. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
^ Adler, David (August 4, 2024). "Ohtani among quickest in history to reach 30-30 milestone". MLB.com. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
^ Glaser, Kyle (August 24, 2024). "Shohei Ohtani joins the 40-40 club with a grand slam". MLB.com. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
^ ^a ^b Axisa, Mike (September 20, 2024). "Shohei Ohtani records first 50-50 season in MLB history: Dodgers superstar slugs 50 homers, steals 50 bases". CBS Sports.
^ Gonzalez, Alden (September 19, 2024). "Ohtani breaks 50/50 barrier with 'greatest' game". ESPN. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
^ Thames, Alanis (September 20, 2024). "Shohei Ohtani surpasses 50-50 milestone in spectacular fashion with a 3-homer, 2-steal game". Star Tribune. Associated Press. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
^ Ardaya, Fabian (September 20, 2024). "Did Shohei Ohtani just play the single greatest baseball game ever?". The Athletic. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
^ Baer, Jack (September 19, 2024). "Shohei Ohtani reaches 50-50: Dodgers star makes MLB history". Yahoo Sports. Yahoo. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
^ Torbio, Juan (September 19, 2024). "Incomparable Ohtani creates 50-50 club of his own". MLB.com. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
^ Castrovince, Anthony (September 19, 2024). "Best game ever? Ohtani pulls it off while reaching 50-50". MLB.com. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
^ Henson, Steve (September 27, 2024). "Shohei Ohtani finishes with 411 total bases, a number exceeded only 15 times in MLB history". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
^ "Shohei Ohtani steals 57th base, most by Japanese-born player". ABC News. September 28, 2024. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
^ "Shohei Ohtani 2024 Batting Gamelogs". Baseball Reference. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
^ Anderson, R.J. (October 5, 2024). "WATCH: Shohei Ohtani records first MLB playoff hit with game-tying three-run Dodgers home run vs. Padres". CBS Sports. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
^ Chen, Sonia (October 6, 2024). "Ohtani DRILLS first postseason HR, adds epic bat-throw flourish". MLB.com. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
^ "2024 NL Division Series Los Angeles Dodgers over San Diego Padres (3-2)". Baseball Reference. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
^ "2024 NLCS Los Angeles Dodgers over New York Mets (4-2)". Baseball Reference. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
^ Stephen, Eric (October 21, 2024). "Dodgers postseason records set during the National League Championship Series". SB Nation. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
^ Jain, Krutic (October 21, 2024). "Shohei Ohtani to play his first World Series as Dodgers defeat Mets in NLCS". Sportskeeda. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
^ Toribio, Juan (October 26, 2024). "Shohei Ohtani injures left shoulder in World Series Game 2". MLB.com. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
^ Toribio, Juan (October 28, 2024). "Ohtani starts, scores while protecting shoulder on bases". mlb.com. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
^ "2024 World Series Los Angeles Dodgers over New York Yankees (4-1)". Baseball Reference. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
^ Williams, Madison (October 30, 2024). "Shohei Ohtani Has Wholesome Reaction to Winning His First World Series". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
^ Chen, Sonja (November 5, 2024). "Ohtani undergoes shoulder surgery, expected to be ready for spring". mlb.com. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
^ Castrovince, Anthony (November 21, 2024). "Unanimous MVPs Judge, Ohtani made it a no-doubter with historic seasons". MLB.com. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
^ ^a ^b "Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani wins 3rd AP Male Athlete of the Year award". ESPN. Associated Press. December 23, 2024. Retrieved December 23, 2024.
^ Chen, Sonya (March 18, 2025). "Ohtani ignites Dodgers, keys winning rally in Tokyo Series Opener". mlb.com. Retrieved March 18, 2025.
^ "Dodgers 6-3 Cubs (Mar 19, 2025) Game Recap". ESPN. Retrieved March 20, 2025.
^ Chen, Sonya (April 2, 2025). "8 and Oh-tani! Shohei walks it off as LA makes history". mlb.com. Retrieved April 4, 2025.
^ "XXV 18U Baseball World Championship 2012". World Baseball Softball Confederation. Archived from the original on May 16, 2022. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
^ "WBSC names Annual Award winners: Baseball/Softball Player, Coach, Umpire and Federation of the Year". wbsc.org. October 15, 2017. Archived from the original on July 16, 2021. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
^ Anderson, R.J.; Axisa, Mike (February 3, 2017). "2017 World Baseball Classic: Shohei Otani, the player we all wanted to see, won't play". CBSports.com. Archived from the original on December 7, 2017. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
^ Coskrey, Jason (March 8, 2023). "Shohei Ohtani ready to lead powerful Japan at World Baseball Classic". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on March 11, 2023. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
^ Murphy, Brian (March 14, 2023), Dominant Ohtani named Classic Pool B MVP, Major League Baseball, archived from the original on March 23, 2023, retrieved March 15, 2023
^ Axisa, Mike (March 21, 2023). "World Baseball Classic: Shohei Ohtani awarded WBC MVP after closing out championship in Japan's win over USA". CBS Sports. Archived from the original on March 22, 2023. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
^ Axisa, Mike (March 22, 2023). "2023 All-WBC team: Shohei Ohtani selected at two positions; Mike Trout, Trea Turner, Randy Arozarena make cut". CBS Sports. Archived from the original on February 14, 2024. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
^ "Shohei Otani named WBSC player of the year for 2015". The Japan Times. October 16, 2017. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
^ Murphy, Brian (September 16, 2021). "Ohtani lands on Time's 100 list". MLB. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
^ Elbaba, Julia (December 21, 2023). "Japan honors Shohei Ohtani with personal stamp and postcard collection". NBC Los Angeles. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
^ Toribio, Juan (May 18, 2024). "Have a day! City of LA declares 'Shohei Ohtani Day,' then he crushes HR". MLB. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
^ "JAL's "DREAM MILES PASS": 892,440 km for Youth Dreams - Press Release". Japan Airlines. September 27, 2024. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
^ ^a ^b "Shohei Ohtani Stats, Fantasy & News". Major League Baseball. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
^ "早実・清宮の進路、東大・宮台に注目／来年ドラフト – 大学・社会人 : 日刊スポーツ". nikkansports.com (in Japanese). Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
^ "Otani eyes MLB move after next season". The Japan Times. December 5, 2016. Archived from the original on November 1, 2019. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
^ "Baseball: Angels' Ohtani hammered, leaves with blister". Kyodo News+. April 18, 2018. Archived from the original on September 27, 2018. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
^ Adler, David (May 5, 2021). "The most unhittable pitch in baseball is back". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on May 20, 2022. Retrieved June 1, 2022. We're talking about Shohei Ohtani's splitter.
^ Ropp, Rudy (February 27, 2018). "Shohei Ohtani is making fantasy baseball leagues face difficult choices". OC Register. Archived from the original on September 11, 2018. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
^ Oelman, Marshall (October 20, 2016). "The Most Interesting Prospect in Baseball". Scout.com. Archived from the original on December 25, 2016. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
^ "Otani Becomes MLB Free Agent After Posting Deal Approved". CBS New York. December 1, 2017. Archived from the original on April 12, 2018. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Lindbergh, Ben (October 7, 2021). "Ten Stats That Sum Up Shohei Ohtani's Historic 2021 Season". The Ringer. Archived from the original on October 7, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
^ Hernandez, Dylan (September 29, 2017). "Japanese baseball star Shohei Ohtani could be double threat in big leagues". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 18, 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2017.
^ Austin, Darius (July 19, 2021). "Need for Speed: Shohei Ohtani Special". Baseball Prospectus. Archived from the original on October 26, 2021. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
^ Glaser, Kyle (August 24, 2021). "'Crazy. Unbelievable. Different:' Shohei Ohtani's Immense Tools Stand Alone". Baseball America. Archived from the original on February 29, 2024. Retrieved February 29, 2024. A powerfully built 6-foot-4, 210 pounds, Ohtani's average run time of 4.09 seconds from home to first base is tied for fourth fastest in the majors, as measured by MLB Statcast.
^ "A look at some of Shohei Ohtani's historical accomplishments this season for the #Angels". Angels PR. October 3, 2021. Archived from the original on October 27, 2021. Retrieved October 25, 2021 – via Twitter.
^ "Baseball: New Dodger Shohei Ohtani flicks the script with unusual dog name". Kyodo News. December 15, 2023. Archived from the original on December 30, 2023. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
Adler, Lindsey (December 15, 2023). "Who's a Lucky Dog? (Hint: His Owner Just Signed a $700-Million Contract)". Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on December 30, 2023. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
^ Neumann, Sean (January 12, 2024). "Shohei Ohtani's Dog 'Decoy' Receives Joke Visa from U.S. Embassy in Japan: Passport Number '000MVPUP000'". People. New York, New York: Dotdash Meredith. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
Farkas, Brady (January 28, 2024). "Shohei Ohtani and His Dog Go Viral Yet Again After Ohtani Collects MVP Award". Fastball FanNation. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 1, 2024. Afterwards, Ohtani and his dog, Decoy, went viral yet again for a picture posted on social media:
Chiusano, Scott (January 11, 2024). "Where in the world is Shohei's dog? Pup now has a 'passport'". Major League Baseball. Retrieved March 1, 2024. Ohtani posted an image of a fake United States visa on Instagram, complete with a passport photo of Decoy and his given name, Dekopin.
Harris, Beth (December 14, 2023). "Shohei Ohtani reveals dog's name at Dodgers' introduction: Decoy". Associated Press. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
Asperin, Alexa Mae (January 14, 2024). "Shohei Ohtani's dog gets passport from US Embassy in Japan". KTTV. Los Angeles. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
^ Rosenthal, Ken. "The insular relationships that protected Shohei Ohtani — until they didn't". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
^ "Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani buys La Cañada Flintridge mansion from Adam Carolla for $7.85 million". Los Angeles Times. May 22, 2024. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
^ "Decopin LLC Los Angeles, CA - filing information". www.bizprofile.net. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
^ ^a ^b Close, David; Lev, Jacob (March 15, 2024). "Shohei Ohtani reveals his new wife's identity – she's also a star athlete". CNN. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
^ Yong, Nicholas (February 29, 2024). "Shohei Ohtani: Baseball superstar announces marriage to Japanese woman". BBC News. Archived from the original on February 29, 2024. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
Wade, Stephen (February 29, 2024). "Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani says he is married and his bride is Japanese". Associated Press. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
^ "Baby Ohtani! Shohei, wife Mamiko expecting first child". MLB.com. Archived from the original on December 29, 2024. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
^ INC, SANKEI DIGITAL (December 29, 2024). "【MLB】ドジャース・大谷翔平が真美子夫人の第1子妊娠を公表インスタグラムで「ルーキーが加わることが待ち切れない」とエコー写真添える" [[MLB] Dodgers pitcher Shohei Ohtani announces that he and his wife Mamiko are pregnant with their first child. He wrote on Instagram, along with a picture of an ultrasound, "I can't wait for our rookie to join us."]. Sanspo (in Japanese). Archived from the original on December 29, 2024. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
^ "Shohei Ohtani's wife gives birth to a girl for couple's first child". Los Angeles Times. April 19, 2025. Retrieved April 19, 2025.
^ Hernández, Dylan (November 6, 2017). "Japanese star Shohei Ohtani reportedly chooses CAA Sports to represent him in the U.S., a sign he's ready to play in the majors". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 15, 2021. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
^ "30 UNDER 30 ENTERTAINMENT & SPORTS". Forbes. Archived from the original on March 31, 2018. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
^ Badenhausen, Kurt (March 28, 2023). "MLB HIGHEST-PAID PLAYERS 2023: OHTANI SCORES RECORD $70 MILLION". sportico.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2023. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
^ Birnbaum, Justin (March 28, 2023). "Baseball's Highest-Paid Players 2023: Shohei Ohtani's MLB-Record Total Lands Him At No. 1". Forbes. Archived from the original on October 6, 2023. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
^ ^a ^b Badenhausen, Kurt (March 19, 2025). "MLB's Highest-Paid Players 2025: Soto, Ohtani Each Top $100M". Sportico.com. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
^ Long, Michael (January 8, 2018). "Topps signs MLB rookie Shohei Ohtani to autograph deal". sportspromedia.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2023. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
^ ^a ^b Birnbaum, Justin (April 6, 2022). "Thanks To A Show-Stopping 2021, Shohei Ohtani's Endorsement Earnings Have Tripled In A Year". Forbes. Archived from the original on April 21, 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
^ "Los Angeles Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani looks slick in a photo shoot for Porsche". sportskeeda. August 19, 2022. Archived from the original on October 7, 2022. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
^ Hajducky, Dan (July 20, 2021). "Los Angeles Angels' Shohei Ohtani lands exclusive memorabilia deal with Fanatics". Forbes. Archived from the original on September 22, 2022. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
^ Benson, Pat (January 31, 2023). "Shohei Ohtani Signs Long-Term Deal With New Balance". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on March 6, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
^ "KOSÉ Corporation Announces New Global Ambassador, Shohei Ohtani, One of Baseball's Shining Stars in the US and Internationally" (Press release). PR Newswire. March 29, 2023. Archived from the original on October 6, 2023. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
^ Russell, Ramone (January 31, 2022). "Shohei Ohtani: Unanimous AL MVP is your MLB The Show 22 cover athlete". playstation.com. PlayStation Blog. Archived from the original on September 28, 2022. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
^ Lee, Joon (January 31, 2022). "Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani on cover of MLB the Show 22". ESPN. Archived from the original on January 31, 2022. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
^ Murphy, Brian (March 10, 2025). "Ohtani's latest first: Joining the Fortnite Icon Series". MLB.com. Retrieved March 10, 2025.
^ Birnbaum, Justin (July 8, 2021). "How MLB Superstar Shohei Ohtani Made $6 Million In Endorsements Without Even Trying". Forbes. Archived from the original on July 14, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
^ Egan, Matt (November 16, 2021). "MLB superstar Shohei Ohtani takes a stake in crypto firm FTX". CNN. Archived from the original on February 10, 2022. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
^ Padovano, Peter (November 16, 2021). "MLB Superstar Shohei Ohtani Joins FTX as Global Ambassador Through Long-Term Partnership". CNN. Archived from the original on November 26, 2021. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
^ Florio, Mike (November 16, 2022). "Tom Brady is sued in connection with FTX collapse". NBC Sports. Archived from the original on December 6, 2022. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
^ Zeitchik, Steven; Mark, Julian (December 14, 2022). "Tom Brady pushed crypto to his fans. This lawyer wants him to pay up". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 14, 2022. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
^ Shaiken, Bill (April 14, 2023). "Shohei Ohtani should be dismissed from FTX endorsement lawsuit, his lawyers say". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 6, 2023. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
^ Bumbaca, Chris (July 12, 2021). "Stephen A. Smith on Shohei Ohtani: 'Don't think it helps that the No. 1 face is a dude that needs an interpreter'". USA Today. Archived from the original on October 8, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
^ Bollinger, Rhett (July 10, 2021). "Ohtani's interpreter to catch in HR Derby". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on October 7, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
^ O'Connell, Robert (June 21, 2021). "'A Game of Speech'—But Also, For Baseball Interpreters, So Much More". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on October 8, 2021. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
^ Gonzalez, Alden (September 12, 2019). "Shohei Ohtani can hit, pitch – and keep his teammates laughing". ESPN. Archived from the original on October 8, 2021. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
^ Thompson, Tisha (March 20, 2024). "Dodgers fire Shohei Ohtani's interpreter amid allegation of 'massive theft'". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
^ Ardaya, Fabian (March 21, 2024). "Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers keep mum in aftermath of interpreter theft accusation". The Athletic. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
^ Toribio, Juan (March 25, 2024). "Ohtani says he never bet on sports, had no knowledge of Mizuhara's gambling". mlb.com. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
^ Yan, Holly (April 11, 2024). "Former Ohtani interpreter Mizuhara faces federal charge after allegedly stealing $16 million from the baseball superstar". CNN.
^ Anderson, R.J. (June 4, 2024). "Shohei Ohtani gambling scandal: MLB officially clears Dodgers star after investigation into interpreter's bets". CBS Sports. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
^ Camras, Noah (June 4, 2024). "Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani Breaks Silence After MLB Clears Him of Wrongdoing in Ippei Mizuhara Scandal". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
^ Blum, Sam (February 6, 2025). "Interpreter Ippei Mizuhara sentenced to five years for defrauding Shohei Ohtani". The Athletic.
^ Masunaga, Samantha (May 9, 2024). "TV series based on Shohei Ohtani interpreter gambling scandal in the works at Lionsgate". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 17, 2024.

Further reading

[edit]

Wertheim, Jon (June 20, 2021). "Shohei Ohtani: Japan's Babe Ruth". CBS News. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
Miller, Doug (November 29, 2017). "A Look at the History of Shohei Ohtani". Major League Baseball.
Keown, Tim (April 6, 2018). "The One Baseball's Been Waiting For". ESPN. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
Lindbergh, Ben (July 12, 2021). "Inside Shohei Ohtani's Superhero Origin Story". The Ringer. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
McCullough, Andy (September 24, 2024). "Inside Shohei Ohtani's historic, tumultuous, as-yet unfulfilled first Dodgers season". The Athletic. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
Lindbergh, Ben (October 5, 2021). "Ten Stats That Sum Up Shohei Ohtani's Historic 2021 Season". The Ringer. Retrieved October 27, 2021.

External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Shohei Ohtani.

Career statistics from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
Shohei Ohtani on Instagram

Achievements
Preceded by Jorge Polanco	Hitting for the cycle June 13, 2019	Succeeded by Jake Bauers
Awards
Preceded by Marcus Semien	American League Player of the Month June & July 2021	Succeeded by José Abreu
Preceded by Aaron Judge	American League Player of the Month June & July 2023	Succeeded by Julio Rodríguez
Preceded by Corbin Carroll	National League Player of the Month September 2024	Succeeded by Incumbent

v t e Los Angeles Dodgers current roster
Active roster	3 Chris Taylor 5 Freddie Freeman 8 Kiké Hernández 11 Roki Sasaki 13 Max Muncy 15 Austin Barnes 16 Will Smith 17 Shohei Ohtani 18 Yoshinobu Yamamoto 23 Michael Conforto 25 Tommy Edman 26 Tony Gonsolin 37 Teoscar Hernández 38 Kirby Yates 43 Anthony Banda 44 Andy Pages 50 Mookie Betts 51 Alex Vesia 57 Luis García 59 Evan Phillips 66 Tanner Scott 72 Miguel Rojas 78 Ben Casparius 85 Dustin May 86 Jack Dreyer 94 Yoendrys Gómez
Inactive roster	6 Hyeseong Kim 28 Bobby Miller 33 James Outman 56 Noah Davis 64 Matt Sauer 67 Hunter Feduccia 70 Justin Wrobleski 79 Nick Frasso 96 Landon Knack -- Esteury Ruiz
7, 10 or 15 day Injured list	7 Blake Snell 31 Tyler Glasnow 45 Michael Kopech 49 Blake Treinen
60 day Injured list	22 Clayton Kershaw 29 Michael Grove 35 Gavin Stone 48 Brusdar Graterol 60 Edgardo Henriquez 63 Kyle Hurt 77 River Ryan 80 Emmet Sheehan
Restricted list	Andrew Toles
Coaching staff	Manager 30 Dave Roberts Bench 0 Danny Lehmann First base 84 Chris Woodward Third base 91 Dino Ebel Hitting 71 Robert Van Scoyoc 98 Aaron Bates Pitching 99 Mark Prior Asst. pitching 87 Connor McGuiness Bullpen 54 Josh Bard Major league field coordinator 88 Bob Geren Major League Development Integration Coach 89 Brandon McDaniel

Shohei Ohtani—Awards, championships, and honors

Los Angeles / California / Anaheim Angels Opening Day starting pitchers

American League Most Valuable Player Award

1931: Grove
1932: Foxx
1933: Foxx
1934: Cochrane
1935: Greenberg
1936: Gehrig
1937: Gehringer
1938: Foxx
1939: DiMaggio
1940: Greenberg
1941: DiMaggio
1942: Gordon
1943: Chandler
1944: Newhouser
1945: Newhouser
1946: Williams
1947: DiMaggio
1948: Boudreau
1949: Williams
1950: Rizzuto
1951: Berra
1952: Shantz
1953: Rosen
1954: Berra
1955: Berra
1956: Mantle
1957: Mantle
1958: Jensen
1959: Fox
1960: Maris
1961: Maris
1962: Mantle
1963: Howard
1964: B. Robinson
1965: Versalles
1966: F. Robinson
1967: Yastrzemski
1968: McLain
1969: Killebrew
1970: Powell
1971: Blue
1972: Allen
1973: Jackson
1974: Burroughs
1975: Lynn
1976: Munson
1977: Carew
1978: Rice
1979: Baylor
1980: Brett
1981: Fingers
1982: Yount
1983: Ripken Jr.
1984: Hernández
1985: Mattingly
1986: Clemens
1987: Bell
1988: Canseco
1989: Yount
1990: Henderson
1991: Ripken Jr.
1992: Eckersley
1993: Thomas
1994: Thomas
1995: Vaughn
1996: González
1997: Griffey Jr.
1998: González
1999: I. Rodríguez
2000: Giambi
2001: Suzuki
2002: Tejada
2003: A. Rodriguez
2004: Guerrero
2005: A. Rodriguez
2006: Morneau
2007: A. Rodriguez
2008: Pedroia
2009: Mauer
2010: Hamilton
2011: Verlander
2012: Cabrera
2013: Cabrera
2014: Trout
2015: Donaldson
2016: Trout
2017: Altuve
2018: Betts
2019: Trout
2020: Abreu
2021: Ohtani
2022: Judge
2023: Ohtani
2024: Judge

National League Most Valuable Player Award

1931: Frisch
1932: Klein
1933: Hubbell
1934: Dean
1935: Hartnett
1936: Hubbell
1937: Medwick
1938: Lombardi
1939: Walters
1940: McCormick
1941: Camilli
1942: Cooper
1943: Musial
1944: Marion
1945: Cavarretta
1946: Musial
1947: Elliott
1948: Musial
1949: J. Robinson
1950: Konstanty
1951: Campanella
1952: Sauer
1953: Campanella
1954: Mays
1955: Campanella
1956: Newcombe
1957: Aaron
1958: Banks
1959: Banks
1960: Groat
1961: F. Robinson
1962: Wills
1963: Koufax
1964: Boyer
1965: Mays
1966: Clemente
1967: Cepeda
1968: B. Gibson
1969: McCovey
1970: Bench
1971: Torre
1972: Bench
1973: Rose
1974: Garvey
1975: Morgan
1976: Morgan
1977: Foster
1978: Parker
1979: Hernandez & Stargell
1980: Schmidt
1981: Schmidt
1982: Murphy
1983: Murphy
1984: Sandberg
1985: McGee
1986: Schmidt
1987: Dawson
1988: K. Gibson
1989: Mitchell
1990: Bonds
1991: Pendleton
1992: Bonds
1993: Bonds
1994: Bagwell
1995: Larkin
1996: Caminiti
1997: Walker
1998: Sosa
1999: Jones
2000: Kent
2001: Bonds
2002: Bonds
2003: Bonds
2004: Bonds
2005: Pujols
2006: Howard
2007: Rollins
2008: Pujols
2009: Pujols
2010: Votto
2011: Braun
2012: Posey
2013: McCutchen
2014: Kershaw
2015: Harper
2016: Bryant
2017: Stanton
2018: Yelich
2019: Bellinger
2020: Freeman
2021: Harper
2022: Goldschmidt
2023: Acuña Jr.
2024: Ohtani

American League Rookie of the Year Award

1949: Sievers
1950: Dropo
1951: McDougald
1952: Byrd
1953: Kuenn
1954: Grim
1955: Score
1956: Aparicio
1957: Kubek
1958: Pearson
1959: Allison
1960: Hansen
1961: Schwall
1962: Tresh
1963: Peters
1964: Oliva
1965: Blefary
1966: Agee
1967: Carew
1968: Bahnsen
1969: Piniella
1970: Munson
1971: Chambliss
1972: Fisk
1973: Bumbry
1974: Hargrove
1975: Lynn
1976: Fidrych
1977: Murray
1978: Whitaker
1979: Castino & Griffin
1980: Charboneau
1981: Righetti
1982: Ripken Jr.
1983: Kittle
1984: Davis
1985: Guillén
1986: Canseco
1987: McGwire
1988: Weiss
1989: Olson
1990: Alomar Jr.
1991: Knoblauch
1992: Listach
1993: Salmon
1994: Hamelin
1995: Cordova
1996: Jeter
1997: Garciaparra
1998: Grieve
1999: Beltrán
2000: Sasaki
2001: Suzuki
2002: Hinske
2003: Berroa
2004: Crosby
2005: Street
2006: Verlander
2007: Pedroia
2008: Longoria
2009: Bailey
2010: Feliz
2011: Hellickson
2012: Trout
2013: Myers
2014: Abreu
2015: Correa
2016: Fulmer
2017: Judge
2018: Ohtani
2019: Alvarez
2020: Lewis
2021: Arozarena
2022: Rodríguez
2023: Henderson
2024: Gil

American League season home run leaders

1901: Lajoie
1902: Seybold
1903: Freeman
1904: H. Davis
1905: H. Davis
1906: H. Davis
1907: H. Davis
1908: Crawford
1909: Cobb
1910: Stahl
1911: Baker
1912: Baker & Speaker
1913: Baker
1914: Baker
1915: Roth
1916: Pipp
1917: Pipp
1918: Ruth & Walker
1919: Ruth
1920: Ruth
1921: Ruth
1922: K. Williams
1923: Ruth
1924: Ruth
1925: Meusel
1926: Ruth
1927: Ruth
1928: Ruth
1929: Ruth
1930: Ruth
1931: Ruth & Gehrig
1932: Foxx
1933: Foxx
1934: Gehrig
1935: Greenberg & Foxx
1936: Gehrig
1937: DiMaggio
1938: Greenberg
1939: Foxx
1940: Greenberg
1941: T. Williams
1942: T. Williams
1943: York
1944: Etten
1945: Stephens
1946: Greenberg
1947: T. Williams
1948: DiMaggio
1949: T. Williams
1950: Rosen
1951: Zernial
1952: Doby
1953: Rosen
1954: Doby
1955: Mantle
1956: Mantle
1957: Sievers
1958: Mantle
1959: Killebrew & Colavito
1960: Mantle
1961: Maris
1962: Killebrew
1963: Killebrew
1964: Killebrew
1965: Conigliaro
1966: Robinson
1967: Yastrzemski & Killebrew
1968: Howard
1969: Killebrew
1970: Howard
1971: Melton
1972: Allen
1973: Jackson
1974: Allen
1975: Jackson & Scott
1976: Nettles
1977: Rice
1978: Rice
1979: Thomas
1980: Jackson & Oglivie
1981: Grich, Murray, Evans & Armas
1982: Jackson & Thomas
1983: Rice
1984: Armas
1985: Evans
1986: Barfield
1987: McGwire
1988: Canseco
1989: McGriff
1990: Fielder
1991: Canseco & Fielder
1992: González
1993: González
1994: Griffey Jr.
1995: Belle
1996: McGwire
1997: Griffey Jr.
1998: Griffey Jr.
1999: Griffey Jr.
2000: Glaus
2001: Rodriguez
2002: Rodriguez
2003: Rodriguez
2004: Ramirez
2005: Rodriguez
2006: Ortiz
2007: Rodriguez
2008: Cabrera
2009: Peña & Teixeira
2010: Bautista
2011: Bautista
2012: Cabrera
2013: C. Davis
2014: Cruz
2015: C. Davis
2016: Trumbo
2017: Judge
2018: K. Davis
2019: Soler
2020: Voit
2021: Guerrero Jr. & Pérez
2022: Judge
2023: Ohtani
2024: Judge

National League season home run leaders

1876: Hall
1877: Pike
1878: Hines
1879: C. Jones
1880: Stovey & O'Rourke
1881: Brouthers
1882: Wood
1883: Ewing
1884: Williamson
1885: Dalrymple
1886: Brouthers & Richardson
1887: O'Brien
1888: Ryan
1889: Thompson
1890: Burns, Tiernan & Wilmot
1891: Tiernan & Stovey
1892: Holliday
1893: Delahanty
1894: Duffy
1895: Thompson
1896: Joyce & Delahanty
1897: Duffy
1898: J. Collins
1899: Freeman
1900: Long
1901: Crawford
1902: Leach
1903: Sheckard
1904: Lumley
1905: Odwell
1906: Jordan
1907: Brain
1908: Jordan
1909: Murray
1910: Schulte & Beck
1911: Schulte
1912: Zimmerman
1913: Cravath
1914: Cravath
1915: Cravath
1916: C. Williams & Robertson
1917: Cravath & Robertson
1918: Cravath
1919: Cravath
1920: C. Williams
1921: Kelly
1922: Hornsby
1923: C. Williams
1924: Fournier
1925: Hornsby
1926: Wilson
1927: C. Williams & Wilson
1928: Wilson & Bottomley
1929: Klein
1930: Wilson
1931: Klein
1932: Klein & Ott
1933: Klein
1934: Ott & R. Collins
1935: Berger
1936: Ott
1937: Ott & Medwick
1938: Ott
1939: Mize
1940: Mize
1941: Camilli
1942: Ott
1943: Nicholson
1944: Nicholson
1945: Holmes
1946: Kiner
1947: Kiner & Mize
1948: Kiner & Mize
1949: Kiner
1950: Kiner
1951: Kiner
1952: Kiner & Sauer
1953: Mathews
1954: Kluszewski
1955: Mays
1956: Snider
1957: Aaron
1958: Banks
1959: Mathews
1960: Banks
1961: Cepeda
1962: Mays
1963: McCovey & Aaron
1964: Mays
1965: Mays
1966: Aaron
1967: Aaron
1968: McCovey
1969: McCovey
1970: Bench
1971: Stargell
1972: Bench
1973: Stargell
1974: Schmidt
1975: Schmidt
1976: Schmidt
1977: Foster
1978: Foster
1979: Kingman
1980: Schmidt
1981: Schmidt
1982: Kingman
1983: Schmidt
1984: Schmidt & Murphy
1985: Murphy
1986: Schmidt
1987: Dawson
1988: Strawberry
1989: Mitchell
1990: Sandberg
1991: Johnson
1992: McGriff
1993: Bonds
1994: M. Williams
1995: Bichette
1996: Galarraga
1997: Walker
1998: McGwire
1999: McGwire
2000: Sosa
2001: Bonds
2002: Sosa
2003: Thome
2004: Beltré
2005: A. Jones
2006: Howard
2007: Fielder
2008: Howard
2009: Pujols
2010: Pujols
2011: Kemp
2012: Braun
2013: Álvarez & Goldschmidt
2014: Stanton
2015: Arenado & Harper
2016: Arenado & Carter
2017: Stanton
2018: Arenado
2019: Alonso
2020: Ozuna
2021: Tatís Jr.
2022: Schwarber
2023: Olson
2024: Ohtani

National League season runs batted in leaders

1876: White
1877: White
1878: Hines
1879: O'Rourke & C. Jones
1880: Anson
1881: Anson
1882: Anson
1883: Brouthers
1884: Anson
1885: Anson
1886: Anson
1887: Thompson
1888: Anson
1889: Connor
1890: Burns
1891: Anson
1892: Brouthers
1893: Delahanty
1894: Thompson
1895: Thompson
1896: Delahanty
1897: G. Davis
1898: Lajoie
1899: Delahanty
1900: Flick
1901: Wagner
1902: Wagner
1903: Mertes
1904: Dahlen
1905: Seymour
1906: Steinfeldt & Nealon
1907: Magee
1908: Wagner
1909: Wagner
1910: Magee
1911: C. Wilson & Schulte
1912: Zimmerman
1913: Cravath
1914: Magee
1915: Cravath
1916: Zimmerman
1917: Zimmerman
1918: Magee
1919: Myers
1920: Hornsby & Kelly
1921: Hornsby
1922: Hornsby
1923: Meusel
1924: Kelly
1925: Hornsby
1926: Bottomley
1927: Waner
1928: Bottomley
1929: H. Wilson
1930: H. Wilson
1931: Klein
1932: Hurst
1933: Klein
1934: Ott
1935: Berger
1936: Medwick
1937: Medwick
1938: Medwick
1939: McCormick
1940: Mize
1941: Camilli
1942: Mize
1943: Nicholson
1944: Nicholson
1945: Walker
1946: Slaughter
1947: Mize
1948: Musial
1949: Kiner
1950: Ennis
1951: Irvin
1952: Sauer
1953: Campanella
1954: Kluszewski
1955: Snider
1956: Musial
1957: Aaron
1958: Banks
1959: Banks
1960: Aaron
1961: Cepeda
1962: T. Davis
1963: Aaron
1964: Boyer
1965: D. Johnson
1966: Aaron
1967: Cepeda
1968: McCovey
1969: McCovey
1970: Bench
1971: Torre
1972: Bench
1973: Stargell
1974: Bench
1975: Luzinski
1976: Foster
1977: Foster
1978: Foster
1979: Winfield
1980: Schmidt
1981: Schmidt
1982: Murphy & Oliver
1983: Murphy
1984: Schmidt & Carter
1985: Parker
1986: Schmidt
1987: Dawson
1988: Clark
1989: Mitchell
1990: Williams
1991: H. Johnson
1992: Daulton
1993: Bonds
1994: Bagwell
1995: Bichette
1996: Galarraga
1997: Galarraga
1998: Sosa
1999: McGwire
2000: Helton
2001: Sosa
2002: Berkman
2003: P. Wilson
2004: Castilla
2005: A. Jones
2006: Howard
2007: Holliday
2008: Howard
2009: Fielder & Howard
2010: Pujols
2011: Kemp
2012: Headley
2013: Goldschmidt
2014: González
2015: Arenado
2016: Arenado
2017: Stanton
2018: Báez
2019: Rendon
2020: Ozuna
2021: Duvall
2022: Alonso
2023: Olson
2024: Ohtani

v t e Commissioner's Historic Achievement Award
Barry Bonds Roger Clemens Roberto Clemente Ken Griffey Jr. Tony Gwynn Rickey Henderson Derek Jeter Mark McGwire Shohei Ohtani Cal Ripken Jr. Mariano Rivera Rachel Robinson Vin Scully Seattle Mariners Sammy Sosa Ichiro Suzuki

v t e American League Hank Aaron Award
1999: Ramirez 2000: Delgado 2001: Rodriguez 2002: Rodriguez 2003: Rodriguez 2004: Ramirez 2005: Ortiz 2006: Jeter 2007: Rodriguez 2008: Youkilis 2009: Jeter 2010: Bautista 2011: Bautista 2012: Cabrera 2013: Cabrera 2014: Trout 2015: Donaldson 2016: Ortiz 2017: Altuve 2018: Martinez 2019: Trout 2020: Abreu 2021: Guerrero Jr. 2022: Judge 2023: Ohtani 2024: Judge

v t e National League Hank Aaron Award
1999: Sosa 2000: Helton 2001: Bonds 2002: Bonds 2003: Pujols 2004: Bonds 2005: Jones 2006: Howard 2007: Fielder 2008: Ramírez 2009: Pujols 2010: Votto 2011: Kemp 2012: Posey 2013: Goldschmidt 2014: Stanton 2015: Harper 2016: Bryant 2017: Stanton 2018: Yelich 2019: Yelich 2020: Freeman 2021: Harper 2022: Goldschmidt 2023: Acuña Jr. 2024: Ohtani

American League Designated Hitter Silver Slugger Award

1980: Jackson
1981: Oliver
1982: McRae
1983: Baylor
1984: Thornton
1985: Baylor
1986: Baylor
1987: Molitor
1988: Molitor
1989: Baines
1990: Parker
1991: Thomas
1992: Winfield
1993: Molitor
1994: Franco
1995: E. Martínez
1996: Molitor
1997: E. Martínez
1998: Canseco
1999: Palmeiro
2000: Thomas
2001: E. Martínez
2002: Ramirez
2003: E. Martínez
2004: Ortiz
2005: Ortiz
2006: Ortiz
2007: Ortiz
2008: Huff
2009: Lind
2010: Guerrero
2011: Ortiz
2012: Butler
2013: Ortiz
2014: V. Martínez
2015: Morales
2016: Ortiz
2017: Cruz
2018: J. Martinez
2019: Cruz
2020: Cruz
2021: Ohtani
2022: Alvarez
2023: Ohtani
2024: Rooker

Edgar Martínez Award

1973: Cepeda
1974: T. Davis
1975: Horton
1976: McRae
1977: Rice
1978: Staub
1979: Horton
1980: McRae
1981: Luzinski
1982: McRae
1983: Luzinski
1984: Kingman
1985: Baylor
1986: Baylor
1987: Baines
1988: Baines
1989: Parker
1990: Parker
1991: C. Davis
1992: Winfield
1993: Molitor
1995: E. Martínez
1996: Molitor
1997: E. Martínez
1998: E. Martínez
1999: Palmeiro
2000: E. Martínez
2001: E. Martínez
2002: Burks
2003: Ortiz
2004: Ortiz
2005: Ortiz
2006: Ortiz
2007: Ortiz
2008: Huff
2009: Lind
2010: Guerrero
2011: Ortiz
2012: Butler
2013: Ortiz
2014: V. Martínez
2015: Morales
2016: Ortiz
2017: Cruz
2018: K. Davis
2019: Cruz
2020: Ozuna
2021: Ohtani
2022: Ohtani
2023: Ohtani
2024: Ohtani

The Sporting News MLB Player of the Year Award

1936: Hubbell
1937: Allen
1938: Vander Meer
1939: DiMaggio
1940: Feller
1941: T. Williams
1942: T. Williams
1943: Chandler
1944: Marion
1945: Newhouser
1946: Musial
1947: T. Williams
1948: Boudreau
1949: T. Williams
1950: Rizzuto
1951: Musial
1952: Roberts
1953: Rosen
1954: Mays
1955: Snider
1956: Mantle
1957: T. Williams
1958: Turley
1959: Wynn
1960: Mazeroski
1961: Maris
1962: Wills & Drysdale
1963: Koufax
1964: Boyer
1965: Koufax
1966: Robinson
1967: Yastrzemski
1968: McLain
1969: McCovey
1970: Bench
1971: Torre
1972: B. Williams
1973: Jackson
1974: Brock
1975: Morgan
1976: Morgan
1977: Carew
1978: Guidry
1979: Stargell
1980: Brett
1981: Valenzuela
1982: Yount
1983: Ripken Jr.
1984: Sandberg
1985: Mattingly
1986: Clemens
1987: Bell
1988: Hershiser
1989: Mitchell
1990: Bonds
1991: Ripken Jr.
1992: Sheffield
1993: Thomas
1994: Bagwell
1995: Belle
1996: Rodriguez
1997: Griffey Jr.
1998: Sosa
1999: Palmeiro
2000: Delgado
2001: Bonds
2002: Rodriguez
2003: Pujols
2004: Bonds
2005: Jones
2006: Howard
2007: Rodriguez
2008: Pujols
2009: Pujols
2010: Hamilton
2011: Verlander
2012: Cabrera
2013: Cabrera
2014: Kershaw
2015: Donaldson
2016: Altuve
2017: Altuve
2018: Betts
2019: Trout
2020: Abreu
2021: Ohtani
2022: Judge
2023: Acuña Jr.
2024: Ohtani

v t e The Sporting News MLB Rookie of the Year Award
MLB Rookie	1946: Ennis 1947: J. Robinson 1948: Ashburn 1950: Ford
AL Rookie	1949: Sievers 1951: Miñoso 1952: Courtney 1953: Kuenn 1954: Grim 1955: Score 1956: Aparicio 1957: Kubek & Bouchee 1959: Allison 1960: Hansen 1962: Tresh 2004: Crosby 2005: Street 2006: Verlander 2007: Pedroia 2008: Longoria 2009: Bailey 2010: Jackson 2011: Trumbo 2012: Trout 2013: Myers 2014: Abreu 2015: Correa 2016: Fulmer 2017: Judge 2018: Ohtani 2019: Alvarez 2020: Lewis 2021: García 2022: Rodríguez 2023: Henderson 2024: Miller
NL Rookie	1949: Newcombe 1951: Mays 1952: Black 1953: Gilliam 1954: Moon 1955: Virdon 1956: F. Robinson 1957: Sanford 1959: McCovey 1960: Howard 1962: Hubbs 2004: Bay 2005: Taveras 2006: Ramírez 2007: Braun 2008: Soto 2009: Happ 2010: Heyward 2011: Kimbrel 2012: Miley 2013: Fernández 2014: deGrom 2015: Bryant 2016: Seager 2017: Bellinger 2018: Acuña Jr. 2019: Alonso 2020: Cronenworth 2021: India 2022: Strider 2023: Carroll 2024: Merrill
AL Rookie Player	1958: Pearson 1961: Howser 1963: Ward 1964: Oliva 1965: Blefary 1966: Agee 1967: Carew 1968: Unser 1969: C. May 1970: Foster 1971: Chambliss 1972: Fisk 1973: Bumbry 1974: Hargrove 1975: Lynn 1976: Wynegar 1977: Page 1978: Molitor 1979: Putnam 1980: Charboneau 1981: Gedman 1982: Ripken Jr. 1983: Kittle 1984: Davis 1985: Guillén 1986: Canseco 1987: McGwire 1988: Harvey 1989: Worthington 1990: Alomar Jr. 1991: Knoblauch 1992: Listach 1993: Salmon 1994: Hamelin 1995: G. Anderson 1996: Jeter 1997: Garciaparra 1998: Grieve 1999: Beltrán 2000: Quinn 2001: Suzuki 2002: Hinske 2003: Gerut
AL Rookie Pitcher	1958: Duren 1961: Schwall 1963: Peters 1964: Bunker 1965: M. López 1966: Nash 1967: Phoebus 1968: Bahnsen 1969: Nagy 1970: Blyleven 1971: Parsons 1972: Tidrow 1973: Busby 1974: Tanana 1975: Eckersley 1976: Fidrych 1977: Rozema 1978: Gale 1979: Clear 1980: Burns 1981: Righetti 1982: Vande Berg 1983: Boddicker 1984: Langston 1985: Higuera 1986: Eichhorn 1987: Henneman 1988: Harvey 1989: Gordon 1990: Appier 1991: Guzmán 1992: Eldred 1993: Sele 1994: B. Anderson 1995: Tavárez 1996: Baldwin 1997: Dickson 1998: Arrojo 1999: Hudson 2000: Sasaki 2001: Sabathia 2002: R. López 2003: Soriano
NL Rookie Player	1958: Willey 1961: B. Williams 1963: Rose 1964: Allen 1965: Morgan 1966: Helms 1967: L. May 1968: Bench 1969: Laboy 1970: Carbo 1971: E. Williams 1972: Rader 1973: Matthews 1974: Gross 1975: Carter 1976: Herndon 1977: Dawson 1978: Horner 1979: Leonard 1980: Smith 1981: Raines 1982: Ray 1983: Strawberry 1984: Samuel 1985: Coleman 1986: Thompson 1987: Santiago 1988: Grace 1989: Walton 1990: Justice 1991: Bagwell 1992: Karros 1993: Piazza 1994: Mondesí 1995: Jones 1996: Kendall 1997: Rolen 1998: Helton 1999: Wilson 2000: Furcal 2001: Pujols 2002: Wilkerson 2003: Podsednik
NL Rookie Pitcher	1958: Cepeda 1961: Hunt 1963: Culp 1964: McCool 1965: Linzy 1966: Sutton 1967: Hughes 1968: Koosman 1969: Griffin 1970: Morton 1971: Cleveland 1972: Matlack 1973: Rogers 1974: D'Acquisto 1975: Montefusco 1976: Metzger 1977: Owchinko 1978: D. Robinson 1979: Sutcliffe 1980: Burns 1981: Valenzuela 1982: Bedrosian 1983: McMurtry 1984: Gooden 1985: Browning 1986: Worrell 1987: Dunne 1988: Belcher 1989: Benes 1990: Harkey 1991: Osuna 1992: Wakefield 1993: Rueter 1994: Trachsel 1995: Nomo 1996: Benes 1997: Morris 1998: Wood 1999: Williamson 2000: Ankiel 2001: Oswalt 2002: Jennings 2003: Willis

v t e Baseball America Major League Player of the Year Award
1998: McGwire 1999: Martínez 2000: Rodriguez 2001: Bonds 2002: Rodriguez 2003: Bonds 2004: Bonds 2005: Pujols 2006: Santana 2007: Rodriguez 2008: Sabathia 2009: Mauer 2010: Halladay 2011: Kemp 2012: Trout 2013: Trout 2014: Kershaw 2015: Harper 2016: Trout 2017: Altuve 2018: Trout 2019: Verlander 2020: Freeman 2021: Ohtani 2022: Judge 2023: Ohtani 2024: Judge

Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year

Sporting News Sportsman / Pro Athlete & College Athlete / Athlete of the Year

v t e 2021 All-MLB Team
1st Team	C: Pérez 1B: Guerrero Jr 2B: Semien 3B: Riley SS: Tatís Jr. OF: Harper Judge Soto DH: Ohtani SP: Buehler Burnes Cole Ray Scherzer RP: Hader Hendriks
2nd Team	C: Posey 1B: Freeman 2B: Albies 3B: Devers SS: Turner OF: Castellanos Hernández Tucker DH: Alvarez SP: Fried Gausman Ohtani Urías Wheeler RP: Iglesias Jansen

v t e 2022 All-MLB Team
1st Team	C: Realmuto 1B: Goldschmidt 2B: Altuve 3B: Machado SS: Turner OF: Betts Judge Trout DH: Alvarez SP: Alcántara Manoah Ohtani Verlander Valdez RP: Clase Díaz
2nd Team	C: Smith 1B: Freeman 2B: Giménez 3B: Arenado SS: Lindor OF: Rodríguez Schwarber Tucker DH: Ohtani SP: Cease Fried Nola Scherzer Urías RP: Helsley Pressly

v t e 2023 All-MLB Team
1st Team	C: Rutschman 1B: Freeman 2B: Semien 3B: Riley SS: Seager OF: Acuña Jr. Betts Carroll DH: Ohtani SP: Cole Gallen Ohtani Snell Strider RP: Hader Bautista
2nd Team	C: Heim 1B: Olson 2B: Albies 3B: Ramírez SS: Lindor OF: García Judge Tucker DH: Alvarez SP: Bradish Eovaldi Gausman Gray Montgomery RP: Williams Clase

v t e 2024 All-MLB Team
1st Team	C: Contreras 1B: Guerrero Jr. 2B: Marte 3B: Ramírez SS: Witt Jr. OF: Betts Judge Soto DH: Ohtani SP: Burnes Sale Skenes Skubal Wheeler RP: Clase Helsley
2nd Team	C: Pérez 1B: Harper 2B: Altuve 3B: Machado SS: Lindor OF: Duran Hernández Merrill DH: Alvarez SP: Cease Imanaga King Lugo Valdez RP: Miller Yates

v t e 30–30 club, 40–40 club and 50–50 club
30–30 club (HR-SB)	H. Aaron Abreu Acuña Jr. Bagwell Beltrán Betts Bichette Ba. Bonds Bo. Bonds Braun Burks Canseco Carter Cruz Jr. Davis Ellsbury Gant Green Guerrero Harper Johnson Kemp Kinsler Larkin Lindor Mays Mondesí Mullins Murphy Ohtani Phillips H. Ramírez J. Ramírez Rollins A. Rodriguez J. Rodriguez Sizemore Soriano Sosa Strawberry Trout Walker Ken Williams P. Wilson Witt Jr Wright Yelich
40–40 club (HR-SB)	Acuña Jr. Ba. Bonds Canseco Ohtani Rodriguez Soriano
50–50 club (HR-SB)	Ohtani

Pacific League MVP Award

1950: Betto
1951: K. Yamamoto
1952: Yuki
1953: Okamoto
1954: Oshita
1955: Iida
1956: Nakanishi
1957: Inao
1958: Inao
1959: Sugiura
1960: Yamauchi
1961: Nomura
1962: Harimoto
1963: Nomura
1964: Stanka
1965: Nomura
1966: Nomura
1967: Adachi
1968: Yoneda
1969: Nagaike
1970: Kitaru
1971: Nagaike
1972: Fukumoto
1973: Nomura
1974: Kaneda
1975: Katō
1976: Yamada
1977: Yamada
1978: Yamada
1979: Manuel
1980: Kida
1981: Enatsu
1982: Ochiai
1983: Higashio
1984: Boomer
1985: Ochiai
1986: Ishige
1987: Higashio
1988: Kadota
1989: Bryant
1990: Nomo
1991: T. Kaku
1992: Ishii
1993: Kudō
1994: Ichirō
1995: Ichirō
1996: Ichirō
1997: Nishiguchi
1998: K. Matsui
1999: Kudō
2000: Matsunaka
2001: Rhodes
2002: Cabrera
2003: Johjima
2004: Matsunaka
2005: Sugiuchi
2006: Ogasawara
2007: Darvish
2008: Iwakuma
2009: Darvish
2010: Wada
2011: Uchikawa
2012: Yoshikawa
2013: Tanaka
2014: Kaneko
2015: Yanagita
2016: Ohtani
2017: Sarfate
2018: Yamakawa
2019: Mori
2020: Yanagita
2021: Y. Yamamoto
2022: Y. Yamamoto
2023: Y. Yamamoto
2024: Kondoh

Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters 2016 Japan Series champions

5 Brandon Laird (Japan Series MVP)

11 Shohei Ohtani

13 Yuya Ishii

18 Yuki Saito

26 Daiki Asama

27 Shōta Ōno

31 Hiromi Oka

37 Kenji Yano

39 Hirotoshi Takanashi

Manager: 80 Hideki Kuriyama

Coaches: Bench 84 Kazuyuki Atsuzawa; Pitching 81 Masato Yoshii; Pitching 87 Tomohiro Kuroki; Hitting 79 Noriyuki Shiroishi; Hitting 88 Makoto Kaneko; Catching 78 Shinji Takahashi; Infield 90 Kazuyuki Shirai; Outfield 75 Shinichi Kawana

v t e Los Angeles Dodgers 2024 World Series champions
0 Jack Flaherty 3 Chris Taylor 5 Freddie Freeman (World Series MVP) 8 Kiké Hernández 9 Gavin Lux 11 Miguel Rojas 13 Max Muncy 15 Austin Barnes 16 Will Smith 17 Shohei Ohtani (NL MVP) 18 Yoshinobu Yamamoto 21 Walker Buehler 25 Tommy Edman (NLCS MVP) 37 Teoscar Hernández 40 Brent Honeywell 41 Daniel Hudson 43 Anthony Banda 44 Andy Pages 45 Michael Kopech 48 Brusdar Graterol 49 Blake Treinen 50 Mookie Betts 51 Alex Vesia 57 Ryan Brasier 78 Ben Casparius 96 Landon Knack
Manager 30 Dave Roberts Coaches Bench 71 Danny Lehmann First base 86 Clayton McCullough Third base 91 Dino Ebel Hitting 72 Robert Van Scoyoc 65 Aaron Bates Pitching 92 Mark Prior Asst. pitching 87 Connor McGuiness Bullpen 54 Josh Bard Major league field coordinator 88 Bob Geren
Regular season National League Division Series National League Championship Series Dodgers–Yankees rivalry

Japan Professional Sports Grand Prize

Hickok Belt winners

1950–1976

2012–present

Best Male Athlete ESPY Award winners

1993: Jordan
1994: Bonds
1995: Young
1996: Ripken Jr.
1997: Johnson
1998: Woods / Griffey Jr.
1999: McGwire
2000: Woods
2001: Woods
2002: Woods
2003: Armstrong
2004: Armstrong
2005: Armstrong
2006: Armstrong
2007: Tomlinson
2008: Woods
2009: Phelps
2010: Brees
2011: Nowitzki
2012: James
2013: James
2014: Durant
2015: Curry
2016: James
2017: Westbrook
2018: Ovechkin
2019: Antetokounmpo
2020: Award not given
2021: Brady
2022: Ohtani
2023: Mahomes
2024: Mahomes

Japan roster – 2015 WBSC Premier12

Manager 90 Hiroki Kokubo
Coach 73 Hiroshi Narahara
Coach 79 Takayuki Ohnishi
Coach 80 Atsunori Inaba
Coach 87 Toshihisa Nishi
Coach 88 Akihiro Yano
Coach 89 Yoshitaka Katori

Japan roster – 2023 World Baseball Classic champions (3rd title)

Manager: 89 Hideki Kuriyama

Coaches: Bench Coach 90 Kazuyuki Shirai; Hitting Coach 77 Sadaaki Yoshimura; Infield Coach 79 Noriyuki Shiroishi; Pitching Coach 81 Masato Yoshii; First Base Coach 87 Masaji Shimizu; Bullpen Coach 75 Kazuyuki Atsuzawa; Catching Coach 74 Yoshinori Murata

v t e 2023 World Baseball Classic All WBC Team
Catcher	Salvador Pérez
Infielders	Chang Yu-cheng (1B) Javier Báez (2B) Trea Turner (SS) Yoán Moncada (3B)
Outfielders	Masataka Yoshida Mike Trout Randy Arozarena
Designated hitter	Shohei Ohtani
Pitchers	Shohei Ohtani Miguel Romero Patrick Sandoval