He and basketball legend Michael Jordan were tied after the victory. The only others behind him are LeBron James, Tiger Woods, and four-time champion Lance Armstrong.
After winning the award in 2021 and 2023 with the Angels, Ohtani received 48 points in the vote of 74 sports journalists from the AP and its members. With ten votes, French swimmer Leon Marchand, who took home four gold medals from the Paris Olympics, came in second. With nine votes, golfer Scottie Scheffler, who took both an Olympic gold medal and the Masters this year, finished in third.
Through translator Matt Hidaka, Ohtani told the AP in an exclusive interview, “I’m very honored.” “Clearly, all of the effort has paid off. I might receive the honor once more the following year.
Ohtani’s season was among the finest in baseball history. He signed a $700 million 10-year contract, won the World Series, batted a career-high 310, established the 50/50 club, and earned his third MVP award.
In early November, the two-way player also had surgery to fix a torn labrum in his shoulder that he sustained during the World Series.
He told the AP, “It feels much better, but I don’t have full range of motion yet.” “No pain exists. It is evident that some tightness still exists, but it is gradually improving.
Although the rehabilitation procedure is long, he is making progress. But when it comes to where he plays on the field and whether or not he is pitching, he is more concerned with the here and now than with the future.
He remarked, “I think the little things are really important to get me to the end goal, which is just to get back healthy.”
Ohtani isn’t ruling out the possibility that he won’t be well enough to pitch when the Dodgers begin the season in Tokyo, despite some rumors to the contrary.
I want to be completely healthy when the first games do start,” he stated. “It would be great to be able to pitch and hit, but the situation will sort of guide itself.”
