Ohtani unanimous NL MVP; 4th win in 5 seasons

Shohei Ohtani was named National League MVP on Thursday, capturing all 30 first-place votes from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America in the wake of another dynamic offensive season that included a successful return to pitching and was once again capped by a championship.

Ohtani has won four MVPs over the past five years, all of them in unprecedented fashion. Only Barry Bonds has more with seven.

Ohtani, 31, had already joined Hall of Famer Frank Robinson as the only players to win MVP in both the American and National Leagues. He’s also the only player among the four major American professional sports with more than one unanimous MVP. Now, Ohtani is the first player in MLB, NBA, NHL and NFL history to win both an MVP and a championship in each of his first two seasons with a team, according to ESPN Research.

Los Angeles Angels, Ohtani has compiled a major league-leading 44.4 FanGraphs wins above replacement. Second on that list is New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge with 42.8.