OC Register: Angels’ Shohei Ohtani wins American League MVP

[AngelsWin.com]

Shohei Ohtani’s historic season reached the finale that everyone expected.

Ohtani was named the American League MVP on Thursday afternoon, winning unanimously in voting by two baseball writers representing each city in the league.

The last unanimous winner in the American League was Mike Trout, in 2014.

Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. finished in second, and his teammate, second baseman Marcus Semien, finished third.

Ohtani, 27, completed a remarkable season in which he was baseball’s most successful two-way player since Babe Ruth in 1919.

Ohtani hit .257 with 46 home runs and a .965 OPS. He was third in the league in homers and second in OPS, both times trailing Guerrero.

While Guerrero only hit and played first base, Ohtani also pitched, which is certainly what pushed him over the top.

Ohtani started 23 games, posting a 9-2 record and a 3.18 ERA. He had 156 strikeouts in 130-1/3 innings.

The MVP award is the biggest prize for Ohtani in an offseason that has already seen him win the Players’ Choice Award as Major League Player of the Year and American League Outstanding Player, voted by major league players. The Sporting News, which also polled players, also elected Ohtani as its Player of the Year.

He won the Commissioner’s Historic Achievement Award, the first player to be so honored since 2014.

More to come on this story

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