Inside The Dodgers

Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani Wins Record Fourth Unanimous MVP Award

J.P. Hoornstra|
Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) during the World Series celebration at Dodger Stadium on Nov. 3, 2025.
Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) during the World Series celebration at Dodger Stadium on Nov. 3, 2025. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

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Los Angeles Dodgers

Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani made history on Thursday, becoming the first player to win four Most Valuable Player awards by unanimous vote, and the only player to win multiple MVP awards in both leagues.

Ohtani, who was the MVP of the American League in 2021 and 2023, and the National League last year, is only the second player to be named MVP at least four times. Only Barry Bonds, a seven-time NL MVP, has won more.

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Ohtani was the only Dodgers player listed on all 30 MVP ballots by the Baseball Writers Association of America.

Ohtani returned to pitching midway through the 2025 season after spending all of 2024 as the Dodgers' designated hitter. He hit a career-high 55 home runs and also pitched 47 innings, finishing with a 2.87 ERA.

Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber finished second after leading the NL with 56 home runs. New York Mets right fielder Juan Soto finished third.

Last year, Ohtani was an easy choice for the award after becoming the first player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a single season. This year, the choice was no less difficult for the BBWAA electorate.

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Ohtani joins three-time National League MVP Roy Campanella as the only players to have won multiple MVP awards as Dodgers. He is the only player in MLB, NBA, NFL, or NHL history to win both an MVP and a championship in each of his first two seasons with a team.

Bonds, who won the award from 2001-04 with the San Francisco Giants, was the last player to win three consecutive MVP awards before Ohtani.

"The biggest thing is obviously being able to win the World Series," Ohtani said in a live interview on MLB Network after being announced as the winner. "It's icing on the cake just to be able win an individual award, being crowned the MVP."

In 158 games as the Dodgers' designated hitter, Ohtani slashed .282/.392/.622. He led the NL in slugging percentage and OPS. His 146 runs were the most by any Dodgers player since 1890, the team's first year in the National League. His 380 total bases also led both leagues.

Ohtani ranked second in home runs and walks (109) and fourth in triples (nine) in the National League.

As a pitcher, Ohtani finished with a 2.87 ERA in 14 regular season starts. He had 62 strikeouts in 47 innings pitched with a 1.04 WHIP.

In October, Ohtani helped the Dodgers win their second World Series, starting two games as a pitcher and all seven against the Toronto Blue Jays as their leadoff hitter. He set a major league record by reaching base nine times in the Dodgers' 18-inning victory in Game 3.

Ohtani and Joe Morgan are the only players to win a World Series and MVP award in consecutive seasons.

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J.P. Hoornstra
J.P. HOORNSTRA

J.P. Hoornstra is an On SI Contributor. A veteran of 20 years of sports coverage for daily newspapers in California, J.P. covered MLB, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Los Angeles Angels (occasionally of Anaheim) from 2012-23 for the Southern California News Group. His first book, The 50 Greatest Dodgers Games of All-Time, published in 2015. In 2016, he won an Associated Press Sports Editors award for breaking news coverage. He once recorded a keyboard solo on the same album as two of the original Doors.

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