Shohei Ohtani has done it again.
Ohtani on Thursday night captured his second straight National League MVP award—his third straight MVP award overall and fourth in his career—vaulting the Dodgers two-way star into some truly elite company while capping off yet another magical season that saw Los Angeles capture its second straight World Series title.
Ohtani was the unanimous choice for the 2025 NL MVP, earning all 30 first-place votes on the ballots voted on by the BBWAA. Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber finished second with 260 points in the voting, and Mets outfielder Juan Soto finished third with 231 points.
Ohtani has won the MVP via a unanimous vote all four times he has earned the award in 2021, ‘23, ‘24 and ‘25.
Ohtani was his usual dominant self at the plate, posting an NL-leading 1.014 OPS while excelling in his return to the pitching mound after undergoing elbow surgery in 2023.
Ohtani makes history in plethora of ways by winning 2025 NL MVP award
Stop me if you've heard this one before: Shohei Ohtani has made MLB history by winning the NL MVP award. Just last year, Ohtani took home MVP honors in the NL and etched his way into the history books by becoming just the second player all-time (along with Frank Robinson) to win the MVP award in both the American and National Leagues. This year, Ohtani became the first player in MLB history to win multiple MVP awards in each league.
Here are a few other notable ways Ohtani made history by securing the 2025 NL MVP:
Ohtani is the first Dodgers player to win back-to-back MVP Awards
Ten different players have won 13 MVP awards for the Dodgers. But no player, until Ohtani in 2025, had captured consecutive MVP awards. Ohtani also joins Hall of Fame catcher Roy Campanella as the only players in franchise history to win multiple MVP awards.
Equaling Barry Bonds in more ways than one
By winning the 2025 NL MVP, Ohtani became just the second player to win four MVP awards in a career, joining Barry Bonds, who won seven in his decorated—and pilloried—career. He also joined Bonds as the only players to win three straight MVP awards. Bonds accomplished the feat when he took home four straight MVP awards from 2001 to ’04. Pretty, pretty good.
Combining regular season and postseason excellence
Ohtani is the first player since 2010—Josh Hamilton—to win a LCS or World Series MVP and a regular season MVP in the same season, a feat that has been accomplished by just seven players.
Ohtani‘s MVP award comes on the heels of legendary postseason
After a bit of a quiet postseason for the Dodgers‘s in '24, Ohtani was a menace in '25, belting eight home runs and posting a 1.096 OPS while recording a 2–1 record as well as a 4.43 ERA (2.84 FIP) with 28 strikeouts in 20 1/3 innings pitched.
During the Dodgers‘ repeat title run, Ohtani authored one of the greatest performances in sports history—it's difficult to think of one that tops it—by smashing three home runs and pitching six shutout innings with 10 strikeouts to power the Dodgers to victory over the Brewers in Game 4 of the NLCS and secure LCS MVP honors.
Ohtani then left his mark on a Dodgers‘ marathon victory in 18 innings in Game 3 of the World Series against the Blue Jays, belting a pair of home runs while reaching base an unimaginable nine times (a postseason record) thanks to five walks.
With yet another MVP award added to his trophy case, Ohtani continues to scale the mountain of MLB greatness.