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Shohei Ohtani joins David Ortiz in impressive story after his latest award
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Shohei Ohtani joins David Ortiz in impressive story after his latest award

Thursday night, Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani was named Edgar Martinez’s designated hitter of the year. This is Ohtani’s fourth straight win in that department and is a likely precursor to him winning his third MVP award.

The MVP Awards will be announced next week. With Thursday night’s victory, Ohtani joined former Boston Red Sox star David Ortiz in baseball history.

By MLB.com:

Ohtani is the second player to win the outstanding designated hitter award for four consecutive years, joining Hall of Famer David Ortiz, who won five consecutive times from 2003 to 2007.

Ohtani had a masterful year for the World Champion Dodgershitting .310 with 54 home runs and 130 RBIs. He became the first player in history to reach 50/50 in a season, also recording 59 stolen bases. He was relegated to DH-only duties because he couldn’t pitch the entire season. He spent the year recovering from Tommy John surgery and will hopefully be back on the mound in 2025.

However, questions arise about his timetable for returning to the mound. Ohtani just had surgery for a labrum he tore during the World Series. The surgery was on his non-throwing arm, but could certainly impact his ability to follow his offseason regimen.

The Dodgers said he would be ready to play by the time spring training rolls around in February.

If and when Ohtani wins the MVP award, he will join Frank Robinson as the only players in history to win the MVP award in both leagues.

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