LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani is conserving elite firm.
The Japanese celebrity caps 2024 by successful The Related Press Male Athlete of the 12 months for the third time, tying him with basketball nice Michael Jordan. He trails solely four-time winners Lance Armstrong, Tiger Woods and LeBron James.
“I’m very honored,” Ohtani mentioned by means of translator Matt Hidaka in an unique interview with the AP. ”Clearly all of the laborious work has paid off. Possibly subsequent 12 months, I’ll get the award once more.”
In balloting by 74 sports activities journalists from the AP and its members, Ohtani acquired 48 votes. He beforehand received the award in 2023 and 2021, when he was with the Angels.
“Growing up in Japan, I did follow Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods,” he mentioned. “I would see their accolades and how they were successful in the United States.”
The AP honor has been given out since 1931. Golfer Babe Didrikson received six instances, essentially the most by a person or lady.
Swimmer Léon Marchand of France, who received 4 gold medals on the Paris Olympics, was second with 10 votes in balloting introduced Monday. Golfer Scottie Scheffler, whose victories this 12 months included the Masters and an Olympic gold medal, was third with 9.
The AP Feminine Athlete of the 12 months might be introduced Tuesday.
Shifting from the beleaguered Los Angeles Angels to the powerhouse Los Angeles Dodgers, Ohtani received his third Most Beneficial Participant award and first within the Nationwide League, led his new group to its eighth World Collection championship and created Main League Baseball’s 50/50 membership by hitting 54 house runs and stealing 59 bases.
Ohtani signed a then-record $700 million, 10-year contract with the Dodgers in December 2023. Already a two-way celebrity, he embellished his status even additional regardless of not pitching all season whereas he rehabilitated from a second main proper elbow surgical procedure he had in September 2023.
Ohtani went wild on offense, making each at-bat a must-see second. The 6-foot-4 designated hitter batted a career-high .310 whereas simply surpassing his earlier profession highs in house runs and stolen bases.
In September, he reached the beforehand unheard of fifty/50 mark in a efficiency for the ages. In opposition to the Miami Marlins in Florida, Ohtani went 6 for six with three homers, 10 RBIs, two stolen bases and 17 complete bases.
“It wouldn’t shock me if he went 60/60 and 20 wins a year from now,” Brad Ausmus, who managed the Angels in 2019 throughout Ohtani’s second season in Anaheim, mentioned lately. “This guy is the greatest athlete to ever play the sport of baseball and there’s not a close second.”
Ohtani mentioned he knew the Dodgers’ franchise file for many homers in a season was 49. His earlier greatest was 46, set in 2021.
“I kind of wanted to get over that bar,” he mentioned. “I was pleasantly surprised I was able to pass that record.”
Ohtani carried the Dodgers offensively in the course of the common season, and he stayed wholesome till Recreation 2 of the World Collection. He injured his left shoulder making an attempt to steal second base in opposition to the New York Yankees and completed the Collection enjoying harm.
He underwent surgical procedure just a few days after the Dodgers celebrated their championship in early November.
“I don’t have full range of motion yet, but it feels a lot better,” he instructed the AP. “There’s no pain. There’s obviously still a little bit of tightness, but slowly but surely it’s getting better.”
Ohtani lately acquired an up to date rehab schedule, and he’s targeted on the near-term.
“It’s the small steps that I think are very important to get me to the ultimate goal, which is to just get back healthy,” he mentioned.
Ohtani can also be throwing within the 70 mph vary, which is typical for pitchers early within the offseason.
“I’m going to continue to ramp up slowly,” he mentioned.
The Dodgers’ rotation for subsequent season is in flux, and Ohtani is ready to see the way it shakes out.
“We may go with a five-man rotation with a bullpen (game), which is what we did a lot during this season or we may have a six-man rotation,” he mentioned. “But it’s all about balancing out when we can get rest and recuperate. We’ll see where that takes us along the playoff chase. I’ve got to obviously pace myself, but again that situation will guide us to how we get there.”
The Dodgers open the 2025 season in Japan, the place Ohtani is much more carefully watched.
“My personal goal is to be fully healthy by the time the opening games do start,” he mentioned. “To be able to pitch and hit would be great, but the situation will kind of guide itself.”
Every time Ohtani involves the plate or steps on the mound, there’s nice stress and expectation for him to carry out spectacular feats.
“I just go out there and try to stay within myself,” he mentioned. “I can only control what I can control and that’s where you trust your teammates. The guys behind me, you trust they’re going to make the plays for you. I don’t really try to overthink it.”
Ohtani generated large bucks for the Dodgers off the sector, too.
Followers traveled from Japan in droves to see him play across the U.S. At Dodger Stadium, they paid further for excursions of baseball’s third-oldest venue narrated by Japanese-speaking guides and to be on the sector throughout pre-game batting follow. A majority of the followers purchased Ohtani-branded merchandise, particularly his No. 17 jersey.
Ohtani’s presence additionally helped the Dodgers land a bevy of recent Japanese sponsors.
As a result of Ohtani prefers to talk Japanese and use an interpreter with the media, he’s shrouded in a little bit of mystique. Requested earlier than his first postgame collection if he was nervous, he dropped a one-word reply in English: “Nope,” which drew laughter.
Japanese-born Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts noticed Ohtani’s behind-the-scenes interactions along with his teammates, coaches and workers, and got here away impressed.
“I really do believe that as good of a ballplayer as he is, he’s a much better person. He’s very kind, considerate, he cares,” Roberts instructed the AP. “I’m just proud of any fame or glory or award that he receives because he just does it in such a respectful and humble way.”
Ohtani relishes his privateness and barely shares particulars about himself off the sector. That’s why his February announcement by way of Instagram that he had wed Mamiko Tanaka, a former basketball participant, shocked his new teammates and the remainder of the world.
The next month, after the Dodgers arrived in South Korea to open the season, he was enveloped in scandal when his longtime interpreter and good friend, Ippei Mizuhara, was fired by the Dodgers after being accused of utilizing thousands and thousands of {dollars} of Ohtani’s cash to put bets with an unlawful bookmaker.
His new teammates rallied round Ohtani, who was discovered to haven’t any half within the wrongdoing, and publicly it didn’t appear to have an effect on him even when he was privately distressed by it.
By June, the uproar had subsided. Mizuhara pleaded responsible to federal financial institution and tax fraud costs and admitted to stealing almost $17 million from Ohtani.
The general public obtained a glimpse of Ohtani’s softer aspect in August, when his canine Decoy delivered a primary pitch to his proprietor on their shared bobblehead night time. The Nederlandse Kooikerhondje exchanged an endearing high-five with Ohtani on the plate.
In consequence, Decoy turned a celeb in his personal proper, along with his breed (pronounced COY-ker-HUND-che) making the listing of essentially the most mispronounced phrases of 2024. He and Ohtani have been talked about in the course of the telecast of final month’s Nationwide Canine Present, the place the small Spaniel-type breed was among the many opponents.
“The number of the breed has kind of dwindled, so by him gaining a little bit of popularity hopefully that brings up the number of his breed,” Ohtani mentioned. “I do feel like we were able to, in a small way, contribute to the popularity of the dog and I’m sure Decoy himself would be happy about that.”
Ohtani might be trying to high himself subsequent 12 months whereas eyeing a repeat World Collection title.
“It’s almost like right now you can lock in the Most Valuable Player in the National League award because no one has that ability or talent,” Roberts mentioned.
“I’m just excited to see what ’25 has for Shohei Ohtani.”