LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani is protecting elite firm.
The Japanese celebrity caps 2024 by successful The Related Press Male Athlete of the Yr 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 am very honored,” Ohtani mentioned by means of interpreter Matt Hidaka in an unique interview with the AP. “Clearly all of the onerous work has paid off. Possibly subsequent 12 months, I am going to get the award once more.”
In balloting by 74 sports activities journalists from the AP and its members, Ohtani obtained 48 factors. He beforehand received the award in 2023 and 2021, when he was with the Angels.
“Rising up in Japan, I did comply with Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods,” he mentioned. “I might see their accolades and the way they had been profitable in the USA.”
The AP honor has been given out since 1931. Golfer Babe Didrikson received six occasions, essentially the most by a person or girl.
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 Yr will probably be introduced Tuesday.
Transferring from the beleaguered Los Angeles Angels to the powerhouse Los Angeles Dodgers, Ohtani received his third Most Worthwhile Participant award and first within the Nationwide League, led his new group to its eighth World Sequence championship and created Main League Baseball’s 50/50 membership by hitting 54 residence 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 repute 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 residence runs and stolen bases.
In September, he reached the beforehand unheard of fifty/50 mark in a efficiency for the ages. Towards the Miami Marlins in Florida, Ohtani went 6 for six with 3 homers, 10 RBIs, 2 stolen bases and 17 whole bases.
“It would not shock me if he went 60/60 and 20 wins a 12 months from now,” Brad Ausmus, who managed the Angels in 2019 throughout Ohtani’s second season in Anaheim, mentioned not too long ago. “This man is the best athlete to ever play the game of baseball and there is not an in depth second.”
Ohtani mentioned he knew the Dodgers’ franchise file for many homers in a season was 49. His earlier finest was 46, set in 2021.
“I type of needed to recover from that bar,” he mentioned. “I used to be pleasantly shocked I used to be capable of go that file.”
Ohtani carried the Dodgers offensively through the common season, and he stayed wholesome till Recreation 2 of the World Sequence. He injured his left shoulder making an attempt to steal second base in opposition to the New York Yankees and completed the Sequence taking part in damage.
He underwent surgical procedure just a few days after the Dodgers celebrated their championship in early November.
“I haven’t got full vary of movement but, but it surely feels quite a bit higher,” he advised the AP. “There is no ache. There’s clearly nonetheless slightly little bit of tightness, however slowly however absolutely it is getting higher.”
Ohtani not too long ago obtained an up to date rehab schedule, and he is centered on the near-term.
“It is the small steps that I feel are crucial to get me to the last word objective, which is to simply get again wholesome,” he mentioned.
Ohtani can be throwing within the 70 mph vary, which is typical for pitchers early within the offseason.
“I’ll proceed 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 might go together with a five-man rotation with a bullpen [game], which is what we did quite a bit throughout this season or we might have a six-man rotation,” he mentioned. “However it’s all about balancing out after we can get relaxation and recuperate. We’ll see the place that takes us alongside the playoff chase. I’ve received to clearly tempo myself, however once more that scenario will information us to how we get there.”
The Dodgers open the 2025 season in Japan, the place Ohtani is much more intently watched.
“My private objective is to be absolutely wholesome by the point the opening video games do begin,” he mentioned. “To have the ability to pitch and hit can be nice, however the scenario will type of information 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 simply go on the market and attempt to keep inside myself,” he mentioned. “I can solely management what I can management and that is the place you belief your teammates. The blokes behind me, you belief they’ll make the performs for you. I do not actually attempt to overthink it.”
Ohtani generated huge bucks for the Dodgers off the sphere, too.
Followers traveled from Japan in droves to see him play across the U.S. At Dodger Stadium, they usually paid further for excursions of baseball’s third-oldest venue narrated by Japanese-speaking guides and to be on the sphere throughout pregame batting apply. 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 latest 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 employees, and got here away impressed.
“I actually do consider that nearly as good of a ballplayer as he’s, he is a significantly better particular person. He is very variety, thoughtful, he cares,” Roberts advised the AP. “I am simply pleased with any fame or glory or award that he receives as a result of he simply does it in such a respectful and humble manner.”
Ohtani relishes his privateness and barely shares particulars about himself off the sphere. That is why his February announcement through 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 buddy, Ippei Mizuhara, was fired by the Dodgers after being accused of utilizing hundreds of thousands of {dollars} of Ohtani’s cash to position bets with an unlawful bookmaker.
His new teammates rallied round Ohtani, who was discovered to don’t have any half within the wrongdoing, and publicly it did not 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 practically $17 million from Ohtani.
The general public received 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.
Because of this, Decoy turned a celeb in his personal proper, along with his breed (pronounced COY-ker-HUND-che) making the record of essentially the most mispronounced phrases of 2024. He and Ohtani had been talked about through the telecast of final month’s Nationwide Canine Present, the place the small spaniel-type breed was among the many opponents.
“The variety of the breed has type of dwindled, so by him gaining slightly bit of recognition hopefully that brings up the variety of his breed,” Ohtani mentioned. “I do really feel like we had been capable of, in a small manner, contribute to the recognition of the canine and I am positive Decoy himself can be glad about that.”
Ohtani will probably be trying to high himself subsequent 12 months whereas eyeing a repeat World Sequence title.
“It is virtually like proper now you may lock within the Most Worthwhile Participant within the Nationwide League award as a result of nobody has that means or expertise,” Roberts mentioned.
“I am simply excited to see what ’25 has for Shohei Ohtani.”
