Going into the first year of his ten-year, 700 million dollar contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers—the largest contract in sports history—fans around the world were excited to see two-time American League MVP Shohei Ohtani back in action. Since 2018, the Japanese superstar has dominated the MLB with his unprecedented dominance as a pitcher and a hitter, a combination of talents that baseball has not seen since the early days of Babe Ruth’s career. However, coming off of a Tommy John surgery after his season-ending elbow injury in 2023, many were worried as to whether or not Ohtani would be able to perform on his new team. Due to this surgery, his role on the already star-studded Dodgers would be limited to hitting, with Ohtani only being able to play the DH (Designated Hitter) position for the duration of the season. In spite of all of this, Ohtani had one of the greatest seasons ever and is the clear favorite to win the NL MVP, a feat that no DH has ever accomplished.
Ohtani finished the regular season with a Dodgers record of 54 home runs and a personal record of 59 stolen bases, a combination that has never been reached in MLB history. Ohtani was the fastest-ever player to join the 40/40 club (40 home runs and 40 stolen bases), reaching it in only 126 games, 21 games fewer than the previous record. Shohei Ohtani’s 153rd game was one to watch and sparked a debate over the greatest played individual baseball game in history. In this game, he went 6 for 6 batting with three home runs and two stolen bases, reaching both 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in this historic game to become the inaugural member of the 50/50 club. He also recorded 10 Runs Batted In (RBI) in this game, leading the Dodgers to a 20-4 win over the Miami Marlins.
With the National League MVP firmly in Ohtani’s hands, a debate has sparked as to whether his season deserves to overshadow the New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge, the sure winner of the American League MVP. Judge ranks above Ohtani in home runs, runners batted in, and batting average, along with some more advanced stats such as OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage) and WAR (wins above replacement—a measurement of how valuable a player is to their respective team). This has led some to believe that the buzz surrounding Ohtani is unwarranted and that Judge should be the one on the receiving end of the hype. However, Ohtani was the first ever to achieve the 50/50 milestone, an achievement that may never happen again, and did lead Judge in multiple stat categories as well. The hype for Ohtani is definitely warranted, but Judge’s outstanding season has gone under the radar, gaining less recognition than it actually deserves.
Since Ohtani spent his first six years on the moribund Los Angeles Angels, this year marks his first playoff appearance in the MLB, and the expectations are through the roof. With both Ohtani and Judge leading their teams to the #1 seed in their respective leagues, perhaps the best way to settle the debate is on baseball’s biggest stage: the World Series.
This article also appears in our October 2024 print edition.
