The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani is greeted in the dugout after he hit his 46th home run of the season during the first inning of a game against the Seattle Mariners on Sunday, Oct. 3, 2021, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani is coming off a once-in-a-lifetime season in which he was one of baseball’s best hitters and pitchers, and on Thursday he was named the American League’s Most Valuable Player.
Ohtani hit 46 home runs and posted a .965 OPS, both among the top three in the American League. On the mound, he was 9-2 with a 3.18 ERA and 156 strikeouts in 130-1/3 innings.
The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani throws a pitch against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning of a game at Angel Stadium on April 4, 2021. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani rounds the bases after hitting a double against the Texas Rangers in the top of the second inning on April 28, 2021, in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani watches his two-run home run during the fifth inning of a game against the Detroit Tigers on Sunday, June 20, 2021, at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani slides home to score ahead of a tag by Baltimore Orioles catcher Pedro Severino during the ninth inning of a game on Friday, July 2, 2021, at Angel Stadium. The run won the game for the Angels, 8-7. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani, center, celebrates with teammate Luis Rengifo, left, and third base coach Brian Butterfield after sliding home to score during the ninth inning of a game against the Baltimore Orioles on Friday, July 2, 2021, at Angel Stadium. The run won the game for the Angels, 8-7. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani celebrates in the dugout after hitting a solo home run during the third inning against the Seattle Mariners on July 9, 2021, in Seattle. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani signs autographs for fans before a game against the Seattle Mariners on July 11, 2021, in Seattle. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani runs to first base in the first inning during the 91st MLB All-Star Game on July 13, 2021, at Coors Field in Denver. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani throws to the plate during the first inning of the MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday, July 13, 2021, at Coors Field in Denver. Ohtani was the starting pitcher and starting designated hitter for the American League. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani reacts in the first inning of the 91st MLB All-Star Game on July 13, 2021, at Coors Field in Denver. Ohtani was the starting pitcher and designated hitter for the American League. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/Getty Images)The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani beats the tag by Trevor Story of the Colorado Rockies for a stolen base in the first inning of a July 26, 2021 game at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)Angel fans cheer as Shohei Ohtani rounds the bases after hitting a three-run home run in the fourth inning of a game against the Rockies on Wednesday, July 28, 2021, at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani laughs in the dugout after his first at-bat against the Texas Rangers during the first inning of an Aug. 3, 2021 game in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani throws to the plate during the first inning of a game against the Texas Rangers on Sept. 3, 2021, at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani follows through on his three-run home run during the sixth inning of a game against the Texas Rangers on Sept. 4, 2021, at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani slides into second base as Nick Solak of the Texas Rangers looks on during the eighth inning of their Sept. 4, 2021 game at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani celebrates after striking out the Oakland Athletics’ Matt Chapman to end the eighth inning of their Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021 game at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani throws to the plate during the fifth inning of a game against the Seattle Mariners on Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021, at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Michael Owen Baker)The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani gestures to a teammate in the dugout before taking on the Texas Rangers on Sept. 28, 2021, in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani celebrates with teammate Jared Walsh in the dugout before taking on the Texas Rangers on Sept. 29, 2021, in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani wins the Commissioner’s Historic Achievement Award from Rob Manfred before Game 1 of the World Series between the Houston Astros and the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2021, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
