Ohtani, Judge win MVP awards

Two-way star Shohei Ohtani won his fourth Most Valuable Player award in a unanimous vote for the National League honor Thursday, and Aaron Judge earned the American League accolade for the third time. Ohtani won a MVP for the third straight year, his second in the NL with the Los Angeles Dodgers after two in the AL with the Los Angeles Angels. Judge became the New York Yankees' fourth three-time winner, edging Seattle's Cal Raleigh with 17 first-place votes to 13 for the switch-hitting catcher. The vote was the closest for an MVP since the Angels' Mike Trout topped Houston's Alex Bregman by 17-13 in 2019. Ohtani became just the second player to win at least four MVP awards, trailing only seven by Barry Bonds. The 31-year-old Ohtani is the first to win in each league twice after getting the AL honor in 2021 and 2023. He signed with the crosstown Dodgers the following offseason and won NL MVP in 2024 during his first season in Chavez Ravine. He's also won the World Series in both his seasons with the Dodgers. Ohtani won all four of his MVPs in unanimous fashion with all 30 first-place votes. Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber finished second with 23 second-place votes while New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto was third with four. Ohtani hit .282 and led the NL with a 1.014 OPS. He also had 55 homers, 102 RBI and 20 stolen bases. The right-hander returned to pitching in June after missing 1 1/2 seasons on the mound because of an elbow injury. He struck out 62 batters over 47 innings, slowly increasing his workload while preparing for the postseason. Ohtani continued to shine in October with arguably the greatest single game in MLB history. He hit three homers at the plate while striking out 10 over six dominant innings Oct. 17, leading the Dodgers over the Milwaukee Brewers to finish a NL Championship Series sweep. Schwarber — who earned a $50,000 bonus for finishing second — was a finalist for the Phillies after hitting an NL-best 56 homers and leading the big leagues with 132 RBI. The three-time All-Star played in all 162 games, anchoring a lineup that won 96 games. Soto overcame a slow start to the season to have his typically stellar offensive output. The four-time All-Star — who signed a $765 million, 15-year deal last December — had 43 homers, 105 RBI and an NL-best 38 stolen bases. He received a $150,000 bonus for finishing third in the MVP voting. Judge, who won the AL award in 2022 and 2024, joined Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra and Mickey Mantle as three-time MVPs with the Yankees. The 33-year-old outfielder led the majors with a .331 batting average and 1.144 OPS while hitting 53 homers. The prior winner of back-to-back AL MVPs was Detroit's Miguel Cabrera in 2012 and 2013. Raleigh, nicknamed "Big Dumper," led the big leagues with 60 homers, the most for a player primarily a catcher. He started 119 games behind the plate and another 38 at designated hitter. The 28-year-old also had a career-high 125 RBI, leading the Mariners to one of their best seasons in franchise history.Cleveland's José Ramírez finished third. Arizona's Geraldo Perdomo finished fourth in the NL voting, earning him $2.5 million annual salary increases in 2028 and 2029 along with the price of Arizona's 2030 club option.