Shohei Ohtani captures back-to-back NL MVPs, while AL MVP race has close finish

The MLB Most Valuable Player Awards for the 2025 play are official, and portion 1 league was a choky race, it wasn’t adjacent to the other. 

After winning his 2nd World Series successful arsenic galore years with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani besides has back-to-back NL MVP Awards nether his loop aft a unanimous ballot from the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

The two-way Japanese superstar was named the 2025 NL MVP, giving him 4 full implicit his MLB career. He won his archetypal 2 successful the American League with the Los Angeles Angels. In fact, helium has won an MVP Award successful each of the past 3 seasons, having won the 2023 grant successful his last twelvemonth arsenic an Angels star. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, right, talks with interpreter Ippei Mizuhara during the ninth inning of an opening time shot crippled against the San Diego Padres astatine the Gocheok Sky Dome successful Seoul, South Korea Wednesday, March 20, 2024, successful Seoul, South Korea.  (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Now, Ohtani has conscionable Barry Bonds to pursuit for the astir MVP Awards successful MLB history. Bonds won 7 NL MVPs, a feat immoderate judge is inactive untouchable. Ohtani was tied with 10 different players with 3 implicit their careers, but the 31-year-old is successful a caller presumption present and lone looking up astatine Bonds. 

Philadelphia Phillies' Kyle Schwarber and New York Mets' Juan Soto were the 2 remaining finalists successful the NL. Schwarber received 23 second-place votes to Soto's four. 

Ohtani, a five-time All-Star now, led the National League successful runs scored (146), slugging percent (.622) and OPS (1.024), portion mashing 55 location runs with 102 RBI and a .282 average. Ohtani besides sported a .392 on-base percent with 20 intentional walks, which besides led the NL. 

And aft not being capable to transportation successful 2024, Ohtani was backmost connected the mound this play with a 2.87 ERA implicit 14 starts (47) innings with 62 strikeouts and 9 walks. 

PAUL SKENES, TARIK SKUBAL WIN CY YOUNG AWARDS AS TRADE RUMORS SWIRL AROUND STAR PITCHERS

Of course, the grant is strictly based connected the regular season, but Ohtani played a large portion successful the Dodgers’ retaining their World Series rubric successful an epic seven-game bid against the Toronto Blue Jays. Over 17 postseason games, Ohtani slashed .265/.405/.691 with 8 homers, 3 doubles and 14 RBI. 

While it was virtually a fastener Ohtani would beryllium named the NL MVP, 1 of baseball’s biggest debates revolved astir the AL MVP – was it going to beryllium New York Yankees skipper Aaron Judge going back-to-back, oregon would Seattle Mariners switch-hitting catcher Cal Raleigh’s imagination play extremity with it successful his grasp?

The shot writers chose Judge. 

New York Yankees' Aaron Judge runs to archetypal aft hitting a two-run location tally successful the archetypal inning during a shot crippled against the Kansas City Royals, Tuesday, June 10, 2025, successful Kansas City, Missouri.  (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)

Judge received 17 first-place votes to Raleigh's 13, which the BBWAA says it the closest MVP contention since 2019.

Judge has present won his 3rd MVP of his vocation and 3 of the past 4 successful the American League.

While Raleigh had Judge bushed successful the location tally department, the Yankees slugger won his archetypal vocation batting title, starring MLB with a .331 average. He besides led each of MLB with a .457 on-base percentage, .688 slugging percentage, 1.144 OPS and was the person successful the American League with 137 runs. 

Judge tallied 114 RBI, and helium was intentionally walked 36 times, blowing distant Ohtani’s NL-leading total.

BACK-TO-BACK, TWICE: PAT MURPHY, STEPHEN VOGT REPEAT AS MLB MANAGERS OF THE YEAR

This was Judge’s seventh All-Star play arsenic helium continues to beryllium arguably the champion axenic hitter successful MLB. Unfortunately for him and the pinstripes, they were incapable to marque the tally Ohtani and the Dodgers did. The Yankees were beaten by the AL-pennant-winning Blue Jays successful the ALDS, though Judge had rather the memorable infinitesimal successful Game 3 with a clutch location tally disconnected the foul rod to support the Yankees’ play alive. 

Raleigh was 1 of the top shot stories of the season, arsenic it conscionable seemed Raleigh couldn’t beryllium stopped – and couldn’t halt breaking records successful the process. 

Raleigh deed 60 location runs, which not lone led MLB, but it acceptable the league grounds for the astir ever by a catcher, a switch-hitter and a Mariners player. He finished with 125 RBI portion slashing .247/.359/.948 crossed 159 games. 

Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh reacts aft hitting his 60th location tally during the eighth inning of a shot crippled against the Colorado Rockies successful Seattle, Washington, connected Sept. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Yes, Raleigh played successful each but 3 games this season, which includes 128 games astatine the league’s astir demanding presumption arsenic a catcher. 

Those pulling for Raleigh during the play pointed to however helium was consistently breaking records for a presumption that usually gets overlooked for this benignant of award. He was a wide origin successful the Mariners securing the AL West rubric for the archetypal clip since 2001, and they made rather the tally successful the postseason, too, earlier yet succumbing to the Blue Jays successful Game 7. 

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports sum connected X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.