Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge Create History with Consecutive MVP Wins

Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge made baseball history as both secured MVP awards in their respective leagues for the second straight year. While Ohtani once again confirmed his status as one of the game’s all-time greats, Cal Raleigh discovered that even one of the best offensive seasons by a catcher in Major League Baseball history was not enough to prevent Judge from adding another MVP trophy to his growing collection.

Just minutes after Ohtani was announced as the National League MVP—his third consecutive MVP award and fourth in the last five years—Aaron Judge was named the American League MVP in a tight competition with Raleigh. Ohtani’s streak now places him just three MVP titles shy of Barry Bonds, who holds the all-time record. Their wins this season mark the first time in MLB history that the same pair of players have won MVP awards in back-to-back years.

In the American League race, Judge, the New York Yankees star outfielder, earned 17 out of 30 first-place votes and accumulated 355 total points. Raleigh, the Seattle Mariners catcher, captured the remaining 13 first-place votes and finished with 335 points. Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) voters ultimately determined that Judge’s superior batting statistics—an MLB-best .331 batting average, .457 on-base percentage, and .688 slugging percentage—gave him the edge over Raleigh’s league-leading 60 home runs and 125 RBIs. Reflecting on the honor, Judge said he tries not to focus on awards during the season, instead keeping his head down over the long 162-game grind and doing whatever he can to help the team win.

For Judge, age 33, this marks his third career MVP award, placing him alongside legends such as Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio, Stan Musial, and Mike Trout. Meanwhile, Ohtani’s newest MVP places him in a league of his own. The 31-year-old Japanese superstar received all 30 first-place votes for the National League award, earning the title unanimously.

Ohtani’s season was a remarkable two-way showcase. Offensively, he delivered a career-high 55 home runs, a major league-leading 146 runs, and an NL-best .622 slugging percentage and 1.014 OPS across 158 games. On the mound, after an 18-month hiatus due to injury recovery, he returned with solid production, posting a 1–1 record with a 2.87 ERA over 14 starts, with 62 strikeouts to just nine walks in 47 innings. Ohtani expressed gratitude to his teammates, coaches, and especially fans who supported him throughout the season.

In the postseason, Ohtani continued his dominance, hitting eight home runs in 17 games and helping the Los Angeles Dodgers secure their second consecutive World Series title. His playoff performance, however, did not influence MVP voting, which is based solely on regular-season results.

Kyle Schwarber of the Philadelphia Phillies finished second in the National League MVP balloting after leading the league with 56 home runs and 132 RBIs while playing all 162 games. He was followed by New York Mets star Juan Soto, Diamondbacks shortstop Geraldo Perdomo, and Phillies shortstop Trea Turner.

In the American League, Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez finished third, with Bobby Witt Jr. and Detroit pitcher Tarik Skubal rounding out the top five