Shohei Ohtani Wins Back-to-Back NL MVPs as AL Race Tightens

The 2025 Major League Baseball season brought yet another wild moment as Shohei Ohtani locked in his spot among the sport’s all-time legends. The Japanese superstar was unanimously named the National League MVP, snagging his fourth career Most Valuable Player award and his second straight in the NL.

He led the Los Angeles Dodgers to back-to-back World Series championships. Ohtani showed off his unreal two-way talent, crushing it both at the plate and on the mound.

Meanwhile, the American League saw a heart-pounding race between Aaron Judge and Cal Raleigh. That battle added even more intrigue to a year packed with records across MLB.

Shohei Ohtani’s Historic MVP Triumph

Ohtani’s 2025 season felt like something out of a movie. After missing the 2024 campaign as a pitcher, he came roaring back, dominating at the plate and proving he could still deal from the mound.

He won the MVP unanimously, which says a lot about how much he meant to the Dodgers’ title run. It’s honestly hard to overstate his impact on the game right now.

Breaking Down His Offensive Power

Ohtani led the National League in a bunch of major categories. His stats were just wild:

• Runs scored: 146
• Slugging percentage: .622
• OPS (On-base Plus Slugging): 1.024
• Home runs: 55
• RBIs: 102
• Batting average: .282

But those numbers don’t even capture how clutch he was. Ohtani kept coming through in big moments, and the Dodgers fed off that all year.

Return to Pitching Excellence

After a year off the mound, Ohtani’s 2025 pitching line turned heads. He made just 14 starts, but check this out:

• ERA: 2.87
• Strikeouts: 62
• Walks allowed: 9

He didn’t throw a full season, but his presence in the rotation gave the Dodgers a lot of options, especially when the playoffs rolled around.

The MVP Race: Ohtani Leaves No Doubt

Kyle Schwarber and Juan Soto finished as NL finalists, with Schwarber coming in second. But really, nobody matched Ohtani’s all-around game or leadership.

A Thrilling American League Battle

In the AL, the MVP race was just nuts. Aaron Judge barely edged out Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh in one of the closest votes since 2019.

That gave Judge his third MVP in four years. Not too shabby.

Judge’s Statistical Dominance

Judge led MLB in several offensive categories:

• Batting average: .331
• On-base percentage: .457
• Slugging percentage: .688
• OPS: 1.144

He kept the Yankees in the hunt all year, but they ran into trouble in the ALDS against the Blue Jays.

Cal Raleigh’s Record-Breaking Power

Raleigh didn’t win the MVP, but wow, did he turn heads. His 60 home runs set new records for:

• Most by a catcher
• Most by a switch-hitter
• Most by a Mariners player

That power surge helped Seattle grab its first AL West crown since 2001. The Mariners are starting to look like a real threat in the playoffs now, aren’t they?

Looking Ahead

Ohtani keeps chasing Barry Bonds’ record of seven MVPs. With every season, his legacy just gets bigger.

Honestly, nobody else does what he does—pitching and hitting like that? He’s in a league of his own. Judge keeps putting up big numbers in the American League, while Raleigh’s breakout year hints at a more crowded MVP race ahead.

For fans, 2025 wasn’t just about wild stats. It was a season where baseball’s biggest names gave us moments we’ll remember for years.

With so much talent on display in both leagues, who knows what 2026 will bring? The drama’s only getting started.

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