ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 19: Ronald Acuna Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves reacts after hitting a walk-off homer in the ninth inning against the New York Mets at Truist Park on May 19, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Japanese baseball phenom Shohei Ohtani and outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. were unanimously named the Most Valuable Players by the Baseball Writers Association of America.
Both earned 30 first-place votes for the American and National Leagues.
Ohtani becomes the first player to be named unanimous American League MVP twice. He joins Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera as the only foreign-born players to win the MVP award multiple times. He beat Texas Rangers’ Corey Seager and Marcus Semien for the honor.
Ohtani led the American League in home runs (44) and the majors in OPS (1.066) – all while having a batting average of .304 and 20 stolen bases. His pitching stats finished at 10-5 and 3.14 ERA in 23 starts for the Los Angeles Angels.
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Acuna won his first NL MVP Award after hitting 41 home runs, and leading the league in 73 stolen bases. He also led the majors with 149 runs and 217 hits. He beat out the Dodgers’ Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman.
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