Ohtani named AP Male Athlete of Year for 3rd time

LOS ANGELES -- Shohei Ohtani is keeping elite company.

The Japanese superstar caps 2024 by winning The Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year for the 3rd time, tying him pinch hoops awesome Michael Jordan. He trails only four-time winners Lance Armstrong, Tiger Woods and LeBron James.

"I'm very honored," Ohtani said done translator Matt Hidaka successful an exclusive question and reply pinch the AP. "Obviously each the difficult activity has paid off. Maybe adjacent year, I'll get the grant again."

In balloting by 74 sports journalists from the AP and its members, Ohtani received 48 points. He antecedently won the grant successful 2023 and 2021, erstwhile he was pinch the Angels.

"Growing up successful Japan, I did travel Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods," he said. "I would spot their accolades and really they were successful successful the United States."

The AP grant has been fixed retired since 1931. Golfer Babe Didrikson won six times, the astir by a man aliases woman.

Swimmer Léon Marchand of France, who won 4 golden medals astatine the Paris Olympics, was 2nd pinch 10 votes successful balloting announced Monday. Golfer Scottie Scheffler, whose victories this twelvemonth included the Masters and an Olympic golden medal, was 3rd pinch nine.

The AP Female Athlete of the Year will beryllium announced Tuesday.

Moving from the beleaguered Los Angeles Angels to the powerhouse Los Angeles Dodgers, Ohtani won his 3rd Most Valuable Player grant and first successful the National League, led his caller squad to its eighth World Series title and created Major League Baseball's 50/50 nine by hitting 54 location runs and stealing 59 bases.

Ohtani signed a then-record $700 million, 10-year statement pinch the Dodgers successful December 2023. Already a two-way superstar, he embellished his estimation moreover further contempt not pitching each play while he rehabilitated from a 2nd awesome correct elbow room he had successful September 2023.

Ohtani went chaotic connected offense, making each at-bat a must-see moment. The 6-foot-4 designated hitter batted a career-high .310 while easy surpassing his erstwhile profession highs successful location runs and stolen bases.

In September, he reached the antecedently unheard of 50/50 people successful a capacity for the ages. Against the Miami Marlins successful Florida, Ohtani went 6 for 6 pinch 3 homers, 10 RBIs, 2 stolen bases and 17 full bases.

"It wouldn't daze maine if he went 60/60 and 20 wins a twelvemonth from now," Brad Ausmus, who managed the Angels successful 2019 during Ohtani's 2nd play successful Anaheim, said recently. "This feline is the top jock to ever play the athletics of shot and there's not a adjacent second."

Ohtani said he knew the Dodgers' franchise grounds for astir homers successful a play was 49. His erstwhile champion was 46, group successful 2021.

"I benignant of wanted to get complete that bar," he said. "I was pleasantly amazed I was capable to walk that record."

Ohtani carried the Dodgers offensively during the regular season, and he stayed patient until Game 2 of the World Series. He injured his near enarthrosis trying to bargain 2nd guidelines against the New York Yankees and vanished the Series playing hurt.

He underwent room a fewer days aft the Dodgers celebrated their title successful early November.

"I don't person afloat scope of mobility yet, but it feels a batch better," he told the AP. "There's nary pain. There's evidently still a small spot of tightness, but slow but surely it's getting better."

Ohtani precocious received an updated rehab schedule, and he's focused connected the near-term.

"It's the mini steps that I deliberation are very important to get maine to the eventual goal, which is to conscionable get backmost healthy," he said.

Ohtani is besides throwing successful the 70 mph range, which is emblematic for pitchers early successful the offseason.

"I'm going to proceed to ramp up slowly," he said.

The Dodgers' rotation for adjacent play is successful flux, and Ohtani is waiting to spot really it shakes out.

"We whitethorn spell pinch a five-man rotation pinch a bullpen (game), which is what we did a batch during this play aliases we whitethorn person a six-man rotation," he said. "But it's each astir balancing retired erstwhile we tin get remainder and recuperate. We'll spot wherever that takes america on the playoff chase. I've sewage to evidently gait myself, but again that business will guideline america to really we get there."

The Dodgers unfastened the 2025 play successful Japan, wherever Ohtani is moreover much intimately watched.

"My individual extremity is to beryllium afloat patient by the clip the opening games do start," he said. "To beryllium capable to transportation and deed would beryllium great, but the business will benignant of guideline itself."

Each clip Ohtani comes to the sheet aliases steps connected the mound, there's awesome unit and anticipation for him to execute spectacular feats.

"I conscionable spell retired location and effort to enactment wrong myself," he said. "I tin only power what I tin power and that's wherever you spot your teammates. The guys down me, you spot they're going to make the plays for you. I don't really effort to overthink it."

Ohtani generated large bucks for the Dodgers disconnected the field, too.

Fans traveled from Japan successful droves to spot him play astir the U.S. At Dodger Stadium, they paid other for tours of baseball's third-oldest venue narrated by Japanese-speaking guides and to beryllium connected the section during pre-game batting practice. A mostly of the fans bought Ohtani-branded merchandise, particularly his No. 17 jersey.

Ohtani's beingness besides helped the Dodgers onshore a bevy of caller Japanese sponsors.

Because Ohtani prefers to speak Japanese and usage an expert pinch the media, he is shrouded successful a spot of mystique. Asked earlier his first postgame bid if he was nervous, he dropped a one-word reply successful English: "Nope," which drew laughter.

Japanese-born Dodgers head Dave Roberts observed Ohtani's behind-the-scenes interactions pinch his teammates, coaches and staff, and came distant impressed.

"I really do judge that arsenic bully of a ballplayer arsenic he is, he's a overmuch amended person. He's very kind, considerate, he cares," Roberts told the AP. "I'm conscionable proud of immoderate fame aliases glory aliases grant that he receives because he conscionable does it successful specified a respectful and humble way."

Ohtani relishes his privateness and seldom shares specifications astir himself disconnected the field. That's why his February announcement via Instagram that he had wed Mamiko Tanaka, a erstwhile hoops player, stunned his caller teammates and the remainder of the world.

The pursuing month, aft the Dodgers arrived successful South Korea to unfastened the season, he was enveloped successful ungraded erstwhile his longtime expert and friend, Ippei Mizuhara, was fired by the Dodgers aft being accused of utilizing millions of dollars of Ohtani's money to spot bets pinch an forbidden bookmaker.

His caller teammates rallied astir Ohtani, who was recovered to person nary portion successful the wrongdoing, and publically it didn't look to impact him moreover if he was privately distressed by it.

By June, the uproar had subsided. Mizuhara pleaded blameworthy to national slope and taxation fraud charges and admitted to stealing astir $17 cardinal from Ohtani.

The nationalist sewage a glimpse of Ohtani's softer broadside successful August, erstwhile his canine Decoy delivered a first transportation to his proprietor connected their shared bobblehead night. The Nederlandse Kooikerhondje exchanged an endearing high-five pinch Ohtani astatine the plate.

As a result, Decoy became a personage successful his ain right, pinch his breed (pronounced COY-ker-HUND-che) making the database of the astir mispronounced words of 2024. He and Ohtani were mentioned during the telecast of past month's National Dog Show, wherever the mini Spaniel-type breed was among the competitors.

"The number of the breed has benignant of dwindled, truthful by him gaining a small spot of fame hopefully that brings up the number of his breed," Ohtani said. "I do consciousness for illustration we were capable to, successful a mini way, lend to the fame of the canine and I'm judge Decoy himself would beryllium happy astir that."

Ohtani will beryllium looking to apical himself adjacent twelvemonth while eyeing a repetition World Series title.

"It's almost for illustration correct now you tin fastener successful the Most Valuable Player successful the National League grant because nary 1 has that expertise aliases talent," Roberts said.

"I'm conscionable excited to spot what '25 has for Shohei Ohtani."