NEW YORK: Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani and New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge were named unanimous choices for Major League Baseball’s 2024 Most Valuable Player awards on Thursday.
After a historic campaign that ended with his first World Series title, Ohtani captured the National League MVP award, his second MVP award in a row and third in four years after winning the American League version in 2021 and 2023 with the Los Angeles Angels.
“I take this MVP as I’m just representing the Dodgers,” Ohtani said through a translator. “It was a complete team effort. I wouldn’t have been able to receive this award if it weren’t for my teammates.”
Ohtani became only the second player in MLB history to have captured MVP awards in both leagues after Frank Robinson, who won the 1961 NL MVP with Cincinnati and the 1966 AL MVP with Baltimore.
Ohtani was the first player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in the same season.
The 30-year-old Japanese standout and Judge, who won the 2022 AL MVP, each received all 30 first-place votes from a media panel.
It was only the second time both MVPs were unanimous selections after last year when Ohtani won in the AL and Ronald Acuna Jr. in the NL.
Ohtani is the first designated hitter to capture an MLB MVP award. He won the past two in a dual role as a pitcher and batter but spent this season recovering from an injury that kept him off the mound.
Resuming his pitching role in 2025 is a goal, Ohtani said.
“My focus is just to get back healthy, come back stronger, get back on the mound and then show everybody what I can do,” Ohtani said.
Ohtani, who signed a record 10-year deal worth $700 million with the Dodgers last December, sparked the team’s run to the World Series crown, beating the Yankees in the best-of-seven final.
“The ultimate goal from the beginning was to win a World Series, which we were able to accomplish,” Ohtani said. “The next goal is for me to do it again.
“Right now I’m in the middle of rehab and working out and getting stronger and I’m looking forward to next season so we can run it back.”
Ohtani had a .310 batting average with an NL-best 54 home runs and batted in 130 runs while stealing 59 bases over 159 regular-season games.
“I didn’t have specific number goals, but I did want to improve my stolen base numbers,” Ohtani said.
“I don’t strive going into the season to get the MVP award. I was more focused on being one of the guys with the new team.”
Ohtani became the leadoff hitter in the batting order midway into the campaign to spark improvement for the club at the plate.
“I didn’t really change my approach,” he said. “It was more staying within my same game plan, trying to be aggressive on the bases and just do the best I could.”
Judge, a 32-year-old American slugger, batted .322 with 122 runs scored, 36 doubles, 58 homers, 144 RBIs and 133 walks in 158 games this past season – leading MLB in homers, walks and runs batted in.
“It means a lot,” Judge said of a second MVP trophy. “It’s a lot of hard work in the off-season, a lot of ups and downs during the season.
“I wouldn’t be in this position without my teammates, all the coaching we had this year – it’s such a blessing.”
The Yankees’ World Series loss to the Dodgers is already inspiring Judge’s efforts for next season.
“It makes you want more,” Judge said. “It makes you wake up early and get things going already in the off-season to put yourself back in that position and change the outcome next year.”
Ohtani, Judge are unanimous choices for MLB MVP awards
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Ohtani, Judge are unanimous choices for MLB MVP awards
- Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani captures the National League MVP award
- His second MVP award in a row and third in four years after winning the American League version in 2021 and 2023
Saudi football leaders shift focus from big names at WFS
- Privatization and community building is focus of Saudi officials
- Al-Kholood’s success under Ben Harburg seen as benchmark
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is recognized as one of football’s fastest-rising nations, but there was a noticeable shift in tone on the first day of the World Football Summit, which returns to Riyadh for the second consecutive year.
Instead of conversations about which global superstar would arrive next, speakers touched on the foundations of Saudi football — infrastructure, governance and sustainable growth.
WFS brings together leaders from around the world to explore how football can evolve, from ticketing systems to artificial intelligence models offering deeper player insights. Yet it was the future of Saudi football — particularly its trajectory in the lead-up to the 2034 FIFA World Cup — that dominated the main stage.
The event’s first panel, “Saudi Sport — A Changing Landscape with a Bright Future,” moderated by Ben Jacobs, featured Ibrahim Al-Moaiqel of the Ministry of Sport. He emphasized the Kingdom’s privatization program was not simply about selling clubs but “bringing partners with the know-how to develop them.”
Privatization has been a defining topic around the Saudi Pro League, especially after Ben Harburg’s acquisition of Al-Kholood, making him the first-ever foreign owner of a Saudi football club. Harburg’s impact has been immediate, with Al-Kholood making the King’s Cup final four for the first time in their history just six months into his tenure.
But while privatization dominated early discussion, it quickly shifted to whether the SPL could one day rival Europe’s top five leagues — particularly England’s Premier League. Al-Moaiqel downplayed the comparison, highlighting the long-term work still required to reach that level.
SPL CEO Omar Mugharbel expanded on the theme, stressing the importance of building communities and developing stadiums capable of supporting a broader football ecosystem.
The SPL has seen its revenues triple since 2023, but it didn’t stop Mugharbel saying things were just getting started. “How do we build something for Saudi that we can export to the world?” he asked.
This sentiment was also shared by club management. Al-Hilal CEO Esteve Calzada said that while their heroics at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup highlighted the SPL’s rising competitiveness, the club’s priority moving forward was sustainable revenue generation.
“We want to put the best products possible in front of our fans,” he said, a statement that encapsulated the day’s theme: The future lies not solely in marquee signings, but in building clubs, communities and systems that endure.
This shift in rhetoric marks a defining moment for Saudi football as it approaches its next major milestone — the AFC Asian Cup 2027, the first of several flagship events on the Kingdom’s long-term football roadmap.
If Day 1 of the WFS made anything clear, it was that Saudi Arabia’s footballing ambitions are no longer measured by the stars they attract, but by the structures they build.
