Shohei Ohtani named AP Male Athlete of the Year for the third time
For the third time, Japanese star Shohei Ohtani is recognized by The Associated Press as Male Athlete of the Year.
LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani is in elite company.
The Japanese superstar caps 2024 by winning The Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year award for the third time, tying him with the basketball great Michael Jordan. He is only behind the four-time winners Lance Armstrong, Tiger Woods and LeBron James.
“I feel very honored,” Ohtani said through interpreter Matt Hidaka in an exclusive interview with the AP. “Obviously all the hard work has paid off. Maybe next year I’ll get the award again.”
In voting by 74 AP sportswriters and their members, Ohtani received 48 points. He previously won the award in 2023 and 2021, when he was with the Angels.
“Growing up in Japan, I followed Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods,” he said. “I would like to see their accolades and how they were successful in the United States.”
The AP honor has been awarded since 1931. The golfer Babe Didrikson she won six times, the most for a man or woman.
The swimmer Leon Marchand of France, who won four gold medals at the Paris Olympics, was second with 10 votes in the vote announced Monday. The golfer Scottie Schefflerwhose victories this year included the Masters and an Olympic gold medal, was third with nine.
The AP Female Athlete of the Year will be announced Tuesday.
After moving from the beleaguered Los Angels to the mighty Dodgers, Ohtani won his third Most Valuable Player award and first in the National League, led his new team to its eighth World Series championship and created the 50/50 club of Major League Baseball by hitting 54 home runs and stealing 59 bases.
Ohtani signed a record $700 million, 10-year contract with the Dodgers in December 2023. He was already a two-way superstar, and he further embellished his reputation despite not pitching all season while rehabbing from a second Major surgery on his right elbow which he underwent in September 2023.
Ohtani unleashed the offense, turning every at-bat into a can’t-miss moment. The Designated Hitter hit a career-high .310 average while easily surpassing his previous highs in home runs and stolen bases.
In September, he reached the unprecedented mark of 50/50 in a performance for the ages. Against the Miami Marlins in Florida, Ohtani went 6-for-6 with three home runs, 10 RBIs, 2 stolen bases, and 17 total bases.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he had a 60/60 record and 20 wins within a year,” Brad Ausmus, who managed the Angels in 2019 during Ohtani’s second season in Anaheim, said recently. “This guy is the greatest athlete to ever play the game of baseball and there is no close second.”
Ohtani said he knew the Dodgers’ franchise record for most home runs in a season was 49. Their previous best was 46, set in 2021.
“I wanted to overcome that barrier,” he said. “I was pleasantly surprised to be able to beat that record.”
Ohtani led the Dodgers offensively during the regular season and remained healthy until Game 2 of the World Series. He injured his left shoulder trying to steal second base against the New York Yankees and finished the Series playing injured.
He underwent surgery a few days after the Dodgers celebrated their championship in early November.
“I still don’t have full range of motion, but I feel a lot better,” he told the AP. “There’s no pain. Obviously, there’s still a little bit of stiffness, but it’s slowly but surely getting better.”
Ohtani recently received an updated rehab program and is focused on the short term.
“I think it’s the small steps that are very important to get to the end goal, which is just getting healthy,” he said.
Ohtani is also throwing in the 70 mph range, which is typical for pitchers early in the offseason.
“I’m going to continue to slowly increase it,” he said.
The Dodgers’ rotation for next season is in flux and Ohtani is waiting to see how it plays out.
“We could go with a five-man rotation with a bullpen (game), which is what we did a lot this season or we could have a six-man rotation,” he said. “But it’s all about finding the balance when we can rest and recover. We’ll see where that takes us in the playoff race. Obviously, I have to pace myself, but again that situation will guide us on how to get there.”
The Dodgers open the 2025 season in Japan, where Ohtani is being watched even more closely.
“My personal goal is to be completely healthy by the time the opening games start,” he said. “Being able to pitch and hit would be great, but the situation will guide itself.”
Every time Ohtani steps up to the plate or takes the mound, there is great pressure and expectation for him to perform spectacular feats.
“I just go out there and try to stay within myself,” he said. “I can only control what I can control and that’s where you trust your teammates. You trust the guys behind me to make the plays for you. I don’t really try to overthink it.”
Ohtani also generated big revenue for the Dodgers off the field.
Fans traveled in droves from Japan to see him play at Dodger Stadium in the United States, paying extra for tours of baseball’s third-oldest stadium narrated by Japanese-speaking guides and to be on the field during pregame batting practice. game. Most fans bought Ohtani-branded products, especially his number 17 jersey.
Ohtani’s presence also helped the Dodgers gain a host of new Japanese sponsors.
Because Ohtani prefers to speak Japanese and use an interpreter with the media, he’s shrouded in a bit of mysticism. When asked before his first postgame series if he was nervous, he responded with a single word in English: “No,” prompting laughter.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, a native of Japan, watched Ohtani’s behind-the-scenes interactions with his teammates, coaches and staff, and came away impressed.
“I really think as good a player as he is, he’s a much better person. He’s very kind, thoughtful, caring,” Roberts told the AP. “I am proud of any fame, glory or award he receives because he does it in such a respectful and humble way.”
Ohtani appreciates his privacy and rarely shares details about himself off the field. That’s why his announcement in February via Instagram that he had married Mamiko Tanaka, a former basketball player, surprised his new teammates and the rest of the world.
The following month, after the Dodgers arrived in South Korea to open the season, he became embroiled in scandal when his interpreter and longtime friend, Ippei Mizuhara, was fired by the Dodgers after being accused of using millions of dollars of Ohtani’s money to place bets with an illegal betting house.
His new teammates supported Ohtani, who was found not guilty of wrongdoing, and publicly it did not seem to affect him, although he was privately distressed by it.
By June, the uproar had died down. Mizuhara pleaded guilty to federal tax and bank fraud charges and admitted to stealing nearly $17 million from Ohtani.
