TORONTO, ONTARIO – OCTOBER 31: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers looks on from the dugout in the eighth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays in game six of the 2025 World Series at Rogers Center on October 31, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
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Shortly after winning their second straight World Series championship, several members of the Los Angeles Dodgers vowed to capture a third one next season. But before that journey could begin, there was a last bit of individual celebration to enjoy.
On Saturday, Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani was awarded his third consecutive and fourth overall Most Valuable Player Award during the New York Baseball Writers’ Gala.
Los Angeles Dodgers Shohei Ohtani Turns Heads With Notable MVP Award Address
“The 101st New York Baseball Writers’ Gala was held on Saturday night, honoring the winners of the 2025 Baseball Writers’ Association of America awards — MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year and Manager of the Year,” per MLB.com’s Manny Randhawa. “Ohtani won his fourth career unanimous MVP Award last year after hitting a career-high 55 home runs with a National League-best 1.014 OPS for the Dodgers while also posting a 2.87 ERA with a 33% strikeout rate over 14 starts on the mound.”
Following another season of unprecedented production on the field, Ohtani flashed another incredible skill while accepting the award. He delivered his two-minute acceptance speech entirely in English, which up to this point has been quite rare for the Japanese star, who usually fields media questions through a neighboring interpreter.
Though Ohtani accepted his 2024 National League MVP Award with English remarks, they were presented in a prerecorded video.
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani Congratulations NL Rival New York Mets
Ohtani’s speech was focused on thanking the Dodgers’ organization, award voters and his own support group. But he also notably took a moment to acknowledge the 1986 World Series champion New York Mets team, which was honored at the annual dinner as it celebrated a significant anniversary.
“To my fellow recipients, congratulations to all of you and your achievements, especially to the ‘86 Mets team,” Ohtani said, per a video of the speech posted on X, formerly Twitter. “I now know the feeling of what it’s like to become a world champion. And it’s great. So congrats on your 40th anniversary.”
That champion Mets team has endured as one of the most iconic in baseball history, as they enjoyed a rowdy off-field reputation, clutch contributions from up and down the lineup and an iconic World Series showdown against the Boston Red Sox.
Those Mets and Ohtani might share a championship trophy in common, but Ohtani seems poised to add several more to his own collection along with the loaded Dodgers. And even after earning a fourth MVP Award, it seems likely that he has some more individual acknowledgements on the way as well.