LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥� is keeping elite company.
The Japanese superstar caps 2024 by winning The Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year for the third time, tying him with basketball great Michael Jordan. He trails only four-time winners Lance Armstrong, Tiger Woods and LeBron James.
鈥淚鈥檓 very honored,鈥� Ohtani said through translator Matt Hidaka in an exclusive interview with the AP. 鈥漁bviously all the hard work has paid off. Maybe next year, I鈥檒l get the award again.鈥�
In balloting by 74 sports journalists from the AP and its members, Ohtani received 48 votes. He previously won the award in and , when he was with the Angels.
鈥淕rowing up in Japan, I did follow Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 would see their accolades and how they were successful in the United States.鈥�
The AP honor has been given out since 1931. Golfer Babe Didrikson won six times, the most by a man or woman.
Swimmer L茅on Marchand of France, who won four gold medals at the Paris Olympics, was second with 10 votes in balloting announced Monday. Golfer Scottie Scheffler, whose 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.
Moving from the beleaguered Los Angeles Angels to the powerhouse Los Angeles Dodgers, Ohtani and first in the National League, led his new team to its eighth World Series championship and created Major League Baseball鈥檚 50/50 club by hitting 54 home runs and stealing 59 bases.
Ohtani signed a then-record $700 million, 10-year contract with the Dodgers in December 2023. Already a two-way superstar, he embellished his reputation even further despite not pitching all season while he rehabilitated from a second major right elbow surgery he had in September 2023.
Ohtani went wild on offense, making every at-bat a must-see moment. The 6-foot-4 designated hitter batted a career-high .310 while easily surpassing his previous career highs in home runs and stolen bases.
In September, he reached the previously unheard of 50/50 mark in . Against the Miami Marlins in Florida, Ohtani went 6 for 6 with three homers, 10 RBIs, two stolen bases and 17 total bases.
"It wouldn鈥檛 shock me if he went 60/60 and 20 wins a year from now,鈥� Brad Ausmus, who managed the Angels in 2019 during Ohtani鈥檚 second season in Anaheim, said recently. 鈥淭his guy is the greatest athlete to ever play the sport of baseball and there鈥檚 not a close second.鈥�
Ohtani said he knew the Dodgers' franchise record for most homers in a season was 49. His previous best was 46, set in 2021.
"I kind of wanted to get over that bar,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 was pleasantly surprised I was able to pass that record.鈥�
Ohtani carried the Dodgers offensively during the regular season, and he stayed healthy until Game 2 of the World Series. trying to steal second base against the New York Yankees and finished the Series playing hurt.
He underwent surgery a few days after the Dodgers celebrated their championship in early November.
"I don鈥檛 have full range of motion yet, but it feels a lot better,鈥� he told the AP. 鈥淭here鈥檚 no pain. There鈥檚 obviously still a little bit of tightness, but slowly but surely it鈥檚 getting better.鈥�
Ohtani recently received an updated rehab schedule, and he鈥檚 focused on the near-term.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the small steps that I think are very important to get me to the ultimate goal, which is to just get back healthy,鈥� he said.
Ohtani is also throwing in the 70 mph range, which is typical for pitchers early in the offseason.
"I鈥檓 going to continue to ramp up slowly,鈥� he said.
The Dodgers鈥� rotation for next season is in flux, and Ohtani is waiting to see how it shakes out.
"We may go with a five-man rotation with a bullpen (game), which is what we did a lot during this season or we may have a six-man rotation,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 all about balancing out when we can get rest and recuperate. We鈥檒l see where that takes us along the playoff chase. I鈥檝e got to obviously pace myself, but again that situation will guide us to how we get there.鈥�
The Dodgers open the 2025 season in Japan, where .
"My personal goal is to be fully healthy by the time the opening games do start,鈥� he said. 鈥淭o be able to pitch and hit would be great, but the situation will kind of guide itself.鈥�
Each time Ohtani comes to the plate or steps on the mound, there鈥檚 great pressure and expectation for him to perform spectacular feats.
"I just go out there and try to stay within myself,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 can only control what I can control and that鈥檚 where you trust your teammates. The guys behind me, you trust they鈥檙e going to make the plays for you. I don鈥檛 really try to overthink it.鈥�
for the Dodgers off the field, too.
Fans traveled from Japan in droves to see him play around the U.S. At Dodger Stadium, they paid extra for tours of baseball鈥檚 third-oldest venue narrated by Japanese-speaking guides and to be on the field during pre-game batting practice. A majority of the fans bought Ohtani-branded merchandise, especially his No. 17 jersey.
Ohtani鈥檚 presence also helped the Dodgers land a bevy of new Japanese sponsors.
Because Ohtani prefers to speak Japanese and use an interpreter with the media, he is shrouded in a bit of mystique. Asked before if he was nervous, he dropped a one-word answer in English: 鈥淣ope,鈥� which drew laughter.
Japanese-born Dodgers manager Dave Roberts observed Ohtani鈥檚 behind-the-scenes interactions with his teammates, coaches and staff, and came away impressed.
"I really do believe that as good of a ballplayer as he is, he鈥檚 a much better person. He鈥檚 very kind, considerate, he cares,鈥� Roberts told the AP. 鈥淚鈥檓 just proud of any fame or glory or award that he receives because he just does it in such a respectful and humble way.鈥�
Ohtani relishes his privacy and rarely shares details about himself off the field. That鈥檚 why his February announcement via Instagram that he had , a former basketball player, stunned his new teammates and the rest of the world.
The following month, after the Dodgers arrived in South Korea to open the season, he was enveloped in scandal when , Ippei Mizuhara, was fired by the Dodgers after being accused of using millions of dollars of Ohtani鈥檚 money to place bets with an illegal bookmaker.
His new teammates rallied around Ohtani, who was found to have no part in the wrongdoing, and publicly it didn鈥檛 seem to affect him even if he was privately distressed by it.
By June, the uproar had subsided. Mizuhara pleaded guilty to federal bank and tax fraud charges and admitted to stealing nearly $17 million from Ohtani.
The public got a glimpse of Ohtani鈥檚 softer side in August, when delivered a first pitch to his owner on their shared bobblehead night. The Nederlandse Kooikerhondje exchanged an endearing high-five with Ohtani at the plate.
As a result, Decoy became a celebrity in his own right, with his breed (pronounced COY-ker-HUND-che) making the list of the most mispronounced words of 2024. He and Ohtani were mentioned during the telecast of last month鈥檚 National Dog Show, where the small Spaniel-type breed was among the competitors.
"The number of the breed has kind of dwindled, so by him gaining a little bit of popularity hopefully that brings up the number of his breed,鈥� Ohtani said. 鈥淚 do feel like we were able to, in a small way, contribute to the popularity of the dog and I鈥檓 sure Decoy himself would be happy about that.鈥�
Ohtani will be looking to top himself next year while eyeing a repeat World Series title.
"It鈥檚 almost like right now you can lock in the Most Valuable Player in the National League award because no one has that ability or talent,鈥� Roberts said.
"I鈥檓 just excited to see what 鈥�25 has for Shohei Ohtani.鈥�
___
AP MLB:
Beth Harris, The Associated Press
