Ohtani's MVP streak ends at three as Crow-Armstrong wins unanimously

Shohei Ohtani's historic run is over. The Dodgers star was announced on Thursday (Japan time) as a National League MVP finalist, but he did not win a fourth straight award.

The prize went to Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, who took every first-place vote.

What happened?

The MLB MVP awards were announced on November 12 (November 13 in Japan). Ohtani, 32, was one of three NL finalists, along with Crow-Armstrong and Brewers infielder Brice Turang. Turang helped Milwaukee win its first World Series.

The voters are 30 members of the BBWAA (the Baseball Writers' Association of America) in each league. Ohtani got no first-place votes and 26 second-place votes. Crow-Armstrong was first on all 30 ballots.

Crow-Armstrong became only the seventh player in MLB history to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in a season. In the American League, Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez won his first MVP after hitting .316 with 42 homers and 106 RBIs.

Why does this one matter?

A fourth consecutive MVP would have set an all-time MLB record, matching Barry Bonds, who won four in a row from 2001 to 2004. Ohtani had been a finalist for six straight years.

He came in as the reigning champion. He won his first NL MVP unanimously in 2024 after a 54-homer, 59-steal season, then took the award again last year for his fourth MVP overall.

This year was different. As a hitter, he played 139 games with a .275 average, 30 homers and 81 RBIs. His OPS (on-base plus slugging) of .889 was third in the league.

On the mound, he started 14 games and went 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA over 85 2/3 innings. A left knee injury ended his pitching season after his last start in July.

What did Ohtani say?

In an interview with a US network, he was candid. "To be honest, it was a very frustrating season," he said. He added that he doesn't look back much at his past results.

His focus, he said, is on delivering his best performance and winning the World Series, since the Dodgers lost in the postseason this year.