Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani added another historic milestone to his remarkable career, winning his first World Series title in a nail-biting 7-6 victory over the New York Yankees in Game 5. The championship win on Wednesday at Yankee Stadium culminated a season where Ohtani became the first player in Major League Baseball (MLB) history to achieve 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season.
- World series challenge: Ohtani, who chose to play through a partial shoulder dislocation injury he sustained in Game 2, hit just .105 (2-for-19) with two walks in the series. This victory marks the Dodgers‘ second World Series title in the past five seasons and their eighth overall. The 30-year-old two-way star expressed his desire to win championships in all the remaining years on his 10-year, $700 million contract, reportedly telling Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman, “Alright, nine more, nine more.”
- MVP frontrunner: Ohtani completed the season with 54 homers and 59 stolen bases and a league-leading 9.2 wins above replacement. Should he receive the anticipated third Most Valuable Player (MVP) award, it would make him only the ninth player in MLB history to pair three MVP titles with a World Series ring. According to Friedman, such a feat would cement his legacy among baseball’s all-time greats. “I think there’s a legitimate argument that he’s the greatest player to ever play the game,” Friedman said. “So obviously all this does is help further that.”
