The Japanese archipelago is in a frenzy as Ohtani becomes the first two-time unanimous MVP in Major League Baseball history.굿모닝토토 도메인
The Los Angeles Angels’ Ohtani received 30 first-place votes and 420 total points in the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) American League MVP voting, which was released today (July 17).
Ohtani was also a unanimous American League MVP for the 2021 season, the first time in history that a player has been named unanimous MVP more than once.
He also surpassed the record of Ichiro Suzuki (50-retired), a one-time American League MVP (2001 season).
Ohtani’s victory sent his native Japan into a frenzy.
Japanese media outlets published front-page stories about Ohtani’s win, and the people of his hometown of Oshu, Iwate Prefecture, were ecstatic.
An old man in Ohtani’s hometown of Oshu wears a shirt with Ohtani’s face on it and smiles as he receives the MVP award.
About 200 people gathered at Oshu City Hall to watch Ohtani receive the award.
Wearing red jerseys and holding balloons, they cheered enthusiastically for Ohtani, reminiscent of party members cheering for their party’s candidate in South Korea’s presidential election.
“(Ohtani) is the greatest in the universe. He’s the best,” said one Oshu resident, praising the hometown superstar’s achievement.
The response was also noteworthy, with some calling him a living “god.
One citizen interviewed by Japan’s public broadcaster NHK said, “I think he has entered the realm of the gods, and I hope he writes more records.”