My enemy’s misery is my gain. In the world of competition, it’s inevitable.
Los Angeles Angels pitcher Shohei Ohtani expressed genuine disappointment at the end of last season when he failed to win his second straight American League (AL) MVP award.
“All I can say is that he was very disappointed that he didn’t win the MVP, but he wants to win first and foremost,” Angels manager Phil Nevin told MLB Network Radio before the start of spring training in February.
It appears that Ohtani was in contact with Nevin during the offseason and was open about his feelings about not being named MVP.
In an interview at the airport in Japan last October, Ohtani also expressed his expectations for the MVP, saying, “I think my season was better than last year’s,” as he spoke negatively about the team missing the postseason. Ohtani was unanimously voted AL MVP in 2021 after a two-hit wonder season.
However, he was unable to top Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees’ home run output last year. Judge hit 62 home runs last year, breaking the AL single-season record by 61 years.
Ohtani was no slouch either, batting .273 with 34 home runs, 95 RBIs, 90 runs scored, and an OPS of 0.875, and pitching 166 innings with a 15-9 record, 2.33 ERA, and 219 strikeouts. He also became the first player in history to complete both a regulation at-bat and a regulation inning, making him a true two-hitter.
But it was Jersey who was the favorite. Of the 30 first-place votes, Jersey took 28, while Ohtani received just two. It was inevitable.
This season, the focus is on the second round of the MVP race between the two players. Since the start of the season, fans and media have been eager to see if Ohtani could unseat the reigning home run king.
But there’s a major twist. Judge was placed on the disabled list again. After the Yankees lost to the Chicago White Sox 3-2 on Sunday, manager Aaron Boone told local media, “He’s got a toe contusion, and they say it’s ligament damage, so we’ll see how it goes over the next few days and weeks. We have to wait for the swelling to go down.”
Judge injured the thumb on his right foot in the eighth inning of a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on April 4 when he caught a deep line drive from J.D. Martinez and crashed into the right-field fence netting. He was given five days of rest, then six, but when his condition didn’t improve, he was placed on the DL.
This is the second time this season that Judge has been placed on the DL. He was placed on the DL on April 29 with a hip injury and returned on May 10 after 11 days off. Since then, he’s hit 13 home runs in 23 games, giving him 19 on the season and leading the AL in that category. He’s been hitting at the peak of his power, with three multi-homer games in between.
Ohtani, on the other hand, hit his 16th home run of the season against the Chicago Cubs. It moved him into a tie for second place in the AL home run lead with the Houston Astros’ Jordan Alvarez. Jersey was within three runs.
It’s hard to say when Jersey will return, but if it’s a toe ligament injury, he’ll be out at least two to three weeks. He will miss at least 15 games. Having already missed 10 games, Jersey is at an absolute disadvantage in the home run race. Not to mention the MVP race if he’s behind Ohtani in the home run department.
As the English-language version of the Spanish publication Marca wrote on the same day, “Jersey’s trip to the disabled list today opens the door for Ohtani to reclaim the AL MVP. 메이저놀이터