Inside The Dodgers

Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani Nominated for Major Award

Sam Garcia

Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
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The 2024 ESPY Awards, sponsored by Capital One, are scheduled to air on July 11. The annual ceremony, known as the Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly, honors elite athletes and the pivotal moments of the year in the sports industry. Among the list of nominees is Dodgers Shohei Ohtani. He has found his name as a nominee in not one, but two categories for an ESPY award.

The Japanese superstar is nominated for Best MLB Player, alongside Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr., Rangers shortstop Corey Seager, and Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole. Despite facing injuries this season, all four nominees have made significant impacts in Major League Baseball.

The three-time MLB All-Star has shined among more than just the sport of baseball. Ohtani is also nominated for Best Athlete, Men’s Sport. He joins NFL quarterback Patrick Mahomes, professional golfer Scottie Scheffler, and NHL centre Connor McDavid as one of four nominees. Each of these nominees is also vying for the title of Best Player in their respective sports leagues, reflecting their exceptional performances across their sports.

Ohtani won both the Best MLB Player award and the Best Athlete, Men’s Sport award in 2022. He also has won the Best MLB Player award for the last three years.

If Ohtani wins the honor this year, he will tie Cardinals’ Albert Pujols and Giants’ Barry Bonds as a four-time award winner. Ohtani would also become the first MLB player to win the award four consecutive times, passing Barry Bonds’ consecutive wins from 2002-04.

Ohtani faces stiff competition from Mahomes, the 2023 Best Athlete, Men’s Sport award recipient and Super Bowl LVIII champion. His record-breaking 2024 season, and signing the most lucrative contract in sports history, position him as a frontrunner for this esteemed recognition.

You can vote here until 2 p.m. PT on July 11, and tune in at 5 p.m. ET to find out the winners across all 22 categories.

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Sam Garcia
SAM GARCIA

Samantha Garcia is a student at the University of California, Los Angeles. She is majoring in Psychology and minoring in Professional Writing. She is also a sports writer for the Daily Bruin at UCLA.

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