"It definitely leads to motivation for me to do better" - Japanese phenom Shohei Ohtani using MVP battle with Aaron Judge as inspiration to become more dominate  

The 2022 American League MVP race between Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge has given baseball fans a throwback to days of old. The two superstars continue to slug, and in Ohtani's case, also strike their way into the history book. Two of the most electric players in baseball have not slowed down all season, and neither player has overlooked the other.

Sam Blum

@SamBlum3

Shohei Ohtani on MVP race with Aaron Judge:

"It definitely leads to motivation for me to do better — trying to go for that hardware. It's something I think about. But for the most part, I take it game-by-game, at-bat, by at-bat. At the end of the day, we'll count it all up."

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Shohei Ohtani on MVP race with Aaron Judge:

"It definitely leads to motivation for me to do better — trying to go for that hardware. It's something I think about. But for the most part, I take it game-by-game, at-bat, by at-bat. At the end of the day, we'll count it all up."

"Shohei Ohtani on MVP race with Aaron Judge: 'It definitely leads to motivation for me to do better — trying to go for that hardware. It's something I think about. But for the most part, I take it game-by-game, at-bat, by at-bat. At the end of the day, we'll count it all up.'" - Sam Blum

The AL MVP race has baseball fans divided, with fans firmly planted in their camps of support for either Judge or Ohtani.

Eric Stephens

@icemancometh

Don't care who the AL MVP is. If it's Aaron Judge, great. Deserving. Hellacious season. What Shohei Ohtani is doing is being matched by ... ... no one. Heading for 30 HRs and 200 Ks as a true ace in this era of pitching.

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Don't care who the AL MVP is. If it's Aaron Judge, great. Deserving. Hellacious season. What Shohei Ohtani is doing is being matched by ... ... no one. Heading for 30 HRs and 200 Ks as a true ace in this era of pitching.

"Don't care who the AL MVP is. If it's Aaron Judge, great. Deserving. Hellacious season. What Shohei Ohtani is doing is being matched by ... ... no one. Heading for 30 HRs and 200 Ks as a true ace in this era of pitching." - Eric Stephens

Ethan Budowsky

@ethanbudowsky

I don't care about the two-way player thing. There is no way Aaron Judge cannot be the AL MVP this year.

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I don't care about the two-way player thing. There is no way Aaron Judge cannot be the AL MVP this year.

I don't care about the two-way player thing. There is no way Aaron Judge cannot be the AL MVP this year. - Ethan Budowsky

While there is still time for the superstars to separate themselves from each other, it may very well come down to the final game of the season.

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Shohei Ohtani's historic season

Aaron Judge is crushing home runs out of stadiums across the country at a ridiculous rate, but what Ohtani is doing has literally never been seen before. Ohtani continues to break new ground with every appearance he makes. Whether as a batter or a pitcher, he is once-in-a-lifetime talent.

Ben Verlander

@BenVerlander

Nobody in the 146 year history of Major League Baseball has EVER hit 30 home runs and gotten 10 wins on the mound in the same season.

Until Shohei Ohtani.

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Nobody in the 146 year history of Major League Baseball has EVER hit 30 home runs and gotten 10 wins on the mound in the same season.

Until Shohei Ohtani.

"Nobody in the 146 year history of Major League Baseball has EVER hit 30 home runs and gotten 10 wins on the mound in the same season. Until Shohei Ohtani." - Ben Verlander

The MVP race may be too tight statistically to differentiate. It may come down to team success, which dramatically favors Judge and the New York Yankees. While Ohtani is busy creating new, historic records, the rest of the Los Angeles Angels have provided next to zero contributions to help the team. As of September 5, the Yankees currently sit at a 80-54, whereas the Angels hold a meager 58-76 record.

No matter the result, Ohtani and Judge have given us an MVP race like those of baseball's past: Ichiro vs. Giambi, Maris vs. Mantle, or Mike Trout vs. Miguel Cabrera.

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