Walker Buehler sends one-word message as Shohei Ohtani wins 2024 NL MVP Award; Jack Flaherty reacts
Los Angeles Dodgers phenom Shohei Ohtani was named the NL MVP by unanimous decision and his teammates Walker Buehler and Jack Flaherty reacted to his honor on social media Thursday night.
Walker Buehler had a one-word comment while Jack Flaherty reacted in three.
"Duh." - @buehlersdayoff
"What he said." - jfalre_
The Dodgers won their eighth World Seires in a dominant fashion on the back of some amazing individual performances throughout the season.
They went after Shohei Ohtani last offseason and signed him to a blockbuster 10-year $700 million deal. Ohtani didn't dissapoint and despite not being able to pitch throughout the 2024 season he let his barrel do the talking.
Ohtani became the first ballplayer in MLB history to win the MVP honors while playing as a DH. This is already the third MVP award of his MLB career and the first with the Dodgers in the National League.
It was Shohei Ohtani's teammate Clayton Kershaw who made the announcement on MLB Network and reacting to the announcement via his translator Matt Hidaka, Ohtani said:
"This MVP, I’m just representing the Dodgers. It was a complete team effort. I wouldn’t have been able to receive this award if it weren’t for my teammates."
Shohei Ohtani is a class apart from the rest
Time and again Shotime has proved his might inside the diamond be it in pitching or batting. He is arguably one of the greatest two-way players to have played in the majors.
Previously he had won the AL MVP honors with the Angels in 2021 and 2023. With his 2024 NL MVP award he has become only the second player besides Frank Robinson to win at least one in both leagues.
He also became the first player since Detroit Tigers legend Miguel Cabrera (2012-13) to win back-to-back MVP titles. Ohtani created his own historic 50-50 club this season.
Shohei Ohtani dedicated his award to the Dodgers unit and vowed to repeat the feat next season. He said:
"The ultimate goal from the beginning was to win a World Series, which we were able to accomplish. Like I said before, I receive this award on behalf of my team. The next goal is for me to do it again. I’m looking forward to next season so we can run it back."
Ohtani finished the regular season with a compelling stat line of a .310 batting average, 54 home runs, 130 RBIs, 59 stolen bases, and an OPS of 1.036.