For a while, in August and even early September, there was chatter around baseball that Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder/infielder Mookie Betts was going to rival Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr. for the NL MVP award.
He had a fantastic case to even win the hardware.
Acuna, however, took matters into his own hands and was one of MLB‘s best players in September, basically keeping the pace and the performance he had been showing since the start of the season.
Acuna achieved the first 40-70 season in MLB history (he hit 41 homers and stole 73 bases), and that, plus his 149 runs scored, .337 batting average, 35 doubles, and 106 RBI, earned him a unanimous MVP.
In the American League, everybody knew that Los Angeles Angels phenom Shohei Ohtani would win since August.
He had built such a strong case that he didn’t need to play in September to secure the award.
Like Acuna, Ohtani won unanimously.
Between the two, they joined forces to make history in the league.
The first time in MLB HISTORY that both MVPs were unanimous pic.twitter.com/VZDBhXDoaH
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 17, 2023
Bleacher Report stated that it’s the first time the two MVPs of the year are elected in a unanimous vote.
Ohtani certainly didn’t leave any doubts, hitting .304 with 44 homers and 95 RBI in virtually five months.
Oh, and he also had a 3.14 ERA and struck out 167 batters as the Angels’ ace.
Essentially, he was their best pitcher and their best hitter, and they still didn’t even sniff the postseason.
There is a chance, albeit a slight one, that Acuna and Ohtani play together on the Braves if the latter signs as a free agent.
If that’s the case, be prepared, because the Braves just won’t lose many games.
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