NEW YORK, Jan 26 (Kyodo/APP): Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani showed his bilingual ability Saturday as he gave a speech in English at an event in New York honoring Major League Baseball’s 2025 award winners.
The National League MVP headlined the New York Baseball Writers’ Gala along with his American League counterpart, New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge.
Ohtani won his fourth career unanimous MVP Award last year after hitting a career-high 55 home runs in the regular season for the back-to-back World Series champions.
While he normally speaks to the media through an interpreter, Ohtani delivered his speech entirely in English.
“To all the writers who voted for me, thank you,” Ohtani said, “This MVP Award is very meaningful, and winning it again means so much to me.”
He expressed gratitude to his wife Mamiko, who accompanied him to the gala, his daughter, and his family in Japan, while also thanking his dog Dekopin.
Ohtani was unable to attend last year because of the wildfires in the Los Angeles area and sent a video message instead.