Ohtani and Acuna voted MLB's MVPs
Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani won the American League Most Valuable Player award on Thursday, becoming the first to twice claim the honor by unanimous vote. The Los Angeles Angels standout who dazzles both on the mound and at the plate, was also the unanimous selection for AL MVP in 2021 in voting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Atlanta Braves rightfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. of Venezuela was also a unanimous selection as the National League MVP after a scintillating season that saw him lead the NL in runs, hits, stolen bases and on-base percentage. Ohtani beat out fellow finalists Corey Seager and Marcus Semien of the World Series-winning Texas Rangers despite missing most of the final month of the season with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow. As a designated hitter, Ohtani led the AL in home runs with 44, in on-base percentage [.412], slugging percentage [.654] and total bases [325]. In 23 pitching starts he went 10-5 with a 3.14 earned-run-average and 167 strikeouts in 132 innings. Acuna, meanwhile, displayed an historic blend of power and speed to help the Braves notch 104 regular-season wins. He beat Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Mookie Betts and Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman for the award. Acuna, 25, recorded 41 home runs and 73 stolen bases – the first 40-70 season in history. He led all of MLB in hits with 217, runs with 149, stolen bases with 73 and total bases with 383. (AFP)