Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani was named The Associated Press' Male Athlete of the Year for a second time in the last three years, the publication announced Wednesday.
Ohtani is only the 11th male athlete to win the award multiple times. LeBron James, Michael Jordan, and Tiger Woods are also on that list.
The two-time AL MVP collected 20 out of 87 votes, while Lionel Messi and Novak Djokovic received 16.
Ohtani's sensational 2023 included signing a historic 10-year, $700-million contract with the Dodgers. He also won AL MVP, MLBPA's Most Outstanding Player of the Year Award, Hank Aaron Award, and Edgar Martinez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award, among other major-league accolades.
Internationally, the 29-year-old was named the 2023 World Baseball Classic MVP after leading Japan to a gold medal.
