Votto fine with tight MVP defeat: I lost in 'very, very cool fashion'

Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto is taking a loss in stride.

He narrowly missed out on winning his second National League MVP Award, finishing with two fewer points than the victorious Giancarlo Stanton. As much as tasting sweet success would have been preferred, he takes solace in how unique the race was.

"I lost in the very, very cool fashion," Votto told WCPO.com's John Fay.

The two-point margin of victory is the fourth closest in MVP voting history, so entering the history books in that way appears to be good enough. To Votto, the selection seemed more like a coin-flip.

"Had the Marlins won or the Reds won, this would have been near-unanimous," Votto said to Cincinnati.com's C. Trent Rosencrans. "To me, this is just a pick 'em. People basically said we loved them both. That's something I'm grateful for."

This marked the third time in his career that Votto has finished in the top three in MVP voting, winning the award in 2010. He led all qualified hitters in OBP (.454) and walk rate (19 percent).

At the end of the day, Votto tips his cap to the muscle-bound Miami Marlins slugger Stanton and his 59 home runs.

"Giancarlo plays in a monster ballpark and hit all those home runs and I was cheering for him," Votto said. "I played every day and I felt like I put together a nice, well-rounded season. We did it from the beginning to the end, we both stayed healthy and I think the fans appreciated it. Disappointed? Not really. Truly, more grateful."