Shohei Ohtani's unprecedented MVP triumph celebrated by New Balance's fitting 'Unicorns are real' graphic t-shirts

On November 16, Shohei Ohtani made history by becoming the only player to win multiple AL MVP Awards by a unanimous vote. Moreover, Ohtani won the league's top honor after missing the final month of the season due to injury.

The 29-year-old won the award on account of his spectacular and unmatched two-way performance. In addition to hitting .304/.412/.654, Ohtani led the AL in home runs, on-base, slugging and total bases. As if that were not impressive enough, Ohtani went 10-5, posting a 3.14 ERA.

"The moment Shohei Ohtani found out he was a 2x unanimous AL MVP." - MLB

Already the winner of the 2021 AL MVP Award, the distinction renders Ohtani the second player in Los Angeles Angels history to win the distinction more than once. To make matters even more interesting, the announcement comes in the midst of a massive free agency saga that may see Ohtani garner offers of up to $500 million.

To mark the momentous occasion, New Balance released a new shirt that pays homage to Ohtani's extraordinary talent. One of the world's largest sportswear manufacturers, New Balance released a T-shirt reading "Unicorns are real", a reference to Ohtani's one-of-a-kind skillset.

Although his 2023 MVP season did not garner quite the same dominance as was seen in 2021, it was still nothing short of spectacular. 2021 saw Shohei Ohtani become the first player to hit at least 100 RBIs while amassing more than 100 strikeouts. Had it not been for New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge hitting a single-season home run record in 2022, Ohtani likely would have won the MVP last year as well.

Now, with teams drawing up their offers for Ohtani, he will have another chance at those honors with his new team. Ohtani beat out Marcus Semien and Corey Seager, both members of the Texas Rangers, to win the MVP Award.

Shohei Ohtani is making it unfair for another MVP hopefuls

In the spirit of the award, Ohtani is undoubtedly the most valuable player in baseball, and possibly all of sports right now. While the Japanese two-way stud could not be more deserving of the honor, it is difficult to see him failing to win it in 2024 and beyond.

Even with his throwing arm shut down due to injury in 2024, Ohtani is showing that he possesses a unique skillset that makes it difficult for others to hold a candle to him.