"What. A. Year." "The people's MVP" - MLB fans stunned as Shohei Ohtani strikes out 200 batters for the first time in his career

Shohei Ohtani is doing everything in his power to make the MVP race as close as possible. The All-Star has amassed 200 strikeouts in a single season, reaching the coveted milestone in the game against the Minnesota Twins. This is the first time he has done this in his MLB career.

Shoehi Ohtani had 196 strikeouts heading into his start tonight, tying him for eighth most in the MLB. He ended up punching out seven, eclipsing the 200-mark with 203 strikeouts this season.

Fans around the league are loving the MVP race involving the Angels two-way player and Aaron Judge. What both players have been able to achieve this year is mind-blowing.

The 2021 AL MVP has been able to pitch more this season as the Los Angeles Angels have smartly slotted him as a DH when he's not pitching. The previous year, the Angels were trying to split his time between the outfield and pitching, making it difficult on his arm.

A starting pitcher hasn't hit more than six home runs since former Chicago Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano in 2006.

Ohtani is truly special. His ability to both pitch and hit is simply amazing. Hopefully, he paves the way for more two-way players in the game.

While Shohei Ohtani has improved from last year, Aaron Judge's output hard to deny

Despie what the Angels two-way player has been able to accomplish this year, it's hard to compare his numbers to Aaron Judge's. All eyes will be on Judge as he tries to break the single-season home run record.

The Yankees right fielder is having one of the greatest offensive seasons any MLB hitter has ever had. His 20 home runs lead over the league shows how well he is seeing the ball compared to other hitters.

He's competing to finish the year as the Triple Crown Award winner as well. If Judge finishes the year as the Triple Crown winner, the league will have no choice but to give him the MVP Award over Ohtani.

About the author

Jared "Bloomy" Bloom is a journalist covering Major League Baseball at Sportskeeda and a former college baseball pitcher from Illinois, who just graduated with a Master's degree in Sport Psychology.

A writer with over 3 years of experience, Jared is consistently more concerned with quality than quantity, thoroughly checking multiple sources of information, and prides himself in being knowledgeable not just about MLB, but the game of baseball in general. He loves breaking down plays and game-changing moments, as well as looking closer into players' statistics.

Jared is a die-hard Chicago White Sox fan, and one of his earliest memories is seeing his great-grandfather, a huge Sox fan, in his rocking chair watching a game. Jared started playing from the age of 5 with his grandfather coaching him early on.

Jared loved Tim Lincecum for his quirky delivery and looked up to him as a role model when playing. His current favorite is Phillies star Bryce Harper, an exciting player who doesn't let injuries hold him back. Jared's favorite sports moment is Mark Buehrle's opening day between-the-legs glove flip to first base in 2010.

When he is not watching or writing about baseball, Jared can be found racing BMX at his local Rockford BMX track or coaching his local youth travel baseball team.

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