Ohtani wins Historic Achievement Award

October 27th, 2021

HOUSTON -- It will be another couple weeks until we find out if wins the American League Most Valuable Player Award presented by the Baseball Writers¡¯ Association of America. But Ohtani¡¯s 2021 season was so extraordinary, so sensational, so unprecedented that Commissioner Rob Manfred has formally recognized it as historically significant.

Prior to Game 1 of the World Series on Tuesday night at Minute Maid Park, Manfred presented Ohtani with the Commissioner¡¯s Historic Achievement Award. Commissioner Bud Selig created the honor in 1998, but this marked the first time Manfred has selected a recipient since succeeding Selig in 2015.

The award aims to salute those who, either with a particular feat in a particular year or within a longer career arc, make a major impact on the sport of baseball. And in becoming the sport¡¯s first two-way All-Star -- starting for the AL as both a pitcher and a designated hitter -- Ohtani certainly did that.

¡°Over the next few years, I know that there are going to be many, many awards and accolades that come your way,¡± Manfred told Ohtani at a press conference announcing the award. ¡°But I felt that 2021 was so special that it was important to recognize the historic achievement that took place in 2021 with an award just about 2021.¡±

Ohtani became the 16th recipient of the Commissioner¡¯s Historic Achievement Award, which was crafted by Tiffany & Co. and features a sterling silver base with a gold baseball mounted at the top.

¡°This award is not given out every year, so I know how special it is,¡± Ohtani said through an interpreter. ¡°I'm not fully sure if I really deserve it, but since Mr. Manfred's going to give it to me, I'm going to accept it.¡±

The past winners include:

? 1998: Cal Ripken Jr., in commemoration of the end of his legendary ¡°Iron Man¡± streak of 2,632 consecutive games played
? 1998: Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa, for their record-breaking single-season home run record chase
? 2001: Barry Bonds, for setting a new single-season home run record with 73
? 2001: Rickey Henderson, for his all-time career records in stolen bases (1,406), walks (2,190, since broken by Bonds) and runs (2,295)
? 2001: Tony Gwynn, for his record-tying eight NL batting titles
? 2001: The Seattle Mariners, for their record-tying 116-win regular season
? 2004: Roger Clemens, for his 300th win and record seven Cy Young Awards
? 2005: Ichiro Suzuki, for his record-breaking single-season hit total in 2004 (262)
? 2006: Roberto Clemente, posthumously, during the 2006 All-Star Game in Pittsburgh, for his outstanding career on the field and humanitarian contributions off it
? 2007: Rachel Robinson, on the 60th anniversary of her husband Jackie¡¯s breaking of the color barrier and for her advancement of his legacy
? 2011: Ken Griffey Jr., for his great career and enormous popularity
? 2013: Mariano Rivera, who retired as the all-time saves leader (652)
? 2014: Vin Scully, for his 65 years as a baseball broadcaster
? 2014: Derek Jeter, for his postseason records for hits (200), runs (111) and total bases (302)

Throughout the 2021 season, statisticians scrambled to come up with past precedents for his various feats, such as when he became the first pitcher since Babe Ruth in 1921 to make a start while leading the Majors in home runs or the first pitcher since C¨¦sar Tovar in 1968 to start on the mound and in the leadoff spot.

But the truth is, Ohtani¡¯s season was without precedent.

As a hitter, he had 46 home runs, 26 doubles, eight triples, 100 RBIs, 26 stolen bases, a .965 OPS and 103 runs scored. As a pitcher, he went 9-2 with a 3.18 ERA and 156 strikeouts in 130 1/3 innings.

No American or National League player had previously made 10 starts and hit 30 home runs. And none had hit 10 or more home runs while striking out 100 batters.

¡°It's really extraordinary to find a human being who can perform at the highest level in Major League Baseball as both a pitcher and a position player,¡± Manfred said. ¡°It takes courage and fortitude not to make the choice that players traditionally make, and it takes tremendous endurance to do both over the course of what is a grueling 162-game schedule.¡±

To put Ohtani¡¯s season in proper context, consider how it stood up against two of the most recognizable stars on one of the most recognizable teams: Ohtani¡¯s 158 OPS+ in 639 plate appearances ranked fifth in the Majors, ahead of Yankees slugger Aaron Judge (149). His 141 ERA+ in 130 1/3 innings ranked 17th among those with at least 100 innings, and it was better than that of AL Cy Young candidate Gerrit Cole (133).

So with all due respect to Ruth, who had a brief tenure as a true two-way player in 1918-19, there had never been a season like Ohtani¡¯s. It was a season made all the more impressive by the modern caliber of play and schedule demands. At the All-Star festivities, Ohtani participated in the Home Run Derby one night, then started on the mound and in the leadoff spot the next.

That was part of a trend in which Ohtani embraced all the attention that came with his unique skill set and, as such, served as one of the game¡¯s greatest ambassadors. The Commissioner took notice.

¡°I think it was a huge timing benefit for us,¡± Manfred said. ¡°Obviously, we had a very extensive effort directed at the internationalization of the game, things like [the London Game in 2019], that was truncated by the pandemic. And to have an international star like Shohei emerge this year was kind of perfect timing for us, because it helped us continue to grow the game internationally, which is one of our foremost goals.¡±

Ohtani hopes his season inspired the next generation of stars -- perhaps even two-way stars.

¡°I want to tell the kids to love the sport and have passion for it,¡± he said. ¡°I played at the Little League [Classic] this year, and I met some of the Little League kids, and I really felt their passion and love for the sport. As long as they can keep that love and passion for the game, it will take them a long ways.¡±

seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com