Shohei Ohtani watches the flight of his 50th home run of the 2025 season, during a Sept. 16 game against the Philadelphia Phillies. Ohtani finished the regular season with 55 homers, one more than last year, when hit slugged 54 and and stole 59 bases. (Photo by MIKEY HIRANO CULROSS / Rafu Shimpo)

By MILES ANDERSON
Rafu Contributor

2025 proved to be a monumental season in the historic career of the greatest baseball player of our generation.

Ohtani was unanimously named the National League’s Most Valuable Player on Nov. 13, receiving all 30 first place votes from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. It is his third MVP award in a row and his fourth unanimous MVP selection in the past five years; he trails only Barry Bonds, who has received the honor seven times. Outside of Ohtani, no other player in MLB history has more than one unanimous MVP selection. 

After winning their eighth World Series championship in 2024 in Ohtani’s first season with the club, there were numerous question marks surrounding him and the Dodgers entering the 2025 season.

Following his second elbow surgery in September 2023, Ohtani did not pitch for the entire 2024 season and spent the season exclusively as the designated hitter. Complicating his elbow injury was a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder that Ohtani sustained in Game 2 of the 2024 World Series while sliding into second base.

Although Ohtani played through the series, he struggled at the plate, going 1-11 after the injury, and was in noticeable pain for the duration of the series.

The Dodgers’ plan for 2025 was to have Ohtani return in his DH role and resume pitching duties mid-season, with expectations that he would be fully healthy late in the regular season for the playoff run.

The Dodgers opened the 2025 season in Tokyo, where they played two regular-season games and two exhibition games. Ohtani received a hero’s welcome back in his native Japan, which some compared to the hysteria of the Beatles’ arrival in Japan in 1966.

After splitting exhibition games with the Yomiuri Giants and Hanshin Tigers, the Dodgers beat the Cubs 4-1 to open the regular season behind a five-inning, one-run performance by Dodger ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Ohtani had two hits and scored two runs in the game.

The Dodgers followed that up with a 6-3 win against the Cubs, with Ohtani hitting his first home run of the regular season in the fifth inning to the delight of the sold-out crowd at the Tokyo Dome.

The Dodgers had an up-and-down start to their season. After winning their first eight games, they dropped six of their next nine, finishing the month of April at 21-10. Ohtani had a hot bat, hitting .307 with seven home runs and 12 RBIs.

Ohtani and his wife, Mamiko Tanaka, welcomed a baby daughter, announcing the birth on Instagram on April 19.

The Dodgers struggled in May as the team collectively slumped at the plate, compiling a record of 15-12, and ended the month just a game and a half ahead of the San Diego Padres for the division lead. Ohtani continued to excel, however, batting .309 in May while belting 15 home runs and being named the National League Player of the Month.

Ohtani didn’t make his 2025 pitching debut until mid-June, but was instrumental as part of the Dodgers’ postseason staff on the mound. (Photo by MIKEY HIRANO CULROSS / Rafu Shimpo)

June was better, with the Dodgers winning 17 games while losing 10, for an overall record of 53-32 for the season. Ohtani made his pitching debut on June 16 against the Padres, throwing 28 pitches in the first inning. He gave up an earned run on two hits, but showed impressive velocity at over 100 mph. He also went 2-for-4 with two RBIs in the game, demonstrating his effectiveness as a dual threat.

For the month of June, Ohtani hit .265 with seven home runs and 17 RBIs. He made four starts in June, pitching 20 1/3 innings, and striking out 28, with an impressive ERA of 2.21, even though he was on a pitch count throughout the regular season.

The Dodgers’ struggles resumed in July, with the club posting a dubious 10-14 record for the month. Their hitting woes continued to plague the team, and their bullpen, which faced key injuries earlier in the season, continued to underperform.

Ohtani, for his part, continued to rake at a high level, hitting .283 with 13 home runs and 24 RBIs. He hit a home run in five consecutive games in July, tying a Dodger franchise record.

On the mound, Ohtani made four starts in July, compiling a 4.11 ERA as the team continued the slow buildup of innings following his surgery. Ohtani made his fifth consecutive start in the All-Star game, going 1-for-2 with a single, and becoming the only other player besides David Ortiz to start five consecutive All-Star games as a DH.

The Dodgers’ August was much like their lackluster July, with the ball club finishing with a 15-14 record, and barely maintaining their division lead over the surging Padres. Injuries, inconsistent hitting, and continuing bullpen woes dogged the team.

Ohtani didn’t miss a beat at the plate, hitting .306 for the month with seven home runs, 12 RBIs, and 24 runs scored. On Aug. 27, he earned his first win of the season as a pitcher, tossing five innings of one-run baseball and striking out nine batters against the Reds.

For the month, Ohtani had a pedestrian 5.71 ERA, but his pitch count continued to improve, with him throwing 66, 73, 81, and 87 pitches in his four starts.

Despite losing the first five games in September, the Dodgers recovered nicely to finish the month with a 16-10 record, and a 93-69 record for the season. Ohtani hit .316, with 12 home runs, 20 RBIs, and 24 runs scored in September.

Ohtani made two starts for the Dodgers in September, pitching a total of 11 innings of shutout baseball while striking out 13 batters.

Ohtani had one of the greatest statistical seasons in baseball history in 2025. He finished the season with 55 home runs, breaking the Dodgers’ single-season franchise record for most home runs in a season, which he set in 2024 with 54 dingers.

Ohtani led MLB with 146 runs scored, finished second in on-base plus slugging (OPS) at 1.014, and led the National League in slugging percentage at .622. He joined an elite group of six sluggers in MLB history to hit 50 home runs in back-to-back seasons.

Ohtani’s 146 runs scored broke Babe Ruth’s modern-day season record of 144 set in 1930. 2025 also saw Ohtani become the only player in MLB history to have multiple seasons with at least 50 home runs and 20 stolen bases.

As a pitcher, in limited action, Ohtani had a sub-3 ERA (2.87); in 47 innings, he struck out 62 batters. The Dodgers met the Reds in the National League Wild Card Series, and Ohtani’s two home runs in Game 1 helped propel the Dodgers to the series sweep.

Ohtani’s historic performance in Game 4 of the NLCS – striking out 10 Milwaukee Brewers and clubbing three home runs – earned him series MVP honors. (Photo by MIKEY HIRANO CULROSS / Rafu Shimpo)

Ohtani’s heroics continued into the National League Championship Series against the Brewers. Although he struggled at the plate in the first three games of the series, he had a historic three-home run performance in Game 4 to clinch the sweep for the Dodgers, including blasting a 469-foot shot that flew out of the stadium.

In the same game, Ohtani started and pitched six innings of shutout baseball, striking out 10 batters. No other pitcher has ever hit three home runs in the same game in the postseason. Ohtani was named the NLCS MVP for his performance.

Ohtani’s greatness did not diminish in the World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays. Notably, he reached base an eye-popping nine times in Game 3, a new postseason record. He also had four extra-base hits in that game, tying the single-game World Series record set in 1906.

After a hard-fought seven games, the Dodgers prevailed and claimed their ninth World Series championship, and clearly, Ohtani was central to the success of the team.

Every time Ohtani steps on the diamond, he is making history. We are undoubtedly watching the greatest player of our generation, and possibly of all time. 2025 was an amazing year for Ohtani, and it begs the question, “What’s in store for 2026?”

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