Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani | Image Conor P. Fitzgerald/Shutterstock; Caitlin Clark | Image by Caitlin Clark/X
Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani and Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark were honored on Monday for their sports achievements by winning the Male and Female Associated Press Athlete of the Year Awards.
Ohtani is coming off an incredible season during his first year with the Dodgers organization. He won his third MVP award while leading Los Angeles to its eighth World Series victory in franchise history.
Despite being unable to pitch during the season due to surgery to repair a torn UCL, Ohtani exceeded all expectations for what he would be able to accomplish during his first season with the Dodgers.
The seven-year veteran led Los Angeles with an impressive batting average of .310 while hitting 54 home runs and accounting for 130 runs batted in, with all three of these statistics ranking within the top three in the league.
Ohtani also became the first MLB player in history to cross the bar of 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season, creating a new 50/50 club that MLB players around the league will look to join in the coming seasons. He ended the season with 54 home runs and 59 stolen bases.
Despite reaching heights that no other baseball player has ever climbed, many people still believe that Ohtani can take his abilities to another level once he is healthy enough to pitch for a full season.
“It wouldn’t shock me if he went 60/60 and 20 wins a year from now,” said Ohtani’s former manager with the Los Angeles Angels, Brad Ausmus, per the Associated Press.
“This guy is the greatest athlete to ever play the sport of baseball and there’s not a close second.”
Ohtani spoke through his translator, Matt Hidaka, and said he was “honored” to win the award for a third time, adding that “maybe next year” he can pull off a fourth victory.
“Growing up in Japan, I did follow Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods,” he said, per AP. “I would see their accolades and how they were successful in the United States.”
Ohtani said he is focusing on his recovery during the offseason following multiple years with significant injuries, explaining that he trusts those around him to help make the best decision for his future.
“My personal goal is to be fully healthy by the time the opening games do start,” he added, per AP. “To be able to pitch and hit would be great, but the situation will kind of guide itself.”
The second award of the night went to Clark after she led the Indiana Fever to the WNBA playoffs with a regular season record of 20-20.
She is the fourth WNBA player to win this award since it began in 1931, joining Sheryl Swoopes (1993), Rebecca Lobo (1995), and Candace Parker (2008 and 2021), per AP.
Clark, who is also the reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year, said she was inspired by many previous players to win this award, adding, “It was a great year for women’s basketball and women’s sports.”
“I grew up a fan of Candace Parker and the people who came before me and to be honored in this way, is super special and I’m thankful,” she added, as reported by AP.
Clark had an incredibly eventful year as she broke the NCAA Division I scoring record for any male or female basketball player with 3,951 points, surpassing the previous record of 3,667 points by former LSU superstar guard “Pistol” Pete Maravich.
The 22-year-old guard then took her talents to the WNBA and quickly bounced back from a difficult start to the season, finishing the year with averages of 19.2 points per game, 5.7 rebounds, and leading the league with 8.4 assists.
Clark’s rookie season also included setting the record for the most assists in a game and season with 19 and 337, with the rookie also becoming the fastest player in WNBA history to make 100 three-point jump shots.
One of the most notable aspects of these performances over the past year has been the number of fans that come to watch her play, as Clark drew record-breaking attendance numbers during her singular WNBA season.
The Indiana Fever reported a 318.9% increase in home game attendance during Clark’s rookie season, easily exceeding the increases seen by any other team in the league.
Clark said every game is exciting because “you don’t always appreciate how many people 18 million is,” adding that “it’s still really fun” to interact with the fans.
“Whether it’s 15 seconds or 10 seconds or 5 seconds can be very impactful in a young girl and young boy’s life. Seeing the fans going crazy an hour before tipoff, I never take that for granted. That’s super cool and I never want that to go away,” she said, per AP.