Shohei Ohtani thanks Angels, Dodgers in rare English speech for MVP award

What he said: Ohtani, who typically speaks through his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, delivered a rare English speech while accepting his award on Saturday night. He thanked the Los Angeles Angels’ ownership, front office and entire staff for the time they spent together in the past six years, saying, “I always appreciated your support and allowing me the opportunity to play this game I’m so passionate about.”

The two-way phenom then acknowledged and thanked his new team, the Dodgers, for believing in him. “I’m looking forward to this next phase in my career,” he said.

Historic win: Ohtani made history in November by becoming the first player to receive multiple AL MVP Awards unanimously, with the first award being handed to him in 2021. He also joins former Angels teammate Mike Trout — who won his in 2014 and 2016 — as the only Angels players to receive multiple AL MVP awards in three years.

Fur baby support: After receiving his award, the Japanese-born baseball star apparently spent the rest of the night with his dog Decoy. The Dutch Kooikerhondje, whose Japanese name is Dekopin, was first spotted with Ohtani when he was interviewed for the award in November.

Current stats: As a batter, Ohtani recorded a .304 batting average on top of the 44 home runs he hit in 135 games last season. On the mound, he went 10-5 with an earned run average of 3.14 in 132 innings.

Unfortunately, his pitching run with the Angels last season was cut short after he suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in August. He signed a historic $700 million contract with the Dodgers in December.