This year, Shohei Ohtani received a slew of awards—two of which he shared with a furry buddy that had a spectacular debut on national television.
As part of the Players Choice Awards presented on November 2, the multi-talented phenom Ohtani was awarded the 2023 AL Outstanding Player of the Year in addition to winning the American League MVP Award earlier this month.
Although Ohtani was sitting with his pet puppy when he received his second career MVP honor, the dog took center stage when his superstar owner was proclaimed the winner. A black cat leaped into the room via the partially open Dutch door behind Ohtani as he was about to remark on his Players Choice Awards nod.
Ohtani looked over, saw the cat fan, and started laughing mid-sentence. The world’s top baseball player was formally introduced to the feline later on. The feline may have been a little star-struck, but it did reach out and pet Ohtani on the right side.
Ronald Acuña Jr., Gerrit Cole, Blake Snell, Gunnar Henderson, Corbin Carroll, Liam Hendriks, and Cody Bellinger are the other recipients of this year’s Players Choice Awards. These awards are significant because they are chosen by the winners’ fellow players and include categories such as Overall Player of the Year and NL Outstanding Player.
Possibly a new category called “Outstanding Animal Companion” or something similar will be added down the road.
