For the second consecutive month, Shohei Ohtani (29, Los Angeles Angels) has been named the American League’s Most Valuable Player (MVP).

The Major League Baseball (MLB) office announced on Wednesday that Ohtani was named the American League MVP for July. This is the second consecutive month Ohtani has been honored as the league’s top player after being named MVP in June.

This is the second time Ohtani has earned monthly MVP honors in back-to-back months (June and July 2021).

In the month of July, Ohtani played in 23 games as a hitter, batting .282 with nine home runs, 14 RBIs, and an OPS of 1.152. Opposing pitchers tried to avoid hitting Ohtani, allowing 22 walks, nine intentional walks, and two wild pitches.

On the mound, he appeared in four games, going 2-2 with a 4.97 ERA and 29 strikeouts. In the first game of a doubleheader against the Detroit Tigers on July 28, he tossed nine innings of one-hit ball with three walks and eight strikeouts for his first major league complete game.

On the same day, Ohtani started in the No. 2 spot in the lineup and went 2-for-3 with a double, one walk, one strikeout and one run scored against the Atlanta Braves at TriState Park in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

With a seven-game hitting streak, Ohtani is third in the American League with a .307 batting average. He is first in slugging percentage (.408) and on-base percentage (.676).

However, the Angels’ mound collapsed despite Ohtani’s stellar performance, leading to a 5-12 loss to Atlanta. Lucas Giolito struggled in his first start since joining the Angels, allowing nine runs on eight hits (three homers) and five walks in 3⅔ innings.

With their second straight loss, 한국야동 the Angels are now 56-53 and in fourth place in the American League West.