Shohei Ohtani added to his postseason trophy haul Thursday when the Angels two-way star won Players Choice Awards — as voted by his peers — for Major League Baseball Player of the Year and American League Outstanding Player for 2021. Dodgers right-hander Max Scherzer, who was acquired in a July 30 trade from the Washington Nationals, was named National League Outstanding pitcher. The left-handed-hitting slugger hit .257 with a .965 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, 26 doubles, eight triples, 103 runs and 26 stolen bases. Ohtani, 27, was the first AL player to hit 45 homers or more, steal at least 25 bases and score at least 100 runs. In a Sept. 14 game against the San Diego Padres, Scherzer became the 19th player in major league history to pass the 3,000-strikeout mark with a fifth-inning whiff of Eric Hosmer.

Source: Los Angeles Times October 29, 2021 11:21 UTC