On Wednesday afternoon at Dodger Stadium, Shohei Ohtani reminded everybody why he’s nonetheless the face of baseball — and the frontrunner for Nationwide League MVP.
Throughout his begin in opposition to the St. Louis Cardinals, Ohtani lit up the radar gun, firing a 100 mph fastball to finish the primary inning, a second that despatched the group right into a frenzy and had social media buzzing. The Dodgers’ official X account merely posted, “Shohei hits 100 to finish the inning!” whereas Dodger Nation added, “100 MPH FILTH FROM SHOHEI OHTANI AND THEN HE IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWS UP WITH A LEADOFF SINGLE.”
Shohei hits 100 to finish the inning! pic.twitter.com/UMJ3d4F1Mn
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 6, 2025
Yeah, that’s peak Shohei.
All of it got here throughout a high-energy afternoon at Chavez Ravine, the place followers confirmed up early to assert duplicate Shohei Ohtani World Collection rings as a part of a promotional giveaway. Aerial pictures from SkyFOX captured large strains wrapped across the ballpark — a reminder of Ohtani’s star energy and influence on the fanbase.
Will Kyle Schwarber go the Dodgers star within the MVP race?
However whereas Shohei continues to dazzle on each side of the sport, his lead within the 2025 MVP race isn’t fairly as dominant because it as soon as appeared. Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber has launched himself into the dialog with a historic offensive tear over the past month.
Schwarber now leads the Nationwide League with 40 house runs and 94 RBIs, slashing .258/.382/.591 with a 162 OPS+ and a 4.1 WAR. He’s been particularly deadly since successful All-Star Sport MVP, hitting .318 with 10 bombs in simply 17 video games. His red-hot bat has helped push Philadelphia to the highest of the NL East standings.
Ohtani, then again, has cooled off barely. His post-All-Star break numbers (.233/.346/.491 with 9 homers in his final 30 video games) aren’t fairly what we noticed within the first half. Nonetheless, he’s slashing .276/.380/.601 general with 38 homers, 73 RBIs, 105 runs, and 16 steals. Add in his work on the mound — 2.40 ERA, 17 strikeouts in 15 innings — and Ohtani’s worth as a two-way star stays unmatched.
The MVP debate is shaping as much as be probably the most compelling in years, with two designated hitters main the cost — a rarity in itself. Ohtani is chasing what can be his third MVP as a two-way participant and second straight as a Dodger. Schwarber is placing up energy numbers harking back to previous MVP winners like Harmon Killebrew and Andre Dawson.
If Schwarber in some way reaches 60 house runs and 150 RBIs, the voters could have a choice to make. However till then, Sho-Time stays the person to beat — particularly when he’s dialing it as much as triple digits and smashing leadoff singles prefer it’s routine.