Japanese baseball fans hailed Shohei Ohtani¡¯s fourth unanimous MVP Award on Friday, calling the Los Angeles Dodgers star a source of national pride and welcome good news amid the economic gloom.

¡°Despite going through a difficult period after getting married and having a child, he managed to give his all and achieve such results,¡± Yukihiro Kosaka, 54, said in front of a train station in central Tokyo.

Ohtani, 31, was named American League MVP in 2021 and 2023 as a member of the Los Angeles Angels and led the Dodgers to back-to-back World Series championships in his second season with the club.

¡°I think it is really a monumental achievement,¡± said Yukiko Yamashita, 38, a longtime Ohtani supporter. ¡°I feel very proud.¡±

Takaaki Ichikawa, 46, said Ohtani¡¯s achievements made the whole country proud.

¡°It¡¯s truly a pride for the Japanese people,¡± said the civil servant, who learned of the news after receiving a special edition newspaper.

¡°In the current economic stagnation, it is wonderful to hear such positive news, and it encourages me to keep working hard.¡±

University student Yoshino Inoue hoped Ohtani could be the MVP of both the World Baseball Classic and MLB next year.

¡°This season kicked off with the opening game in Japan,¡± Inoue said.

¡°I watched that game and saw his first home run here, which was really great. And when the season wrapped up, he ended up winning MVP again. I think that just shows how great of a player Ohtani is.¡±

The Dodgers defeated the Toronto Blue Jays in a thrilling seven-game series to win their second straight championship and third in six seasons, cementing themselves as a modern-day dynasty.

¡°It was a great year,¡± Ohtani said on MLB Network via a translator.

¡°I¡¯m grateful to my teammates, the coaching staff ... but not only them. The fans were the ones who really rooted us on and supported us.¡±