Full-Count leads with Ohtani's record finalist streak, while the vote itself looks like Crow-Armstrong's to lose
Japanese coverage of the NL MVP finalists stresses what a fifth award would mean for Ohtani. English-language previews are focused on his rival.
Key points
- Full-Count reported on Nov. 3 that Ohtani is a National League MVP finalist for the sixth straight year, a record by its count.
- The other finalists are Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Cubs (45 home runs, 41 steals) and Brice Turang of the Brewers.
- Ohtani hit .275 with 30 home runs and 81 RBIs, and went 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA in 14 starts; Seoul Economic Daily says he did not pitch after July 4.
Full-Count, the Japanese baseball site, ran the MVP finalist news on the morning of Nov. 3 under a headline that translates roughly as: Ohtani named MVP finalist for a record sixth straight year; a win would be his fourth in a row and fifth overall. The three NL finalists were announced the previous day in the United States: Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers, Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Cubs and Brice Turang of the Brewers, according to NBC Sports.
Full-Count says Ohtani has now been a finalist every year since 2021, passing the five-year runs of Albert Pujols, Mike Trout and Barry Bonds. We could not confirm that record claim in English-language sources, so it rests on Full-Count's count. The site also lists his season: 139 games, .275, 30 home runs, 81 RBIs and an .889 OPS, plus 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA over 14 pitching appearances. Seoul Economic Daily, which covered the same finalist list, adds that left knee and right biceps problems kept him from pitching after July 4.
The English-language framing is different. NBC Sports calls Crow-Armstrong, 24, the overwhelming favorite, and Seoul Economic Daily says he drew all 38 first-place votes in MLB.com's final straw poll. He played all 162 games and hit 45 home runs with 41 stolen bases. He also won the players' union's player of the year award on Oct. 28, a vote in which Ohtani was also a finalist, as Japan Dugout reported earlier this week.
The winners are due on the 13th, Seoul Economic Daily reports, with Cy Young results a day earlier. For Japanese readers the interesting question is less whether Ohtani wins than how the second-half pitching absence is weighed against a full season from the center fielder.
Original Japanese headlines
大谷翔平、MVPの最終候補入り 史上初の6年連続、4年連続5度目の受賞なるか
Full-Count, Nov. 3, 2026
Players in this storyShohei Ohtani
Our read
Full-Count's headline is built around Ohtani's own history: the streak and the hypothetical fifth trophy. That is natural for a Japanese audience, but it makes a long shot sound like a live contest. The numbers and the straw poll say otherwise. Watch how Japanese outlets word the result on the 13th, because a loss to Crow-Armstrong would be the second this month.