The 2024 MLB season — and even the several weeks preceding it — was essentially The Summer of Shohei Ohtani.

The Japanese superstar was the center of attention for almost a full calendar year during a season straight out of a Hollywood movie. He was the leading man in a blockbuster featuring unprecedented riches, love, betrayal, professional milestones and, most of all, a storybook ending with Ohtani achieving his goal of winning the World Series.

His high-profile move to the Los Angeles Dodgers — one of MLB’s most storied franchises — turned up the spotlight on him, and the 30-year-old responded with one of the best seasons in MLB history.