MVP? Already done. World Series? Check.
Now Shohei Ohtani is chasing something even bigger — and Clayton Kershaw believes history is within reach.
There are great seasons… and then there are seasons that redefine what’s possible.
According to Clayton Kershaw, Shohei Ohtani might be on the verge of delivering exactly that in 2026.
After returning from Tommy John surgery and preparing to resume full two-way duties with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Ohtani is stepping into a season loaded with expectation — and unprecedented opportunity.
Because this time, it’s not just about dominance.
It’s about making history.
Ohtani has already built a résumé that feels almost unreal. He’s a four-time MVP. A member of the exclusive 50/50 club. A World Series champion. A generational force who has shattered the traditional boundaries of baseball.
But there’s still one prize missing.
The Cy Young Award.
And that’s where things get interesting.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has already hinted that Ohtani could contend for the National League’s top pitching honor this season. But Kershaw took it a step further — much further.
“It would be pretty cool,” Kershaw said, “to see a Cy Young, MVP, and World Series in one year.”
Cool?
Try historic.
Because if Ohtani pulls it off, he would join a microscopic list of legends — including Sandy Koufax and Willie Hernández — as the only players in MLB history to achieve that trifecta in a single season.
And unlike anyone before him, Ohtani would do it as a true two-way superstar.
That’s what makes this chase so compelling.
“It’s his drive,” Kershaw explained. “To be the best hitter in the world and one of the best pitchers… that takes something different.”
Different might be an understatement.
Because what Ohtani is attempting — excelling at an elite level on both sides of the game over a full season — is something baseball has never truly seen sustained in the modern era.
Even his own teammates are struggling to process it.
“I don’t know if we’re ever going to see another player do what he’s doing,” Kershaw admitted.
That’s not hype.
That’s recognition.
And yet, amid all the historic potential, Ohtani himself is focused on something far simpler.
Staying healthy.
“If the end result is a Cy Young, that’s great,” Ohtani said during spring training. “But that just means I was able to pitch the whole season.”
It’s a grounded mindset — one that reveals how he views success. Not as awards or headlines, but as consistency. Availability. Longevity.
Because for Ohtani, greatness isn’t just about peaks.
It’s about endurance.
Still, the possibilities are impossible to ignore.
A full season on the mound. Elite production at the plate. A powerhouse Dodgers team chasing another championship.
The ingredients are all there.
And if everything aligns, 2026 won’t just be another chapter in Ohtani’s career.
It could be the season that breaks baseball history wide open.
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