League Championship Series Most Valuable Player Award

Shohei Ohtani (NL)

The League Championship Series Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award is given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players deemed to have the most impact on their teams' performances in each of the two respective League Championship Series that comprise the penultimate round of the MLB postseason. The award is given separately for a player in both the American League Championship Series and the National League Championship Series. It has been presented in the National League (NL) since 1977, and in the American League (AL) since 1980. Dusty Baker won the inaugural award in 1977 with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Frank White won the first AL award in 1980 with the Kansas City Royals. Twelve LCS MVP winners have been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame: Roberto Alomar, George Brett, Dennis Eckersley, Rickey Henderson, David Ortiz, Kirby Puckett, CC Sabathia, Ozzie Smith, Mariano Rivera, Iván Rodríguez, John Smoltz, and Willie Stargell.

Three players have won the award twice: Steve Garvey (1978, 1984), Dave Stewart (1990, 1993), and Orel Hershiser (1988, 1995). Incidentally, all three of these players won their two awards with two different teams. Building off of this, Garvey is the only player to win NLCS MVP twice, Stewart the only player to win ALCS MVP twice, and Hershiser the only one to win in both leagues. Nine players have gone on to win the World Series MVP Award in the same season in which they won the LCS MVP—eight from the NL and one from the AL. Three players have won while playing for the losing team in the series: Fred Lynn played for the 1982 California Angels; Mike Scott pitched for the 1986 Houston Astros; and Jeffrey Leonard played for the 1987 San Francisco Giants. Two players have shared the award in the same year three times, all in the NL; Rob Dibble and Randy Myers for the 1990 Cincinnati Reds, the Chicago Cubs' Jon Lester and Javier Báez in 2016, and Chris Taylor and Justin Turner of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2017.

Adam Kennedy won the 2002 ALCS MVP when he hit three home runs in a single game; he had hit 7 during the regular season and hit 80 in his 14-year career. Nelson Cruz won the award in the 2011 ALCS after hitting six home runs in the series. Adolis García won the award after having 15 RBIs during the 2023 ALCS. From the pitcher's mound, Steve Avery threw innings without giving up a run in the 1991 NLCS, and John Smoltz amassed 19 strikeouts the following year to win MVP honours. Liván Hernández won the 1997 NLCS MVP after winning his only start and earning a win out of the bullpen in relief; he struck out 16 in innings. Daniel Murphy won the 2015 NLCS MVP after hitting home runs in six consecutive games (including the final two games of the preceding division series), setting a major league record for consecutive postseason games with a home run. Shohei Ohtani won the 2025 NLCS MVP after hitting three home runs and pitching six shutout innings with 10 strikeouts in Game 4.

Liván Hernández (1997, NL) and his half-brother Orlando Hernández (1999, AL) are the only family pair to have won the award. The only rookies to have won the award are Mike Boddicker (1983, AL), Liván Hernández (1997, NL), Michael Wacha (2013, NL), Randy Arozarena (2020, AL) and Jeremy Peña (2022, AL).

American League winners

Year	Player	Team	Position	Selected statistics	Ref
		Kansas City Royals	Second baseman
		New York Yankees	Third baseman
		California Angels§	Outfielder
		Baltimore Orioles	Starting pitcher
		Detroit Tigers	Outfielder
	†	Kansas City Royals	Third baseman
		Boston Red Sox	Second baseman
		Minnesota Twins	Third baseman
	†	Oakland Athletics	Relief pitcher
	†	Oakland Athletics	Outfielder
		Oakland Athletics	Starting pitcher
	†	Minnesota Twins	Outfielder
	†	Toronto Blue Jays	Second baseman
	(2)	Toronto Blue Jays	Starting pitcher
	Series cancelled due to player's strike	last=Bryant	first=Howard	date=2005	title=Juicing the Game	publisher=Penguin Group	page=53	isbn=0-670-03445-2	url-access=registration	url=https://archive.org/details/juicinggamedrugs00brya/page/53}}
	(2)	Cleveland Indians	Starting pitcher
		New York Yankees	Outfielder
		Cleveland Indians	Outfielder
		New York Yankees	Starting pitcher
	{{sortname	Orlando	Hernández	Hernandez, Orlando}}	New York Yankees	Starting pitcher
		New York Yankees	Outfielder
		New York Yankees	Starting pitcher
		Anaheim Angels	Second baseman		url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/2002_ALCS.shtml	title=2002 League Championship Series – ANA vs. MIN	work=Baseball-Reference.com	access-date=September 3, 2009	archive-date=June 30, 2020	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200630073905/https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/2002_ALCS.shtml	url-status=live}}
	†	New York Yankees	Relief pitcher
	†	Boston Red Sox	Designated hitter		url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/2004_ALCS.shtml	title=2004 League Championship Series – BOS vs. NYY	work=Baseball-Reference.com	access-date=September 3, 2009	archive-date=April 29, 2011	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429124841/http://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/2004_ALCS.shtml	url-status=live}}
		Chicago White Sox	First baseman
	{{sortname	Plácido	Polanco	Polanco, Placido}}	Detroit Tigers	Second baseman
		Boston Red Sox	Starting pitcher
		Tampa Bay Rays	Starting pitcher
	†	New York Yankees	Starting pitcher
		Texas Rangers	Outfielder
		Texas Rangers	Outfielder
		Detroit Tigers	Designated hitter
		Boston Red Sox	Relief pitcher
		Kansas City Royals	Outfielder
		Kansas City Royals	Shortstop
		Cleveland Indians	Relief pitcher
		Houston Astros	Starting pitcher
		Boston Red Sox	Center fielder
		Houston Astros	Second baseman
		Tampa Bay Rays	Outfielder
		Houston Astros	Designated hitter
*		Houston Astros	Shortstop
		Texas Rangers	Outfielder
		New York Yankees	Designated hitter
		Toronto Blue Jays	First baseman

National League winners

Year	Player	Team	Position	Selected statistics	Ref
		Los Angeles Dodgers	Outfielder
		Los Angeles Dodgers	First baseman		url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1978_NLCS.shtml	title=1978 League Championship Series – LAD vs. PHI	work=Baseball-Reference.com	access-date=September 2, 2009	archive-date=April 29, 2011	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429184858/http://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1978_NLCS.shtml	url-status=live}}
*	†	Pittsburgh Pirates	First baseman
		Philadelphia Phillies	Second baseman
		Los Angeles Dodgers	Starting pitcher
*		St. Louis Cardinals	Catcher
		Philadelphia Phillies	Outfielder
	(2)	San Diego Padres	First baseman
	†	St. Louis Cardinals	Shortstop
		Houston Astros§	Starting pitcher
		San Francisco Giants§	Outfielder		url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1987_NLCS.shtml	title=1987 League Championship Series – STL vs. SFG	work=Baseball-Reference.com	access-date=September 3, 2009	archive-date=June 22, 2008	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080622221033/https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1987_NLCS.shtml	url-status=live}}
*		Los Angeles Dodgers	Pitcher
		San Francisco Giants	First baseman
^		Cincinnati Reds	Relief pitcher		url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1990_NLCS.shtml	title=1990 League Championship Series – CIN vs. PIT	work=Baseball-Reference.com	access-date=September 3, 2009	archive-date=June 22, 2008	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080622221033/https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1990_NLCS.shtml	url-status=live}}
^		Cincinnati Reds	Relief pitcher
		Atlanta Braves	Starting pitcher		url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1991_NLCS.shtml	title=1991 League Championship Series – ATL vs. PIT	work=Baseball-Reference.com	access-date=September 3, 2009	archive-date=June 22, 2008	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080622221033/https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1991_NLCS.shtml	url-status=live}}
	†	Atlanta Braves	Starting pitcher		url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1992_NLCS.shtml	title=1992 League Championship Series – ATL vs. PIT	work=Baseball-Reference.com	access-date=September 3, 2009	archive-date=June 22, 2008	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080622221033/https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1992_NLCS.shtml	url-status=live}}
		Philadelphia Phillies	Starting pitcher
	Series cancelled due to player's strike
		Atlanta Braves	Outfielder
	{{sortname	Javy	López	Lopez, Javy}}	Atlanta Braves	Catcher
*	{{sortname	Liván	Hernández	Hernandez, Livan}}	Florida Marlins	Starting pitcher
		San Diego Padres	Starting pitcher
		Atlanta Braves	Catcher
		New York Mets	Starting pitcher
		Arizona Diamondbacks	Infielder
		San Francisco Giants	Catcher
	{{sortname	Iván	Rodríguez	Rodriguez, Ivan}}†	Florida Marlins	Catcher
		St. Louis Cardinals	First baseman		url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/2004_NLCS.shtml	title=2004 League Championship Series – STL vs. HOU	work=Baseball-Reference.com	access-date=September 3, 2009	archive-date=June 22, 2008	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080622221033/https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/2004_NLCS.shtml	url-status=live}}
		Houston Astros	Starting pitcher
		St. Louis Cardinals	Starting pitcher
		Colorado Rockies	Outfielder
*		Philadelphia Phillies	Starting pitcher
		Philadelphia Phillies	First baseman
		San Francisco Giants	Outfielder
*		St. Louis Cardinals	Third baseman
		San Francisco Giants	Second baseman
		St. Louis Cardinals	Starting pitcher
*		San Francisco Giants	Starting pitcher
		New York Mets	Infielder
^		Chicago Cubs	Starting pitcher		url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/2016_NLCS.shtml	title=2016 League Championship Series – CHC vs. LAD	work=Baseball-Reference.com	access-date=October 22, 2016	archive-date=November 12, 2020	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112010833/https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/2016_NLCS.shtml	url-status=live}}
^		Chicago Cubs	Infielder
^		Los Angeles Dodgers	Third baseman		url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/2017_NLCS.shtml	title=2017 NLCS: Los Angeles Dodgers over Chicago Cubs (4-1)	work=Baseball-Reference.com	access-date=October 19, 2017	archive-date=January 31, 2021	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210131042342/https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/2017_NLCS.shtml	url-status=live}}
^		Los Angeles Dodgers	Outfielder
		Los Angeles Dodgers	First baseman
		Washington Nationals	Second baseman
*		Los Angeles Dodgers	Shortstop
		Atlanta Braves	Outfielder
		Philadelphia Phillies	Designated hitter
		Arizona Diamondbacks	Second baseman
		Los Angeles Dodgers	Shortstop
	Shohei Ohtani	Los Angeles Dodgers	Designated hitter /
Starting pitcher