Yankees’ Aaron Judge on Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani: ‘He’s the Best Player in the Game’
Aaron Judge led MLB in home runs and RBIs during the regular season, but even he conceded that Shohei Ohtani is the best player in MLB. As the Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter and New York Yankees outfielder, who are both expected to win the MVP awards of their respective leagues this season, get ready to face off in the World Series, Judge gave Ohtani high praise for his talent and play on the field.
“I feel like everything’s obvious,” Judge said Tuesday. “Hits for average, hits for power, the speed. Doing what he did this year with the 50 stolen bases, it got talked about a lot but I don’t think it got talked about enough. He’s an impressive athlete, the best player in the game, what an ambassador for this sport.”
Judge is one of the few players in MLB who can challenge Ohtani for the title of best player in baseball. Judge led MLB this season with 58 home runs and a career-high 144 RBIs. This was the third time Judge has led the league in home runs and the second time he has led it in RBIs.
Ohtani recorded an incredible season this year as well. He hit a career-high 54 home runs, and became the first player in MLB history with at least 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season. He finished the season with 197 hits, 134 runs, 54 home runs, and 130 RBIs.
From 2021-23, Judge and Ohtani were the only two players to win the American League MVP award. Ohtani won the award in 2021 and 2023, but Judge won the award in 2022 after a historic performance. Though Ohtani hit 34 home runs and drove in 95 RBIs while recording his best season as a pitcher in 2022 with a 2.33 ERA and career-high 219 strikeouts — both ranking sixth in MLB — Judge outshined him with a career-high 62 home runs. Judge was simply on another level that season, and it’s a good thing that the two stars play in different leagues now so both can deservedly take home the MVP crown.
Judge and Ohtani are two of the primary reasons this is expected to be an exciting World Series, especially if both stars are at the top of their game for the best of seven series. Each is seeking their first World Series title.
Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
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