The New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers are set for a heavyweight World Series clash featuring two of the most feared hitters in the history of the sport: Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani.
Judge was effusive of Ohtani when asked about the Dodgers slugger on Tuesday. While they will soon be squaring off on the field for the biggest prize in their sport, Judge refused to hide his admiration for his opponen.t
“He’s just an impressive athlete. The best player in the game. What an ambassador for this sport,” the Yankees captain said. The soft-spoken Judge is often dismissive of his own abilities while praising those of others.
The 30-year-old Ohtani inked a ten-year, $700 million contract ahead of the season and will likely win the National League MVP award unanimously. The Japanese superstar became the first player to hit 50+ home runs (54) and steal 50+ bases (59) in the same season.
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“He hits for average, hits for power, the speed, doing what he did this season with 50 stolen bases, that got talked about a lot but I don’t think it got talked about enough,” Judge continued.
“You see him hustling around the diamond, and I think that just sets a great example for our youth and all the kids that are going to be watching this series.”
Ohtani didn’t pitch a single inning this season because of an offseason Tommy John surgery. If you combine his 6.1 pitching WAR from his career 2022 season on the mound with his 2024 offensive WAR of 9.2, he would tally the single-best season in baseball history (15.3 WAR, topping Babe Ruth’s 14.1 tally in 1923).
Shohei Ohtani (L) and National League Championship MVP Tommy Edman (R) (
Image:
Getty Images)
Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodon sang a slightly different tune when asked about facing Ohtani in the World Series. “He’s a good hitter, but anybody is pitchable,” he cheekily answered.
“I’m going to give him his credit: he’s a great hitter, he’s got tremendous power, he sees the ball well,” Rodon continued. “He can drive the ball out of any ballpark. He can probably hit it out of any stadium…like, out of the stadium, not just over the fence.”
Judge is no slouch himself. The 2022 American League MVP will likely capture the honor again in 2024 after leading baseball with 58 home runs and posting a mind-boggling triple-stash of .322/.458/.701.
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Yankees manager Aaron Boone offered Judge the dose of praise the superstar consistently refuses to give himself. “Obviously, I’ve gotten to see Aaron now for seven years….excited that he’s going to get to go be on this stage.”
“Of course, I know playing against Shohei, what an amazing talent he is, and obviously going to the Dodgers this year and having the kind of season he’s put out there, I think it’s great for the sport, great for baseball, and looking forward to the battle of it all.”
On Tuesday, the Dodgers announced midseason acquisition Jack Flaherty as their Game 1 starter. He will face Yankees ace Gerrit Cole at Dodger Stadium on Friday.
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