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Ohtani versus Judge is the most significant debate in Major League Baseball and one of the most discussed in all sports. Who would you like, who would you take? The two transcendent stars of the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers are that big.
The statistical numbers of the two men are mind-boggling. Ohtani has won three Most Valuable Player Awards with the Angels and one with the Dodgers, making him only the second player in baseball history, behind Hall of Famer Frank Robinson, to be named MVP in both the National League and American League.
Judge has won two MVP Awards for the Yankees in 2022 and 2024 while putting up mega home run numbers, 58 in 2024, and breaking Roger Maris’ Yankee record by clubbing 62 home runs in 2022. “The Judge” also won Major League Baseball’s Rookie of the Year honors in 2017.
Ohtani is the first player in Major League Baseball history to reach the 50-50 plateau, 54 home runs with 59 steals last season, while leading the Dodgers to the World Series against the Yankees.
Ohtani is looking to pitch again in 2025 for the Dodgers. PHOTO: MLB/LA DODGERS
However, neither man delivered the kind of performance expected of them in the fall classic. Judge hit .184 with three home runs and nine RBIs, and Ohtani batted .105 with no home runs but scored twice. The bottom line was the Dodgers beat the Yankees four games to one to capture the World Series title, with Judge making a key error that helped the Dodgers rally from a 5-0 deficit to win the series-clinching game.
Judge, at 33, and Ohtani, at 30, are the unquestioned stars of their teams and their leagues.
Ohtani gains the edge in this mano-y-mano rivalry because of his pitching prowess and base-stealing skills. Sharing some of his comparison, former Major Leaguer Mile Boddicker said, “He kind of reminds you of Nolan Ryan, and then he reminds you of freaking Barry Bonds. He’s both of those guys. I mean, he’s got great stuff, and he can hit a home run with the best of anybody.”
Former Astros manager Dusty Baker explained, “He changed the rules. Anybody who changes the rules on anything has to be a great player. This guy, he can outrun a deer. He can throw a hundred miles an hour, hit a ball a mile.”
As he currently recovers from his second Tommy John Surgery, titillating Dodger fans and the baseball world with the thought of his return to the pitching mound while still hitting home runs — a la Babe Ruth — his legend continues to grow. But comparisons to Babe Ruth are unfair to both men, seeing that Ruth played in the Dead-Ball Era while compiling pitching and hitting statistics that still stand tall in baseball history. And Ruth never suffered an arm injury while pitching. For anyone who questions the thinking on this matter, look at the baseball record book.
The man from Japan is now a global star, the top athlete in sports, period. His 10-year/$700 million salary is twice that of Aaron Judge and second only to Juan Soto’s $765 million deal with the Mets. He is a marketing sensation worldwide, with untold riches coming from his homeland.
The Yankee Captain is hitting .391 this year. PHOTO: JEFFREY HYDE
The debate over Ohtani versus Judge is heavily weighted in Ohtani’s favor at this point. The accurate barometer of this debate will center on which player will lead his team to the most World Series titles by the end of their respective playing careers. As of this writing, Ohtani holds a 1-0 lead in that all-important category.
To this point of the current Major League Baseball season, Judge is hitting for a higher average, .390 plus to .290 plus for Ohtani. Ohtani currently leads in the home run category by a 23-21 margin.
If you want to pick one man over the other, I’ll gladly take the one that you don’t choose. Both are leaders of high integrity and respected by teammates and opponents alike. These two men of color hold unique and elite status in baseball and throughout the world for different reasons. Each player brings a certain level of dignity to their lofty position. Both are low-keyed in temperament but extremely loud in their on-field personae. They make you want to watch and dissect their every move.
Pundits will keep the debate going for the remainder of their playing careers. Both hit the baseball landscape like meteors rocketing across the sky. Ohtani was a mega star in Japanese baseball before coming to Major League Baseball. His feats of pitching and hitting made him legendary. Judge became a star from the moment he put on the pinstripes and is now the captain of the most heralded team in baseball.
Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge are special talents for the special game that is baseball.
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