New York Yankees star Aaron Judge is paying the highest compliment to Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Shohei Ohtani. Judge says that Ohtani is the best player in baseball today.
“Doing what he did this year with the 50 stolen bases, that got talked about a lot but I don't think that got talked about enough,” Judge said of Ohtani, per Talkin' Baseball. “He's an impressive athlete.”
Judge and Ohtani have dominated storylines in Major League Baseball for much of the 2024 campaign, as the World Series is about to begin. Fittingly, the duo have their teams in the final series, as the Yankees and Dodgers will play for a MLB championship starting on Friday.
Yankees' Aaron Judge and Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani had seasons to remember in MLB
Article Continues BelowBoth Judge and Ohtani led their teams in offense this season, respectively. The Dodgers' Ohtani became the first player in MLB history to have 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single year. That impressive accomplishment may never be done again, and the ball that Ohtani blasted to accomplish that feat may go for $10 million at auction.
Not to be outshined, Judge also had an incredible season for the Yankees. He is the fastest player in MLB history to smash 300 home runs. Judge accomplished that feat in August, and then went on to set several Yankees single-season hitting records.
Los Angeles spent millions upon millions to bring Ohtani to the Dodgers. It has worked wonders for the team, as Ohtani's presence increased revenue for the franchise. The only goal left for the team is to win a World Series. New York is the last thing that stands in the way for the Dodgers and Ohtani.
The Dodgers and Yankees play Friday in Game 1 of the World Series. New York last won it all in 2009, while the Dodgers last won in 2020.