New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge won his third American League MVP Award on Thursday night, and furthered his case as one of the best players in franchise history.
According to MLB Network, the Yankees’ slugger became only the fourth individual in team history ever to win the MVP Award three times, joining Yogi Berra, Joe DiMaggio, and Mickey Mantle.
“It’s tough for me to wrap my head around it,” Judge told Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. “It’s really kind of mind-blowing. I just play this game to win. I play this game for my teammates, my family, all the fans in New York. I just want to go out there and give them my best every single day.”
Across 152 games in 2025, Judge cranked 53 home runs, tallied 114 RBIs, and posted a 1.144 OPS. The California native also hit .331 and won the American League batting title.
“I don’t ever want to become desensitized by the consistency and the enormity of his accomplishments,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “It’s becoming increasingly difficult for me to use words to capture how good he is. He’s just playing at a higher level, and has been for quite some time.”
Judge received 17 of 30 first-place votes cast by members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, finishing just ahead of Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh. Despite his latest accolade, Judge’s sights remain set on a World Series title.
“I think I’d trade every award I’ve gotten and every All-Star appearance for an opportunity to win a championship,” Judge said. “That’s my main focus. That’s why I wake up every day.”
