In a much-anticipated showdown between the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers, fans were treated to a historic opening act at Chavez Ravine.

AL and NL MVPs Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani both launched solo home runs in the first inning, marking the first time in MLB history that the reigning American and National League MVPs went deep in the same inning.

After the game, Judge delivered a lighthearted take on Ohtani’s first-inning blast to USA Today's Bob Nightengale. He offered a simple, tongue-in-cheek response.

“I thought he was copying me” Judge said. “He’s impressive. He’s one of the best players in the game for a reason.”

Judge’s quip perfectly captured the competitive spirit and mutual respect between two of baseball’s biggest stars.

Judge opened the scoring with a towering 446-foot shot to center field, marking his 18th home run of the season. Not to be outdone, Ohtani responded just minutes later with a 417-foot blast of his own, pushing his MLB-leading total to 22.

The Yankees jumped out to a 5-2 lead, aided by additional home runs from Austin Wells, Trent Grisham, and Paul Goldschmidt. But the Dodgers clawed back, ultimately winning 8-5 after a relentless offensive surge in the sixth and seventh innings.

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The Yankees, now 35-21, saw their five-game winning streak snapped in the loss. Meanwhile, the Dodgers improved to 35-22 and remain atop the National League West. It was a thrilling start to a three-game series that rekindles the energy of last year’s World Series.

Max Fried took his first loss of the season, surrendering six earned runs over five-plus innings in what was easily his toughest outing of the year.

Coming into the game, Fried was tied for the most wins in MLB with seven and had been one of the most dependable arms in the Yankees’ rotation. But the Dodgers' potent offense cracked him in the sixth, erasing a 5-2 New York lead and flipping the momentum.

On the other side, Tony Gonsolin overcame a rocky start to earn the win for L.A., allowing five runs but settling in to complete six innings. Alex Vesia closed it out with a scoreless ninth, locking down his second save of the season.

The MVP fireworks in the first inning—and Judge’s humorous take on it—set the tone for what could be another classic series between the Yankees and Dodgers.