Two of the greatest MLB players of modern times – Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani constantly remind the fans of Babe Ruth. Who can forget the epic power-hitting of the Bambino? But in the modern generation, the fans are lucky to experience the epic battle between the Japanese sensation and the New York Yankees captain. So far, neither Judge nor Ohtani has made it to the World Series. In fact, the Unicorn has not even made it to the MLB playoffs yet in his career. That’s something he would love to change this year. Since ‘Sho-Time’ made his MLB debut, he has stayed in Los Angeles. But he was with the LA Angels for a long time.
Then, the historic free agent signing of $700 million saw the Japanese superstar go blue from red. Currently, he is leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to the playoff race. Moreover, the LA Dodgers are not looking to slow down, and neither is Ohtani. He is the clear favorite to win the National League MVP this year. On the other hand, Aaron Judge is having an epic season that can eventually lead him to his second American League MVP. Moreover, the Ohtani-Judge rivalry is taking over the 2024 MLB Home Run race.
Aaron Judge Can Lose The Home Run Race To Shohei Ohtani
Since late August, Aaron Judge lost his dominance, as he has been going through a mini slump again this year. He dominated most of the last month, reaching 51 home runs a little after mid-August. The California native was on pace to break his own AL HR record of 2022 when he had hit 62 homers. But as of September 9, the Yankees captain is stuck at 51. On the other hand, Shohei Ohtani of the LA side is showing no signs of slowing down. The two-way superstar has been on pace to have the league’s first-ever 50-50 milestone. He can end up hitting more than 50 home runs and stealing more than 50 bases this regular season. Moreover, the Japanese superstar can beat the Yankees captain in this year’s Home Run race. He has already hit 46 home runs in the 2024 regular season. On Sunday, the Dodgers won 4-0 against the Cleveland Guardians.
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In the fifth inning of Sunday’s series finale, Shohei Ohtani hit a solo shot to equal his career-best single season home run record of 46. However, to check if it was fair, the umpires reviewed the shot. In the post-game interview, Max Muncy of the Dodgers talked about the delay because of the review. He took a funny jibe at Judge and the Yankees. Muncy said the team was wondering why it was taking so long to review the shot. Adding to that, he said, “Perhaps the Yankees were admiring it as much the Dodgers were.” Other than the ‘Sho-Time,’ Muncy too contributed to his team’s series win with a homer in the eighth inning of the series finale.
The Dodgers Superstar Continues His Hot Form, While The Yankees Captain In Slump
Ever since Judge and Ohtani started to look like hot favorites to win MVPs this year, fans started debating – “Who’s having a better season?” For a while, it looked like Aaron Judge was dominating the league in several offensive categories, including HRs, RBIs and OPS. On top of that, he was second in terms of the best batting average in the league. But then, late August, the California native started to get into another slump. On the other hand, Shohei Ohtani would not pitch this year because of undergoing Tommy John surgery at the end of the previous season.
But with the bat, the Japanese superstar has been thrilling and superb so far. When he joined the 40-40 club last month, he made a huge statement, saying, “The goal is to win the World Series.” If the Dodgers can do it, then, naturally, the edge will go to Ohtani in case of who’s having a better season.
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