The New York Yankees are in Los Angeles.
After cleaning up the Los Angeles Angels earlier in the week, the Yankees will be at Stadium starting Friday to play against the Los Angeles in a three-game series.
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Each team’s roster features American League MVP Aaron Judge and National League MVP Shohei Ohtani: the most valuable players from each league.
Therefore, comparing MVP pairs is inevitable.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone was asked to compare the two players. He praised Otani’s versatility as a strong batsman, efficient base steeler and dominant pitcher, but the judge considers him to be the best batsman in the game.
“I think the judge has been the best batsman in the sport for many years, but what Shohei does at his speed, and when he’s healthy, he’s the ace of the mound and the ability to swing bats… we haven’t seen that,” Boone said.
This season, the judge has gotten a much stronger start on the plate than Otani.
The ‘ two-way players have cut .292/.394/.648, while the Yankees outfielder has hit another world .391/.488/.739.
Otani led the league with 20 home runs and scored 53 runs. The judge leads the league with OPS 1.227 (Ohtani’s 1.042).
Despite this, Boone said Otani’s ability to pitch and hit makes him unique in MLB.
“Otani is very unique when he adds pitching elements, like he’s never seen in this game,” Boone said.
Otani hasn’t pitched this season yet. The right-hander is working towards a return to pitching, but he is not expected to take the mound until after the All-Star break in July.
Both Otani and the judge will have the opportunity to prove themselves this weekend as the best player in the game in Los Angeles.
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Photo credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Image
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