Yankees slugger Aaron Judge was named American League Most Valuable Player on Thursday for the second consecutive year and third in the last four seasons.
Judge beat out Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh and Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez for the award.
Judge was the best hitter in the majors, leading every hitter in baseball in batting average (.331), on-base percentage (.457) and slugging percentage (.688), and finishing with an AL-leading 137 runs scored to go with 53 home runs and 114 runs batted in.
All of this while battling through a flexor strain in his elbow that sent him to the Injured List in August and forced him to designated hitter duties for an extended amount of time.
Judge became the first batting champion to hit more than 50 home runs in a season since Mickey Mantle in 1956, and just the third in MLB history. His 53 homers were the most by any player to also win a batting title in league history.
Judge also set a new career mark with 36 times intentionally walked, with his presence in the lineup forcing opposing managers to significantly alter their approach.
“Everyone’s a good hitter in this league, but I think Judge is a bit of an exception, so if we can have someone else beat us, that’s how we’re going to approach it,” Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider said after intentionally walking Judge with no runners on in a series in June and July - a series in which Judge was walked eight times in four games.
The win for Judge marks the 25th time a Yankees player took home MVP honours - and Judge joins Mantle, Yogi Berra and Joe DiMaggio as the only three-time winners in Yankees history.
