Is there a league higher than ML? Seeing a batter like this in the 21st century, it's a huge hit that neither Ohtani nor Ruth has ever seen

Jun 13, 2025

Is there a league higher than ML? Seeing a batter like this in the 21st century, it's a huge hit that neither Ohtani nor Ruth has ever seen
New York Yankees Aaron Judge hits a solo home run in the top of the seventh inning against the Kansas City Royals on the 12th (Korea time). AP Yonhap News



Is there a league higher than ML? Seeing a batter like this in the 21st century, it's a huge hit that neither Ohtani nor Ruth has ever seen
LA Dodgers Shohei Ohtani is preparing to hit in the first inning against the San Diego Padres on the 12th (Korea time). AP Yonhap News
Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees hit his 25th home run of the season, closely chasing the Seattle Mariners Carl Raleigh, who ranks first in the category, by one point.

Judge contributed to a 6-3 victory by hitting one hit, one RBI, one run and one walk in four at-bats against the Kansas City Royals at Kaufman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri on the 12th (Korea time).

Judge pushed right-hander Stephen Cruz's 99-mile fastball into the top of the seventh inning for a 5-0 lead and connected it to an arch that flew well over the right-center fence. The launch angle was 24 degrees, the batting speed was 108.8 miles, and the distance was 413 feet. Statcast also said the home run flew 4.8 seconds.




It is no exaggeration to say that Judge, who hit a cannon for three consecutive games since the Boston Red Sox match on the 9th, has fueled the fight for the No. 1 home run in earnest.

Raleigh, who appeared as an ambush in the home run competition this season, has maintained his peak slugging power with nine home runs and a slugging percentage of 0.830 in the last 13 games, which is expected to be a toss-up with Judge for the time being.

LA Dodgers Shohei Ohtani shot his 23rd shot of the season against the New York Mets on the 3rd and seems to be in a situation with Raleigh and Judge because he couldn't hit a home run in nine consecutive games until the San Diego Padres on the same day.




Is there a league higher than ML? Seeing a batter like this in the 21st century, it's a huge hit that neither Ohtani nor Ruth has ever seen
Aaron Judge is capable of hitting more than 60 home runs this season. ImagesYonhap News
Is there a league higher than ML? Seeing a batter like this in the 21st century, it's a huge hit that neither Ohtani nor Ruth has ever seen
Aaron Judge holding hands with catcher Austin Wells after winning against the Kansas City Royals on the 12th (Korea time). AP Yonhap News
As of today, Judge is overwhelmingly No. 1 in batting average (0.394), hits (98), on-base percentage (0.490), slugging percentage (0.779), OPS (1.269), bWAR (5.6), and fWAR (5.9). In particular, fWAR is 1.9 times ahead of second-place Raleigh (4.0). In the AL, RBIs (59) and runs (64) are also No. 1 in the AL. If we choose MVP now, it is a unanimous opinion.

Judge, who got on base twice on the day, has had multiple runs in 51 games while his team has played 66 games this season. It is the third time in Major League history in terms of 66 games per team, following Babe Ruth (52 games) and Lou Gehrig (51 games) since 1901. In addition, he is tied for fourth in 54 consecutive games after Ruth (62 games), Derek Jeter (60 games, 54 games) and Geric (60 games) in Yankees history.

Judge also topped the batter's power ranking announced by MLB.com on the same day. According to the media, "'Jersey is unbeatable and remains at the top of the list.'" The figures are 1.276, 1.187, 1.229, 1.380, 1.105, and 1.2201.618, dividing Judge's OPS into 10 games this season. It's not just about not having a slump. This year, there has never been a great year.




Judge's OPS has never gone below 1.188 this season except for the opening game. Since April 23, it has been consistently above 1.2. There hasn't been a player like this in recent years. The last time a batter marked an OPS 1.2 or higher was in 2004, and Barry Bonds hit 1.422 that year. After 21 years, a batter with an OPS of 1.2 or higher could be born.

Is there a league higher than ML? Seeing a batter like this in the 21st century, it's a huge hit that neither Ohtani nor Ruth has ever seen
Aaron Judge fires a 413-foot, right-center cannon in the top of the seventh inning. AP Yonhap News
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said when Judge hit a 469-foot mega home run on the 11th, `I jumped up and tried to see how far the ball flew. It was really good to see. I was in a position where I could see the ball clearly, but it was a huge home run. "He seems to be playing in another league. It should be called up (to a higher league)." He said Major League Baseball is not his stage.

Judge, who has played in all 66 games played by the Yankees, will score 61 home runs, 145 RBIs and 157 runs if he maintains his current pace. After 2022 when he hit the most 62 home runs in an AL season and last year when he won the home run-run title, he will hit another 'career high'.

The highest batting average among 60 home runs hitters in a season is 0.356 by Ruth (60) in 1927. Ruth also has the highest batting average record even if he expands his range to hitters with more than 50 home runs in a season. In 1921, he hit 59 home runs and posted a batting average of 0.378. Judge is a pace that goes beyond the legend Ruth.

Ohtani has succeeded in overcoming Ruth's stronghold, which is 'original second-rate' by 2023 since he began his double play in 2021. Ohtani (46 homers, 156 strikeouts) is the first to have 40 homers and 150 strikeouts in a season in 2021. In addition, the 2022 simultaneous achievement of regulation at-bats and regulation innings is a milestone Ruth has never done.

Now Judge is about to go over Ruth. Ruth is in the hunt for a milestone with two home runs and a batting average.





This article was translated by Naver AI translator.