'NL's 2nd designated hitter' Ohtani has no home run in the All-Star Game yet...Judge is in center field for AL 4
Jul 16, 2024
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The All-Star Game will feature the best superstars in name and reality, including the starting lineup of nine players from each league selected through fan voting. The best point to watch is the showdown between LA Dodgers Shohei Ohtani and New York Yankees Aaron Judge, who are ranked first in home runs in both leagues.
MLB announced the starting lineup of both leagues on the 16th. The AL is in the order of left fielder Stephen Kwan (Cliveland), shortstop Gunner Henderson (Baltimore), right fielder Juan Soto (Yankees), center fielder Aaron Judge, designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (Houston), third baseman Jose Ramirez (Cliveland), first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Toronto), catcher Adley Ruchman (Baltimore), and second baseman Marcus Simien (Texas).
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Judge is the AL No. 4 hitter and Ohtani is the NL No. 2 hitter.
Judge is somewhat ahead of him in the first half of the year. Judge hit .306 with a batting average of .306 and ranked first in both leagues in six categories: home runs (34), RBIs (85), slugging percentage (0.679), and OPS (1.112). With a batting average of 0.316, Ohtani ranks first in six categories including NL home runs (29), slugging percentage (0.635), and OPS (1.035).
In bWAR, Judge ranks first overall with 6.4, and Ohtani ranks first in NL with 5.4. In fWAR, Judge ranked No. 1 overall with 6.3, and Ohtani ranked No. 1 in NL with 5.2. To pick the MVP in the first half, AL is Judge and NL is Ohtani. There is little disagreement.
The two players traded MVP in the AL from 2021 to last year. Ohtani was unanimously voted the AL's best player both in 2021 and 2023. Judge had the honor of being named MVP for the first time in his career by hitting 62 home runs, the most in an AL season in 2022.
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Ohtani moved to the Dodgers last winter for a 10-year, $700 million all-time ransom, making the league different from Judge's, but it is hard to say that the relationship of 'Rival', which competes for the best position in the major leagues, has blurred.
Judge overwhelmed Ohtani in the three consecutive games between the two teams at Yankee Stadium on June 8-10. Judge hit three home runs and five RBIs in three games, and Ohtani only went 2 for 13 with no homers and one RBI. At that time, Ohtani was "big" about Judge. I see him every year, and it's just amazing how tall he is. "I admired Judge's height of 2m1.
Judge said of Ohtani, "If you want to face a batter like Ohtani, you have to throw the ball correctly"He has really good athletic ability. He is also unrivaled when he hits and throws the ball in all directions of the ground. Even with a short fly, he tag-up home from third base, and praised his pitching and running ability.
Both players are expected to play two to three at-bats as they are included in the starting lineup for the All-Star Game. It remains to be seen whether a home run or a finishing hit will be released from the two players' bats.
In the All-Star Game, Judge hit 0.111 (one hit in nine at-bats) with one homer and one RBI, and Ohtani hit 0.250 (one hit in four at-bats). Judge hit a home run against Max Scherzer in the 2018 All-Star Game at Nationals Park in Washington, DC. Ohtani has no home run record in the Major League All-Star Game yet.
jhno@sportschosun.com
