When baseball fans recall that unreal moment from a recent postseason – Aaron Judge overshadowing Giancarlo Stanton near the foul line – they might pause in amazement. Stanton stands tall at 6 ft 6 and possesses a linebacker physique. But, he appeared smaller next to Judge, imposing 6 foot 7 stature and commanding presence. Now, imagine Shohei Ohtani standing next to him, not physically but symbolically at the batter’s box. That’s the vibe around MLB right now: Judge isn’t just standing next to his peers; he’s looming over them.

And once again, Ohtani, MLB’s most fascinating two-way player, finds himself quietly snubbed in the conversation, as Judge’s bat forces a hard pivot in the MVP discourse.

Earlier this week on Baseball Tonight, Buster Olney didn’t mince words. “You could put Ohtani next to him, but Judge is looming over him. He’s on pace to finish the year with 241 hits, 61 home runs, and 110 extra-base hits.” That’s not just MVP-caliber, that’s “best ever.”

That statement sent ripples through social media and re-ignited the most contentious debate of the season: Who truly deserves the throne?

Ohtani, of course, remains a force. He’s slashing at elite levels, pacing the Dodgers’ offense while recovering from Tommy John surgery. But this version of Judge? It’s something else entirely. He isn’t just smashing home runs. He’s hitting with a mix of strength and reliability, redefining the concept of dominance.

To add fuel to the fire, Judge leads the league in OPS, home runs, and total bases, and he’s playing elite defense in center field. Meanwhile, Ohtani is limited to DH duties for now, and while his numbers are sparkling, they don’t have the seismic weight of Judge’s current pace.

The result? A subtle, but increasingly loud snubbing. Ohtani, once assumed to be the default MVP pick when healthy, now finds himself in a shadow, not because he’s underperforming, but because Aaron Judge is redefining greatness in real time.

This isn’t just a rivalry. It’s a redefining of what baseball’s top honor means. And as long as Judge keeps hitting like this, don’t be surprised if Ohtani’s name continues to come second.

“If I died, it was on him,” opposing pitcher’s reaction to Aaron Judge’s hits

Sal Frelick didn’t sign up to play third base while staring down a 6-foot-7, 280-pound titan with two home runs already under his belt, but that’s exactly where he found himself.

During a game between the Brewers and Yankees earlier this year, Frelick found himself playing at third base in a cleanup role when Aaron Judge came up seeking his third home run of the game. The Brewers had a non-pitcher on the mound, and Judge wasn’t showing any signs of letting down his performance.

Frelick knew what was coming and attempted to create some space for himself by moving towards the grass. But was compelled to return to the dirt due to MLB’s updated shift regulations. That led to a moment that was both amusing and genuinely unexpected. “The ump kept telling me I had to play in the dirt,” Frelick recalled. “And I told him, if I died, it was on him.” You could almost feel the panic behind the humor. Judge wasn’t just swinging for history; he was swinging through infielders.

Frelick found himself facing a survival challenge for the second time during his trial at third base. Giancarlo Stanton, another MVP, had caused him to rethink his position on the corner a year ago. But this encounter with Aaron Judge felt like a game-changer.

When the top slugger in baseball is aiming for his home run and you find yourself on the wrong side of a new rule, suddenly the idea of staying put in right field doesn’t seem too terrible. Does it?