Judge caps historic season with AL MVP award

Aaron Judge etched a imperishable spot successful the memories of shot fans erstwhile helium acceptable the American League single-season location tally grounds and chased a Triple Crown down the stretch. Now, helium has a last accolade to apical his historical 2022.

The New York Yankees slugger was crowned AL Most Valuable Player connected Thursday night, beating retired Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels and Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros. He is the archetypal Yankees outfielder to triumph the grant since Mickey Mantle successful 1962.

Judge received 28 first-place votes and 410 points, edging Ohtani (280) by 130 points. Ohtani was the lone different subordinate to person first-place votes, with two. Alvarez had 232 points to decorativeness third.

Judge led the AL successful a big of violative categories, including location runs (62), RBIs (131), slugging percent (.686), on-base percent (.425), OPS+ (211) and full bases (391). He antecedently finished arsenic a runner-up for AL MVP successful 2017, erstwhile helium was the unanimous AL Rookie of the Year.

He became conscionable the 4th large leaguer to deed much than 62 homers successful a azygous season, joining Barry Bonds (73 successful 2001), Mark McGwire (70 successful 1998, 65 successful '99) and Sammy Sosa (66 successful 1998, 63 successful 1999). He fell conscionable 5 points shy (.311) of Minnesota Twins infielder Luis Arraez for the batting title, which would person completed the Triple Crown.

The MVP grant caps a play that started with tumult astir declaration negotiations with the Yankees arsenic helium entered the last twelvemonth of his deal. Judge acceptable a self-imposed deadline of Opening Day to negociate a imaginable extension, but the sides failed to travel to an agreement. Yankees wide manager Brian Cashman past took an antithetic measurement successful publically revealing the presumption of the declaration the squad offered Judge -- an eight-year, $230.5 cardinal extension. Judge turned down the offer, expecting greater things if helium deed the free-agent marketplace aft this season.

The play started comparatively dilatory for Judge, arsenic helium deed six homers successful 75 at-bats successful April. But erstwhile the calendar turned to May, Judge took off. The Yankees outfielder deed 12 homers that month, 11 successful June, 13 successful July, 9 successful August and 10 successful September earlier hitting No. 62 connected the last time of the play successful October. The 157 games Judge played during 2022 were his astir since his rookie season, the erstwhile champion twelvemonth of his vocation by bWAR (8.1).

Judge's consistency from period to period served arsenic the backbone for a New York discourtesy that astatine points struggled to enactment steadfast and nutrient astir him. By the extremity of the season, it ranked 2nd down the Dodgers successful baseball, scoring 807 runs.

As Judge approached Roger Maris' AL grounds of 61 homers, each of his at-bats became an event. At games some astatine Yankee Stadium and connected the road, fans stood up each clip helium stepped into the batter's container and remained determination for each azygous pitch. Members of the Yankees jostled for spots connected the apical measurement of the dugout to get a spot to ticker their teammate perchance marque history.

Judge deed the record-tying 61st location tally connected Sept. 28, taking Toronto Blue Jays reliever Tim Mayza heavy successful the seventh inning successful crippled No. 155 for the Yankees. The history-making homer ended a seven-game location tally drought.

No. 62 did not travel until Oct. 4, successful the second-to-last crippled of the Yankees' season. The record-breaker came disconnected Texas Rangers pitcher Jesus Tinoco, a leadoff changeable to near field.

While Judge enactment unneurotic a regular play for the grounds book, helium came up abbreviated during the postseason, hitting his worst agelong of the play arsenic the Yankees played the Cleveland Guardians successful the AL Division Series and the Houston Astros successful the AL Championship Series. In 9 games, Judge deed .139/.184/.306 with 2 homers among 5 hits successful 9 games. The eventual World Series champion Astros ended the Yankees' play with a four-game expanse successful the ALCS.

Judge present hits the free-agent marketplace prepared to get 1 of the biggest contracts of the offseason. Yankees managing wide spouse Hal Steinbrenner has said publically that helium wants Judge to beryllium successful pinstripes for the remainder of his career.