New York Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodon has strongly praised Aaron Judge. During the 2024 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Rodon said, “He's the best hitter in the game.”
On Thursday, Rodon once again expressed his admiration for Judge when asked what surprises him, per Erik Boland of Newsday Sports. This came after Rodon threw for seven innings with eight strikeouts and gave up no runs as the Yankees defeated the Cleveland Guardians 5-1.
“No, not really. I'm just surprised when he gets out, how about that?” he said. Judge got two hits, an RBI, and scored one run.
The Yankees are currently 15-10 in first place in the American League East. Meanwhile, Judge is on a clinic through the season's first month.
He is hitting .415 with seven home runs, 26 RBIS, and 39 hits. Rodon's performance against Cleveland comes a week after he set an unwanted Yankees record of allowing 51 home runs in his first 50 appearances with the club.
Rodon recognizes Judge's evident prowess as nothing new, considering he has compared him to some of the game's greatest players.
Carlos Rodon's passionate praise of Aaron Judge goes a long way.
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Rodon has had nothing but positive things to say about Judge. He has strongly compared Judge's current performance to that of Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, saying he could even mirror Hank Aaron.
“Right now, he's like Tony Gwynn,” Rodón told the New York Post. “Next week, he'll probably be like Hank Aaron. This week, we saw a little bit of speed and the hitability of Judge. So I'm excited to see what happens on Friday. I'm just surprised when he gets out.”
There is no question that Judge has been the Yankees' big name since he entered the league in 2017. Judge has continued the lineage of Yankees greatness dating back to Babe Ruth.
He has done so by being a standout hitter. Judge holds the American League record for the most home runs in a single season, with 62 in 2022. He also equaled Ruth's home run total (321) in his first 1,000 games with the Yankees.
Judge is a two time American League MVP (2022, 2024) and holds the distinction of being the Yankees team captain. An honor once held by Lou Gehrig, Thurman Munson, and Derek Jeter.
