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Baseball

Trea Turner, Aaron Judge among leaders as MLB season ends

Sep 29, 2025, 01:41 AM ET

NEW YORK — Philadelphia’s Trea Turner won his second National League batting title with a record-low .304 average, and the New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge earned his first American League championship by leading the major leagues at .331.

San Diego’s Tony Gwynn had the previous low for an NL champion at .313 in 1988. The only lower average by any batting champion was .301 by Boston’s Carl Yastrzemski, who won the AL title in 1968.

Turner, who went 0-for-2 on Sunday in his return from a strained right hamstring, was the NL’s only .300 hitter. The previous low of three was set in 2022 and matched last year.

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“Everyone throws 100 [mph]. Everyone has six pitches. Nobody knows where the ball’s going,” Turner said. “Defenses are way better than they’ve ever been.”

Philadelphia had not had a batting champion since Richie Ashburn in 1958. Turner also won a batting title in 2021 when he led the major leagues at .328 for Washington and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Seven qualified big leaguers hit .300 or better, matching last year for the fewest since a record-low six in 1968.

Judge became the third player to hit 50 or more homers and win a batting title, after Jimmie Foxx in 1938 and Mickey Mantle in 1956. He is the fifth player since the expansion era started in 1961 to lead the major leagues in batting average, slugging percentage (.688) and on-base percentage (.457), after George Brett in 1980, Larry Walker in 1999, Barry Bonds in 2002 and Miguel Cabrera in 2013.

At 6-foot-7, Judge is the tallest batting champion. The previous high of 6-foot-5 included Derrek Lee, Joe Mauer, John Olerud, Dave Parker and Frank Thomas.

“I just gave him a ball and said, ‘You know, Tony Gwynn, Rod Carew, Wade Boggs, you’re in that company now,'” Yankees manager Aaron Boone told Judge.

“Those are legends in the game who will be talked about forever,” Judge said a short while later. “Getting a chance to be with that group is something I don’t take lightly.”

Toronto’s Bo Bichette was a distant second at .311.

Seven players had 30 homer-30 stolen base seasons, three more than the previous high. Arizona‘s Corbin Carroll, the Yankees’ Jazz Chisholm Jr., the Chicago Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong, the New York Mets’ Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto, Cleveland’s José Ramírez and Seattle’s Julio Rodríguez all achieved the feat.

Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr. led in doubles with 47, while the Mets’ Pete Alonso and Atlanta’s Matt Olson tied atop the NL with 41.

Arizona’s Carroll had 17 triples and became the first player to lead the NL in three straight years since Garry Templeton in 1977-79. Boston’s Jarren Duran had 13 and led the AL for the second consecutive season.

José Caballero, acquired by the Yankees from Tampa Bay in July, led the AL in stolen bases for the second straight season with 49. Soto and Pittsburgh’s Oneil Cruz tied for the NL lead with 38 each.

There were zero no-hitters for first time since 2005, and no team won 100 games in consecutive seasons for the first time since since 2012-14.

Max Fried of the Yankees led the major leagues with 19 wins and Milwaukee’s Freddy Peralta topped the NL with 17.

There were no 20-game winners in consecutive non-shortened seasons for the first time in major league history. The only other non-shortened seasons without a 20-game winner were 1871, 2006, 2009 and 2017.

Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes at 1.97 became the first qualified pitcher with an ERA under 2.00 since Justin Verlander in 2022. The 23-year-old right-hander was the youngest pitcher with a sub-2.00 ERA since 20-year-old Dwight Gooden’s 1.53 in 1985.

Detroit left-hander Tarik Skubal won his second straight AL ERA title at 2.21.

Boston lefty Garrett Crochet led the major leagues with 255 strikeouts, and San Francisco righty Logan Webb topped the NL at 224.

Kansas City’s Carlos Estévez led the major leagues with 42 saves, and San Diego’s Robert Suarez had an NL-leading 40.

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Baseball

Yankees’ Aaron Boone: Aaron Judge is ‘clear-cut MVP’

One of the hottest races in MLB this season is not between teams fighting for a playoff spot but between Aaron Judge and Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh for the AL MVP award.

Both players have had masterful seasons, but the Yankees’ win over the Orioles on Friday showed why Judge could win his second consecutive MVP award. The slugger went 1-for-3 with a walk, but his go-ahead two-run shot led to the Yankees’ 8-4 win over the Orioles on Friday night. It was a pivotal moment for New York, which is trying to catch the Blue Jays for the AL East crown, after starter Will Warren gave up the team’s early lead, Judge gave the lead right back.

Judge’s night puts his batting average at an AL-high .330, and he is en route to winning his first batting title. Yankees manager Aaron Boone was asked after Friday’s win if the feat would surprise him. But in the midst of answering, the longtime skipper made a proclamation about the AL MVP race.

“Nothing Aaron Judge does surprises me; to me, he’s the clear-cut MVP,” Boone said. “Batting title, feel like he’s been on base seven times a day the last week. Whether they don’t pitch to him, pitch to him, hitting it out of the ballpark. Made a really good play in right field to open the game, you see his athleticism out there. I don’t put anything past 99. He’s playing like an all-time great.”

While Judge’s overall season numbers are extraordinary, he’s doing it down the stretch as the team gets ready for a postseason run. He’s hitting .374/.543/.802 (34-for-91) with 33 runs, three doubles, 12 home runs (eight in his last 15 games), 18 RBI, 33 walks (seven intentional) and four stolen bases over his last 28 games.

Overall, Judge has reached base safely in 134 of his 150 games this year, while batting .330/.458/.687 with 135 runs, 30 doubles, two triples, 52 home runs, 111 RBI, 124 walks (36 intentional, a new AL record) and 12 stolen bases.

In comparison, Raleigh has set records for what a catcher can accomplish as a hitter. His 60 home runs are a record for catchers and switch-hitters and are threatening Judge’s AL home run record (62). He’s also leading a Mariners pitching staff that is one of the best in the league, while captaining the AL West champs.

All while playing good defense and staying available for his team.

Perhaps, the race will come down to the final two games as the Yankees and Mariners fight for seeding and positioning, and Raleigh and Judge look to pad their stats before the writers make their decision.

The MVP award will be announced sometime in October.

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Basketball

Aaron Judge Praised as ‘Clear-Cut MVP’ by Yankees’ Aaron Boone After Win vs. Orioles

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New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone praised right fielder Aaron Judge as the “clear-cut MVP” of the American League after the slugger hit his 52nd home run of the year to lead the Bronx Bombers to an 8-4 home win over the Baltimore Orioles on Friday evening.

Judge is in a race for the AL MVP with Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, who has smacked an MLB-high 60 home runs, an all-time record for a catcher.

Obviously, Boone wants to back his player in Judge, who is hitting .447 in his last 15 games with eight home runs and 13 RBI. He’s been an invaluable member of a Yankees team that went through a serious midseason swoon but bounced back from that slump to contend for the East title and the AL’s top record.

After Friday’s win, Judge is hitting .330 (1.114 OPS) with 52 home runs and 111 RBI. He’s also scored 135 runs. His run total leads the American League, and his batting average and OPS pace the entire major leagues. Judge is the superstar of a Yankee team that’s won 92 games and is tied for first in the American League East with the Toronto Blue Jays. New York is headed to the playoffs at this point, with the only drama being whether or not the Yankees are able to steal the division before the season ends by Monday.

Raleigh also has a great case, though. He has done something no other catcher has done before, and that’s hit 50 or more home runs in a single season. The previous record was set by Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez, who hit 48 homers in 2021. Of course, Raleigh has beaten that mark by 12 homers (and potentially counting). In fact, he’s only two short of Judge’s American League home run record of 62, set in 2022.

Meanwhile, the 90-win Mariners have rolled to the American League West title and will be a top-two seed in the AL playoffs. Raleigh, of course, has played a major part in that endeavor as Seattle searches for its first-ever World Series appearance and title.

This is a tight race to say the least, and we’ll find out who wins the MVP in November. Until then, both Judge’s Yankees and Raleigh’s Mariners are fighting for a World Series championship. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the two AL MVP candidates even meet in the playoffs, perhaps in the American League Championship Series with a pennant on the line.

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Aaron Judge ties Babe Ruth in 50-homer seasons

Aaron Judge hit two more home runs on Wednesday night, Nos. 50 and 51. The latest two came against the White Sox. One was against Jonathan Cannon, who put it this way after the game: “He hits everything.†Judge does that. And against everybody.

He has now hit 50 or more home runs in a season four times for the Yankees. In one of those years, he hit 62. Babe Ruth hit 50 or more home runs four times for the Yankees of the 1920s, and 60 once. We talk all the time about how Shohei Ohtani is a once-in-a-hundred-year talent because he can hit home runs and pitch the way Ruth did. So, too, is Aaron Judge. And heâ€s doing what heâ€s doing as a Yankee.

There are sports stars who simply appear to be bigger than life. Wilt Chamberlain was like that in basketball once. So was Shaquille Oâ€Neal, whom Chuck Daly once described as a “great, big action hero.†Judge is that kind of star because of both his size (6-foot-7, 280 or so pounds) and because of the size of his accomplishments. Itâ€s how heâ€s become every bit as much a baseball superhero at Ohtani. Yeah, itâ€s a fact that Judge doesnâ€t pitch. No one cares much every time he hits another baseball out of sight. Itâ€s something heâ€s been doing since his rookie year of 2017, when he hit 52 home runs and had the rookie record until Pete Alonso took it away from him with 53 two years later.

Ohtani is having another 50-home run season for the Dodgers. Cal Raleigh, a catcher, hit two more himself on Wednesday night for the Mariners and got to 60, something no catcher — and no switch-hitter — has ever done in baseball history. Kyle Schwarber, who might take the National League MVP away from Ohtani, is now in the 50 Home Run Club himself. But even with everything the others have done, Judge just seems bigger than everybody else. He is still just 33 years old.

This season, he is as dominant and dangerous a slugger as he was back in 2022, when he passed Ruthâ€s 60 and Roger Maris†61, and became the all-time American League home run champ. Now Judge has become the first Yankee since Ruth to go for 50 in consecutive seasons. Next season, No. 99 could become the first hitter in history to have five 50-homer seasons and, if heâ€s blessed with more good health than he had earlier in his career, who really knows where he goes from there?

“Heâ€s the total package,†Aaron Boone said on Wednesday, something heâ€s said about the other Aaron before.

This is a season in which Judge has already passed Yogi Berra and Joe DiMaggio on the career home run list for the Yankees. Only Ruth, Mickey Mantle and Lou Gehrig are ahead of him. Judge has hit 366 homers in 1,141 games. Gehrig, in third place, hit his 493 home runs in 2,614 games. Mantle had 536 in 2,401 games. But of course on Wednesday night, after Judge had hit two more, he wanted to talk less about his personal accomplishments and more about team goals, particularly on a night when the Yankees tied the Blue Jays for first place in the American League East.

“If you sit back and admire it, then youâ€re gonna stop your momentum,†Judge said. “So thereâ€s a lot of work that needs to be done. Hopefully, I have a long career here and we do some special things here. We can talk about it at the end.â€

“Our goal, once you start the season, ultimately, is to go out there and win a World Series and get back there. But it starts by winning your division, so thatâ€s our [immediate] goal.â€

For now, he remains the greatest Yankee to have never won a World Series. He at least finally made one last season, something Don Mattingly never did before his own storied Yankees career was cut short because of a bad back. When Judge did make it to the 2024 Series, he ended up hitting .222 with four hits, one for a home run, over five games. The home run came in Game 5, a Judge-like blast to dead center. After what had been another sketchy postseason, he had started to look like himself.

When the Yankees led 5-0 in Game 5, you wondered what Judge might continue to do if the Yankees could push the Series back to L.A. But then came a top-of-the-fifth Yankees collapse that included Judge dropping a routine fly ball. The Dodgers tied the game there, and finally won 7-6 on the night when they were the ones to win the World Series. As much as any of his teammates, you can see why Judge is so intent on getting back “there.â€

The postseason starts next week. The Yankees have a terrific chance, after a roller-coaster ride of a regular season, to get themselves a first-round bye. Once again, the big man has done the most to carry them. “I swing big,†Babe Ruth once said, when he was hitting balls out of sight at the old Yankee Stadium. Aaron Judge swings big at the new one. And he hits everything.

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