"Aaron Judge is the best player in the world" - MLB analyst lays ultimate compliment on Yankees slugger after outstanding catch
MLB analyst Gary Sheffield Jr. bestowed the highest compliment on Aaron Judge after the New York Yankees captain pulled off a spectacular catch in the outfield against the Washington Nationals on Monday evening. Judge robbed a potential game-tying home run with a leaping catch on the centerfield wall before relaying his throw in time to force a double play at first base to end the inning.
Sheffield is the son of former nine-time All-Star Gary Sheffield, who hit 509 home runs over his 22-year career and played three seasons for the Yankees. Sheffield Jr. is currently the producer and co-host of the "Yankees Unloaded" podcast on YouTube.
On Monday night, Gary Sheffield Jr. posted a tweet on X/Twitter following the Judge's remarkable fielding play at Nationals Park.
"Aaron Judge is the best player in the world," he said.
The catch proved to be a crucial moment in the game before the Bronx Bombers completed a 5-2 win on the road. Starting pitcher Nestor Cortes had another impressive outing after giving up just four hits and one run in 6.2 innings of work, while closer Clay Holmes secured the save without any fuss.
Aaron Judge records 1,000th career hit
Aaron Judge reached another major milestone in his stellar career after recording his 1,000th hit in the MLB on Monday night. Judge did not have a hit in the game until the ninth inning when he singled down to right field to reach the mark in just his 965th major league appearance.
Earlier this month, Judge reached another milestone of 300 career home runs – needing just 955 games to complete the feat – thereby setting a new MLB record as the fastest player to reach that mark. Judge broke the long-standing record of Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner by more than 120 games.
Meanwhile, the Yankees captain is also in a commanding position to earn his second American League MVP. He has already accumulated a 9.4 bWAR for the season in addition to his staggering 51 home runs. At the same time, he leads the MLB in a wide range of offensive categories, including on-base percentage, total bases, slugging, OPS and RBIs.
Even by his lofty standards, the 2024 campaign has been a special one for Aaron Judge, with Juan Soto batting ahead of him in the lineup. Judge and Soto are posting a historic season together, but whether the two sluggers can drive the New York Yankees to the World Series remains to be seen.