Yankees Captain Beat Mariners Slugger In Mvp Race By Razor Thin Margin

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Nov 18, 2025, 7:38 AM

yankees captain beat mariners slugger in mvp race by razor thin margin

In another defining moment for the New York Yankees, Aaron Judge once again reminded everyone that consistency and dominance still matter in a sport obsessed with new stars and shiny narratives. The 33-year-old slugger captured his third American League MVP award, edging Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh in a very close vote, 355 to 335. It wasn’t the landslide some of his earlier wins had been—but it didn’t need to be. Judge got 17 first-place votes and 13 for second, while Raleigh earned 13 first-place votes and 17 to be the runner-up. It was a razor-thin win, but a win nonetheless. MVP.

Case Closed.Congratulations to @TheJudge44 on winning the 2025 American League MVP award ? pic.twitter.com/WaDcqDOIew Raleigh, a catcher, made a compelling case, leading the league with 60 home runs and 125 RBI—numbers that would win the MVP in most years. But 2025 wasn’t most years, and Aaron Judge isn’t most players. The Yankees captain didn’t just hit; he dominated at-bats in a way that still feels unmatched in the modern game. Judge led the American League with a .331 batting average, a 204 wRC+, and 10.1 fWAR.

He scored 137 runs—an absurd total in today’s run environment—and even after missing time with a flexor strain in July, he still finished with 53 home runs. Without that brief injury setback, it’s not hard to imagine him pushing Raleigh for the league lead in long balls too. For the second straight season, New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge has been named the American League's Most Valuable Player. Judge beat out Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh and Cleveland Guardians third baseman José Ramírez for the award, the BBWAA announced Thursday night. As the voting results show, it was a close race between Judge and Raleigh: This is Judge's second straight MVP and the third of his career (he also won in 2022).

He is the 13th player with three MVPs. Only Barry Bonds (seven) and Shohei Ohtani (four), who won this year's National League MVP, have more. Judge is the fourth Yankee with three MVPs, joining Hall of Famers Joe DiMaggio (1939, 1941, 1947), Yogi Berra (1951, 1954-55), and Mickey Mantle (1956-57, 1962). He joins Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers superstar who won National League MVP. Judge slashed .331/.457/.688 this season and led baseball in batting average by 20 points, on-base percentage by 58 points, and slugging percentage by 66 points. His 53 home runs were second in the AL behind Raleigh's 60.

Judge's 9.7 WAR was 1.7 wins better than the next best player, per Baseball Reference's calculations. Despite his agreed-upon best-in-the-game pedigree, New York Yankees megalith Aaron Judge had a surprising amount to prove entering the 2025 season. He was coming off another Bondsian regular season campaign with a Mike Trout ending (an empty October). It's reductive, sure, but it's also the fault of his own accomplishments. With every bout of undeniable Judge Greatness during the 162-game schedule, his postseason struggles loomed larger and larger, with 2024 serving as the unfortunate dénouement. The strikeouts in Cleveland.

The home run against Emmanuel Clase that went for nought. The dropped fly ball. The worst people in the world had plenty of opportunities to deny Judge's otherworldly talents, and they took advantage of every single one of them. If 2024 was the narrative killer, then 2025 was Judge's Michael Myers revenge season. You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain. Judge's career began with a 52-homer rookie year that should've won him the MVP, but didn't, because the world at large was impressed with Jose Altuve's batting average (and the fact that he didn't...

This season, Judge hit a remarkable .331, a career high, after flirting with .400 through much of May. He didn't sacrifice an ounce of power, finishing with 53 homers and reducing his strikeouts to 160. When October came, Judge was good, then great, then historic, mashing a three-run home run to briefly coalesce with the Yankees' ghosts and tie Game 3 of the ALDS, finishing the series hitting .600... The MVP vote took place before that reputation-shifting (and goalpost-moving, given that it was "only the ALDS" for some) pivot point, of course. But this year, Judge wasn't going up against a singles-hitting prodigy or a second-year athletic standout with more time on the clock. This year, his opponent in this particular ring was Cal Raleigh, who matched and exceeded his mashing with 60 home runs, 49 behind the plate.

In '17, he was the upstart who was told he needed more seasoning. Now? He's the embodiment of fatigue; voters seemingly demand that every Judge win come with a milestone. A run-of-the-mill 215 OPS+ (up against Raleigh's 169)? Get out of here. Might as well be garbage.

Would he come out on the wrong side of both varieties of MVP clashes, losing his rightful claim due to both branding and boredom? When push came to shove, the voters decided...Judge's greatness was impossible to deny. Raleigh's season might be the year that many impartial viewers remember longer down the line, but much like Shohei Ohtani in the National League, a complete Judge season is all but impossible to take... If 60 home runs from a burly catcher can't do it, what can? This ended up being one of the most intriguing MVP races in recent history. In one corner was New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, who has a case as the greatest right-handed hitter of all time.

He showed off that hitting prowess all year long. Judge led all of baseball in batting average (.331), on-base percentage (.457), slugging average (.688) and OPS (1.144). He had the top Wins Above Replacement number in the American League at 9.7. In the other corner was the Big Dumper, Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh. The switch-hitting catcher had a season unlike any other. Raleigh hit 60 home runs, breaking the record for home runs in a single season by a catcher, switch-hitter and a Mariner.

Aaron Judge might have won this season’s American League MVP award — but his competition was within arm’s reach. Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees. Judge beat out Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh by just four first-place votes, the closest MVP race in any league since 2019, when Angels outfielder Mike Trout won over Astros third baseman Alex Bregman by... Before that, the next closest AL MVP race came when Justin Morneau of the Twins bested Derek Jeter in 2006, with the first baseman getting 15 first-place votes to Jeter’s 12. Raleigh had one of the best offensive seasons for a catcher in recent history, hitting a MLB-leading 60 home runs, along with 125 RBIs and a .948 OPS. The award is Judge's 2nd in a row, and 3rd in last 4 seasons

NEW YORK (WABC) -- New York Yankee slugger Aaron Judge won his third Most Valuable Player Award on Thursday night. Judge hit 53 home runs and batted .331, beating out Seattle Mariners' Cal Raleigh, whose 60 home runs broke several records, including most by a catcher and a switch-hitter. Despite having seven fewer home runs, Judge's .457 on base percentage, and .688 slugging percentage, were well above Raleigh, whose on base and slugging percentages were .359 and .589 respectively. The 2025 MVP Award marks Judge's third, which have all come in the past four seasons. Updated on: November 14, 2025 / 12:19 AM EST / CBS/AP In the American League, Aaron Judge became the New York Yankees' fourth three-time Most Valuable Player winner, edging Seattle's Cal Raleigh with 17 first-place votes to 13 for the switch-hitting catcher.

The vote was the closest for an MVP since the Los Angeles Angels' Mike Trout topped Houston's Alex Bregman by 17-13 in 2019. Judge, who won the AL award in 2022 and 2024, joined Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra and Mickey Mantle as three-time MVPs with the Yankees. The 33-year-old outfielder led the majors with a .331 batting average and 1.144 OPS while hitting 53 homers. When asked about his place in MLB and Yankees lore, Judge acknowledged he's in rare company. Nov 13, 2025, 4:57 PM | Updated: 8:44 pm In most years, Cal Raleigh would have been a runaway winner for the American League Most Valuable Player award.

After all, the Seattle Mariners slugger is coming off arguably the greatest season by a catcher in major league history. But unfortunately for Raleigh, he was the odd man out in a razor-tight MVP race that featured two players with historic seasons. New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge was announced as the 2025 AL MVP by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America on Thursday evening after receiving 17 of the 30 first-place votes for a total... Raleigh was the runner-up, receiving the other 13 first-place votes for a total of 335 points.

Yankees Captain Beat Mariners Slugger In Mvp Race By Razor Thin Margin

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