“Cal Raleigh was robbed”; “No question, no debate” - Fans split as Aaron Judge edges Mariners’ catcher to win 2025 AL MVP Award

New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge was named the American League MVP for a second consecutive season on Thursday. Judge beat Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh for his third MVP title.

Judge, who won the award unanimously last year, faced stiff competition from Raleigh, who had a historic 60-homer season. The Yankees captain received 17 first-place votes, while Raleigh got the remaining 13.

However, fans were divided on Judge clinching his second consecutive title with many believing the Mariners star deserved it more after setting the record for most home runs by a catcher in MLB history.

"Big Dumper was robbed." "Of course!! He simply is the MVP! No question, no debate!" "Even he knows he shouldn’t have won." "Cannot stand the Yankees, but Judge is amazing. Congrats to him!!" "Cool. Cal getting a ring first though. Bookmark this post."

While Cal Raleigh led the majors with 60 home runs, Aaron Judge dominated the other major batting categories with .331 batting average and 1.144 OPS.

Judge became the fourth Yankees player to win three MVP titles, joining franchise icons Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra and Mickey Mantle on a legendary list.

Yankees captain Aaron Judge pinching himself after third MVP title

Following his third MVP win, Aaron Judge said he was blown away by the accolade. He reflected on joining the iconic Yankees trio in an exclusive list.

"It's tough for me to wrap my head around,” Judge said. “It's mind blowing from my side of things, because I play this game to win, I play this game for my teammates, my family, all the fans in New York. You've got to pinch yourself every single day. It's truly an incredible honor.”

While the AL MVP race went down to the wire, Shohei Ohtani was named the unanimous NL MVP for a second consecutive season. The Dodgers superstar beat Kyle Schwarber and Juan Soto for his fourth MVP title.

Edited by Chaitanya Prakash