I'd rather watch Judge than Ohtani

The DH rule denies us the full benefit of the Dodgers' star's talents

My friends know that I am no fan of either the New York Yankees or the Los Angeles Dodgers. When the two play, as they now do a few games every year, I’d root for both of them to lose if that were possible. I’d rather see the Yankees win only because the Dodgers play in the same division as my favorite club, the San Francisco Giants. I knew the 2024 World Series, in which the Dodgers beat the Yankees, 4 games to 1, would be worth watching for the likely quality of play, but I didn’t really have a rooting interest.

Last year’s Series gave fans a high-profile chance to see two marquee stars — the Yankees’ Aaron Judge and the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani — head-to-head. Who would hit more homers, or have more RBIs? Wouldn’t it be something to see Judge rob Ohtani of a home run? And if he did, could Ohtani return the favor?

Well, no. And that’s why I’d rather watch Aaron Judge than Shohei Ohtani.

When I see Judge, I see a great baseball player. When I see Ohtani, I see a great hitter. Thanks to the designated hitter rule, half of what should be his game is a blank.

The New York Times, aaronjudge.net, and Britannica.

Shohei Ohtani came over from Japan and joined the Anaheim “Los Angeles Angels” in 2018. He looked to be the first genuine “two-way” player — able to perform at the top level as both a pitcher and a hitter — since, well, Babe Ruth. After “Tommy John” ligament-replacement surgery in 2019, he was an effective pitcher, especially from 2021-2023. His big league pitching record, all for the Angels, is excellent: 86 appearances, all as a starter, an ERA of 3.01, a WHIP (walks plus hits per innings pitched) of 1.08, and a won-lost record of 38-19. With the Angels, most of the time he wasn’t pitching he was their designated hitter. He played a total of 8-1/3 innings in the outfield for them.

Between the 2023 and 2024 seasons, Ohtani signed with the Dodgers as a free agent. Over the same winter the National League abandoned a half-century of resistance and adopted the designated hitter rule. Like Babe Ruth, Ohtani stopped pitching when he switched teams. In 2024 and so far in 2025, Ohtani has appeared for the Dodgers only as a DH. So far in 2025 (37 games), he has posted a batting average of .299, an on-base percentage of .411, and an OPS (the sum of on-base and slugging percentages) of 1.031. He has hit 10 home runs and has 15 runs batted in. Lifetime, his “slash-line” (those three statistics presented together) is .282/.373/.949, and in 910 career games has hit 235 home runs and batted in 582.

Ohtani is worth watching at the plate. Last season he hit one of the most impressive homers I’ve ever seen at Oracle Park in San Francisco — and I got to watch Barry Bonds for his whole career with the Giants. It’s enough to leave me feel cheated, because we don’t get to see what else Shohei Ohtani might be able to do on the baseball field.

Aaron Judge is as much a presence at the plate as Ohtani. He debuted with the Yankees in 2016, and has played only for that club since. Judge’s batting statistics are a bit better than Ohtani’s. So far this year, he is hitting .400, with an on-base percentage of .491 and an OPS of 1.241. Lifetime, in 1030 games, his slash line is .292/.409/1.029. He has his 327 home runs and has 750 RBIs.

Unlike Ohtani, Judge is also a presence in the field. He plays all three outfield positions, but has played more in right, where a strong arm is an important asset because of the long throw to third base, than in center and left.

The play most emblematic of his presence as an outfielder (to me, anyway) came in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series against Houston in 2017, Judge’s first full season. In the top of the 6th, with the bases loaded an no one out, Yuri Gurriel lined a bases-clearing double into the left-field corner. Gurriel came too far around second and was tagged out between second and third — by Judge, coming in from right field.

Here’s how that happened: When a batter hits a sure double into the left-field corner, every fielder has a clear assignment. The left fielder fields the ball, and the center fielder goes toward the ball too, in case of a weird bounce or other mishap. The shortstop and second baseman both go over to the left-field line for a possible relay throw. The shortstop is the left fielder’s primary target, with the second baseman as backup. If there’s a bad throw, the second baseman covers it so the third baseman doesn’t have to abandon his base. The pitcher backs up third, and the catcher stays at the plate in case things go really bad. That leaves the first baseman and right fielder.

If the play starts with no one on base, the first baseman trails the batter to second, forcing the batter to stay near that base, and the right fielder floats to back up a possible snap throw to second if the batter strays. If the play starts with a runner on first, it’s a little different, because in that case there might be a play at home plate. Now the pitcher backs up home, and many big league clubs (including the Yankees) have the first baseman come all the way to the line between third and home to be able to cut off a throw toward the plate. That leaves only the right fielder — Judge — to come to second base to force the batter — Gurriel — to stay close. Gurriel strayed, and Judge was there to tag him out.

The video is a highlight reel for the whole series. The play I’m describing is at 7:27, the first highlight for Game 4.

After the game, a reporter asked Judge about being at second base to make that play. Judge, too polite to call out the reporter for not knowing that the play had just worked the way it was supposed to, said, “I guess I’m just a believer in the Yankees’ player development system.” To their credit, during the next night’s game the network airing the series showed the play again, this time the view from a camera looking over Judge’s shoulder toward the field. From that vantage, it was striking to see Judge sprint for second base as soon as the ball left the bat, just as the Yankees’ player development system had taught him.

If I had to guess, I’d imagine Shohei Ohtani has both the knowledge and the ability to make a play like that one of Judge’s. I just wish I could hope to see him do something of the sort some day.