Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani wasted no time reintroducing themselves to one another.
In the first meeting between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees since October’s electric World Series, Judge and Ohtani both went yard in Friday’s night game at Dodger Stadium, with Judge kicking things off at the top of the first inning.
Ohtani responded with a home run of his own to even things up and end the first frame knotted up. The duo became the first reigning MVPs to homer in the first inning of a game. Ohtani later homered again in the sixth inning as the Dodgers took Game 1 of the weekend series, 8-5.
Ohtani leads all of Major League Baseball with 22 home runs in 55 outings this season. Judge isn’t far behind with 19 home runs in 56 games for the Yankees. He trails only Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners in home runs in the American League.
ADVERTISEMENT
After Friday’s slugfest, Judge was complimentary of Ohtani’s performance.
“I feel like [Ohtani] was copying me,” Judge quipped with a smile afterward. “He’s impressive. He’s one of the best players in the game for a reason; what he can do in the box, on the basepaths, once he gets back on the mound — it’s special.”
Judge now has five career homers at Dodger Stadium in six regular-season games – along with two homerless games in the World Series.
“We love superstars,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, “and to start the game off with Judge hitting a homer and Shohei answering in the bottom half was pretty exciting for everyone.”
Aaron Judge crushes HR to get Yankees on board vs. Dodgers
Aaron Judge hit a home run 446ft that gave the New York Yankees a 1-0 lead against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
recommended
Get more from Major League Baseball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
