The top two American League MVP candidates met on Monday night in the first of three games between two teams considered playoff favorites.
Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, who was named MVP of a record-setting 2022 season, went 2-for-4 with one walk and another key RBI in a 10-4 Yankees victory against All-Star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and the Royals at the Stadium.
“It's out of my control. It always has been out of my control,” Judge told The Post after the game. “It's not my job to worry about it. My job is to put my team in the best position to win, whatever that may be.”
“Don't get caught up in that, worrying about voting and all that.”
Both players entered the series with a WAR of 9.6 this season, according to FanGraphs calculations, but Yankees manager Aaron Boone was a big supporter of his pinstriped superstar.
“You hear it sometimes, but I think you can watch the MVP every day,” Boone said.
The 24-year-old Witt is batting .335, leading the MLB, with one hit and two strikeouts in four at-bats.
That's 13 points higher than Judge's MLB-leading Yankees records (51), RBIs (126) and OPS (1.150). On Monday, Judge hit a game-tying single in the seventh inning before Austin Wells' three-run homer.
Boone called Witt “probably the fastest player in the league,” and Witt showed off his speed in the fifth inning when he scored from first base on a popup that fell between Gleyber Torres and Juan Soto.
“That's one of those things I wish I had in my bag, being able to score from first base on a pop fly,” said Judge, who has not hit a home run in 13 games since Aug. 25. “If you look at his development over the last two seasons, he's just getting better and better.”
“I [2023] “This year has been a really good one, but he continues to improve. He can do anything. Anything you ask of him on the baseball field, he can do. He's a joy to watch.”
Witt is on the brink of a second consecutive 30-30 season, hitting 30 home runs, 98 RBI and stealing 28 bases for a strengthened Royals team that is 79-66 and in the running for the No. 2 wild card spot in the American League after losing 106 games in 2023.
“It's always awesome to have that name attached to your name,” Witt said when asked about the MVP race. “I can't control that, so I just try to do the best I can to help my team win every night. That's my ultimate goal.”
“We're trying to get into the playoffs right now, that's my mindset. During this time, I'm just going to control what I can control, prepare as best I can and have fun.”
In a recent interview with ESPN, Witt called the 6-foot-7 Judge a “big man” and “the king of New York.”
When asked about Judge on Monday, Witt praised the six-time All-Star outfielder's personality off the field as much as his production on it.
“It's unbelievable. I got to see him first-hand at the All-Star Game, how he works, what he does, what a great person he is, not just on the field but off the field,” Witt said. “He's respectful of everybody, he talks to everybody, he comes up to me and talks to me. He doesn't have to do that. He's Aaron Judge, so it's pretty cool to see him do that as a person.”
