Yankees' Aaron Judge and Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani don't disappoint in series opener

LOS ANGELES — The stars, as is typically the case, were out Friday night at Dodger Stadium.

And the two biggest ones on the field, in the words of Yankees manager Aaron Boone, “really shone tonight.”

That would be the reigning MVPs of their respective leagues — Aaron Judge, who won American League honors last year, and Shohei Ohtani, who did the same in the National League.

In the first inning Friday, both showed why they already are overwhelming favorites to win those awards again this season.

Judge, batting second in the top of the first, tattooed a 1-and-1, 90-mph fastball from Tony Gonsolin  446 feet to dead center for his 19th homer.

In the bottom of the first, Ohtani hit Max Fried’s first pitch of the night, a 94-mph sinker, 417 feet to center for his sixth leadoff homer of the season.

“I really thought it was important to be able to score another run in that situation, knowing that momentum is really important,” Ohtani said through his interpreter after the Dodgers’ 8-5 victory over the Yankees.

Said Boone: “Right out of the gate, a couple of big haymakers.”

It marked the first time reigning MVPs homered in the first inning of a game in the sport’s history. Barry Bonds of the Giants and Miguel Tejada of the A’s were the first reigning MVPs to homer in the same game, including the World Series, on June 30, 2002, according to The Associated Press.

“We love superstars, and to start the game off with Judge hitting a homer and Shohei answering in the bottom half was pretty exciting for everyone,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.

The Yankees took a 5-2 lead into the bottom of the sixth, but Ohtani sparked a four-run inning with his MLB-leading 22nd homer, just over the glove of the 6-7 Judge at the rightfield wall.

(Judge was able to rob Teoscar Hernandez of an extra-base hit in the third with a diving backhand catch on a ball that was blistered into the gap in right-center.)

Ohtani’s two homers allowed him to one-up Judge — for one night, anyway.

But statistically between the two, it’s been no contest  this season, though not because Ohtani is struggling in any way. It’s just that Judge has been otherworldly in a way Ohtani has not.

Judge came into Saturday leading the majors in almost every statistical category of note, including batting average (.392), on-base percentage (.486), slugging (.750), OPS (1.236), hits (83), times on base (123), total bases (159) and extra-base hits (36).

Ohtani, whom Judge has praised from afar in almost reverential tones pretty much from the time the two-way player debuted in 2018 with the Angels, came into Saturday hitting .294 with 22 homers and 37 RBIs. He ranked first in the NL in slugging (.670) and second in OPS (1.064) behind teammate Freddie Freeman (1.065).

"He's impressive," Judge said. "He's one of the best players in the game for a reason. What he can do in the box, on the basepath, once he gets back on the mound . . . it's special.”

Ohtani on the mound is a different topic, and in the big pregame news of the day here, he threw a live batting practice session early Saturday afternoon. He had Tommy John surgery in September 2023 and hasn't pitched since Aug. 23 of that season. Roberts has said a return to the mound for Ohtani could come around this year’s All-Star break.

From a hitting standpoint, Judge said what he admires most about Ohtani at the plate is his “consistency.” That was an oft-used word by Judge’s predecessor as Yankees captain, Derek Jeter, when it came to the hardest part of the year-to-year grind of Major League Baseball — being consistent.

“Year after year continuing to go up there and put up the numbers he does,” Judge said. “Every single at-bat, you don’t know if he’s going to rip a ball to me in rightfield or if he’s going to take a Max Fried first-pitch heater opposite field like that. It’s impressive what he can do. Just consistently day in and day out, he shows up. He’s out there for his team doing his thing.”

By Erik Boland

erik.boland@newsday.comeboland11

Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.