New York Yankees star right fielder Aaron Judge won his third American League MVP Award over Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh in a tightly contested vote. Judge, who led MLB with a .331 batting average and hit 53 home runs, earned 17 first-place votes to Raleigh’s 13, finishing with 355 points to Raleigh’s 335. The award marks Judge’s second consecutive MVP and his third in the last four seasons, as announced Thursday night by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Cleveland’s José Ramírez placed third with 224 points.

Judge delivered one of the most dominant offensive seasons in recent history. He led the Majors in on-base percentage (.457), slugging percentage (.688), OPS (1.145), times on base (310), intentional walks (36), and WAR (10.1). In the American League, he paced the field in runs (137), walks (124), extra-base hits (85), and total bases (372), showcasing dominance across every major category.

His .331 average earned him his first batting title by a commanding 20-point margin, and his 53 home runs were the most ever recorded by a batting champion. The power surge also moved him past Yogi Berra and Joe DiMaggio into fourth place on the Yankees’ all-time home run list, further cementing his place among franchise greats.

Judge also became just the fifth player in the expansion era (since 1961) to lead the Majors in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage in the same season. His 36 intentional walks also set a new American League record.