Aaron Judge Names MLB’s 'Best Pitcher' Without Hesitation

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Josh Valdez | Last updated Sep 30, 2025 11:24 PM ET

Two-time AL MVP Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees came tantalizingly close to getting a free pass to the AL Division Series this season, and now they're one game away from getting eliminated from the playoffs.

The Yankees tied the Toronto Blue Jays atop the AL East in the regular season but Toronto took the division crown due to head-to-head record. Although those teams were also tied for the AL's best record, New York has to play a best-of-three Wild Card Series due to the playoff format. Only the top two division winners get free passes to the Division Series, which is why the Yankees are hosting the Boston Red Sox instead of resting.

The Red Sox won Game 1 3-1 on Tuesday thanks largely to ace pitcher Garrett Crochet's performance. The two-time All-Star allowed just one run on four hits in 7.2 innings, recording 11 strikeouts and no walks.

Judge gave Crochet his flowers postgame, via SNY.

"He's the best pitcher in the game," the former AL Rookie of the Year quickly said when asked about the challenges of facing Crochet. "He's gonna work all his pitches, worked a little bit more off speed in there early on. We got the [Anthony] Volpe homer, got guys on, but didn't do much after that."

Crochet tossed 78 strikes out of a career-high 117 pitches, and the only run he gave up was on a solo homer by New York shortstop Anthony Volpe in the second inning. The veteran southpaw then retired 15 straight batters before Volpe singled in the eighth inning.

Aaron Judge on the challenges of facing Garrett Crochet tonight:

"He's the best pitcher in the game" pic.twitter.com/D0mYdmaAEQ
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) October 1, 2025

Is Aaron Judge Right About Garrett Crochet?

Crochet's shutdown outing on Tuesday came after an elite body of work in the regular season. The 6-foot-6, 245-pounder went 18-5 with a 2.59 ERA and 1.03 WHIP over 32 starts. He also led MLB with 255 strikeouts while tying for second in wins, ranking sixth in ERA, and ranking eighth in WHIP.

Crochet is undoubtedly one of the best pitchers in baseball, but anointing him as the king is a stretch. Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, who gave up one run on three hits across 7.2 frames in a 2-1 win over the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday, will likely win his second straight AL Cy Young Award this year. The 26-year-old finished second in baseball with a 2.21 ERA, second with 241 strikeouts, and first with a 0.89 WHIP across 31 regular-season starts.

That's not to mention Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes, who topped baseball with a 1.97 ERA while ranking fourth with a 0.95 WHIP and tying for fourth with 216 strikeouts over 32 starts. The 23-year-old is a lock to win the NL Cy Young Award.

Based on the numbers, Crochet trails Skenes and Skubal on the power rankings. Still, the two-time All-Star was more than good enough to dominate the Yankees on Tuesday.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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