Big Aaron Judge Announcement Made Amid Red Sox-Yankees Series Finale

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Cole Sullivan | Last updated Jun 8, 2025 12:54 PM ET

The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox are wrapping up their first series of the season on Sunday night. After the Yankees took Game 1, the Red Sox bounced back with a 10–7 win on Saturday night, setting the stage for an intriguing series finale on Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN.

Carlos Rodón will take the mound for the Yankees, while the Red Sox will counter with rookie Hunter Dobbins, who recently made headlines for his comments about the Yankees.

“My dad was a diehard Red Sox fan,” Dobbins said. “And I’ve said it before—that if the Yankees were the last team to offer me a contract, I’d retire.”

Despite that bold stance, Dobbins has pitched well through the first seven starts of his career, compiling a 2–1 record with a 4.06 ERA and 37 strikeouts. However, he may face his toughest challenge yet with the Yankees.

Ahead of Sunday’s game, it was revealed that Yankees superstar and AL MVP Aaron Judge currently leads the MLB in both batting average and OPS against rookie pitchers. This will mark Dobbins’ first career appearance against the Yankees.

Aaron Judge leads the MLB in batting average and OPS against rookie pitchers

Red Sox rookie pitcher Hunter Dobbins makes his first career start tonight vs. the Yankees

(via @Buster_ESPN) pic.twitter.com/A1bXSdBuRF
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) June 8, 2025

This season, Aaron Judge is hitting a staggering .591 with six home runs and a 2.080 OPS against rookie pitchers. While he’s having a dominant season overall, he’s been especially ruthless against inexperienced arms.

For pitchers, one mistake is all it takes—and against a hitter like Judge, that mistake often ends up in the seats. He’s proven that time and time again this year.

Judge has compiled a 4.9 WAR so far, along with a .390 batting average, 92 hits, 21 home runs, 51 RBIs, and a 1.233 OPS. If he continues at this blistering pace, he’ll be firmly in the running for another AL MVP—his second straight and the third of his career.

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

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