Aaron Judge Oct 18, 2022; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) hits a single against the Cleveland Guardians during the seventh inning in game five of the ALDS for the 2022 MLB Playoffs at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Aaron Judge had one of the greatest offensive seasons in baseball history in 2022. He set an American League record with 62 home runs, posted a .311/.425 .686 slash line and helped guide the New York Yankees to the American League East championship. On Thursday, he was officially rewarded for his stellar season.

The selection was near unanimous, with Judge receiving 28 of a possible 30 first-place votes. Two-way star Shohei Ohtani — who won the AL MVP in 2021 and finished fourth in Cy Young voting in 2022 — finished second. The voting for the Los Angeles Angels star was flipped from Judge. While Judge earned 28 first-place votes and two second-place votes, Ohtani was first on two ballots and second on the remaining 28.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman and manager Aaron Boone both issued statements congratulating Judge for his award.

They were not the only ones. Others in the MLB world sent their congratulations to Judge after the news was revealed.

Judge picked the perfect time to have a career year, as he’s set to enter free agency, a storyline that has already dominated MLB’s offseason.

In addition to the Yankees and New York Mets, Judge is expected to draw interest from the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers.

This is Judge’s first MVP award. He previously won the American League’s Rookie of the Year award in 2017 and the Silver Slugger in 2017, 2021 and 2022.

Related: Paul Goldschmidt wins NL MVP, MLB world divided

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