David Richard-Imagn Images

Aaron Judge Responds to Juan Soto's Controversial Comment

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Kristie Ackert | Last updated Apr 15, 2025 5:58 PM ET

One thing Juan Soto did not learn last year in his time with Aaron Judge was how to handle tough questions with honesty and tact. The New York Yankees slugger gave him another lesson on Tuesday.

Amid an uproar about Soto’s comments to the New York Post about how much harder it is to hit without Judge, the 2024 MVP, hitting behind him, Soto just went with honesty.

“It’s definitely different,” Soto told the New York Post. “I had the best hitter in baseball hitting behind me. I was getting more attacked and more pitches in the strike zone, less intentional walks and things like that. I was pitched differently last year.”

He forgot to mention that New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso is raking behind him, which upset Mets fans and created a lot of noise on New York sports talk radio.

So, obviously, Judge was asked about it and he showed how Soto should have handled the question.

“I’m not really going to go back and forth with this,” Judge told SNY’s Andy Martino. “He’s got probably one of the best hitters in the game behind [him] right now in what Alonso is doing. It has been fun to watch. He’s hitting close to .400. He’s driving the ball to all over the field, driving guys in.”

Though neither grew up Mets or Yankees fans, Judge and Soto are now the center of what is sure to be a spicy Subway Series rivalry for years to come.

Last year, Soto and Judge were an elite one-two punch at the top of the lineup. Judge’s home run threat forced pitchers to challenge Soto. Soto’s elite plate discipline meant Judge saw more fastballs.

They made each other better.

Soto bolted the Bronx for the $765 million the Mets offered him and is now seeing what life is like without Judge. He has just two home runs so far. Judge, meanwhile, is near the league lead with six.

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

More must-reads: