Cole, Judge shine again with All-MLB nods

NEW YORK -- As the Yankees approached the end of a 2023 season that featured too many forgettable performances for their liking, the evening of Sept. 27 at Toronto’s Rogers Centre stood out as a showcase for the best the organization had to offer.

Through nine innings, Gerrit Cole emptied his tank, blowing through the Blue Jays’ offense in a two-hit shutout that cemented the right-hander’s case for the American League Cy Young Award. Cole was supported by a pair of Aaron Judge home runs, the captain’s last of the calendar year.

It was fitting, as manager Aaron Boone would remark, to see Cole and Judge shine together.

“It’s fun,” Boone added, “to watch two great players do their thing.”

The Yankees’ best pitcher and hitter were honored Saturday, with Cole and Judge selected for the All-MLB teams presented by MGM Rewards as announced on MLB Network. Voters were asked to only consider player performance during the regular season.

• Past All-MLB winners

Cole was selected to the All-MLB First Team, along with Zac Gallen (D-backs), Blake Snell (Padres), Shohei Ohtani (Angels) and Spencer Strider (Braves). Cole had been selected for the All-MLB First Team twice, in 2019 with the Astros and ‘21 with the Yankees.

In 33 starts, Cole went 15-4 with a 2.63 ERA and 222 strikeouts, holding opponents to a .206/.259/.322 slash line with 20 home runs. That performance prompted Judge to call him “the best pitcher in the game,” adding that Cole represents “the benchmark for what an ace is supposed to be like, on and off the field.”

“He’s been a lifelong Yankee fan; he’s looked up to the Yankees and wanted to wear pinstripes,” Judge said. “He wanted to come to this city and perform, and it’s all coming true. For everybody in this clubhouse, it hurts that we didn’t put up a better season behind him … but we’ll get that figured out. We’ll get that taken care of next year.”

Judge was tabbed for the All-MLB Second Team outfield, where he was joined by Adolis García (Rangers) and Kyle Tucker (Astros). Judge was selected to the All-MLB First Team in 2021 and ‘22.

In 106 games, Judge slashed .267/.406/.613 with 79 runs, 16 doubles, 37 home runs, 75 RBIs and 88 walks, playing 54 games in right field and 18 in center. Despite missing 51 games while on the injured list, Judge finished fourth in the AL in homers and joined Mark McGwire (1995) as the only players to hit at least 37 while playing in 106 games or fewer.

That prompted Cole to ponder aloud what might have been, had Judge not collided with a low-lying concrete barrier while chasing a fly ball on June 3 at Dodger Stadium.

“Can we get some padding in Dodger Stadium?” Cole remarked. “In a weird way, it’s just been really special to watch him go about his business. … As a professional, we walk out of the clubhouse and slap the sign [reading], ‘Do your job.’ It has nothing to do with being in a postseason race or not. It has to do with showing up every single day. This guy played through pain, this guy rehabbed for a long time. He never gave an at-bat away.”