Wed Jul 02 23:20:00 UTC 2025: **Summary:**

Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees has been voted as the leading vote-getter in Phase 1 of the All-Star Game balloting for the second consecutive year, earning him an automatic starting spot in the American League outfield for the 2025 All-Star Game in Atlanta. This marks Judge’s seventh All-Star selection. The article highlights his dominant performance this season, including leading the Majors in several offensive categories, and quotes praise from his manager and fellow players about his exceptional skill and mental fortitude.

**News Article:**

**Judge to Start in Atlanta: Yankees Captain Leads All-Star Voting for Second Straight Year**

NEW YORK – Yankees captain Aaron Judge is heading to Atlanta as an American League All-Star starter. For the second year in a row, Judge topped all players in All-Star Game Phase 1 balloting, securing his spot in the outfield for the Midsummer Classic, to be held on July 15th at Truist Park.

Judge garnered 4,012,983 votes, surpassing even Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani, who led the National League with 3,967,668 votes. Judge’s achievement marks the first time a player has repeated as the leading vote-getter since Alex Rodriguez in 2007-08.

“I love it,” Judge said of playing in the Atlanta heat. “You’re playing baseball. Cold, hot, doesn’t matter. You’re getting a chance to play a game. You’ve got to love it.”

This will be Judge’s seventh All-Star appearance (2017, ’18, ’21, ’22, ’23, ’24, ‘25). Coming off a season where he led the Majors in multiple offensive categories, including home runs, RBIs, and on-base percentage, Judge continues to dominate this year.

“What I’ve been watching – he’s playing a different game than everyone else,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone commented earlier this season. “He’s just better than everyone else.”

Currently, Judge leads the Majors in batting average (.361), on-base percentage (.461), slugging percentage (.719), OPS (1.180), hits (108), extra-base hits (49), and total bases (215).

“He’s so good. He’s the best I’ve ever seen,” said first baseman Paul Goldschmidt. “He’s obviously physically very gifted, but mentally just as good to deal with the ups and downs…The way he handles it, it’s truly impressive.”

As Judge prepares for Atlanta, he remains focused on leading the Yankees back to the World Series after last year’s disappointing finish.

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