Slugger Aaron Judge and ace starter Gerrit Cole have been the pillars of strength for the New York Yankees in the recent past. The fans cannot imagine a day without these two on the active roster. The 2023 season saw Judge getting sidelined, whilst Cole recorded a CY Young season. It was indeed a bittersweet end to a lowly season.
Having said that, the Yankees’ dynamic duo received due credit for their salient efforts as MLB announced its All-MLB teams for the 2023 season. While Cole made it to the first team, Judge missed out due to an injury layoff, which led to extended absence. However, Cole didn’t forget to take a jibe at the Dodgers while recalling Judge’s 2023 season struggles.
Gerrit Cole Moved By Aaron Judge’s Resilience As The Duo Gets Honored By MLB!
In an esteemed honor, Yankees’ greats Aaron Judge and Gerrit Cole made it to the All-MLB teams for the 2023 season. However, Judge had to settle for the second team of outfielders as he missed a lot of game time during the regular season due to injury layoff. Around July, the Yankee captain hit his toe on an unattended concrete slab at the Dodgers stadium. The impact tore the ligament tissue of Judge’s toe, which took nearly six weeks to heal. After over six weeks, Judge did return. But wasn’t fully healed. Yet, he chose to fight for his team and somehow keep the playoff boat floating.
While the efforts couldn’t salvage the Yankees’ lost campaign, Aaron Judge’s stature elevated into the eye of Gerrit Cole. While congratulating Judge on the All-MLB team feat, the ace pitcher took a subtle dig at the Dodgers’ unprofessionalism. He said that it’s time to add some padding to the Dodgers stadium to avert a repeat of 2023. Further, Cole added that he enjoyed watching a Judge special in a weird way. He is not used to seeing Judge battle through injuries. However, the way Judge endured pain to carry on business as usual was a commendable effort. “This guy played through pain; this guy rehabbed for a long time. He never gave an at-bat away,” said Gerrit Cole. Undoubtedly, had Aaron Judge averted the Dodgers stadium crash, the Yankee’s 2023 season could have been a lot different.
Aaron Judge In Awe Of ‘Lifelong Yankee Fan’ Gerrit Cole!
After Gerrit Cole’s heartwarming words of praise, it was time for Aaron Judge to return the favor. While congratulating Cole on the All-MLB team selection, Judge revealed how the pitcher has always been a Yankee fan and wanted to don the pinstripes in the city of New York. His childhood dream is finally taking shape and coming true, and that is an inspiring moment for Judge.
Having said that, Aaron Judge couldn’t resist but shed light on the Yankees’ abysmal 2023 season. He said that players were left hurt as they couldn’t support Cole’s CY Young-worthy season. But the boys won’t back down from a fight. Judge once again promised to figure out the shortcomings and come back stronger in 2024. “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,” said Judge.