The New York Yankees always look up to Aaron Judge to show them the way to the playoffs. But the captain has not yet managed to lead the way to the World Series. It has been a long time since the NY side has been to the “Big Dance.” The captain before Judge, Derek Jeter, was part of five World Series champion teams. So far, the 2022 AL MVP has not even made it to the final series. Fans in New York wonder when that day will come. What if that happens this season? After all, the Yankees look really good, and the Judge-Soto duo are doing great things.
Clearly, something is special about the ongoing season in the Bronx. For a long time, the Yankees have not been this good over the first 55 games in a regular season. But this year, they are good, as they have the second-best record in the American League so far. Last year, this team could not make the postseason and finished with an awful 82-80 record. What has been the big difference? Some say it is the (Juan) Soto Effect. But Alex Verdugo credits Aaron Judge for being an inspiration to his teammates and to the upcoming players.
Verdugo Credits His Captain For Being An “Inspiration”
Lately, Aaron Judge went on to hit a home run in the fourth game in a row. That helped the NY Yankees win the series against the San Diego Padres. On Saturday, they beat the home team 4-1. After the captain’s milestone hit, in the post-game interview, Alex Verdugo had a hilarious reaction about his fellow outfielder. The former Boston Red Sox outfielder compared his output numbers between the plates to Judge’s feat. Verdugo said, “That’s my season.” Then, he burst into laughter. Last December, the arch-rivals Red Sox traded Verdugo to the NY side. Alex talked about the admiration that opposition players have for the 2022 AL MVP.
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Moreover, Alex Verdugo gave a quirky answer, saying, “Young guys out there should try to model their game after the game of the superstar that Judge is.” Adding to that, Alex said that Aaron Judge does things absolutely in the right way. Moreover, he said that guys just love the Yankees captain no matter what. “If you are part of his team, or you are from the opposing team, does not matter, you’ll just love him,” says Verdugo. After a really slow start, Judge is back as the top home run hitter.
A Great Comeback By Aaron Judge
There were a lot of speculations and criticisms that Aaron Judge had to face owing to his slow start to the season. He took seven games to hit his first home run. But after 55 games in the current season, Aaron Judge is right up there on the list of most home run hitters so far. Gunnar Henderson of the Baltimore Orioles and Kyle Tucker of the Houston Astros have hit the same number of home runs as Judge so far in 2024.
On the other hand, the Yankees captain leads the team in terms of OPS. Superstar Shohei Ohtani is in second place behind Judge for the best OPS this season. The Yankees’ starting pitcher, Marcus Stroman, heaped praise on Aaron Judge after his fine form in the last four games. Stroman said, “It’s about watching greatness, you know.”
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