Aaron Judge is not just the captain of the New York Yankees but also their most reliable slugger. If he misses some game time, it really hurts the NY side. Like this season, the record-breaking home run hitter stayed out for over a month owing to a toe injury. During that period, the Bronx Bombers lost several games and won very few. They could never really pick themselves up from that situation even when Judge returned.
Eventually, the 27-time World Series champions failed to make the postseason for the first time since 2016. Lately, Aaron Judge received a huge honor as he won the Roberto Clemente Award. Moreover, on October 20, the Yankees’ VP of communications and media relations informed Judge that he won the prestigious award for character, philanthropy and community involvement.
Aaron Judge Wins The Highest Honor In MLB
As per Aaron Judge, Jason Zillo kind of scared him when he said, “You got a minute? There’s something important we need to tell you.” Along with Zillo, Rob Manfred, the MLB Commissioner, was also present. Manfred mentioned the Robert Clemente Award is their highest honor because it acknowledges the on-field excellence as well as the community services of the individual athlete. Moreover, Aaron Judge is only the fourth Yankees athlete to receive that honor. In 1984, Ron Guidry, in 1985, Don Baylor, in 2009, Derek Jeter received this honor. Now, Aaron Judge joined this elite club.
On Monday, at a news conference, the two sons of the Hall of Famer, Roberto Clemente Jr. and Luis Clemente, joined Rob Manfred and Aaron Judge. The Yankees captain acknowledged the greatness of Roberto Clemente after receiving the award. Captain Judge mentioned the legendary outfielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates is the definition of a complete player. Moreover, Judge said that he always tried to model his game after the great man. On top of that, Aaron Judge said that everything is impressive, the 3000 hits, the batting average, the number of homers, but still, he’s jealous of the Gold Gloves. The legend Roberto Clemente died in a plane crash on December 31, 1972. He was trying to deliver aid to the earthquake victims of Nicaragua.
Yankees Have Their Expectations Pinned On Judge
Aaron Judge could barely manage to play 106 games in 2023. The Yankees always want more games from him. That’s how essential Judge is a part of the Yankees roster. Moreover, the 2022 season for Judge was nothing short of magical. He hit the most homers in an MLB season. Judge went on to hit a record-breaking 62 homers. The previous best was Roger Maris with 61 homers, and Babe Ruth is in third place on the list with 60 homers in a single American League season.
Anyhow, the Yankees fans have a lot of expectations from Captain Judge. They sure not only want him to lead the side to the playoffs but also win the World Series for the first time since 2009. Moreover, the Yankees have never reached the World Series since they last won in 2009. Hence, Judge will need to carry a lot of expectations and hopes during his captaincy tenure.