TAMPA — Sure, they talked about homers. How could they not? Aaron Judge hit a Yankees record 62 and was the story of the 2022 season because of it.
So when more than a dozen members of the team were asked what was the wow moment for them from Judge’s AL MVP season — basically what will come to mind first when they are asked about it a decade from now — there were expectations of having long memories of long balls.
The homer that came up most frequently was the three-run walk-off against Toronto closer Jordan Romano on May 10 that turned a 5-3 deficit into a 6-5 win — because it came against such a good pitcher and a division rival and namely because it felt like a launching point for how timely Judge would be all season.
Of course, there was mention of homer No. 62 on the next to-last-day of the season versus the Rangers. Jose Trevino and Aaron Boone cited homers from the same weekend series in Baltimore. On July 22, Judge hit two homers. The first went 436 feet — beyond the Oriole bullpen and to the back of the Yankee bullpen. The second went 465 feet to clear both bullpens.
Trevino remembered: “I haven’t played in the big leagues that long, but there are guys in our clubhouse who have played a lot of games [in Camden Yards] and I asked if anyone else had gotten there and they said, ‘Yeah, balls just don’t go that far.’ We are talking beyond both bullpens.”
In the series finale on July 24, Judge struck out against Orioles starter Dean Kremer in the first inning, looking as bad chasing a curve as Boone thought he had all year. The manager ribbed his star as Judge returned to the dugout and the slugger said, ‘My bad, skip, I’ll get him the next time. I got [Kremer.]’ ”
In the third inning Judge walloped a two-run homer and stared Boone down as he ran to first base. “Makes me laugh now thinking of it,” Boone said.
But even Trevino and Boone ended where just about everyone else began. Not with the homers. Rather with Judge. They didn’t talk about 62. They talked about No. 99. The leadership. The team-first focus. The humility. The constancy. The determination.
As a new season dawns — this time with Judge as captain and possessing a nine-year, $360 million contract — his teammates focused not as much on a season for the ages as the person who produced it.
“What will I remember?” Yankees third-base coach Luis Rojas said. “I will remember being up close for an All-Star offensive player, yeah, but I will remember more being up close for an All-Star person.”
When asked what would stick with him most, Kyle Higashioka began this way: “I don’t recall ever being part of a season where we got together as a team so often and 90 percent of the time there was Judge setting it up, dinners, concerts.” That started a nearly three-minute unbroken testimonial by the Yankees catcher in which he talked about meals home and away and a Post Malone concert on an off-day in Milwaukee and all the bonding that Judge fostered rather than isolating himself with so much focus upon his exploits.
Higashioka finished thusly, “For me, personally, I can’t think of a better teammate that I’ve had. So that was the big thing to me last year was just off the field how he united us.”
Michael King said, “I’ll never forget how he carried himself through the whole thing. Think about how the stadium got quiet on every pitch to him late last year. The pressure. And he just went about his business. It was his true colors — just be a pro. I know there is a lot of talk about superstars, but then you meet Aaron Judge and you realize what a superstar is. Most guys need to be hyperfocused and work on their craft so much and they can’t think about you. It is kind of the selfish mentality. And then you meet Judge and he makes you feel like a superstar.
“The first question people ask me when they find out what I do is: ’What’s Judge really like?’ And he’s the greatest guy ever. We’ll be driving in a car with him through a neighborhood and he rolls his window down because kids are playing outside. Just to say hi to some kids and I think, ‘You’re a superstar, you don’t need to do that.’ But he just wants to make the kids’ day. So, I am going to remember that.”
Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza was a roving minor league defensive instructor when Judge came to the organization in 2014 and has worked with him near annually since. “Same guy in Charleston [Low-A], same guy in Trenton [Double-A], same guy in Scranton [Triple-A], same guy last year hitting 62 homers. That is what stands out for me. He’s about winning. When we had all the injuries and he was pretty much carrying the team in July, he is walking around hitter meetings and telling our guys to stick with the plan. It will change. He is about winning.”
“For me it is all about perspective,” said Mike Harkey, the Yankees’ bullpen coach, when Judge was drafted and still last year. “After we drafted him, we brought him to Oakland and he took the team bus with us to the Coliseum where he took batting practice. So I saw him then. Then I saw him homer in his first major league game [2016]. Then I watched all of last year up close and the guy hasn’t changed. That is what I will remember. He just stays a consistent, quality person.
“And you know what else I think after watching all the homers? I wasn’t surprised and I won’t be surprised if he does it again. Because if anyone’s capable it is him because of the consistent, steady manner. He truly believes he can do it. He makes sure to put in the work. He never makes it an individual thing. And even last year when it was individual, he made it about the team and winning. The same kid from the bus in Oakland.”
Read More
Joel Sherman