Aaron Judge once again is posting historic numbers that certainly will make him a massively popular figure long after his playing days are over at future Old-Timers’ Day celebrations in The Bronx.
Many of those bold-faced names from the team’s storied past marveled at Judge and imported star Juan Soto before the 9-2 loss to the Rockies at the Stadium.
“I personally can’t relate to it. It’s amazing, it seems like he just continues to get better and better,” Derek Jeter said. “He’s fun to watch and he’s carried that legacy and tradition of the Yankee organization and superstar players, and he’s a great representative of this organization.”
Of course, the majority of the franchise’s legendary players also won the World Series in pinstripes, something that eluded Judge in his first eight big-league seasons.
With Judge leading baseball with 49 homers and a 1.190 OPS through Friday, the Yankees owned the best record in the American League.
But Judge also owns a .211/.310/.462 slash line in 44 postseason games with no World Series appearances.
“I think he’s gonna have a legacy whether he wins or not, because he’s a special player,” said Joe Girardi, who managed Judge from 2016-17. “But I think personally it would mean a lot to him … because there’s nothing like being a champion. You’d love to see it happen to such a great player that has such an impact on the game. But it takes so many more players. One, two guys can’t do it. But I hope it happens for him.”
“Aaron is such a unicorn,” Alex Rodriguez added following the Old-Timers’ ceremony. “I love the game of baseball so much, and I’ve never seen a player quite like him, that looks like an NFL tight end: 6-foot-7, 282 pounds, under 10 percent body fat. The guy is just a specimen.
“He makes me look small, he makes all of us look small. But also he has a unique element to him like Derek [Jeter] and Mo [Mariano Rivera] had. No matter how big the stage is, he keeps the main thing the main thing. … He’s an easy guy to cheer for and I do think he’ll be a world champion, because that’s all he really cares about. As good as the numbers are, Aaron Judge wants to win.”
Jorge Posada, who said the closest comparison to No. 99 is “probably [Barry] Bonds,” hopes the Yankees are able to keep the lineup combination of Soto — who also is having a monster year ahead of free agency this offseason — and Judge together beyond 2024.
“It would be awesome,” Posada said. “Obviously it looks like [Soto] likes it here, so we’ll see what happens. But I think he’s a very smart hitter, and he’s just perfect for this stadium. … I know they’re gonna try to keep him, so I would love to see him here for a long time.”
With the Yankees celebrating their 2009 World Series team, nearly 20 players from that squad were in attendance, although it wasn’t exactly a “Gardy party.”
Brett Gardner, who hasn’t been back to the Stadium since the team didn’t re-sign him following the 2021 season, was notably absent.
A Yankees spokesman said Gardner “was invited and did not attend.”
“Gardy was such a big part of this culture. Hopefully he can work whatever he needs to work out and be here [in the future],” CC Sabathia said.
Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano, Melky Cabrera, Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes also were not in attendance from the title team.