Yankee pinstripes are back in the World Series for the first time in 15 years, and Aaron Judge will have his first chance at winning a championship with New York.
Judge earned captain status by the Yankees prior to the 2023 season, less than 10 years after he was drafted in the first round in 2013 and less than seven after he made his Major League debut in 2016.
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After setting career highs in more than a dozen offensive categories including a .322 batting average and 144 RBI, Judge captains another World Series-bound Yankees team, seeking his first championship ring. He wants to join familiar Yankeees legends in a class of their own.
“They definitely got a different aura walking around here when they, you know, you got a couple rings on your finger,” Judge said Tuesday. “I think that’s the biggest thing is they — you just see they’re battle-tested. They’ve been through the grind, they’ve been through the ups and downs, and they came out on top so you definitely see that when those guys come through here.”
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Judge and American League-champion New York will clash with National League pennant-winner Los Angeles beginning Friday at 8:08 p.m. ET on FOX. Gerrit Cole, 1-0 this Postseason in three games started, will get the ball for the Yankees against Dodgers midseason acquisition Jack Flaherty, who is 1-2 with a 7.04 ERA in three starts.
Judge said the Dodgers are “a complete team” that is “fast,” “athletic” and “can hit the ball out of the ballpark.” Both teams are led by MVP favorites in Judge and Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, who recorded the first 50-homer, 50-stolen base season in Major League history.
This World Series is the first since 1956 featuring the home run leaders from both leagues. Judge said he feels like “everything is obvious” when it comes to what stands out about Ohtani.
“He hits for average, hits for power, the speed,” Judge said. “Doing what he did this year with the 50 stolen bases, that’s — it got talked about a lot but I don’t think it got talked about enough. It’s just he’s an impressive, impressive athlete. You know, the best player in the game. What an ambassador for this sport.”
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New York won the final two games of the ALCS in Cleveland to advance to its 41st World Series. It will be the first of the nine-year career for Judge, who said Tuesday “this is where the real fun starts” for him.
Judge said the Yankees’ confidence “never changed” throughout the Postseason and that “this is a confident group that goes out there and lays it on the line every single game.”
“The journey is always a tough one, but I think that’s the fun in all of this is enjoying those, the good times, the bad times,” Judge said. “Dreaming of it for years. As a kid watching the Yankees play in the World Series, win the World Series. Just that excitement, that emotion, how the city comes alive is something definitely special and looking forward to doing that with this group.”
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