Latest news with #Judge
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Yankees' Aaron Judge Sends Juan Soto Message Before MLB All-Star Game
Yankees' Aaron Judge Sends Juan Soto Message Before MLB All-Star Game originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Last season, Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, two of the best outfielders in the MLB, were teammates with the New York Yankees. During their time together, they each made an All-Star appearance. Furthermore, while Judge took home the AL MVP award, Soto finished third in the voting. Advertisement The Yankees ended the 2024 season with a 94-68 record. This was the best record in the AL and third-best in the majors. New York ultimately made it to the World Series for the first time since 2009, but they lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games. Last offseason, Soto left the Yankees after one season to join the New York Mets. Once again, he and Judge are All-Stars, though as members of different teams. Recently, the Yankees star spoke about his former teammate and sent a message ahead of this year's All-Star Game. New York Yankees outfielders Aaron Judge (99) and Juan Soto (22).Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images Though they were only with the Yankees together for one season, it seems that Soto made an impact on Judge and the team. Advertisement According to Judge, he and the team "definitely miss" the 26-year-old and made it clear they "enjoyed" having him as a teammate. "We definitely miss him," Judge said about Soto. "Juan was not only a great player but a great person in our clubhouse, a great guy...I know the Mets are loving him over there. We enjoyed our time with him with the Yankees. I wish him nothing but the best." Though Soto's departure was a slight shock, it seems to have turned out decently for both sides. The Yankees are 53-43 at the All-Star break and are just two games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for the AL East lead. As for Soto and the Mets, they are just 0.5 games behind the Philadelphia Phillies for the NL East crown. Advertisement Both teams have gone through their ups and downs, but they each rank among the best in their respective leagues. The season is far from over, and a lot can still happen. However, both teams are proving to be legitimate title contenders and could be in line for another deep playoff run later this year. Related: Tigers' Javier Baez Makes Opinion on Francisco Lindor Very Clear Related: Mets, Yankees Surveying Veteran Reliever Market This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 15, 2025, where it first appeared.


Chicago Tribune
12 hours ago
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Column: With Pete Crow-Armstrong, Jacob Wilson and ‘The Miz,' baseball's future is in good hands
ATLANTA — Making his seventh All-Star Game appearance Tuesday night at Truist Park, New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge suddenly felt ancient at age 33. 'My biggest takeaway is that I keep getting older,' Judge said. 'You keep seeing young guys come in here. I look over to see the A's Jacob Wilson, who's 23 years old and starting his first All-Star Game. You can see the excitement and joy in his eyes walking around here enjoying the festivities. It's pretty cool. 'Just trying to enjoy every moment, soak it in and share the knowledge I can with these young guys and go out and win this All-Star Game.' One of those young guys he wanted to see was Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, 23, who shared a couple of special moments with Judge last weekend at Yankee Stadium after they robbed each other of extra-base hits in the outfield. 'I'm definitely going to find him,' Judge told me. 'We both kind of gave each other little nods after each one. That was fun. That's what it's all about — we're out there competing. Obviously he wants to win, and I want to win as well. But having a little friendly competition there, some gamesmanship.' It started Friday when Judge leaped high against the right-field wall to rob Crow-Armstrong of a home run into the short porch. Crow-Armstrong waved his hand in mock disgust as he headed back to the dugout. 'Yeah, he gave me a little nod and whatnot,' Crow-Armstrong said of the back-and-forth. 'That guy is nuts. I don't even really want to talk about him. 'It's harder a lot of the time to appreciate what a guy is doing across the field when he's beating up on you, except for that. That was very easy to appreciate because of the greatness he displayed.' Crow-Armstrong reciprocated the next day with a running catch in left-center to rob Judge. This year's All-Star week belonged to Judge, the game's biggest star who is on pace to be remembered as one of the greatest hitters of all time. He and Shohei Ohtani were the main attractions for Fox Sports and fans watching Tuesday's game around the world. Column: For Chicago's MLB All-Stars in Atlanta, a chance to show they belongWhile Judge figures to be back many more times, he sounded like he's OK with turning the game over to the next generation, the kids like Wilson, Crow-Armstrong and Home Run Derby finalist Junior Caminero, 22. 'It's amazing,' Judge said. 'From a lot of the young pitchers that we've seen over the last couple years to be called up and succeed, to some of these young guys we've heard about for a while on the prospects lists that are now getting a chance to be up here and now they're in an All-Star Game like everyone expected, it's pretty special. Hopefully I can hang on long enough to compete at these events with these guys.' Wilson, the Athletics shortstop and son of former infielder Jack Wilson, is having such a brilliant rookie season, fans voted him in as an American League starter over the Kansas City Royals' Bobby Witt Jr., 25, who was selected as a reserve. The Wilsons became the 20th father-son All-Star duo. Jacob Wilson could be a trendsetter if kids follow his lead and use their video game skills to hone their batting skills, as he does daily. 'Just a theory,' he said. 'Nothing to prove it.' I asked him how that worked, since most Gen Z gamers I know are inside with their controls instead of outside practicing their hitting. 'Obviously it's a little different,' he said. 'It's not going to work for everybody. But for me, I think the training-the-brain part (works). It's just being able to recognize stuff on the game before I go to the field, making those quick decisions on the game before I make quick decisions in the box. It's something I've always thought in the back of my head, 'Oh, this is kind of helping me.'' Can gamers emulate his methods? 'I try to tell the young kids, 'Stay in school, do your homework, don't just go home and play video games,'' Wilson said with a laugh. 'But young kids, once they finish their homework, they can go play and hopefully train themselves mentally to have the (skills) you need to play this sport.' Which player does he like to use in MLB: The Show? 'I would say me, but I don't have a lot of power,' he said. 'I'd say Aaron Judge is pretty fun to use because when you hit it, it goes far.' The next-gen All-Star getting the most attention in Atlanta was Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski, 23, who was chosen as a replacement for Cubs starter Matthew Boyd when Boyd opted for rest. 'The Miz,' who stands 6-foot-7 and has a 103 mph fastball and 96 mph slider, is already a phenom. He has thrown 89 pitches of 100 mph or more — one reason he became the fastest player to be named an All-Star, with only five starts under his belt. The controversial decision Commissioner Rob Manfred signed off on was meant to create buzz for the game, while it upset baseball purists. Tuesday's National League starter, 23-year-old Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates, made his All-Star debut last year after only 11 starts, while three other pitchers played in the game with only 13 appearances: the Detroit Tigers' Mark 'The Bird' Fidrych in 1976, the Los Angeles Dodgers' Hideo Nomo in 1995 and the Florida Marlins' Dontrelle Willis in 2003. I asked Manfred if this would be the norm or if Misiorowski was a unique case. 'Replacements is a really difficult issue,' Manfred replied. 'We had worked our way through more replacements than I wished we had to, and when I looked at choices, I thought that the appropriate balance on this one was the excitement that was going to be generated, the fan interest in seeing this guy — and, you know, I actually thought the competition in the game cut the same direction. 'He's a very, very good pitcher on a very, very good run right now, so I saw that (choice) go that direction. Do I understand that five starts are short? I do. Do I want to make that the norm? No, I don't. But I think it was the right decision, given where we were.' Cincinnati Reds outfielder Nick Castellanos said MLB was turning the All-Star Game into 'the Savannah Bananas,' meaning a gimmick that ignores the true meaning of an All-Star. Misiorowski handled the controversy well and said his fellow All-Stars treated him fine. 'I don't think they're really coming after me,' he said. 'It's more of what MLB put out. It's not something I've done to them, so I don't really think much of it. Guys are going to talk. They're going to say stuff. Oh, well.' Still, Misiorowski told me being the center of attention was weird. 'Of course it's crazy I'm even in talks for being an All-Star, let alone being here,' he said. 'Growing up in a small town (Grain Valley, Mo.), it's a world of change. It's fun, it's crazy. But you have friends and family that are really supportive. It's been awesome.' So how fast can a human being throw a baseball? Misiorowski said he read that 106 or 107 mph would be the physical limit. Does he want to be the first? 'I am happy with where I'm at,' he replied. 'So if it does go higher …' It won't be the Miz. But whoever it is, rest assured that kid will be invited to pitch in the All-Star Game — as soon as he finishes his homework.
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Aaron Judge Hopes for Second Shot at Dodgers in 2025 World Series
Aaron Judge Hopes for Second Shot at Dodgers in 2025 World Series originally appeared on Athlon Sports. New York Yankees' superstar outfielder Aaron Judge and Los Angeles Dodgers' phenom Shohei Ohtani were two of the many stars at Truist Park Monday evening for the 2025 MLB Home Run Derby. Advertisement The Pat McAfee Show was also live from the All-Star festivities in Atlanta, and Judge joined the show Monday and was asked about Ohtani. Judge had nothing but respect for the Dodgers' three-time MVP and World Series champion, but he did send a message about the 2025 postseason. "He's a great guy, a great ambassador for this game," Judge said on the Pat McAfee Show. "We're gonna get him back though. We'll see him down the road." The Dodgers and Yankees met in the 2024 World Series, which didn't go well for the Bronx Bombers. The Dodgers beat the Yankees in five games. After Los Angeles took a 3-0 series lead, the Dodgers closed out the Fall Classic at Yankee Stadium with a 7-6 victory to win their second World Series championship in four years. Advertisement Despite losing in five games, the Yankees were competitive in the World Series. The Dodgers outscored the Yankees by just one run in the entire series, and all four losses came by three or fewer runs. Now, Judge wants a rematch to get revenge against Ohtani and the Dodgers. New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (99) hits a double during the eighth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game four of the 2024 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium. Robert Deutsch-Imagn ImagesRobert Deutsch-Imagn Images As for the likelihood of a rematch, it's pretty likely according to sportsbooks. Fanduel has the Dodgers as the favorites to win the World Series, and the Yankees have the fourth shortest odds, second behind the Detroit Tigers in the American League. DraftKings has the Dodgers and Yankees with the two shortest odds, BetMGM and Bet365 have the Dodgers as the favorites, and the Yankees just behind the Tigers with the third shortest odds. At the All-Star break, the Dodgers hold the best record in the National League at 58-39, and the Yankees sit at 53-43, good for fourth in the AL and second in their division. Advertisement Related: Dodgers Not Expected to Make $275 Million Decision Because of Max Muncy This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 15, 2025, where it first appeared.


Newsweek
a day ago
- Sport
- Newsweek
Yankees Blockbuster? Why Deal For 2 Stars Makes Perfect Sense For New York
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The New York Yankees are one of the best teams in baseball, largely due to the MVP production coming from superstar Aaron Judge. But Judge isn't the only talent on this team. In fact, they're loaded with talent across the board except for two spots: the pitching rotation and third base. The Yankees are facing injuries to Gerrit Cole, Luis Gil, and Clarke Schmidt. This trio of pitchers was expected to eat well over 400 or 500 innings coming into the year, but they won't get close to that. The Yankees are also down a few players at third base. After losing Gleyber Torres to free agency and Oswaldo Cabrera to injury, the Bronx Bombers haven't found an everyday third baseman. But the team could look to swing a blockbuster trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks to fill both roster holes in one deal. NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 30: Zac Gallen #23 of the Arizona Diamondbacks looks on from the mound with teammates Eugenio Suarez #28 and catcher Gabriel Moreno #14 prior to leaving a game against... NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 30: Zac Gallen #23 of the Arizona Diamondbacks looks on from the mound with teammates Eugenio Suarez #28 and catcher Gabriel Moreno #14 prior to leaving a game against the New York Mets in the first inning at Citi Field on May 30, 2024 in New York City. MoreSlugger Eugenio Suárez is expected to be the best third baseman on the market this year. He's already eclipsed 30 home runs on the season and seems to be headed for 45 or 50 bombs by year's end. Adding him to a lineup with Judge would be nightmare fuel for pitchers. Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly both make sense as trade targets for the Yankees, too. Both righties are on expiring contracts this season. Kelly has looked better than Gallen, but Gallen's ceiling is higher. If the Yankees are likely to pursue Suárez, it would make sense to go after a pitcher in the same trade. This would be a blockbuster deal for the Bronx Bombers to make, but it could be the difference between losing the division and winning the World Series. These are upgrades that need to be made, and there's no better way to make them than this blockbuster deal. More MLB: Red Sox Starter 'Will Be Sacrificed' Following $200 Million Alex Bregman Update


USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Cal Raleigh arrives at 'pinch-me moment': Big Dumper's family affair at Home Run Derby
ATLANTA — Cal Raleigh long ago departed the world he knew and stepped into the surreal. Yet reaching the zenith of his professional career has a strange way of bringing it all home. Raleigh punched his ticket to Major League Baseball's All-Star Game and Home Run Derby on the strength of 38 home runs, the most by an American League player before the Midsummer Classic. He will find himself the topic of conversation in the clubhouse, the dugout, shagging balls in batting practice, his well-decorated teammates suddenly wanting to know the forces behind the man they call Big Dumper. Yet when he steps to the plate for his first swing at the Home Run Derby, his past, present and future coalesce. Pitching is his father Todd, the former Western Carolina and Tennessee coach, the man who dragged young Cal along to practices and batboy opportunities and built a workout facility at their North Carolina home. And catching is Todd 'T' Raleigh, Raleigh's 15-year-old brother whose games he tries to attend when his Seattle Mariners travels take him to back to the Deep South, who dons the hand-me-down cleats big brother bequeaths. When Raleigh first played with the Mariners at Atlanta's Truist Park, Jackson County, North Carolina chartered two buses to see him play. Now, much of the family has relocated even closer, with T attending school south of Atlanta. And while Raleigh isn't Aaron Judge or Shohei Ohtani, nor a Braves hero like Ronald Acuña Jr., he is the biggest curiosity among 81 of the globe's best players assembled here. A switch-hitting catcher with a Bondsian first half? A Platinum Glove winning catcher whose quiet leadership endeared him to teammates from Smoky Mountain High School to Florida State to Seattle? An unheralded third-round pick now leading the majors in homers and RBIs? Raleigh's new reality will come into focus like never before this week. 'Obviously, you have confidence as a baseball player and you believe in yourself,' Raleigh said at the All-Star Game's July 14 media day. 'But to be where I'm at right now, it's kind of a pinch-me moment. 'It is a little crazy to be where I'm at. I'm just going to try to take advantage of this opportunity, keep the blinders on and hopefully our team is where we want to be.' Apologies to the Mariners, but whether they win the American League West or not isn't front of mind for most baseball fans. As the second half unfolds, Raleigh will be commanding so many narratives. Can he break Salvador Perez's single-season record of 48 home runs by a primary catcher? Become the first backstop to top the 50-homer mark? Hold off Ohtani (32 homers) and Judge (35) and win the 2025 home run crowd? Break Judge's AL record of 62 home runs? Raleigh's on pace for – gulp – 64 homers. Surreal indeed, even for those with a front row seat. 'Everybody knew how good he was defensively, especially winning a Platinum Glove. This year, he's just taking it to a whole other level,' says Mariners All-Star right-hander Bryan Woo. 'I feel like everybody on the team is enjoying it just as much as fans are. 'We're just scratching our heads in the dugout and saying, 'This is unbelievable.'' It is a shock and also something less than that, given the track Raleigh's been on for most of his 28 years. 'It's like home' Raleigh spent his formative years growing up across from the Western Carolina campus in Cullowhee, where Todd coached from 2000 to 2007. Along the way, he constructed a 'Raleigh Ranch' near the home, where Cal and young T could hit, work out, and, as Cal puts it, 'put in hard work and forget about everything else and just go to work.' Raleigh starred at Smoky Mountain High School, on the doorstep of the Great Smoky Mountains and the Blue Ridge Parkway, and eventually earned a scholarship to Clemson. But the firing of coach Jack Leggett – he'd coach Todd at Western Carolina long ago – didn't sit well. Raleigh settled on Florida State, bringing with him outsize responsibilities for a freshman catcher. 'An intense competitor. Wants to win. Wants to help the guys around him. He was a leader for us at Florida State,' Detroit Tigers reliever Tyler Holton tells USA TODAY Sports. 'Had a lot of expectations coming in as a true freshman, and he lived up to every one of them.' Holton described Raleigh as 'a bit on the quiet side but very humble. Came from a baseball background, very disciplined, leads by example and I have a lot of respect for him.' Not much has changed a decade later. Before he was a historic slugger, Raleigh became an elite receiver, winning a Platinum Glove last season in his third full season. The Mariners have featured arguably the game's best rotation the past three years, and Raleigh's framing and stewardship have a lot to do with it. 'He's not a huge, rah-rah outspoken guy,' says Woo. 'I think he's come into his own a little bit this year and what he's able to do setting an example and letting others follow along. 'He's just doing things so consistently. Barring the results on the field, it's just showing up every day, putting in the work. It's great to see that out of your leader.' And then came the power. Raleigh hit 30 and 34 home runs the previous two seasons, though he batted just .232 and .220 those seasons. Yet he also spent most of 2024 alongside Justin Turner, the veteran utilityman and a trailblazer in last decade's hitting evolution. 'He was a mentor to me last year, someone I can lean on and talk to,' Raleigh says of Turner. 'Worked with him a little bit in the offseason. Growing as a player, understanding the league. It's not just the physical stuff; it's also about the mental capacity and trusting your abilities.' There was also a tangible payoff: The Mariners signed Raleigh to a six-year, $105 million extension as this season began, striking what Raleigh calls 'a great partnership. 'It's like home now.' 'I've always had a big butt' Yet Raleigh will spend this week closer to his roots. Todd and mother Stephanie and T and some two dozen others will be on hand as the world heralds Big Dumper, a label his mother cringes a bit at yet suits Raleigh since former teammate Jared Kelenic introduced it to the world in 2021. 'I've always had a big butt,' says Raleigh. 'Big Dumper works for me. Everybody likes it.' They're all getting a taste of the good life in Atlanta, taking the field at Truist Park as Raleigh pays forward the chances his dad afforded him. 'My dad gave me the opportunity to be bat boy for his teams. I still remember to this day, some of my favorite memories on the baseball field,' says Raleigh. 'Trying to do the same thing for him. Hopefully he's not too nervous tonight. 'He saw Livvy Dunne today, got a picture with her at the hotel. So he doesn't even care about the Derby anymore.' And while Raleigh is growing into his skin as a hardball icon, the role reversal is not lost on him. He's the one touted for the Derby, the one with the unavoidable nickname, the one fielding queries, instead of asking them, on the bases or behind the cage as the game's greatest players convene. 'I feel like I was the guy asking questions a lot more often,' says Raleigh. 'And now it's the other way around. It's a good feeling. You want to give back to players. I'm the same way; I still ask questions. 'I'm curious.' And so is the baseball world, wondering where this surreal journey will finish this year.