Webb threw a 93 mph sinker on an 0-1 count that crossed the middle of the plate at the low end of the strike zone. Judge took a swing and launched it 422 feet over the center-field wall at Yankee Stadium.
Judge was met on his way back to the dugout with personalized celebrations from his teammates that were in midseason form. What a start.
The cliché thing to do in such a circ*mstance would be to project Judge's home run tally based on this performance. So let's be cliché.
Given the most optimistic outlook of Judge being available for all 162 games and a ballpark projection of 4.5 at-bats per game, Judge's first-inning home run put him on pace for 769 home runs this season.
Alas, Judge's second at-bat produced a strikeout, and he finished his day 2-for-4 with the solo home run, two RBIs and two strikeouts. Still, the reigning AL MVP is off to a rousing start in the Bronx.
Both starting pitchers set strikeout records
Judge wasn't the only player with a notable 2023 debut at Yankee Stadium. Each starting pitcher set his team's Opening Day strikeout record on a day when offense not produced by home runs was difficult to come by.
Yankees starter Gerrit Cole tallied 11 strikeouts while issuing just two walks in six shoutout innings. He picked up the win.
Webb bested Cole with 12 strikeouts alongside two walks in six innings. He took the loss thanks to four earned runs allowed.
Designated hitter Gleyber Torres gave the Yankees a 3-0 lead with a two-run blast off of Webb in the third inning, and the Yankees added two more insurance runs in the seventh.
In the first inning on Opening Day, Judge saw a 93 mph sinker from San Francisco Giants ace Logan Webb and deposited it 422 feet over the Yankee Stadium center-field wall for his first home run of season, and the first one leaguewide in 2023, in his first at-bat as the Yankees' captain.
2016. Judge made his MLB debut on August 13, 2016, starting in right field against the Tampa Bay Rays. In his first MLB at-bat, Judge hit a home run off Matt Andriese; the previous batter, Tyler Austin, also making his MLB debut, had done the same.
Here's the backstory. Aaron Judge was assigned the number 99 during spring training in 2016. Attached to the numbers, he chose to continue wearing it. “They gave it to me in spring training and it just kind of stuck with me a little bit,” Judge stated to NJ.com.
New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge is the highest-paid position player for the second straight year at $40 million. The 2022 American League MVP signed a nine-year deal worth $360 million last winter, which was the largest by a free agent in baseball history.
The fan who caught it could decide to keep it as memorabilia, give it to the Yankees organization or sell it for an estimated $2 million at auction. His name is Cory Youmans.
Judge has hit the most home runs in a season of any center fielder in MLB history (though he hit No.62 as the Yankees' right fielder). The previous record was 56, first set by Hack Wilson in 1930 and twice matched by Ken Griffey Jr., in 1997 and '98.
A story from The New York Post shared details of Aaron Judge's newest million-dollar purchase: a luxurious penthouse apartment located in Chelsea, a high-end neighborhood in Manhattan. Per The Post, Judge and wife Samantha Bracksieck purchased a penthouse at The Cortland, located at 555 W. 22nd St. in Chelsea.
Stanton is mostly of Irish, African-American, and Puerto Rican descent. His maternal great-great-grandmother was Puerto Rican. His parents, Mike Stanton and Jacinta Garay have been divorced since Stanton was eight years old. He has a brother, Egidio "E.G." Carlos Moacir Garay, and a sister, Kyrice Valivia Stanton.
Judge still prefers a couple of other numbers. For instance, his twitter name is @theJudge44 because "44 is a number I really like." It's also a number that Judge never will wear as a Yankee because 44 has been retired for Hall of Fame slugger Reggie Jackson. That's OK, 44 never was the number Judge most liked anyway.
This tiny little piece of plastic might be the most used item in baseball. Its used by a large percentage of MLB hitters to keep the bat handle in the fingertips and avoid “choking” the bat while protecting the thumb from injury on jam-shots.
Aaron Judge rejected offer worth more than $400 million from Padres to remain with Yankees. New York Yankees star Aaron Judge turned down an offer this offseason worth more than $400 million from the San Diego Padres, Judge's agents told The Athletic.
He puts butts in the seats, he sells merchandise, he drives up television ratings. The Yankees are willing to pay Judge what they're willing to pay him because they expect him to generate multitudes more in revenue. This is as much a business decision as it is a baseball decision.
Judge played in the minor leagues for various Yankees affiliates in the 2014, 2015, and 2016 seasons before making his major-league debut, on August 13, 2016, in a game against the Tampa Bay Rays, playing in right field.
Introduction: My name is Arielle Torp, I am a comfortable, kind, zealous, lovely, jolly, colorful, adventurous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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