Aaron Judge Created a Yankees Color Renaissance

New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge has subtly revolutionized his team's iconic colors.

Aug 28, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; New York Yankees center fielder Aaron Judge (99) tosses his bat after drawing a walk against the Washington Nationals during the eighth inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-USA TODAY Sports / Rafael Suanes-USA TODAY Sports

During the first inning of an April 13 game against the Cleveland Guardians, New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge approached the plate wearing seafoam green-colored batting gloves, an armband, and an elbow guard.

Then he smacked a double to right field.

While an August 31 article from the New York Post notes that Judge has worn accessories with this distinct color accented throughout his MLB career, this Cleveland game was the first time it couldn't be missed on the slugger's appearance.

“I love it,” Judge said of what the Yankees call the "mint" color. “I think it goes pretty good with the pinstripes.”

Soon after Judge began making this mint color (which Judge initially picked because it resembled the Statue of Liberty's iconic tint) front-and-center during games, his teammates started following suit.

“[Judge] kind of had it on all his gear like that,” Yankees outfielder Alex Verdugo said. “We all liked it and kind of started ordering to match.”

Since then, Verdugo, Gleyber Torres, Giancarlo Stanton, Marcus Stroman, Nestor Cortes Jr., Oswaldo Cabrera and Austin Wells have all been seen sporting various accessories (including gloves) with this same shade.

7 strong IP from Marcus Stroman, 2 HR from Austin Wells help the @Yankees take Game 1 of the series. pic.twitter.com/AZco1Thxzo

— MLB (@MLB) August 31, 2024

Seeing so many Yankees wearing this decidedly un-Yankee color can be jarring at first, considering that the iconic franchise has been notoriously strict on personal appearance and uniformity over the years.

It's difficult to imagine that, back in April, the Yankees' front office would have been so okay with this burst of color stemming from anybody but Judge or Gerrit Cole.

But because it was Judge who introduced this unique and intriguing hue to the Yankees' pinstripes and road grey jerseys, it was clearly deemed acceptable by those in charge — or at the very least it wasn't outlawed; perhaps because of Judge's historic production while donning the color.

And with other Yankees players adding it to their appearance, this mint colorway has also become a visual display of Judge's leadership and impact on the clubhouse's camaraderie.

“This season, we’re going to use some colors to match everybody together,” Torres said in the New York Post article. “I think things are different and cool. We have a bunch of guys doing it right now. I think it’s fun for me.”

“We kind of talked with each other and kind of said, ‘Hey, I think it’s a cool little accent color that we can all kind of wear,’ ” Judge said. “Shows that we’re all kind of together in this.”

The distinct colorway could become a permanent part of Yankees uniforms if Judge is seen wearing it while hoisting a World Series trophy later this year.