Yankees' Aaron Judge Wants to 'Put On a Show' for Friends, Family in San Francisco

Jun 1, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (99) runs the bases and gestures toward the Yankees bullpen after hitting a two-run home run against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 1, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (99) runs the bases and gestures toward the Yankees bullpen after hitting a two-run home run against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-USA TODAY Sports / Robert Edwards-USA TODAY Sports

Following Saturday's 7–3 win over the San Francisco Giants on Saturday, New York Yankees star outfielder Aaron Judge acknowledged that the series against the team he grew up rooting for means a little bit more than any other.

Judge, a Linden, Cali. native, has now homered in each of the two games the Yankees have played against the Giants—and he has done so in front of countless friends and family members at Oracle Park in San Francisco.

After the game on Saturday, Judge was asked about what it's like to "come home" and get the chance to play in the ballpark where the team he grew up loving plays.

Judge acknowledged how much it means to him, saying that he wants to "do something special" for the friends and family who have showed up to support him.

"I have a lot of family in town, a lot of friends in town," Judge said. "You've got to do something special for them, I'm trying to stay locked in and put on a show for them."

And put on a show, Judge has.

The Yankees slugger, on the heels of a red-hot month of May that saw him post a 1.397 OPS in 28 games while breaking out of an April slump, has gone 4-for-7 with three home runs and six RBI in two games in San Francisco, including a 464-foot moonshot to left field on Saturday.

Judge, during his 2022 free agency bid, nearly ended up in a Giants uniform. Even though that didn't come to fruition, it's safe to say that the Yankees captain is making the most of his first opportunity to play in a ballpark that's very near and dear to his heart.


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Tim Capurso
TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in November 2023, he wrote for RotoBaller and ClutchPoints, where he was the lead editor for MLB, college football and NFL coverage. A lifelong Yankees and Giants fan, Capurso grew up just outside New York City and now lives near Philadelphia. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, exercising and spending time with his family, including his three-legged cat Willow, who, unfortunately, is an Eagles fan.