Aaron Judge lived up to his promise to homer for a fan who greeted him before the game
In a season of record-setting home runs totals, one name in particular has been oddly absent from most of the daily roll calls: Aaron Judge. The big Yankees slugger has missed over 50 games in 2019, and while 15 homers would be solid for most players, he typically hovers at a higher plateau.
However, the Yankees aren't really worried about Judge. The man has a tendency to come through in big moments and do some truly special things on a baseball field. One such feat occurred at Sunday's Yankees-Dodgers game.
Prior to the contest, Judge met with John Brown, a retired Los Angeles area schoolteacher and the father of Yankees catching coach Jason Brown, who told him that he never missed any of his at-bats. Judge laughed and told him that he would homer for him that night.
A man of the people @TheJudge44 pic.twitter.com/8uDeuD3lBs
— R2C2 is UNINTERRUPTED (@R2C2) August 25, 2019
Judge had gone deep in each of his past two games at Dodgers Stadium, so perhaps the odds were in his favor, even against a tough opponent like Clayton Kershaw.
Sure enough, it only took him two plate appearances to live up to his word:
Temperature: Rising 👀 pic.twitter.com/RIYj8wnFC8
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) August 25, 2019
Incredible work by Judge, and on a 404-foot no-doubter, to boot.
We've seen time and time again that Judge is the kind of guy who will do just about anything for a loyal fan. I'm willing to bet that these abilities extend beyond the baseball diamond, too.
Short on coins for the parking meter? Judge would lend you some change.
Need a jump for your car? Judge will probably act as your own personal AAA service.
Want some help rehearsing for the big role in your school play? I can't attest to Judge's talent as a musical accompanist, but you know he'd give it his best shot. (Or he'd at least give Bernie Williams a call for you.)
Although Judge's next random act of kindness might still be a mystery at the moment, the next one is almost certainly just around the corner. He has his fans' backs.
Andrew Mearns is a writer for Cut4 whose baseball obsession was born from the shattered dreams of Mike Mussina's perfect game attempt in 2001. He has a startling memory of World Series highlights that barely functions as a party trick.
