New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge watches his solo home run ball during the second inning of Game 5 of an American League Division baseball series against the Cleveland Guardians, Oct. 18, 2022, in New York.
Photo courtesy AP/Frank Franklin II
Aaron Judge was working out at home in California along with wife, Samantha, on Oct. 20 when he received a call from Jason Zillo, the vice president of communications and media relations for the New York Yankees.
“You got a minute? This is very important,” Judge recalled Zillo saying.
“Is there a trade going on?” Judge wondered. ”What’s going on? Something important?”
Then Zillo told him to sit down and informed Judge he had won Major League Baseball’s Roberto Clemente Award for character, community involvement and philanthropy.
“It is our highest honor because it represents the combination of on-field excellence and service in our communities,” baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said.
Judge and Manfred were joined at a Monday news conference by Luis Clemente and Roberto Clemente Jr., sons of the Hall of Fame outfielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates, who died in a plane crash on Dec. 31, 1972, while delivering aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.
“He set the standard for what it was to be a complete player. And that’s something I try to model my game after,” Judge said. “The 3,000 hits is impressive, the batting average, the home run numbers. But, honestly, I’m jealous of the Gold Gloves.”
Judge is the fourth Yankees player to receive the honor after Ron Guidry (1984), Don Baylor (1985) and Derek Jeter (2009). Judge just completed the first season of a $360 million, nine-year contract with the Yankees, who finished 82-80 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
Judge has been speaking with Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner, as recently as Sunday, to discuss what moves the team needs to make to reach the World Series for the first time since winning the 2009…
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