BRONX, NY — Growing up in Linden, Aaron Judge never got to attend a Giants Opening Day. His parents were both teachers, so playing hooky wasn’t an option.
But he’ll get his first taste of a Giants Opening Day on Thursday in Yankee Stadium — as San Francisco’s opponent.
Judge, 30, entertained the idea of coming back home to Northern California to play for the Giants this year. San Francisco reportedly offered him a nine-year, $360 million deal, but eventually Judge returned to the Yankees for the same figures — plus the captainship.
“A lot of great people with the Giants, great organization that I’ve followed since I was a kid,” Judge said from his locker in the home clubhouse. “So it was a dream come true getting a chance to speak with them and getting the opportunity to go there. But in the end, it just worked out to come back to the Yankees. And I’m happy with my decision. Wishing them nothing but the best in San Fran.”
The Giants pitched Judge in November, bringing him to Oracle Park for a tour and dinner. Brandon Crawford, Logan Webb, Gabe Kapler and others were involved in pitching the superstar outfielder who broke the American League record last year with 62 home runs.
Now Webb, the Giants’ Opening Day starter, will face the 2022 AL MVP.
“I don’t know who at MLB did that to me,” Judge said of the Giants-Yankees matchup. “It’s great. Logan Webb’s a great pitcher. Had a couple great years and looking forward to maybe a couple more out of him. Going to be a fun opportunity for sure to play the team I watched a lot as a kid.”
The Yankees ultimately won the pursuit. Judge has spent the last seven years of his life in New York and has the chance to spend his entire career with the marquee franchise of the sport.
The Yankees ultimately provided what Judge wanted most: the promise of a contender now and the future. New York has reached the postseason in each of the past six seasons. San Francisco has made it just once in that span.
“Number one for me was winning,” Judge said. “I wanted to go to an organization that was ready to win now. All the teams I was talking to were in win-now mode, which was great. I talked about prospects coming up, who do you have coming up the pipeline? I’m going to be here for nine-plus years, I want to be surrounded by guys that are ready to go now. Those are kind of the top two. It would’ve been nice to be home in California, be a little closer to family, but this city’s become my family now.”