Judge, Aaron

Aaron Judge, in full Aaron James Judge, (born April 26, 1992), professional baseball player for the New York Yankees (2016– ) who in 2022 set the American League record for the most home runs hit in a season. His 62 home runs broke the 61-year-old record held by former Yankee Roger Maris In December 2022, he agreed to a nine-year, $360 million contract to stay with the New York Yankees.

Judge was adopted the day after his birth by teachers Patty and Wayne Judge, and he grew up in Linden, California. Aaron Judge—who stands 6 feet 7 inches (2.01 metres) tall, weighs 282 pounds (128 kg), and is biracial—was about 10 or 11 years old when he realized that he didn’t look much like his parents and began to ask questions. His older brother, John Judge, had also been adopted.

Of his adoptive mother Aaron Judge said, “Some kids grow in their mom’s stomach; I grew in my mom’s heart. She’s always showed me love and compassion ever since I was a little baby. I’ve never needed to think differently or wonder about anything.’’

In high school Judge played football, basketball, and baseball. Some universities recruited him to play football and baseball, and others, including Notre Dame and Stanford, recruited him to play football. Judge, however, decided he wanted to play baseball exclusively.

In 2010, when he was 18 years old, Judge was selected in the Major League Baseball amateur draft by the Oakland A’s. By that time, however, he had received a scholarship to play baseball at California State University, Fresno (Fresno State), his parents’ alma mater, and he was influenced by them to continue his education. He played for the Fresno State Bulldogs from 2011 through 2013 before being chosen by the New York Yankees in the first round of the 2013 draft.

Judge played in the minor leagues for various Yankees affiliates in the 2014, 2015, and 2016 seasons before making his major-league debut, on August 13, 2016, in a game against the Tampa Bay Rays, playing in right field. In his first major-league at bat, Judge hit a home run. He also hit a home run in his second game for the Yankees. But the rest of that debut season was less auspicious: he batted .179, struck out 42 times in 84 at bats, and ended the season with an oblique muscle strain.