A Tale Of Aaron Judge, The Yankees & A Dog Named Kevin

“He was a big part,” Judge said of his teammate Anthony Rizzo in an interview with Fallon. “He was a free agent, too; he opted out, but he got his contract out of the way [in November] and he said, ‘Now we’ve got to get you locked in.’ He was calling me every day. He was sending me texts every day. He was working hard. “He went for my heart. My little Penny and his dog, Kevin, are the best of friends. Every day, I was getting photos,” reported MLB.com. 

It is no surprise that Anthony Rizzo had a big influence on Judge’s decision to stay in New York. He and Judge became good friends, almost like brothers over the last couple of years. Once Rizzo signed in November, he was relentless to ensure his friend would too. His dog Kevin helped seal the deal.

Then there was Derek Jeter, ready to take the Yankee slugger to lunch, hoping to talk with Judge and help ease his mind. But before that date happened, Judge signed a 9-year $360 million dollar contract to remain a Yankee for life.

Judge explained to The Tonight Show audience that even though he was being wooed by other teams, he and his wife could not be swayed. “After every meeting, I’d sit down with my wife, and we kinda look at each other and are like, ‘we’re Yankees,’” reported The New York Post. 

To round out the week, Judge will accept his American League MVP Award on Saturday at at the New York BBWAA Dinner. Sure, Judge got paid. But the cool thing about it is that we all wanted it to happen. Rizzo, Jeter, Yankees administration, his wife, his family, fans across the country and the city of New York. “Every athlete wants to get to that position, where they can kind of choose, you know, where they get to play. It just so happened I got drafted by the best team on the planet,” reported The New York Post. 

Aaron Judge is a special player, with an amazing talent, a great friend in Rizzo and yes, a soft spot for a dog named Kevin. And this year is going to be the first year Judge leads the Yankees as their 16th captain, a position left open for 7 years. Could this be the year the Yankees go farther than they have in more than a decade? If Judge had his way, it sure would be. 

–Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof