TAMPA, Fla. — We all remember it.
Two years ago, Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani faced off in the at-bat of a lifetime before Team Japan rushed onto the field to claim its third World Baseball Classic title. Team USA had the tying run on base with no outs in the ninth inning when Ohtani, moonlighting as the Samurai Japan closer, induced a double play, struck out Trout, and closed the book on a tournament that was nothing short of epic.
Maybe next time Team USA will get a little help from one of the most talented sluggers in baseball history. He’s certainly open to it.
“I think that would be pretty fun,” Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge told FOX Sports on Wednesday. “It just depends. See where I’m at in my career at that point. Hopefully they still want me.”
Judge will be entering his age-34 season at this time next year, which is when the 2026 WBC is scheduled to take place. Rosters will not be finalized until next February.
If Judge does agree to play, it would be his first time participating in the international event.
“It would be cool to represent your country,” Judge said. “[Team USA] made it to the finals, but they didn’t win it. So we gotta win it. We’ll see. We’ll see.”
A couple of Judge’s teammates are also interested in suiting up for their countries. Infielder Jazz Chisholm said he would play for Great Britain in next year’s WBC. Shortstop Anthony Volpe was asked to play for Team Italy in the 2023 WBC, but he said he would only ever play for Team USA, and that he would love to participate in next year’s event. Two years ago, the Yankees had three players participating in the WBC, including Gleyber Torres, Kyle Higashioka, and Jonathan Loáisiga.
Judge was recruited to join Team USA’s roster in the winter of 2022, but he was a little busy navigating his own free agency at the time. Plus, he had just finished a grind of a 2022 campaign; hitting 62 home runs with the media and fan frenzy that accompanied breaking a historic record can take a toll on anyone.
“If I sign with the Giants, sign with the Padres, sign somewhere else, I’d rather be — what’s more important to me is getting to know my teammates, my coaches. Get a feel for that,” Judge said. “I didn’t want to mess that up by being in the World Baseball Classic for four weeks, and then all of a sudden, I show up for the last two weeks of spring or whatever. That was my main focus. But now, I’ll be here for quite a long time.”
When the two-time MVP award winner eventually signed a nine-year deal with the Yankees and was named captain in December of that year, his main priority became spending time with his teammates. Specifically, he wanted to make sure he got to know the prospects in the organization, and Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Judge felt an added responsibility as captain to come early to spring training and coach up the team’s younger players.
The circumstances are different now, and it’s safe to say Team USA will want Judge’s bat in the lineup. Even without him, manager Mark DeRosa piloted the most star-studded roster in WBC history. In 2023, Team USA’s 30-man roster featured 21 All-Stars and four MVPs, including Trout, Mookie Betts, Paul Goldschmidt and Clayton Kershaw. Though they came close two years ago, Team USA’s last and only WBC championship was won in 2017. The first three installments of the tournament, which began in 2006, were won by Japan (twice) and the Dominican Republic.
Team USA should be hungry to reclaim its championship and trim the gap between Japan. Like last time, big names participating in the event could create a ripple effect throughout Major League Baseball. We already know Judge wants to see Team USA lift the trophy. Maybe next spring it will be his at-bat that we’ll remember for years to come.
Deesha Thosar is a MLB reporter and columnist for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets for four years as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.
Aaron Judge
New York Yankees
Major League Baseball
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