New York Yankees star Aaron Judge has said that his No. 1 goal is to win a World Series, but he’s put that quest on a brief hold to captain Team USA at the World Baseball Classic.
“Now that I got a USA jersey on and ‘USA’ across my chest, my main focus right now is to go out there and win a gold medal for those guys,” Judge said in an interview with fellow Yankees legend and MLB on FOX analyst Derek Jeter.
This is Judge’s first time participating in the World Baseball Classic. He passed on the opportunity to represent Team USA in 2023 after he signed a nine-year, $360 million contract to stay in the Bronx through 2031 and was named Yankees team captain.
Four years later, Judge is captaining Team USA at the tournament, and the three-time American League MVP isn’t taking the job lightly.
“My job is just to get the best out of every single guy in that room,” Judge said. “I told the guys in the very beginning: I’m an open book; lean on me.”
He’s also motivated by the Team USA squad that fell short against Shohei Ohtani and Samurai Japan in 2023.
“I think of Paul Goldschmidt,” Judge said of his Yankees and Team USA teammate. “He did it the previous couple of years, and he talked about how much it hurt coming up short in ’23. I want to finish it off for guys like him, Kyle Schwarber, DeRo. They all came up short, but it’s time to finish it off.”
Judge and Team USA will have the opportunity to avenge the disappointment of 2023 in the 2026 World Baseball Classic final on Tuesday against Venezuela. They’re hoping to be the latest American team to bring home the gold after the men’s and women’s hockey teams reached the summit at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan, Italy.
“I think just watching them — both of them — leave it all on the ice … I think that was pretty cool to watch. Just like us, they’re grinding with guys they’re usually playing against, or competing against. Rival teams.”
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