{"id":185119,"date":"2026-04-04T03:12:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-04T03:12:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/185119\/"},"modified":"2026-04-04T03:12:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-04T03:12:08","slug":"aaron-judge-honors-former-teammate-at-yankees-home-opener","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/185119\/","title":{"rendered":"Aaron Judge Honors Former Teammate at Yankees Home Opener"},"content":{"rendered":"

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. \u203a<\/a><\/p>\n

\"AnA dramatic gesture of respect and camaraderie between two longtime Yankees teammates.NYC Today<\/p>\n

During the New York Yankees’ home opener on Friday, star outfielder Aaron Judge took a moment to honor his former teammate Brett Gardner by flexing and kneeling towards the Bleacher Creatures section during the first-inning Roll Call tradition.<\/p>\n

Why it matters<\/p>\n

The gesture was a touching tribute from one Yankees legend to another, as Gardner had been a fixture in the Bronx for 14 seasons before retiring after the 2025 campaign. The two players were teammates for several years and developed a close friendship, making Judge’s public acknowledgment of Gardner all the more meaningful for fans.<\/p>\n

The details<\/p>\n

As the Bleacher Creatures went through their customary roll call of Yankees players, chanting out each name, Judge turned to the section, bent a knee, and flexed both arms in a show of respect and appreciation for Gardner. The two outfielders played side-by-side in the Yankees’ outfield for many years, forming a strong bond both on and off the field.<\/p>\n

The home opener took place on Friday, April 3, 2026.<\/p>\n

The players<\/p>\n

Aaron Judge<\/p>\n

A star outfielder for the New York Yankees who has played for the team since 2017.<\/p>\n

Brett Gardner<\/p>\n

A longtime Yankees outfielder who played for the team from 2008 to 2025 before retiring.<\/p>\n

Got photos? Submit your photos here. \u203a<\/a>
\n What they\u2019re saying<\/p>\n

\u201cAaron and I have been through a lot together over the years. I’m honored he took the time to recognize me like that in front of the fans.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Brett Gardner, Former Yankees Outfielder<\/p>\n

The takeaway<\/p>\n

Judge’s gesture towards his former teammate Gardner was a heartwarming display of camaraderie and respect between two longtime Yankees, showcasing the strong bonds that can form between players over the course of a career.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Got story updates? Submit your updates here. \u203a A dramatic gesture of respect and camaraderie between two longtime…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":185120,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[9,56,63,65,64],"class_list":{"0":"post-185119","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york-city","8":"tag-new-york","9":"tag-ny","10":"tag-nyc","11":"tag-nyc-headlines","12":"tag-nyc-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185119","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=185119"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185119\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/185120"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=185119"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=185119"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=185119"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}