TAMPA, Fla. — Over the past few weeks, Aaron Judge said his family and friends have asked him about the perceived lack of joy Team USA displayed in the World Baseball Classic, particularly compared with teams such as Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, Italy and Mexico. It’s an outside opinion that Judge feels he can’t change, no matter what he says.
“Everybody’s different. Every culture is different,” Judge said Friday. “I loved everything that Mexico was doing, what Great Britain was doing, the D.R., with how they celebrate the game and how their fans celebrate the game. That was amazing.
“If they’re going to say we don’t have the passion — my passion is grinding in this cage when nobody’s watching, grinding as a 6-year-old in the backyard with my dad. That’s where our passion came from as kids. If I don’t show it really like that, it doesn’t mean I don’t love the game. I can’t really talk on somebody else’s opinion about it. Everybody in that clubhouse, every single one of those guys, that’s probably the most fun they’ve ever had playing the game the past two or three weeks, myself included.
“We had a lot of fun. We had some passion. You saw some emotion from guys you usually don’t see showing emotion. We had a blast.”
Judge said “any chance he gets,” he’ll wear Team USA’s uniform again. The next opportunity for him to represent the country will come at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. MLB has not finalized whether players will be allowed to participate, but there is optimism that a full slate of MLB players could attend for the first time.
He said he also wants to participate in the next WBC. There has been some thought the next WBC could happen during the middle of a season instead of before the regular season, which Judge supports.
“My thoughts are, if we’re able to knock it out during the season, I think that’d be great because there’s so many restrictions, even with us,” Judge said. “There are certain guys that couldn’t pitch because of this or had to pitch on these days. If you get into it where everyone’s built up, there’s no restrictions, you get to go out there and just play, I think it’ll just be better for the game.”
Judge wishes the energy from the WBC crowds could continue during the season. He said the crowd before Team USA’s game against Mexico during pool play was one of the rowdiest environments he’s played in. On the other end, Judge said the energy displayed by some players during the games would be hard to replicate across a full season.
“I think it’s just tough to do for 162 games,” Judge said. “It’s just a lot of energy. I love how the game is, but I definitely would love more energy and more flair. I think it’s great for the fans. It’s great for the game. It’s great for all the young kids watching the game that love seeing their favorite players. It was cool for that, but I don’t know.”
Now, Judge’s focus has shifted to trying to lead the Yankees to their first World Series title since 2009. The Yankees will open their season Wednesday against the San Francisco Giants. Judge said he’s encouraged by the amount of pitching depth the Yankees have, calling it the most the club has had in “quite a long time.”
“You add those pitchers, you add (Cody) Bellinger back, I think it’s only going to equal a better season for us,” Judge said. “I think it comes down to detail. That’s one thing we’ve talked about a lot, is just fine-tuning the details, figuring out the team and how we can be better. We’ve had stretches the past couple of years in July (and) August, where we’re puttering. You guys are asking some tough questions about what’s going on. I think if we can figure that out, we’re gonna be in a great spot.”