Fresno State Athletics
Aaron Judge makes historic MLB debut with Yankees
8/13/2016 5:41:00 PM | Baseball
NEW YORK - Former Fresno State outfielder Aaron Judge made his major league baseball debut on Saturday with the New York Yankees in historic fashion.
After being called up to the big league club Friday night along with Triple-A teammate Tyler Austin, the pair was inserted into the lineup for Saturday afternoon's game against Tampa Bay where they became the first set of teammates to hit home runs in the first at-bat of their major league debuts in the same game.
After hitting 19 home runs in 93 games with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Rail Raiders this season and 60 throughout his time in the minors, Judge sent a second inning ball to center field that traveled 457 feet for the second-longest home run by a Yankee at home since 2009. Batting eighth and playing right field, the former 'Dog added a single to left field to leadoff the fifth inning and came into score on a three-run home run by New York's Aaron Hicks as the Yankees defeated the Rays 8-4.
"It is an incredible experience," said Judge on his historic professional debut. "I got a good pitch to hit and put the barrel on the ball. It is such a blessing and honor to be here
and am looking forward to the future."
A first-round selection by the Yankees in the 2013 draft after being a All-American and three-time first-team all-conference selection at Fresno State, Judge has quickly ascended through the Yankees minor league system spending time at five different levels over the past three seasons. After debuting with the Single-A Charleston RiverDogs, Judge also played for the Tampa Yankees (Advanced-A) and Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League in 2014 before beginning 2015 with the Trenton Thunder (Double-A).
The Linden, Calif., native appeared in 63 games with the Thunder before being promoted to the Rail Raiders on June 22, 2015. After appearing in the Futures Game at the MLB All-Star Game in Cincinnati in July, Judge finished out the season in Scranton playing in 61 games before hitting .270 with 19 home runs, 18 doubles, 65 RBI and 62 runs scored in 93 games this season.
"Judgey is such a tremendous person with that big giant smile of his and is a tremendous athlete" said Bulldog head coach Mike Batesole who coached Judge during his time as a 'Dog from 2011-13. "There was never any doubt that he would get to the major leagues and now it is his time. Yankee Stadium is built for him and his style of play and I have a feeling that he is going to have a tremendous amount of success for many years to come. The Fresno State baseball program is very proud of him!"
"Just the Ticket to Build our Community" -- The Bulldog Scholarship Fund gives Bulldog alumni, fans and friends the opportunity to support Fresno State Athletics and the student-athletes who inspire them. For information about how you can support the Bulldog Scholarship Fund, please visit www.bulldogscholarshipfund.com or call 559-278-7160.
After being called up to the big league club Friday night along with Triple-A teammate Tyler Austin, the pair was inserted into the lineup for Saturday afternoon's game against Tampa Bay where they became the first set of teammates to hit home runs in the first at-bat of their major league debuts in the same game.
After hitting 19 home runs in 93 games with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Rail Raiders this season and 60 throughout his time in the minors, Judge sent a second inning ball to center field that traveled 457 feet for the second-longest home run by a Yankee at home since 2009. Batting eighth and playing right field, the former 'Dog added a single to left field to leadoff the fifth inning and came into score on a three-run home run by New York's Aaron Hicks as the Yankees defeated the Rays 8-4.
"It is an incredible experience," said Judge on his historic professional debut. "I got a good pitch to hit and put the barrel on the ball. It is such a blessing and honor to be here
and am looking forward to the future."
A first-round selection by the Yankees in the 2013 draft after being a All-American and three-time first-team all-conference selection at Fresno State, Judge has quickly ascended through the Yankees minor league system spending time at five different levels over the past three seasons. After debuting with the Single-A Charleston RiverDogs, Judge also played for the Tampa Yankees (Advanced-A) and Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League in 2014 before beginning 2015 with the Trenton Thunder (Double-A).
The Linden, Calif., native appeared in 63 games with the Thunder before being promoted to the Rail Raiders on June 22, 2015. After appearing in the Futures Game at the MLB All-Star Game in Cincinnati in July, Judge finished out the season in Scranton playing in 61 games before hitting .270 with 19 home runs, 18 doubles, 65 RBI and 62 runs scored in 93 games this season.
"Judgey is such a tremendous person with that big giant smile of his and is a tremendous athlete" said Bulldog head coach Mike Batesole who coached Judge during his time as a 'Dog from 2011-13. "There was never any doubt that he would get to the major leagues and now it is his time. Yankee Stadium is built for him and his style of play and I have a feeling that he is going to have a tremendous amount of success for many years to come. The Fresno State baseball program is very proud of him!"
"Just the Ticket to Build our Community" -- The Bulldog Scholarship Fund gives Bulldog alumni, fans and friends the opportunity to support Fresno State Athletics and the student-athletes who inspire them. For information about how you can support the Bulldog Scholarship Fund, please visit www.bulldogscholarshipfund.com or call 559-278-7160.
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