Aaron Judge on growing up as a biracial kid in Linden: "Just because I didn’t look like my parents... no one treated me any different"
New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge opened up about his experience growing up in Linden as a biracial kid during a recent interview with Time magazine.
Aaron was adopted by Patty Judge and her husband, Wayne Judge, not long after his birth. Thus, he was an exception owing to his multiracial background and growing up with white adoptive parents. However, according to Judge, he has always felt accepted among his peers and neighborhood.
“Just because I didn’t look like my parents and was a little taller than everyone else and maybe had a little more freckles, no one treated me any different,” Judge said in the interview with Time's Sean Gregory.
Aaron's parents kept his adoption a secret from him. But when Aaron was 10, he started to realize that he didn't resemble his parents and neither did his brother. Aaron's curiosity prompted him to ask his parents, and that's when he learned that he was adopted.
"I was about 10 or 11, and we really didn't look alike, so I started asking questions," Judge said, "and they told me I was adopted and answered all my questions. And that was that."
Aaron Judge (@TheJudge44)—who set a new American League home-run record earlier this year—is TIME’s 2022 Athlete of the Year: ti.me/3W1eFLS https://t.co/nypAhwQ4hW
"Aaron Judge (@TheJudge44)—who set a new American League home-run record earlier this year—is TIME’s 2022 Athlete of the Year." - TIME
Aaron had a once-in-a-lifetime season in 2022. To honor his stellar performance, Time magazine recently named him its "Athlete of the Year."
Aaron Judge gave Patty Judge, his adopted mother, all the credit for his MLB success.
Aaron Judge dedicated his MLB success to his adopted mother, Patty Judge. In an interview with MLB.com, he said:
"I know I wouldn't be a New York Yankee if it wasn't for my mom. The guidance she gave me as a kid growing up, knowing the difference from right and wrong, how to treat people and how to go the extra mile and put in extra work, all that kind of stuff. She's molded me into the person that I am today."
Nevertheless, Aaron did not always value his parents' methods of raising him.
"I wanted to go outside and play with my friends or play some video games, but they were tough on me. They'd say, 'Hey, you've got homework to do. You've got to finish your math homework and science homework.
"Then, if you have time left over before dinner, you can go play.' Something like that. I didn't like it as a kid, but looking back on it, I really appreciate what they did for me."
Judge's parents have frequently been at games during his MLB career. And it is heartwarming to witness the family bond everytime the Judge family roots for the Yankees superstar.