In Photos: Aaron Judge shares a heartwarming moment with Bhutan baseball players at Yankee Stadium
On Wednesday, Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees hosted the Bhutan Baseball & Softball Association (BBSA) from Bhutan, situated in southeast Asia, near India. Earlier in the season, a photo of baseball players playing near the statue of the Buddha in Bhutan went viral on social media. Though it was not on a proper baseball field on which they were playing, their enthusiasm for sport spoke a million words.
Fans from Bhutan were at Yankee Stadium for afternoon activities and also attended the game between the New York Yankees and the Cleveland Guardians. Captain Judge spent time connecting with those players and gifted them a signed jersey and signed baseballs.
“The Yankees are excited to welcome the Bhutan Baseball & Softball Association to Yankee Stadium, and we look forward to providing them an unforgettable experience,” said Yankees Senior Vice President and General Manager Brian Cashman.
“Their joy of the game reminds me of how I felt about baseball when it was first introduced to me, and it also speaks to how many parts of the world still have room for our game to take root.”
BBSA delegates and their 12 players took a tour of the stadium. Prior to this setting, MLB also hosted them at their offices in Manhattan.
Yankees' High-A affiliate Hudson Valley Renegades to help BBSA grow through donation and other mediums
The Bhutan Baseball & Softball Association's visit to Yankee Stadium is part of a six-day trip to New York City and Dutchess County organized by the Renegades.
The origins of this trip first started when Hudson Valley General Manager Zach Betkowski got to know about BBSA's initiative in Bhutan for baseball. He got in touch with BBSA’s co-founders, Matthew DeSantis of Wilton, Conn., and Karma Dorji of Bhutan, to learn more about them.
Eventually, talks regarding donations were made. Moreover, they also made arrangements for their trip to America. BBSA and their players arrived on Monday and took part in a baseball clinic with Renegades coaches and players at Hudson Valley’s Heritage Financial Park.
In their honor, Renegades players wore special Bhutan-themed jerseys featuring the Druk, or “Thunder Dragon,” in their game against Wilmington on Tuesday. This will be auctioned off and the proceeds will go to BBSA, which will use it to help baseball grow in Bhutan.