"It's tough to put it in words" - When Aaron Judge found strength in wife Samantha’s hand as he processed his first AL MVP win
New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge won his second American League MVP title last week after a stellar 2024 regular season. It was a unanimous win, unlike his first title in 2022.
Judge's 2022 MLB season saw the powerful hitter smash the AL record for home runs in a season as he tallied 62 homers to break Roger Maris' record of 61.
The Yankees slugger's historic season saw him beat another superstar, Shohei Ohtani, to win his first MVP title. Judge was seemingly overwhelmed with emotions during the MVP announcement and was comforted by his wife Samantha's hand during his acceptance speech with his parents present by his side.
Judge said (0:37):
"Its tough to put it in words. It's an incredible moment..lot of hard work throughout the year to get to this point."
Samantha held onto the Yankees slugger's arm as Judge said how nervous he was in the lead up to the announcement as he finished fourth a year before when Shohei Ohtani won the award.
He continued (2:30):
"I was extremely nervous. You're going up against Jordan Alvarez, one of the premier hitters in this game and then you know, Shohei Ohtani, who is by far one of the best players on this planet man. You never want to assume anything, but, I was pretty pretty nervous going into this man because both those guys had incredible years and it's been fun competing with them."
Aaron Judge elected for free agency in 2023 and signed a franchise record nine-year, $360 million to remain with the Bronx Bombers. He was also named the Yankees captain after his contract.
Aaron Judge's wife Samantha celebrates second MVP title with Yankees captain
Aaron Judge led the Yankees to their first World Series bout since 2009 this year. Although the Bronx Bombers fell short to Shohei Ohtani's Los Angeles Dodgers, the Yankees captain was named the AL MVP, racking up all 30 first-place votes to beat Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and former teammate Juan Soto, who was part of the 2024 roster.
Judge's wife Samantha was by his side as he was named the unanimous MVP after his MLB leading 58 home run season. He became the first Yankee to win the award unanimously since Micky Mantle in 1956.
Meanwhile Shohei Ohtani won the MVP award for the National League, also claiming it unanimously after a historic 50-50 season with a World Series ring to boot in 2024.