When a Yankees legend convinced Aaron Judge to keep the iconic #99 as his jersey number
In a 2021 podcast with CC Sabathia and Ryan Ruocco, Aaron Judge spoke about some advice Sabathia once gave him.
Sabathia recalled a previous conversation with Judge when they were both with the New York Yankees. Judge and Sabathia were part of the same team from 2016 to 2019.
It was during a spring training session that Judge went to Sabathia for some advice. The younger player was confused as to whether he should still keep the number 99. CC Sabathia said this to Aaron Judge:
"I remember having a conversation with you about spring training and you were not going to keep #99. You were like, 'should I keep that number?'
CC Sabathia recalled how this phenomenon of every team having a #99 didn't happen before Judge. He said that Judge was responsible for inspiring many young players:
"And I was like, 'F**k Yeah! you keep #99 because nobody is like you bro. You are a creative player. Now every little league team that I see has a number 99."
The timestamp is 1:13:54
Sabathia's advice was helpful for the Yankees captain, as even now he wears the #99 jersey proudly.
When Aaron Judge was advised by CC Sabathia on how to interact with fans
During the R2C2 podcast, Aaron Judge was asked by Ryan Ruocco if there was a fan interaction or moment that had stuck with him (timestamp is 1:06:27). Judge answered:
"For me it's the kids. When the kids come up and say 'I am your biggest fan in baseball and you are my favorite. I into the little league because of you.'"
He went on to say that this hits home for him, as he sees himself in those kids.
Aaron Judge recalled how he used to idolize Barry Bonds and used to copy his stances to become just like him. However, Judge also stated that he didn't know how to handle such interactions with fans. He went to CC Sabathia for advice on how to interact with his young fans.
Sabathia had this advice to give to Aaron Judge:
"Just be you. You don't need to be anybody different but you. Just say hello, say whatsup. Take a picture and just be who you are and that takes care of everything else."
Aaron Judge taking reps at first base 👀
(via @snyyankees)
https://t.co/hvUbw8msaN
Needless to say, this advice from Sabathia has stuck with Judge ever since, and even today he remains the same.