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The 2026 MLB season begins Wednesday night with the New York Yankees against the San Francisco Giants, and Yankees captain Aaron Judge will begin his journey toward a potential third consecutive American League MVP award.
Judge is arguably the best hitter in the game today, but despite all the accolades he’s racked up all these years in pinstripes, a World Series title still eludes him.
For a Yankees player, that’s the only measure of success. After all, the man who held the coveted Yankees captaincy before him, Baseball Hall of Fame shortstop Derek Jeter, made sure to preach that constantly throughout the team’s dynasty.
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Team USA’s Aaron Judge during a 2026 World Baseball Classic game against the Dominican Republic at LoanDepot Park on March 15, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Daniel Shirey/WBCI/MLB Photos)
Judge sat down with a fellow high-profile All-Star, Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant, for a boardroom “cover” interview, in which Durant asked him about the pressure of playing in New York and how much the former wants to be a champion.
“That’s something I’ve wanted to do since I got drafted,” Judge responded. “I wanted to bring a championship back to New York, and I wanted to leave the organization and that franchise better than when I came in there. I just want to leave my mark there, and I hope that when these next guys get over it, that’s the only thing, man. You walk into Yankee Stadium, these photos are [Derek] Jeter, it’s [Jorge] Posada, Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle.
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“They’re all these legends. So, it’s like, ‘Man, I want my picture up there. I want my teammates’ pictures up there. I want to be a part of that.'”
Judge and his teammates nearly broke the Yankees’ World Series drought during the 2024 campaign, but lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games. It was the first time the franchise returned to the Fall Classic since winning the title over the Philadelphia Phillies in 2009.
In 2025, when Judge defended his AL MVP title, the Yankees fell short in the ALDS to AL East foe the Toronto Blue Jays, who won the AL pennant. They also lost to the Dodgers, although it was an exciting seven-game series unlike Los Angeles’ dominance against Judge’s team the year before.
Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees arrives before a game against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on Wednesday, March 25, 2026 in San Francisco. (Bryan Kennedy/MLB Photos)
Judge understands the weight of the pressure. He’s felt it since his time in the minor leagues, but also recently with Team USA during the World Baseball Classic, where he also served as team captain. But the pressure is something that is appreciated, especially if you are having a bad game.
Boos rain down in the Bronx regardless of a player’s stature in the league and whether they wear pinstripes or not.
“There was never any pressure, nor did I have to raise my standard. My standard is already there,” Judge told Durant. “If you guys are booing me or harassing me, I’m booing myself right now. If I sit there and think about the pressure and what I haven’t done yet, it’s going to take me off the path of what I want to accomplish.”
Judge’s focus remains on one thing, and one thing only: winning a World Series. The awards and accolades that come with that are welcome, but at this point, they’re not as satisfying as you hope this new season ends up being.
Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees arrives at a spring training game against the Chicago Cubs at Sloan Park on March 23, 2026, in Mesa, Arizona. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
“It’s almost eerie. At Yankee Stadium, they don’t have ‘American League champions,’ they don’t have ‘All-Stars.’ They have ‘World Series champions.’
The Yankees and Giants play at 8:05 p.m. ET to begin the 2026 MLB season on Netflix.
