Yankees' Aaron Boone Had Such a Meaningful Line About Aaron Judge's Influence on Team

Judge had a big night on Tuesday, and it injected energy into those around him, too.
Judge was instrumental in the Yanks' comeback Game 3 win over the Blue Jays on Tuesday night.
Judge was instrumental in the Yanks' comeback Game 3 win over the Blue Jays on Tuesday night. / David Dermer-Imagn Images
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The Yankees will live to play another playoff game thanks to some clutch and perfectly-timed heroics from none other than slugger Aaron Judge, who turned the tides of Tuesday night's elimination contest with a three-run homer that tied things up.

From that point on, the pinstripes came alive to not only take the lead but hold it all the way to the end of the night, finishing with a 9-6 victory sponsored by the momentum Judge injected into his dugout.

Speaking after the fact, manager Aaron Boone shared a meaningful explanation as to why he believes Judge can pull this type of performance out of the team.

"Who he is day in and day out, how he treats you. How he leads this group. He's the real deal," Boone said, asked what makes Aaron's energy so "contagious."

"As beloved a player as I've ever been around by his teammates. They all admire him, look up to him, respect him, want his approval. And that's just a credit to who Aaron is and how he goes about things."

Skill-wise, the competitive advantage of having a player like Judge on your team is hard to overstate. But, to Boone's point, it's obvious that his leadership and energy come in clutch, as well. Heck, even the Yankee Stadium ghosts are fans.

No. 99 might be infamous for his struggles to perform in the postseason, but he put those concerns on hold with Tuesday's win. Now, as New York looks to hold on come Wednesday night, we'll see if both his influence and play can do it again.


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Brigid Kennedy
BRIGID KENNEDY

Brigid Kennedy is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, she covered political news, sporting news and culture at TheWeek.com before moving to Livingetc, an interior design magazine. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, dual majoring in television, radio and film (from the Newhouse School of Public Communications) and marketing managment (from the Whitman School of Management). Offline, she enjoys going to the movies, reading and watching the Steelers.