Yankees’ Aaron Judge Honors Olympic Captain Before WBC Final

New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge borrowed from the wardrobe of another Team USA captain before competing for the World Baseball Classic championship.

Mar 10, 2026; Houston, TX, United States; United States right fielder Aaron Judge (99) walks back to the dugout after striking out against Italy to end the ninth inning at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Team USA is on their way to another World Baseball Classic final and New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge is at the heart of the action. Judge, who also was selected as captain for the Americans, and his teammates got some special threads from their countrymen ahead of their final game against Venezuela.

Team USA ice hockey had their 2026 Milano-Cortina Olympics gold medal game-worn jerseys sent to the WBC participants as a way to inspire and excite the ballplayers. The Olympic gold was the US men's team's first since the Miracle on Ice in 1980. The Americans swept Olympic hockey in Milan, taking home gold for the men, women and Paralympic teams.

Of course, Judge wouldn't wear any ordinary player's jersey. In a video shared by Spanish language journalist Luis Gilbert on social media, Judge is sporting the jersey of Team USA hockey captain Auston Matthews, who plays for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the NHL. Matthews' captaincy is marked by a "C" on the left chest of the jersey.

Llegada de Estados Unidos a Loan Depot Park
Aaron Judge al frente ⚾️🇺🇸🏆 pic.twitter.com/E8YsZC63x4

— Luis Gilbert (@LuisGilbertLop) March 17, 2026

The jerseys got to the WBC through a partnership between New Jersey Devils forward Jack Hughes, who scored the overtime winning goal to secure Team USA the gold medal against Canada, and Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong. Insider Jeff Passan shared on social media that the two first became connected via Fanatics, who have a partnership with both players.

Team USA will wear game-worn U.S. Olympic hockey sweaters to LoanDepot Park today for the WBC final against Venezuela. Center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong and Olympic gold medalist Jack Hughes are partners with Fanatics, which delivered the jerseys for every member of Team USA. pic.twitter.com/ciCgJUaezk

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 17, 2026

According to NHL.com, Hughes also sent the Team USA baseball team a video message to fire them up for their own matchup against Canada last week.

“Jack Hughes sent the boys a nice little fire up message that I put out on their group chat,” manager Mark DeRosa ahead of the team’s quarterfinal matchup against Team Canada. “Firmly aware of the gold medal run there.”

Aaron Judge Hopes to Lead Team USA to Victory

2026 is the first time Judge has played in a WBC. In 2023, he turned down the opportunity to do so, citing his newly-signed Yankees contract. Now, he has an opportunity to secure glory for his country, which fell to Team Japan in the 2023 tournament.

While Judge has plenty of playoff experience with the Yankees, he has to activate some of his best play against Venezuela. For a player with a sordid repuatation in high-pressure situations, it's a chance to prove that he can build off his performance in the 2025 postseason, his best ever.

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