Video summary
For Aaron Judge, wearing an NYPD hat during the game against the Mets on September 11th held profound personal significance, serving as a powerful reminder of the heroes who make the ultimate sacrifice for their families and communities. He recalled being a young child when his parents explained the events of that day, emphasizing how his mother focused on the bravery of first responders rather than just the tragedy, teaching him to honor those who stand up to do the right thing. This experience shaped his perspective, making the opportunity to represent the police department and other first responders feel like a mental weight he was honored to carry, acknowledging the daily struggles and dangers these individuals face.
The emotional atmosphere in the ballpark was palpable from the very first pitch, highlighted by a touching story of a young couple who both lost parents in the 9/11 attacks and had built a relationship with the Yankees organization through their shared grief and connection to Derek Jeter. Despite the rivalry between the two New York teams, Judge observed that the crowd felt deeply united throughout the game, creating a sense of community that transcended the competition. He also expressed admiration for Fred and Shawn, the parents of the couple, noting that meeting them allowed him to witness their incredible strength and resilience, an experience he found amazing given the unimaginable hardships they endured.
Judge reflected on how such a day puts everything into perspective, shifting the focus from baseball itself to the broader themes of national and civic unity. He described the special moment when players from both teams lined up together to honor the victims, noting that neither side was told beforehand, which made the spontaneous display of solidarity even more meaningful. His visit earlier in the week to a firehouse and Ground Zero further deepened his appreciation for the sacrifices made by firefighters, reinforcing the lesson that one should never take their safety or daily life for granted given the unpredictable nature of tragedy.
While Judge acknowledged the value of bringing families together and uniting fans through an annual Subway Series game on this date, he remained uncertain about making it a permanent tradition every year. Instead, he praised his team's recent performance, specifically highlighting pitcher Clay McClain as one of the best young talents in the league with amazing stuff. He noted that while the Mets' offense started to pick up toward the end of the game, his team managed to hold them off by keeping their play clean and focused on their mission, demonstrating that even amidst emotional weight, they remained committed to playing high-quality baseball.
Read the full video transcript
Aaron, just what does it mean to you to
be able to wear that NYPD hat and
represent for the city tonight?
>> Uh it was
just uh
it means a lot. I
you know, go back. I just think about to
that day I was a young kid and um
you know, I kind of like waking up and
my parents kind of telling me what was
going on about
kind of the uh the acts of terrorism
that happened and you know, kind of
I just remember my mom being like, you
know, there's some bad men that did some
bad things, but you know, there's
a lot of heroes out there right now that
are, you know, standing up and doing the
right thing. So, I just remember her
always,
you know, hitting about the heroes and
the ones that you know, they get a
chance to come home and um see their
families and get a chance to be a part
of that. So, getting a chance to
represent, you know, NYPD, the fire
department, everybody that kind of
you know, gave the ultimate sacrifice.
It was a mental lot tonight.
>> Did you feel the the emotion in the
ballpark tonight?
>> Yeah, even, you know, back to, you know,
the first first pitch of the game, um
you know,
a young couple that, you know, they both
lost parents in
in 9/11 and, you know,
they end up meeting, getting together
and, you know, they built a relationship
with the Yankees, Jeter, stuff like
that. You could feel it there from the
first first pitch and then, you know,
throughout the whole game, you know,
it's I know we were both
New York teams playing against each
other, but
uh the crowd definitely felt felt
united.
>> Did you get to meet Fred and Shawn and
talk to them at all?
>> Yeah, a little bit. I wore all Shawn's
for wearing a Mets jersey, but uh it was
uh it was great meeting them, getting a
chance to talk with them a little bit.
Um
it's just I I I couldn't imagine what
they went through and, you know, just to
see
see the strength they're showing and
um
it was just amazing.
>> Does a day like that kind of put things
into perspective?
>> Yeah, you kind of forget about you
forget about baseball. It's it's more
than baseball. It's about uniting as a
country, uniting as a city and
um
you know, I thought it was pretty
special that
for you know, God Bless America, you
know, you saw all of us went out there
on the line. The Mets all hopped the
fence. They went out there on the line.
That was kind of all
you know, we didn't tell any of the guys
over there. So, it was special to see us
both
both out there just united.
>> What was the visit like earlier this
week to the firehouse and down at ground
zero?
>> Incredible to see what they go through
on a daily basis and then they kind of
talked us through what, you know,
the Yorkville nine went through on that
day and just
I couldn't imagine. You know, it's just
caps off to those guys for what they do
what they're the sacrifices they they
make sacrifice they make for their
family and you know, you never know, you
know, when you wake up what's what's
going to happen. So, it's just never
take it for granted.
>> Do you think the Subway Series should be
played every year on 9/11 this weekend?
>> That's a great question. You know, I'm
I'm not too sure. You know, getting the
chance to be here in New York and have
both New York teams playing playing
here.
I think it means a lot to the fans that
bring all the families out bring
everybody together, but I'm not too
sure.
>> You guys managed to hold off the Mets
for a win tonight. So, overall what do
you think of the way this team has been
playing lately?
>> Incredible to get to a a pitcher like
McClain, man. He's one of the best young
pitchers in the game. He's got some
amazing stuff. So, for us to put a
couple crooked numbers on them and
kind of hold off their offense. They
started getting going there at the end.
Just got to keep it rolling. You know,
we're we're on a mission. We got we know
what's ahead of us and
got to got to keep playing clean
baseball.