Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge can rake. Entering Saturday’s action against the Red Sox, the MLBBro leads the Major Leagues in WAR at 5.6, according to Baseball Reference, and has a slash line of .392/.488/.776 with 26 home runs and 59 RBIs.
But being at the top of his game isn’t the most important thing in his life. Judge became a first-time father when his daughter, Nora, was born January 27th of this year. He said the experience of being a girl dad has been incredible.
“My most important and biggest job is being [Nora’s] father, supporting her, loving her, making sure she is safe and taken care of,” Judge told MLBbro.com. “I’m going out here trying to hit a 95 mile-an-hour fastball with 45,000 screaming at you. That’s easy. So, I can handle that. I do the tough job in the morning and then I come out [to the park], have some fun and play a game.”
Growing up in Northern California, Judge saw first hand how a father should act by watching his own father, Wayne, a long-time school teacher. It didn’t matter how busy Wayne was, he always found the time to participate in baseball activities with Aaron.
“You are dealing with kids all day and you go home to another kid wanting to play. It was amazing spending that time with him,” Aaron said about his father. “I would come home from school. I wanted to go outside and play catch, hit wiffle balls in the front yard, shoot hoops.
“My dad is coming home after working from 6am to 5pm. He just wants to relax. I would ask, ‘Hey, dad, you want to play catch?’ He would never say, ‘Maybe tomorrow.’ He would get right up and say, ‘Get your glove. I’ll meet you out back.’ The biggest lesson I take away is the quality time.”
When he is not hitting rockets out of the park at Yankee Stadium, Aaron spends a lot of quality time with Nora. It doesn’t matter if the Yankees won or lost a game; when Judge enters his home, there is Nora greeting him with a smile. Nora doesn’t communicate yet; It’s all gibberish. “I feel like we can communicate with those little smiles and gestures,” Judge said. “It makes everything look better.”
Aaron is more than a parent; He is a dog dad to Dachshunds named Gus and Penny. They love Nora. As his wife, Samatha, was getting close to giving birth, Aaron started seeing changes in the dogs. He sensed the dogs knew a new member of the family was coming to the house. When Nora entered the home, the dogs sniffed her and their tails were wagging like crazy. It was as if they were celebrating her arrival and saying, “Hey, we have another member of the family coming.”
“I don’t know if they could hear it or just sense that my wife was pregnant or knew what was going on,” Judge said. “The love they have for my daughter, Nora, is pretty cool to see. There are animals who can’t communicate, but they just know they have to protect this [baby], spread love to her and be gentle on her… You don’t know how dogs are going to act and what they are going to do. They showed love right away.”
When Nora stops speaking gibberish and talks clearly, what’s the first thing Aaron will say to his first born? Dad doesn’t hesitate with the answer.
“I’ve been telling her, I love you. That’s one thing I say to her. A couple of times my wife asked, ‘Did she say it back?’ I can’t wait for the adventure to start.”
