VERDICT IS IN
Judge top AL vote-getter as 5 Yanks head to Classic
HOUSTON — Judge-ment Day is coming to the MLB All-Star Game in Miami, and it is going to be “surreal.”
Yankees rookie slugger Aaron Judge was the highest vote-getter in the American League, collecting a stunning 4,488,702 votes, it was announced Sunday after the Yankees’ 8-1 loss to the Astros at Minute Maid Park. Four other Yankees were named to the AL squad — Dellin Betances, Luis Severino, Gary Sanchez and Starlin Castro. In addition, Didi Gregorius is in the Final Vote runoff.
Judge was the leading vote-getter in all of baseball via the Player Ballot, so he not only won the hearts and minds of the fans with his MLB-best 27 home runs and .327 average, he won over his peers as well, simply an amazing accomplishment for someone who had to win the right fielder’s job late in spring training.
Only two Yankees rookies previously have started in the All-Star Game: Hideki Matsui in 2003 and Joltin’ Joe DiMaggio back in 1936. And with all those comparisons to Derek Jeter, Judge becomes the first Yankee to lead the AL in All-Star voting since Jeter in 2009.
Judge was overwhelmed by it all, saying: “It’s pretty incredible, but any time you get an award like this, I always feel like it’s a team award because I wouldn’t be in this position if it wasn’t for my teammates. … The per- fect word for it is surreal.
“My parents are going to be excited. I am going to have to call them and book a flight to Miami,” Judge said. “The [fan support] is incredible. I get the chance to play in front of the best fans every night at Yankee Stadium. The best of the best are going to be there in Miami. It’s going to be cool to be around them.”
Judge still has not made a final decision on the Home Run Derby, but he appears to be leaning toward participating. Sanchez also was invited to the derby.
“That would be cool if me and Gary are both in it,” Judge said. “I’ll let you guys know if I am doing it in the next couple of days. The last derby I was in was in college in 2012. I had a blast.”
All the Yankees who were selected were extremely excited, including fellow Baby Bomber Sanchez. When Sanchez was called into Joe Giardi’s office before the game, he double-checked the pregame lineup to make sure he was in it and that he was not in any sort of trouble with his manager.
“I had no idea,” Sanchez said. “Joe called me in to give me the good news. It was exciting.”
Betances has made the All-Star team all four years as a Yankee and offered advice to Judge about the experience.
“I feel like the older guy in the group,” he said. “I already talked to Judge on what to expect, all the autographs he will have to sign, that fiasco there. I’m sure he’ll enjoy everything, it’s going to be a lot for him, but he’ll enjoy it.”