Ex-Yankees teammate tells Aaron Judge story revealing captain's generosity

Most know Aaron Judge as the superhuman New York Yankees outfielder; the captain, the two-time Most Valuable Player.

However, it's just as important to the Yankees that Judge is a good teammate. And one former Yankee recently revealed just how generous the captain can be.

Left-handed pitcher J.P. Sears made the Yankees' Opening Day roster in 2022, and was traded to the then-Oakland Athletics later that season for right-handed pitcher Frankie Montas. Now, Sears has become a fixture of the Athletics' rotation and will face the Yankees on Saturday.

Reflecting on his time with his former team, Sears told a story of Judge making a grand gesture to him and his family just before his first major league Opening Day.

“Two days after I found out I made a team in ’22, we were flying from Tampa to New York to get ready for Opening Day and (Judge) texted me that night," Sears said, per Randy Miller of NJ Advance Media.

"He was like, ‘Hey, if you’re not busy, I got a reservation for you and your family at Don Angie’s if you want to go.’

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"He just set up everything for me. I didn’t have to really plan anything and just showed up... He ended up showing up at the end of the meal and paid for it all and introduced himself to my family."

Judge, 33, is well on the way to his third MVP award this year, though at the time of Sears' story, he still hadn't yet won his first one, nor had he been named captain. But it goes to show that Judge's larger-than-life persona comes naturally.

He's a natural-born leader, and one the Yankees are happy to have on their side in the pursuit of a World Series, even if they haven't yet raised the trophy during his tenure.

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