NEW YORK -- Saturday evening at Yankee Stadium, the New York Yankees will play what is essentially a must-win game against the Houston Astros. The Astros won Games 1 and 2 of the ALCS in Houston, and another win in Game 3 would give them an almost insurmountable 3-0 series lead. Here's how you can watch Game 3 on Saturday.
Regardless of their finish this postseason, the Yankees are facing a monumentally important offseason because franchise player Aaron Judge will be a free agent. Judge rejected a $213.5 million extension in spring training and he only made himself more money during his 62-homer regular season. He's in position to land a contract north of $300 million.
Judge is revered within the Yankees' clubhouse, and prior to Game 3 on Saturday, All-Star lefty Nestor Cortes said he and many other Yankees players would welcome Judge being named team captain next season. Here's what Cortes said when asked what Judge means to the Yankees:
"He's meant everything. I think I'm able to say that if he's back here next year, he's our captain, he's the next captain. We follow everything he does. He leads by example. He's not really a guy that comes out and screams at anybody. But if he has to, that's his job. I think he's earned that right to keep us in check. What allows him to be so great, I feel like, is he's a great baseball player, but he's a better human. He treats everybody the same. He follows up on everybody every day. That's what allows him to be who he is."
The Yankees have not had a captain since Derek Jeter retired in 2014, and it should be noted Jeter was not named captain until 2003, after winning four World Series titles and playing seven full MLB seasons. The Yankees are still looking for their title with Judge, though a World Series championship is not a prerequisite for being named captain -- Don Mattingly was named captain in 1991, before he ever played a postseason game.
MLB teams do not name annually captains the way NHL or NFL teams do, and MLB captains are pretty rare. Baseball's last official captain was New York Mets icon David Wright, who last played in 2018. Teams often have an unofficial captain -- think Yadier Molina with the St. Louis Cardinals -- but it's not often there's a formal designation.
Generally speaking, the players in the clubhouse do not need to be told who the leaders of the team are. Jason Varitek wore the captain's C on his jersey throughout his career because his Red Sox teammates wanted him to wear it, and if Yankees players want Judge to be named captain, then the Yankees might as well make it official and name him captain. Of course, they have to re-sign him first.
The Yankees have had 15 captains in their history, including Jeter (2003-14), Mattingly (1991-95), Thurman Munson (1976-79), and Lou Gehrig (1935-39).
