Aaron Judge made New York Yankees history last season when he broke Roger Maris' franchise record by hitting 62 home runs. His chase for the franchise record captivated New York, as well as the rest of the country, and now he is being rewarded by the city for his historic achievement.
In an interview with 1010 WINS on Thursday, Mayor Eric Adams confirmed that the wheels were in motion to give Judge the key to the city.
"The team is putting it together now," Adams said. "We're communicating with the Yankees organization, and if they accept, we would love to give it to Aaron Judge. It was a historical moment."
Judge will not be the first Yankee to receive the key to New York City. The entire 2009 Yankees team got a key to the city for their World Series victory, and former Yankees and Mets pitcher Dwight Gooden also received a key back in 2017.
Not only did Judge break a franchise record that stood for six decades, but he also led the MLB in RBI (131), runs (133), and walks (111). That dominant season earned Judge his first career AL MVP award
Following Judge's record-setting campaign, the Yankees were in jeopardy of losing their franchise player. After talking with the San Francisco Giants in free agency, Judge ultimately chose to return to the Yankees on a mammoth nine-year contract worth $360 million.
With Judge locked in for nearly a decade, the Yankees chose to make him the 16th captain in team history, a title most recently held by Derek Jeter.
