NEW YORK — On Thursday night, Aaron Judge pulled out his phone and sent a group text to his teammates. Two words: suits tomorrow.
The Yankees showed up Friday dressed sharp. Then their captain made sure they played sharper.
Judge homered in his very first swing at Yankee Stadium in 2026, took a terrifying fastball near his right wrist in the next inning, stayed in the game anyway, and went on to drive in three runs in an 8-2 win over the Miami Marlins. When it was over, he made clear exactly how much playing at home means to him.
“I’m pumped every at-bat I get at Yankee Stadium,” Judge said. “There’s nothing like getting a chance to step in this box in front of these fans. It doesn’t matter if it’s a game in April or a game in October.”
Judge enters game ice cold, then turns up the heat immediately
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There was reason to watch Judge carefully coming into Friday’s home opener. He had gone 3-for-24 with 11 strikeouts on the road trip through San Francisco and Seattle. His batting average sat at .125.
None of that mattered once he got to the Stadium.
Miami’s Xavier Edwards led off the top of the first with a solo homer off Will Warren, giving the Marlins a quick 1-0 lead and briefly quieting the sellout crowd of 48,788. Trent Grisham answered with a leadoff walk in the bottom of the frame. Then Judge stepped in against right-hander Eury Perez.
Judge took a 97.9-mph fastball for a foul. He laid off a low sweeper. Then Perez hung a middle-in slider.
Judge destroyed it. The two-run homer to left put the Yankees up 2-1 and the Bronx erupted.
“They came out swinging, got a run on us,” Judge said. “Grish had a great at-bat in front of me. I’m just trying to do my job, which is to try to get him over, to get a good pitch and drive it. Just happy to answer back.”
It was his third home run of the season in seven games. The blast also marked his 86th career first-inning homer. Last season, Judge hit 20 home runs in the opening frame, setting an MLB record. Only Babe Ruth (126) and Mickey Mantle (103) have more first-inning home runs as Yankees in franchise history.
Aaron Judge’s home run was the 86th of his career in the first inning, tying Lou Gehrig for the third-most in franchise history
— New York Yankees Stats (@nyyankeesstats) April 3, 2026
“That’s what he does best,” first baseman Ben Rice said. “Coming out, swinging out of the gate like that for us is huge. It’s just so contagious and got everybody going.”
Scary moment: fastball catches Judge near the wrist
One inning later, Yankee Stadium held its breath.
With the bases loaded in the second, Perez fired a 98.9-mph four-seam fastball that ran up and in on Judge, catching him near the right forearm close to the wrist. Aaron Judge grabbed his arm and grimaced. Manager Aaron Boone was off the bench before he had time to think about it.
“I felt he was probably OK, but I tend to jump up quicker when it’s him,” Boone said. “You always hold your breath any time one runs up and in like that. I think it got him on the forearm, kind of the meaty part, so you knew in short order we’re all right.”
Judge was already familiar with what that kind of impact can feel like.
“I’ve broken my wrist like that, so that’s always the main concern,” Judge said. “But once you feel like everything’s intact, you get to first and keep going and doing your job.”
He did exactly that. The hit by pitch forced in Jose Caballero to make it 4-1. Judge stayed in for all nine innings and finished 2-for-3 with three RBIs, two walks, a stolen base and a run scored. Both his first-inning homer and his eighth-inning single registered over 100 mph off the bat on Statcast, the first time in 2026 Judge cracked triple digits twice in a game.
Aaron Judge records his 834th and 835th career RBI, passing Graig Nettles for 15th place on the Yankees all-time RBI list
— New York Yankees Stats (@nyyankeesstats) April 3, 2026
Judge’s injury history explains the ballpark’s sharp intake of breath
That reaction from the crowd was not just standard worry. It was history.
Judge fractured his right wrist in 2018 after a hit by pitch and missed six weeks. A toe injury in 2023 cost the Yankees a playoff spot. A flexor strain last season clouded the second half. The Yankees’ fortunes have consistently tracked with his health, and the Bronx knows it.
Rice, Warren and the bullpen give Judge all the support he needs
Warren went 5.2 innings, surrendered two solo home runs and nothing else, retiring 12 straight batters in between. He improved to 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA on the season.
“His stuff has always been so good,” Rice said. “You just see that competitor come out, especially in this type of environment, the home opener.”
Ben Rice bounced back from three early strikeouts to hit a solo homer in the seventh at 110.9 mph exit velocity, then drove in two more with a double in the eighth.
“I think Benny can really hit it,” Boone said. “I think he’s a middle-of-the-order hitter and is going to be for a long time.”
Tim Hill, Jake Bird, Brent Headrick and Ryan Yarbrough combined for 3.1 perfect innings to close it out. The Yankees have given up just eight runs through seven games, tied with the 2002 San Francisco Giants and 1993 Atlanta Braves for the fewest allowed through seven games in MLB history.
Yankees at 6-1 as Judge frames the bigger picture
The Yankees improved to 6-1 on the season, matching their second-best start through seven decisions in franchise history. The only better beginning was 7-0 in 1933.
Since 2019, 138 of Judge’s 288 home runs have either tied the score or given the Yankees the lead, according to the organization. Friday’s first-inning shot was exactly that kind of swing.
“We’re finding different ways to score runs,” Judge said. “Especially when our pitching staff is doing what they’ve been doing the past couple of games, it makes it easy on us as an offense.”
Boone said it without hesitation when asked about Judge’s impact on the team’s mood and rhythm.
“Really good answer to them putting a run up on the board,” Boone said. “And I think it allowed Will to get in a good rhythm, too.”
The suits. The text. The homer. The 98.9-mph fastball taken without flinching. Then the postgame message about being pumped every single time he steps into the Yankee Stadium batter’s box.
Aaron Judge set the tone for the Yankees on Friday in every way he knows how.
Esteban Quinones is a proud graduate of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. Growing up just blocks away from Yankee Stadium in Upper Manhattan, Esteban developed a deep love for the New York Yankees, a passion that has been a constant throughout his life. Whether it's cheering for the Yankees or crafting strategic communications, Esteban brings dedication and enthusiasm to producing content around all things Yankees.
