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The 2026 MLB season begins Wednesday night with the New York Yankees against the San Francisco Giants, and Yankees captain Aaron Judge will begin his journey toward a potential third straight AL MVP award.
Judge is arguably the best hitter in the game today, but despite all the accolades he’s racked up all these years in pinstripes, a World Series title still eludes him.
For a Yankees player, that’s the only measure of success. After all, the man who held the coveted Yankees captaincy before him, Baseball Hall of Fame shortstop Derek Jeter, made sure to constantly preach that during the team’s dynasty.
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Aaron Judge of Team USA during a 2026 World Baseball Classic game against the Dominican Republic at LoanDepot Park on March 15, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photos Daniel Shirey/WBCI/MLB)
Judge spoke with another high-profile All-Star, Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant, for a “Cover Story” interview in the boardroom, in which Durant asked about the pressure of playing in New York and how much the former wants to be a champion.
“It’s something I’ve wanted to do since I got drafted, man,” Judge responded. “I wanted to bring a championship back to New York, and I wanted to leave the organization and this franchise better than when I got there. I just want to leave my mark there, and hopefully when these next guys come in, that’s the only thing, man. You walk into Yankee Stadium, these pictures are [Derek] To throw away is [Jorge] Posada, Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle.
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“It’s all these legends. So, it’s like, ‘Man, I want my picture up there. I want my teammates’ pictures up there. I want to be a part of it.'”
Judge and his teammates were close to ending the Yankees’ World Series drought during the 2024 campaign, but lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games. It was the franchise’s first return to the Fall Classic since its title victory over the Philadelphia Phillies in 2009.
In 2025, while Judge was defending his AL MVP title, the Yankees fell short in the ALDS to the AL East foe, the Toronto Blue Jays, who won the American League pennant. They also lost to the Dodgers, although it was a thrilling seven-game series unlike Los Angeles’ dominance against Judge’s team the year before.
Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees arrives before a game against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on Wednesday, March 25, 2026 in San Francisco. (Photos by Bryan Kennedy/MLB)
The judge understands the weight of the pressure. He’s felt it since his rise to the minor leagues, but also recently with Team USA at the World Baseball Classic, where he also served as team captain. But the pressure is something welcome, especially if he has a bad match.
Boos rain down in the Bronx, regardless of the player’s stature in the league and whether or not he wears pinstripes.
“There was never any pressure, nor was I able to raise my level. My level is already there,” Judge told Durant. “If you boo me or pick on me, I’m booing myself right now too. If I sit there and think about the pressure and what I haven’t done yet, it’s going to take me away from what I want to accomplish.”
The judge’s focus remains on one thing, and one thing only: winning a World Series. The awards and accolades that come with it are welcome, but at this point, they’re not as rewarding as what he hopes this new season will end with.
Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees arrives at a spring training game against the Chicago Cubs at Sloan Park on March 23, 2026, in Mesa, Arizona. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
“It’s almost haunting. At Yankee Stadium, they don’t have ‘AL Championships,’ they don’t have ‘All-Stars.’ They have ‘World Series Champions,’ and it’s all around the stadium. I see this little empty place after 2009. I’m like, ‘That’s what we’re looking for,'” he said.
The Yankees and Giants play at 8:05 p.m. ET to start the 2026 MLB season on Netflix.
