At the quiet visiting clubhouse in Minute Maid Park last October, just minutes after the Yankees saw their season end overwhelmingly against the Astros at the ALCS, manager Aaron Boone addressed the team and then opened the field. .
Aaron Judge spoke up to deliver a message that is still on his mind nine months later, with the Yankees on the brink of a long-awaited Opening Day.
“I kind of just talked to the team and he said, ‘Hey guys, don’t forget this feeling. Don’t forget this emptiness,'” Judge said Tuesday before a final training session of Spring 2.0 practice at Yankee Stadium.
“You do not know what to say. You really have nothing to say. All I can say to the boys is: ‘Remember this feeling. Remember this silence, this emptiness and just use it as fuel. Don’t use it to get depressed, stick with it. Use it as fuel for next season to take care of business. “
That journey will begin Thursday in Washington, when Gerrit Cole and the Yankees open a 60-game sprint with a showdown against Max Scherzer and the Nationals.
It was the Nationals who were waiting for the Yankees and Astros winner last October, before the Yankees lost to a home run in Game 6 of José Altuve. After Judge encouraged his teammates to accept the pain, there was an offseason that was anything but normal, filled with revelations about the Astros’ poster-stealing program and the chaos the COVID pandemic has caused- 19.
Despite everything, the feelings of the night of October 19 endured.
“The cruel end of it all, I remember Judgie, in her own way, in a strong way, telling us that,” Boone said. “I think that just added to the sting, how real was that moment. I always feel like falling adds another log to the fire. That was certainly the case. I feel like in spring training and now in summer camp, I’m witnessing that the fire burns strongly with these guys. “
For Judge, it continued to burn through a fractured rib and collapsed lung that were discovered in early March, which would have put him off for the originally scheduled Opening Day. In spring 2.0 training, he had to fight a stiff neck, but he recovered very well, with three home runs in two exhibition games.
The judge said Tuesday that his rib “is not a problem” and his neck has “cleared.”
“I’m ready to go,” said the right fielder. “I’d always like to see more at-bats live before the season, take a couple more practice tests. That never hurts anyone. But I think we are all ready for Thursday to get here and feel good physically and mentally. ”
With past injuries and the season about to start, Judge relived the painful night of Game 6 in Houston and the emotional roller coaster that was the ninth inning, starting with DJ LeMahieu’s two-run homer that tied the game at 4- Four . Judge was on deck, “thinking we’re going to win the entire World Series,” only for Altuve to win it with a home run away from Aroldis Chapman at the bottom of the ninth.
After speaking to the team that night, Judge told reporters that the season was “a failure.” On Thursday, the Yankees will finally have a chance to start again, with that last game still fresh on their minds.
“I’m still thinking a lot about how it ended last year,” Judge said. “That is still stuck with me. It still motivates me to make sure that doesn’t happen again. But I think the boys are ready and we are ready to get going. “
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