Al-Qadi will make his first match as captain of the New York team: “It will be special”

WASHINGTON – The Yankees hope it will be Debut Anthony Volpe The major leagues add an electric element to the Yankees’ opening day, given the high anticipation surrounding the arrival of one of baseball’s best prospects in the Bronx.

However, the club is also looking forward to Thursday’s season-opener against the Giants at Yankee Stadium for another compelling reason: This will be Aaron Judge’s first regular season game as the 16th baseman in club history.

If he loses focus a bit on the subject, it’s because of Volpe’s rise, but the importance of Judge’s leadership remains real for a team that hasn’t had a captain since Derek Jeter’s retirement in 2014.

“That will be special,” said the judge. “I had the chance to play my first opener as captain, and play in a great organization. We’re going to have fun.”

Judge earned the distinction in December after re-signing with the Yankees to a $360 million nine-year deal that will keep the champ in the Bronx for the next decade.

The date puts the judge in a select group alongside Lou Gehrig, Ron Guidry, Don Mattingly, and Willie Randolph. And the judge reiterated on Tuesday that he would not wear a “J” on his uniform, in the same way that Jeter, Mattingly, and the rest of the previous Bomber Commanders did not.

“We don’t need that,” commented the judge, shaking his head.

Either way, few people are left in that position a year later like Judge in 2022, who hit an AL record for home runs with 62 and finished with the MVP trophy in his hands.

The slugger hit .311 and led the majors in nearly everything else, including RBIs (131), on-base percentage (.425), slugging percentage (.686), OPS (1.111), OPS+ (211), and total He hit the bases (391), runs scored (133).

After a brief free agency stint in which the Giants and Padres flirted, Judge returned to the Yankees to finish an “unfinished business”. Thursday will be his first game as captain, and it will be against the Giants – Judge grew up a San Francisco fan, which adds another element of intrigue to Thursday’s game.

“I thought they were joking,” the judge said with a smile. “Yankees fans do a great job every Opening Day. We’re excited to be back in town and be with our fans. We have a great team here.”