Aaron Judge and the Yankees' Response to a Rookie's Big Moment is Telling

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Kristie Ackert | Last updated May 22, 2025 10:29 AM ET

Jasson Dominguez launched a towering shot into the second deck in the bottom of the ninth to lift the Yankees past the Rangers with their first walk-off home run since Sept. 20, 2022. That’s a staggering MLB-leading drought of 211 games and 974 days between walk-off homers, which was snapped by a player who was still in Double-A when the streak began.

Afterward, you would have been hard-pressed to find a single player thinking about the stat. The celebration wasn’t about history. It was about Dominguez.

Aaron Judge practically laughed off the drought.

“We have MLB Network on in here, so we hear those things,” Judge said. “But we don't think about them.

Instead, for the Yankees captain, this was more of a personal moment. Judge waited until after the on-field scrum to give Dominguez a long, quiet hug. Then, along with Anthony Volpe, he drenched the rookie during his postgame interview with a cooler full of water.

Veteran Paul Goldschmidt, 37, was one of the first out of the dugout — sprinting like a kid himself to mob Dominguez at home plate. It was a moment that spoke volumes: part joy, part validation, all family.

And the love didn’t stop when the lights went out.

Long after the celebration, Judge posted a short video of the swing on Instagram — just the clip, no caption needed. Austin Wells followed with a photo of Dominguez admiring his shot. Clarke Schmidt did the same.

All three of them were also Yankees prospects who came through the system and understand the pressure and process. Dominguez has had perhaps the biggest expectations and at just 22 years old he’s dealing with disappointments this year. Just this week, a podcast mocked him for being the worst outfielder in baseball.

So, the team’s genuine reaction to Dominguez’s success was telling. In a clubhouse full of stars and veterans, the kid known as "The Martian" reached another career milestone and made a big contribution.

And his teammates could not be prouder.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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