May 31, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (99) celebrates in the dugout after a solo home run in the fourth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Legendary Coach Adds Aaron Judge to Yankees GOATs

Originally posted on New York Yankees on SI
By Erin Shapland | Last updated Jun 5, 2025 7:00 AM ET

New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge is obviously in a league of his own, and is likely to find himself on the Yankees' Mount Rushmore in due time.

Legendary basketball coach Rick Pitino clocked Judge as a Babe Ruth or Lou Gehrig-level talent in an interview on Wednesday evening.

"I'm not sure that Aaron Judge is not gonna have the type of legacy Ruth and Gehrig have had," Pitino said. "He's quite special. I don't buy into anything about the postseason. He'll have great postseasons as well, and I hope it's this year."

"I'm not sure that Aaron Judge is not gonna have the type of legacy Ruth and Gehrig have had. He's quite special. I don't buy into anything about the postseason. He'll have great postseasons as well, and I hope it's this year"

- Rick Pitino on Aaron Judge pic.twitter.com/wpk1RovPve
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) June 4, 2025

It's high praise from someone with such a rich history of identifying athletic greatness, but nonetheless unsurprising given the outfielder's track record.

Judge currently tops the league with an astonishing .387 ERA in his 222 at-bats, and with 21 home runs this season trails only Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Dodgers) and Cal Raleigh (Seattle Mariners) who are tied for first with 23 each.

A six-time All-Star, two-time MVP, and three-time American League home run leader to name only a few of his accolades, Judge has etched his name in the MLB history books time and time again. Given even more time to demonstrate what he's capable of, he should expect his legacy to far outlive him.

In the same interview on Wednesday evening, Pitino shared that he intends to keep coaching for a long time. At 72 years old, he has enjoyed a varied and successful career coaching NCAA, NBA, GBL, and EuroLeague basketball, and was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013. At the moment Pitino coaches the St. John's Red Storm men's basketball team, and has since 2023.

“As long as you’re mentally and physically sharp, you do it as long as you can," Pitino said. "Because coaching is a blessing. It’s the second-best thing to playing. I have been blessed with over 50 years of coaching, and I hope it continues as long as I can do it.”

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