New York Yankees center fielder Aaron Judge. Peter Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

Aaron Judge is the reason for the Yankees' new-look away uniforms

By Aaron Case | Last updated Jun 12, 2024 2:28 PM ET

New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge has made a career out of crushing homers. But he may have a second career waiting in the fashion industry, as the slugger’s eye for fresh threads is what led the Bronx Bombers to change their road uniforms this season.

According to AP reporter Ronald Blum, Judge got the idea after sporting a retro uniform for the Field of Dreams game in 2021. The outfielder then suggested incorporating the classic look — which eliminates white outlines around the lettering, and piping around the sleeves — into the Yankees’ wardrobe.

“I really just asked: ‘Could we wear it as an alternate? I like the look of it, the feel of it,’" Judge told Blum. "I didn’t expect for it to be our away jerseys.”

Yankees 2024 road uniforms #YANKSonYES pic.twitter.com/wBgKN3LWMK
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) March 28, 2024

The Yankees’ front office was slow to respond to Judge’s request, but he set the corporate bureaucracy in motion, starting with the team’s equipment manager, Rob Cucuzza.

“He says, ‘This is what we should be wearing,’” Cucuzza told Blum. “I said, ’Well, if you’re serious, I’ll have a sample made up. It needs ownership approval, and we’ll see where it goes.’”

Three years later, the Bombers are finally sporting the throwback duds — and they’re winning like some of the great Yankees’ teams that wore them from 1931 to 1972.

New York has won 26 of its first 37 road games this year, riding that success to an MLB-best 48-21 record overall.

Maybe next the Captain can convince the Yankees to relax their stodgy dress code and spring for a City Connect jersey.

Aaron Case

Aaron Case is a die hard Yankees fan from upstate New York who fuels his writing with too much coffee. When he's not riding the emotional roller coaster that is the MLB season, he's probably daydreaming and doodling or making beats. Follow him on X @AarontheCase1

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