"I said, in 10 years, I’ll be married to Sam & playing for the Giants" - When Aaron Judge reflected on making bold prediction before arriving in MLB

Before kickstarting his career with the New York Yankees, Aaron Judge grew up wanting to play for the San Francisco Giants.

In an interview with Time Magazine in 2022, he recalled an incident from his high school days when he told his then-girlfriend Samantha Bracksieck of his future plans.

“I said, in 10 years, I’ll be married to Sam, and playing for the San Francisco Giants. I was like, that’d better not get out.”

Aaron Judge was raised in Linden, California, and supported the Giants growing up. However, he ended up being selected by the Yankees in the first round of the 2013 MLB draft.

He was eventually linked with a move to the Giants in free agency in 2022. The G-Men and the San Diego Padres had established their interest in signing Judge, but he eventually chose to stay with the Yankees, signing a nine-year deal worth $360 million.

The move came as a bit of a surprise, given he had rejected a $213.5 million contract over seven years with the Yankees just months earlier.

In the same interview with Time, Judge said he was not happy that manager Brian Cashman had discussed the details of the contract with the media.

“We kind of said, 'Hey, let’s keep this between us.' I was a little upset that the numbers came out. I understand it’s a negotiation tactic. Put pressure on me. Turn the fans against me, turn the media on me. That part of it I didn’t like.”

Prior to hitting the free agency market, Aaron Judge recalled how he was told to test the waters and start anew.

“When I was young and getting into the game, all guys ever talked about was, ‘Hey, wait until you become a free agent’. You’re getting a chance to make your own decision, start a legacy somewhere, start something new somewhere. I’m looking forward to the whole process, man. It’s going to be special.”

Instead, he chose to remain with the Yankees, joining the ranks of Bronx legends - Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Mariano Rivera, and Derek Jeter.

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Aaron Judge recalls ballpark going mum on his road to reach 62nd HR

Aaron Judge [Source: Imagn]

The day Aaron Judge surpassed New York Yankees favorite Roger Maris’ 61st HR record was something he’ll never forget. Speaking to Time, he recalled the atmosphere in the stadium, saying how a crowd of 45,000 voices was hushed as everyone waited for the nail-biting moment.

“I never noticed the crowd until they stopped cheering, which was one of the craziest things in my career. That’s when I started to kind of realize, ‘Oh boy, there’s something special going on here.’”

Even the pitchers were hesitant to throw his strikes as their names would go down in history along with Judge's. However, the historic day came on October 4, 2022, against their game vs. Texas Rangers pitcher Jesus Tinoco.

Judge has far surpassed Maris’ record of 61 with 343 home runs now.