24 January 2023 , 13:47
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Major League Baseball star Aaron Judge was already a hero in New York, but the committed Yankees star was feeling the love at Madison Square Garden on Monday.
Judge signed a nine-year contract with the Yankees this winter after entering free agency, and his $360million (£292.5m) deal became the largest in MLB history. Judge initially declined the Yankees opening offer and was the most wanted man in the league, but later re-signed to stay in New York.
The American league home-run record holder has been enjoying his off-season, and was spotted at MSG as he attended the New York Rangers NHL clash against Florida Panthers. The Rangers may have sprinted to a 6-2 victory, but when Judge's face appeared on the screen it received one of the best receptions of the night.
Judge was named the 16th captain of the Yankees when agreeing to his mammoth deal, and is a certified legend at Yankee Stadium already. Judge won the MVP award last season, which was no surprise after setting a new American league record with 62 home-runs.
The Yankees couldn't reach the World Series, although there is optimism that they will get there in the near future. A lot of that hope rested on Judge, who looked as of he could be moving on this winter.
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But Judge committed to the Yankees, signing a deal that would see him remain with the team until the age of 39. Judge was drafted by the side back in 2016, and clearly wants to be a life-long Yankee.
There are a lot of sports teams in New York, with rivalries across a number of sports, including baseball. But it seems as though Judge's reputation is preserved, as thousands of Rangers fans cheered when seeing him in attendance on Monday.
And Judge was there for a good game too, as the Rangers thrashed a talented Panthers side 6-2, scoring three goals in the third period alone. Judge was seen cheering for Mika Zibanejad on the sidelines, as the centre added two more goals to this season's tally.
And the other four were spread out amongst Adam Fox, Filip Chytil, Jimmy Vesey and Alexis Lafreniere on a wonderful night for the Rangers. Aleksander Barkov and Carter Verhaeghe got the two consolation goals for the Panthers, but it really wasn't their night, and it was clearly one for celebration due to a number of reasons in New York.