All Rise

PEOPLE KEEP ASKING AARON JUDGE: What is life like now that everyone knows you? He has a hard time answering that question. Everyone has always known him.

- Stephanie Apstein

As a child growing up with his teacher parents and older brother in Linden, Calif., a no-stoplight pinprick of an agricultural town 100 miles inland from San Francisco, he could go weeks without encountering a stranger. By the time he enrolled at Fresno State, he was a star outfielder who drew stares every time he entered a room. There is nowhere for a 6' 7", 282-pound man to hide. He is used to the feeling of eyes on him.

Perhaps the biggest difference is how often people approach him, though he always got some of that, too. “You’re huge!” passersby would say. “What do you play?” He’d grin and answer, “Fantasy football,” before fessing up. Today the questions tend to be requests, usually for photos. He tries to agree to them all. “That could be the only time they meet me,” Judge says. “I don’t want to leave the impression that I didn’t have the five seconds to say hello.”

When they see him, fans like to inform him, “You’re Aaron Judge!”

He doesn’t need to introduce himself to opposing teams, either. The Yankees’ rightfielder and biggest Baby Bomber—indeed, the biggest position player, by body mass, in MLB history—is offto the most powerful start to a season ever by a rookie, with 13 home runs in his team’s first 29 games. Dr. Seuss could have written his April:

Judge hits them on pitches fast and pitches slow

He hits them on pitches high and pitches low

He hits them on pitches that break out and pitches that break in

He hits them on pitches that fly straight and pitches that have spin Judge hits them here, he hits them there,

He hits home runs everywhere.