-Thank you for being here, bud.
We've done bits before, but it's the first time on the couch,
so I'm happy that you're here talking to me.
Thank you very much. -Oh, about time.
I've been waiting. -Oh, yeah, please.
Let's talk about been waiting,
because you re-signed with the Yankees.
It was a big -- [ Cheers and applause ]
Yes. Thank you again. We're so happy.
A nine-year contract. -Yep.
-Nine-year contract.
Talk to me about the free-agency decision.
What goes -- Was there ever a time in your head you go,
"Well, maybe I might not be back in New York"?
-Wow. -I know.
I'm asking the hard-hitting questions right off the bat.
-No. It was a fun process.
You know, every athlete wants to get to that position where
they can kind of choose, you know, where --
you know, where they get to play, you know?
And -- You know, it just so happened I got drafted by
the best team, you know, on the planet,
so it kind of -- It made the --
[ Cheers and applause ]
It --
-But there had to have been other things,
because you just kept crushing and crushing and crushing,
and then, all of a sudden, everyone was like, "Hey, Aaron.
Remember me?"
Like, "We'd like to talk to you."
-Yeah, you know, I met a lot of great teams,
a lot of great people along the way,
but, you know, after every meeting, you know,
I'd sit down with my wife,
and we kind of look at each other and be like,
"We're Yankees."
-Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. That's good. Yeah.
You are. I'm so happy. -Yeah.
-There was one teammate in particular
that helped you with your decision.
Is that Rizzo?
-Yeah, it was Anthony Rizzo.
He played a big part, big part. He was a free agent, too.
He opted out, but he got his contract out of the way
and he said, "Now we got to get you locked in," so...
-Really?
-He was calling me every day.
He was sending me texts every day.
-Every day? -Yeah.
It was -- He was working hard.
-He really did a good job working --
But then I think that sealed the deal is your --
Not only are you guys friends, but your dogs are friends.
-Yeah. Oh, yeah.
-It always comes down to your pet, right?
-Yeah, he went for the -- He went for my heart.
So he went for --
You know, my little Penny and his dog, Kevin,
are the best of friends.
-They're the best of friends.
Penny and -- -Got a picture. There we go.
-Here's a picture. Yeah.
-This is what I had to deal with.
Every day, I was getting photos like this.
-Now, who is who?
-I got Penny right here, the little blondie.
-That's Penny. And Kevin.
So, I want to thank Anthony Rizzo
and I want to thank Kevin for getting Aaron Judge to sign --
Great job, Kevin. [ Cheers and applause ]
Good boy. Good boy.
They also made an announcement --
another announcement -- while you re-signed,
is that you're the 16th captain of the New York Yankees.
That is a massive deal, I mean, if you think about that list.
Did you know that was coming?
And did you go like -- Did you feel that?
Did you hear rumors that that was going to happen?
-You know, it was a shock to me.
You know, you always -- you know, you always dream about
something like that, getting an opportunity to,
you know, represent the Yankees and be the captain.
You know, I didn't think it would ever happen,
but, you know, I was on the phone with Hal, the boss,
and, you know, we were kind of talking over and negotiating
the deal.
Then, at the very end, he's like, "Oh, by the way,
I'm going to name you 16th captain."
So it was -- I was speechless.
I really didn't know what to say.
But it was, you know, an honor I don't take lightly.
-Not since Derek Jeter. -Oh, yeah. Correct, correct.
-Have you talked to Derek about this, this responsibility?
-I talked to him a little bit.
Throughout the free-agency process,
we talked, and really asked about his advice,
what was it like for him, you know,
through arbitration stuff, free agency?
And, you know, he said, "You know what?
I'll take you -- I'll take you out for lunch or something.
We'll kind of talk about things."
But then, after I signed my deal, he said,
"Well, now you're going to take me out for
breakfast, lunch, and dinner," so...
-Yeah. "Buy the restaurant,
and then I'll meet you at the restaurant."
Unbelievable season.
You hit an American League record 62 home runs.
You were named the MVP.
You're always focused when you're on the on-deck circle.
And I respect you. I love watching you play.
And, now and then, I go to the games,
and I -- It's just interesting.
I just figured, while you're here,
I just -- You never look over at me.
You never go like...
"Jimbo! Jimbo!"
Nothing. Nothing. None of that stuff.
Never -- You just get all business with you.
-No. Hold on, Jimmy.
Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on.
I try, but every time I look over,
you're taking selfies, you're eating hot dogs,
you're drinking a beer.
I don't want to interrupt that.
-No. Oh, please. Yeah, right. -I'm just saying.
I'm looking. I'm looking. -You are?
You do -- I think the last game I saw you,
you looked -- You were doing -- You walked out and you went...
So I took that -- I was like --
And everybody around was like, "Yo, he looked at you!"
And I go, "Alright, chill out."
But I mean, I'm right --
You have to walk in front of me to bat and you --
You know how hard that must be for you
to not acknowledge me at all?
-No.
-I mean, 'cause the dugout is there.
You come out of the dugout, right?
So you come out, and they go, "Aaron Judge."
Everyone goes nuts.
And you're like -- You hit whatever,
the dirt out of your cleats.
And you -- I'm where you are.
So you're kind of already facing me
and you still don't look at me.
And then you go to home plate and you go...
I'm right there, and you purposely don't even --
I go, "Okay, I'm cool," 'cause I don't want to
freak you out and then go like, "Hey, bud"
or anything or get -- I want you to hit homers and win the game.
So I'm like, "Don't even look at me."
Would you like me to not look at you?
-I need a wave.
I need a wave, something to start --
-I'm only waving. I'm waving so much.
It's like I'm freaking out. I'm like -- I got a hot dog.
I'm like -- I got the selfie.
I'm getting a selfie of me waving at you.
Like, "Look at us."
Look, I love you.
-I'm checking the tapes. I'm going to go back.
I'm going to check the tapes. -Alright, watch the tapes.
I know you can't, because you're you,
but I will tell you that everybody in that stadium
loves you so much, buddy.
And when you go up to that home plate,
everyone's like, "Drop whatever you're doing."
Just look at you and just go, "He's the best."
You're just the coolest, man. So I am just a big fan.
But I just want to let you know.
You know that, but I'm in the crowd...
"Go, Aaron!
Go, buddy!
[ Cheers and applause ]
Hey, man! -Just something.
-"Known you forever," yeah.
Everyone has superstitions.
Do you have one that you can tell us
or do you have any secret one you want to get off your chest
or have you had one since you were a kid?
-One that comes to mind is bubble gum.
So, Dubble Bubble, two pieces before the game.
Throw it in, run out to the field, warm up, play defense,
come in for my first at bat.
-Uh-huh.
-If I get out, "Now, hold on.
It can't be -- I'm not the reason I got out.
It's got to be this dang --"
-You think it's the -- It's the gum.
-It's the gum. -So you spit out the gum.
-Put it in the trash, start with a new piece,
and hopefully that has the mojo, you know?
So that's all I'm really --
-It's bubble gum?
[ Cheers and applause ]
Also, Dubble Bubble. -Yeah.
-Dubble Bubble is kind of a workout.
That's kind of a jaw workout.
-Yeah, I got to work on the jawline.
-I mean -- Yeah, you got --
That's what I'm missing my whole life.
Oh, my gosh. I should have done that.
When you walk out, everyone has a good walkout song,
a walk-on song.
What is your walk-up song -- or what was it last year?
-This past year, it was "Hello" by Pop Smoke.
-Yeah, that was -- -It got the people going.
Yeah. [ Cheers and applause ]
-Do you -- Is that --
Do you have other choices in case that one's not your one?
Like, have you ever walked out and you go,
"Ooh, that was kind of a mistake"?
-Well, this is by far the toughest decision
any baseball player has to make in the off-season.
I'm telling you, it's -- I make a whole playlist.
I have about 30, 40 songs. I'm in my car.
My wife gets mad at me, because she's like --
I'll be sitting in there.
I'll be like, "Okay, honey. This one, this one."
I'll be like, "Now batting, number 99, Aaron Judge,"
and play it and then, you know, start it over.
And I'll be like, "What'd you think?
Was that -- Is that it?
No? Okay. Next one, next one."
-That's hilarious. -Yeah, it's a long process.
-She's like, "Dude, get over yourself.
Come on, man. Let's get to mall. Let's go."
But you've got to have -- It is --
It's like walking into the ring.
-You've got to have something good.
-Got to have something big.
-Yeah, you're coming there and you're ignoring me,
and I got to get a song to get your attention.
So, you know... -I'm there with Lorne.
We're always going crazy for you.
And he's got the selfie ready to go.
I think we might have one.
There's a song that might not be on your radar here.
This is -- The lyrics to the song
are your first and last name.
It's by a YouTube creator called Epic Baseball Songs.
Give this a try here. This could be your walk-up song.
Take a listen.
-♪ Aaron Judge, Aaron Judge ♪
♪ Aaron Judge it, yeah ♪
♪ Aaron Judge, Aaron Judge ♪
♪ Aaron Judge it, yeah ♪
♪ Judge ♪
♪ Aaron Judge, Aaron Judge ♪
♪ Aaron Judge it, yeah ♪
[ Rhythmic clapping ] -They love it!
Alright, that's enough. They -- I mean...
[ Cheers and applause ]
It's long, but if you take your time
and give a little nod over to Jimmy, you might...
Do you know which one it's going to be this year in March or no?
-Oh, no.
But this -- I've got to add this, I think, to the playlist.
-This is getting added to the playlist.
-This will -- It might be near the bottom, but --
-As long as it's on. -It's on.
-I can't wait to see you, bud. I'll be there.
And you don't have to ever,
but I just know in my heart that you're saying, "Hi."
I'm a big fan. I love you. Congratulations.
Thanks for staying in New York. -Yeah, I appreciate it, Jimmy.
[ Cheers and applause ] -The best.
Aaron Judge, everybody.
The Yankees kick off their season
March 30th at Yankee Stadium.
We'll be right back with Josh Duhamel.
Stick around, everybody.