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Aaron Judge looks on during the Yankees’ Subway Series matchup against Juan Soto and the Mets, as fans reacted to a viral moment between the former teammates.
Aaron Judge appeared to send a clear message to former teammate Juan Soto during Friday’s Subway Series opener, and the Yankees captain’s interaction quickly exploded across social media as fans dissected the viral moment, as reported by ClutchPoints writer Zachary Draves.
The message was that the pair are still friends.
Fan reaction lit up social media.
“I still miss Soto in pinstripes. Glad he and Judge are still tight,” wrote @JoeNajarian.
@Keith_McPherson quipped — channeling Judge — “Yo dumba** gonna take 765 million Ls over here boy.”
@Murphycode put it simply: “This moment between Judge and Soto is pure baseball love even in the Subway Series.”
The latest Yankees-Mets showdown already commanded attention thanks to Soto’s blockbuster free agent move to Queens after helping the Yankees reach the 2024 World Series. But Judge’s visible reaction added another layer of intrigue to one of baseball’s most closely watched rivalries.
For one electric season in 2024, Judge and Soto were the most feared 1-2 punch in the American League. Soto posted a .288 average with 41 home runs and 123 runs scored. Judge won his second AL MVP Award, with a 1.114 OPS, 58 home runs and 144 RBIs. Together they became only the third Yankees pair in franchise history to each clear 40 home runs in a single season, joining Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in 1927 and Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle in 1961.
They pushed New York to the World Series, only to fall to the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games. Then came December and a gut punch for the Bronx. Soto signed a 15-year, $765 million perk-laden contract with the crosstown Mets, the largest deal in North American professional sports history.
What looked like a messy breakup was, according to Judge himself, far more complicated. He later explained that the post-Series silence between the two was not the result of personal animosity. Instead, Soto had changed his phone and phone number, and Judge didn’t want to pile onto a free agent already overwhelmed from every direction. When they finally reconnected, Judge FaceTimed his old lineup partner to wish him well, per NJ.com columnist Bob Klapisch.
“There’s no hard feelings. We’re still friends,” Judge said at the time.
Friday’s grin at Citi Field backed that up — captured by the official MLB account on X, which posted the clip to 96,000 views.
https://x.com/Sportanza/status/2055449236230041830
Whatever warmth passed between the two, the Yankees made sure the scoreboard stayed cold. New York rolled to a 5-2 victory behind starter Cam Schlittler, who went 6 2/3 innings, struck out nine and allowed just one earned run to lower his ERA to 1.35. Jazz Chisholm Jr. went 3-for-4 with two RBIs, and Ben Rice added a home run among his three hits.
Soto managed a solo shot off Schlittler in the seventh, his only highlight on a tough night. Former Yankees closer Clay Holmes, now pitching for the opposition, lasted just 4 1/3 innings and gave up four earned runs to take the loss.
The victory moved New York to 28-17, 1 1/2 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East. The Mets dropped to 18-26, last in the NL East. The series continues Saturday and Sunday at Citi Field.
Jonathan Vankin JONATHAN VANKIN is an award-winning journalist who covers MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, boxing, golf, and Olympic sports for Heavy.com. He twice won New England Newspaper and Press Association awards for sports feature writing. He was a sports editor and writer at The Daily Yomiuri in Tokyo, Japan, covering the Olympics, pro baseball, boxing, sumo and other sports. More about Jonathan Vankin
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