“Gotta Keep the Winning Going,” Aaron Judge Points to Knicks as Yankees’ Inspiration Following Wild Card Triumph

Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees will face the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Division Series after their victory over the Boston Red Sox.

“Gotta Keep the Winning Going,” Aaron Judge Points to Knicks as Yankees’ Inspiration Following Wild Card Triumph

Aaron Judge (Image via Imago)

The New York Yankees booked their place in the American League Division Series (ALDS) with a 9-2 win in Game 2 of the Wild Card Series. Following their huge victory against the Boston Red Sox, Aaron Judge pointed to the New York Knicks as inspiration for him and his teammates.

The Bronx Bombers missed out on the American League East Division title as they finished 4.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays. As a result of this, they had to go through the Wild Card Series once again.

For a second straight year, the Yankees took on the Red Sox. Game 1 saw Massachusetts-born duo Cam Schlittler and Ben Rice torment their hometown team.

Schlittler threw 117 pitches in 6.1 innings and picked up 10 strikeouts without giving up a run. This saw him continue his dominance against the Red Sox.

Meanwhile, Rice scripted the Yankees’ postseason history as he went 4-for-5 with a single, a double, a solo home run, and a grand slam. He became the first Yankee to record 6 or more RBIs with 4 or more hits in a single postseason game.

After their 9-0 win on Tuesday, the New York-based side had Max Fried on the mound. He threw 6 innings and gave up 1 run. Offensively, home runs from Luis Garcia and Cody Bellinger sealed a 9-2 win and saw them sweep the Red Sox 2-0.

Importantly for the Yankees, they did this without Aaron Judge. The 3-time AL MVP was not on the Wild Card roster following his right calf strain.

Judge, however, was present with the team in the clubhouse and took part in the wild celebrations. While speaking with the reporters, he credited the Knicks for inspiration and claimed that they needed to keep the winning going in New York.

We’re definitely inspired by the Knicks, gotta keep the winning going in New York.

Aaron Judge said as per SNY

Earlier this year, the Knicks won the NBA Championship and ended a 53-year drought by beating the San Antonio Spurs 4-1 in the Finals. Before this win, the last time a traditional “Big 4” team won a championship in New York was the New York Giants in 2012, when they won the Super Bowl XLVI against the New England Patriots.

As for the Yankees, their last World Series triumph came in 2009. Since then, the most successful franchise in MLB history has only made the Fall Classic once, in 2024, when they lost 4-1 to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

RELATED
Astros’ Bennett Sousa Blasts Home Fans for Booing Team in Game 1 Against White Sox

Aaron Judge doing everything he can to get ready for his return

The New York Yankees will get another shot at the Tampa Bay Rays. After losing the division title to them, they will face them in the best-of-five division series. The big question is whether they’ll be without Aaron Judge in this huge series as well.

Aaron Judge
Aaron Judge (Image via Imago)

The 2026 season has been a painful one for Judge. He first suffered a rib fracture, which saw him miss more than 3 months of action.

After returning in September, he got injured again. A right calf strain saw him end up on the injured list once again after playing just 7 games.

The outfielder had previously expressed his desire to be part of the Wild Card roster. However, the Yankees decided not to risk it and left him out.

In a conversation with Meredith Marakovits, the Yankees captain said he was doing everything he can to be ready for a return to the lineup.

I’m doing everything I can. All morning, night, during the game, everything to prepare myself to be ready to go, so yeah, I want to be in there, so we’ll see what happens.

Aaron Judge said

Game 1 of this division series will be played on October 3rd at 6:30 p.m. EST at Tropicana Field. The Yankees will have either Gerrit Cole or Carlos Rodon on the mound for this game.

Also Read: