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How Aaron Judge was selected as Team USA captain for World Baseball Classic
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- How Aaron Judge was selected as Team USA captain for World Baseball Classic
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When Team USA takes the field for the World Baseball Classic , they'll be led by captain Aaron Judge . Manager Mark DeRosa couldn't be more hyped up to have the New York Yankees star on his roster.
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As much as DeRosa wanted Judge on the team, he wasn't going to pester him about it. Team USA pitching coach Andy Pettitte put in the ground work to get the Yankees star on board. When Judge relayed his decision to DeRosa, the manager was nearly jumping out of his seat , via Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
"I knew if we could get Judge, position players would fall in line. Kyle Schwarber asked to be in his hitting group, they want to be around this guy. Andy Pettitte texted me and said, 'Just so you know I talked to 99 down in Tampa and he's in if you want to call him."
"I called him literally within the hour," he continued. "He called me back within 48 hours and was like, 'Hey I'm in. I want to do it."
DeRosa and Team USA wanted Judge to be a part of the 2023 team. However, he was dealing with free agency and overall had too much on his plate. This time around though, Judge couldn't turn down the offer. DeRosa expressed how he wanted the outfielder to be a captain and "pillar" of the team. That pitched worked, as Judge will don the stars and stripes for the first time in his career in 2026.
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He is entering competition after another monstrous season. Judge won his third overall MVP after hitting .331 with 53 home runs and 114 RBIs.
Now that DeRosa finally has him on the roster, Judge will play a massive role on Team USA. Both his bat and leadership are key for any success. But Judge is fully aware of the situation and is ready to take on the WBC challenge.
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