Aaron Judge began the 2026 MLB season by making some history. Usually, that sentence means something good for the New York Yankees.
That wasn’t the case Wednesday.
The Yankees’ superstar donned the golden sombrero in the team’s season-opening win over the San Francisco Giants, going 0-for-5 at the plate with four strikeouts. Judge was the only member of the Yankees’ lineup to go without a hit.
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Despite getting no production from their biggest star, the Yankees won 7-0.
It marked the first time Judge posted four strikeouts in a game since Sept. 28, 2024. He didn’t do that once in 152 appearances during the 2025 season.
Per Sarah Langs of MLB.com, Judge is the first reigning MVP to earn a golden sombrero in a season opener. Previously, the high mark was three, shared by Willlie Stargell (1980), Sammy Sosa (1999), Mike Trout (2015), Josh Donaldson (2016) and Kris Bryant (2017).
Is any of this reason to be concerned for the 33-year-old superstar? Well, he posted five four-strikeout games in 2024 and still managed to hit .322/.458/.701 with 58 homers, so … go ahead and doubt him if you want.
You just might not have much company.
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