Aaron Judge has heard your opinions about Team USA's seemingly all-work, no-play attitude during the World Baseball Classic. And he is here to assure you that he and his patriotic squad did, indeed, have a lot of fun.
"Everybody’s different. Every culture is different," Judge said Friday. "I loved everything that Mexico was doing, what Great Britain was doing, the [Dominican Republic], with how they celebrate the game and how their fans celebrate the game. That was amazing."
The Yankees slugger made clear that even some of his family and friends thought Team USA looked a little ... lackluster, though he conceded that he probably can't do anything to change that opinion.
"If they’re going to say we don’t have the passion—my passion is grinding in this cage when nobody’s watching, grinding as a 6-year-old in the backyard with my dad," Judge went on. "That’s where our passion came from as kids. If I don’t show it really like that, it doesn’t mean I don’t love the game. I can’t really talk on somebody else’s opinion about it. Everybody in that clubhouse, every single one of those guys, that’s probably the most fun they’ve ever had playing the game the past two or three weeks, myself included."
For as serious as the World Baseball Classic is, it's also quite playful, as evidenced by, say, Team Italy's espresso celebration and Team D.R.'s plantain dumbbell. The U.S., however, appeared a touch too locked in for such playful tributes; even one of Judge's pregame pump-up speeches was ridiculed for (what looked to be) a lack of passion.
But the feelings, he says, were there.
“We had a lot of fun. We had some passion," the three-time MVP insisted. "You saw some emotion from guys you usually don’t see showing emotion. We had a blast.”
Although it made for a fun fan environment, Judge also (understandably) thinks it might be hard for players to recreate the chutzpah of the other teams while back in MLB.
“I think it’s just tough to do for 162 games,” he said. “It’s just a lot of energy. I love how the game is, but I definitely would love more energy and more flair. I think it’s great for the fans. It’s great for the game. It’s great for all the young kids watching the game that love seeing their favorite players. It was cool for that, but I don’t know."
The seven-time All-Star, who returned to Yankees camp on Thursday, addressed the topic of moving the WBC from March and into the regular season, as well.
“My thoughts are, if we’re able to knock it out during the season, I think that’d be great because there’s so many restrictions, even with us,” Judge said. “There are certain guys that couldn’t pitch because of this or had to pitch on these days. If you get into it where everyone’s built up, there’s no restrictions, you get to go out there and just play, I think it’ll just be better for the game.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Aaron Judge Responds to Criticism of USA's No-Fun Attitude in WBC: 'Everybody's Different'.
