Aaron Judge Gives Young Yankees Fan Unforgettable Moment

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Videos by OutKick

A Tuesday Aaron Judge home run ball brought a young Yankee fan to tears, and by the next day, Judge’s pint-sized admirer was chatting one on one with New York’s supersized slugger.

Their interaction stems from Judge’s Tuesday evening sixth-inning bomb that found its way into Toronto’s Rogers Centre left field stands. After the ball took a couple of hops, Blue Jays fan Mike Lanzillotta scooped up the souvenir. Within seconds he noticed 9-year-old Derek Rodriguez standing in awe close by, decked out in Yankees gear, including a Judge t-shirt.

Without hesitation, Lanzillotta handed the ball to Rodriguez resulting in instant tears and a priceless hug between fans of different ages who were rooting for opposing teams.

Watch video of the home run handoff below.

The reaction from Rodriguez quickly went viral, prompting the Yankees to invite both Rodriguez and Lanzillotta on the field to meet Judge before Wednesday’s Yanks-Jays series finale.

What followed were more tears, hugs, handshakes and autographs between the Yankees star and the first and last persons to possess his Tuesday moon shot. Lanzillota mostly sat back, allowing for Rodriguez to get swallowed up into Judge’s grasp while wiping away tears of joy.

Witness the gentle giant, Judge, make Rodriguez’ day below.

The scene wasn’t lost on Judge who told reporters: “I used to be in (Rodriguez’) position,” said Judge. “Rooting on my favorite players and team…so that was a pretty cool moment that I definitely won’t forget.”

Maybe the Evil Empire isn’t so bad after all?

Follow along on Twitter: @OhioAF

 

 

Aaron BooneDerek RodriguezNew York YankeesToronto Blue Jays

Written by Anthony Farris

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