Yankees star Judge expresses ‘mixed’ feelings about A’s move Originally published on NBC Sports Bay Area
OAKLAND – New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge, a native of Northern California, has mixed feelings about the Athletics’ upcoming move from Oakland to West Sacramento and ultimately to Las Vegas.
Judge, who grew up in Linden, California, about 84 miles from the Coliseum, will miss baseball in the East Bay but tries to remain optimistic about the future.
“It’s exciting and sad, all mixed together, man,” Judge told NBC Sports California after the Yankees’ 4-2 win over the A’s on Friday. “I know there’s a lot of great memories here with the Oakland A’s organization. A lot of legends played here. So it’s pretty cool as a kid to get a chance to come here to some of these games. It’s always fun.”
“So, it’s kind of bittersweet, but I think they have something exciting in the future.”
The 2022 American League MVP is one of those legends gracing the Coliseum.
Judge, the pro, knows baseball is a business. But Judge, forever a Northern California kid, will really miss his semi-regular games against the A’s in Oakland, as those trips were, in some ways, a faraway homecoming.
“It stinks, you know, definitely,” Judge added. “I always enjoy coming here to the West Coast and playing here. Seeing (the A’s) leave Oakland — I know we’ll be in Sacramento next year until they build the new (Las Vegas) stadium — is tough, man. It’s tough, but it’s part of the game.”
The A’s have danced around a possible move for years. Judge represents the feelings of many players regarding the now concrete plan.
Oakland’s chapter as host of Major League Baseball ends Thursday with the A’s final home game against the Texas Rangers, but that doesn’t mean the memories have to fade.
Judge mentioned that he had attended a game or two in Oakland when he was younger, and ironically, one of those was a game between the A’s and the Yankees. The old showdown between the coastal clubs was a significant moment — and now a memory — for the six-time MLB All-Star, as he was in the Coliseum with a very special guest.
“I took my then-girlfriend, who is now my wife, to a Yankees-A’s game,” Judge recalls. “We had some family friends there; I had some tickets right on the third base line. So I was able to ask her out, do her a few favors, and invite her out here on a little date.
“It’s pretty cool to come full circle, so to speak.”
Judge and his wife Samantha, who attended Linden High School with the Yankees, have been married since 2021. One could argue that the Coliseum played only a minor role in their lifelong partnership.
However, the circle is not yet complete for the three-time winner of the Silver Slugger Award.
Some may have forgotten, but Oakland selected Judge with the No. 935 pick in the 2010 MLB Draft. He was 18 at the time and turned down the A’s offer to go to Fresno State, where he was a proud Bulldog for three seasons.
New York then drafted Judge at number 32 in the 2013 draft. Who knows if his presence in Oakland would have changed owner John Fisher’s decision to relocate the A’s.
The A’s move to Sacramento, where they will play at Sutter Health Park for the 2025-27 season, and then to Las Vegas is a bitter pill to swallow for anyone investing there.
Judge, of course, never called the Coliseum his home — although he probably can, after posting a .288 average with 17 hits, 16 RBIs, seven runs scored and five home runs in 16 career games in Oakland.
But Judge, like many others, will miss the Oakland A’s as we all once knew them.
