Michael Kay Honors John Sterling with Tribute to Aaron Judge's Homer NEW YORK – The Yankees’ Monday night game against the Orioles was marked by a heartfelt tribute to the late John Sterling, whose legacy was honored through a pregame ceremony and moments during the contest. The Yankees completed a four-game sweep with a 12-1 victory, with Aaron Judge delivering a key home run in the first inning. Judge, who had been working to regain his rhythm after a slow start to the season, said the tribute brought him emotional closure. Judge followed an emotional pregame ceremony by hitting his 14th home run of the season, a blast that landed in the right-field bullpen. The homer, which came on a full-count pitch from Shane Baz, was described by Judge as a moment that “hit home” for Sterling, who was a longtime Yankees fan and broadcaster. “To do that there in the first, I was chuckling around the bases, thinking about what he was probably saying,” Judge said. The tribute began with a moment of silence as Michael Kay and Suzyn Waldman laid bouquets across home plate before the first pitch. Both teams paused to honor Sterling, who passed away at 87. After the final out, a recording of Sterling’s signature “Yankees win, theeee Yankees win!” call was played. Judge expressed hope that the phrase would become a permanent tradition at Yankee Stadium. “I think it’d be a nice little tip of the cap to John and what he meant to so much of this franchise and this fan base,” he said. Yankees manager Aaron Boone suggested the call should precede the playing of Frank Sinatra’s “Theme from New York, New York” after each victory. “I’d love it, yeah – right on into Frank,” Boone said. Each Yankees player wore Sterling’s initials on the back of their caps, and organist Paul Cartier played Broadway show tunes throughout the night.#aaron_judge #yankees #yankee_stadium #michael_kay #john_sterling
