Aaron Judge is one of the biggest players in baseball in both stature and status. The Yankees outfielder stands at a towering 6’7″, and is the single-season record holder for most home runs by a rookie and most home runs by an American League position player.
Despite his tremendous success, Judge has maintained a humble demeanor and an emphasis on family. An emphasis that he credits to both of his parents. Judge’s family history may be confusing to some fans, but the Yankees slugger has made a point of putting his mother and father center stage.
Here’s what you need to know about Judge’s parents.
Aaron Judge was adopted by Patty and Wayne Judge
Patty and Wayne Judge both attended Fresno State University. According to People Magazine, the couple wed in 1975 and adopted Aaron Judge in 1992. They waited until the future slugger was ten, however, before they told him about the adoption. Judge recalled this discovery during a 2015 interview with the New York Post:
I was about 10 or 11 and we really didn’t look alike, so I started asking questions and they told me I was adopted and answered all my questions, and that was that. I was fine with it.
Aaron Judge is biracial, but Patty and Wayne are Caucasian, which is partially why the baseball star noticed the difference in appearance. Another difference, however, was his stature. Neither Patty nor Wayne are over six feet tall, yet Judge’s massive size was evident from the time he was an infant.
“We kind of joked that he looked like the Michelin Tire baby,” Patty Judge told the outlet. “It wasn’t long before the 4 ounces of formula was just the appetizer.”
Aaron Judge credits his mom for his Yankees career
Aaron Judge has detailed how important his parents’ positive upbringing was in his eventual success. He cited the influence of his mother, in particular, when it came time to decide which baseball team to play for.
“I know I wouldn’t be a New York Yankee if it wasn’t for my mom,” he told MLB in 2017. “The guidance she gave me as a kid growing up, knowing the difference from right and wrong, how to treat people and how to go the extra mile and put in extra work, all that kind of stuff.”
Aaron Judge isn’t the only one who has celebrated his parents. Patty and Wayne Judge were named the 2024 George and Barbara Bush Little League Parents of the Year for instilling strong principles on and off the field to their son. Patty and Wayne currently reside in Linden, California.