Is Aaron Judge facing the aging problem of forgetting? Not calling old Judge old, as evergreen as he is, but a recent video interview would suggest otherwise. When Judge was asked to name all the players in the starting lineup from the time he made his debut, it didn’t seem to be a tough question. While the 32-year-old did manage to get all the names, the moment where he became quite forgetful was when Judge was asked to name the DH.

Aaron almost forgot who the designated hitter was; however, with a little hint, he was able to remember that it was none other than Gary Sánchez. While trying to remember who it was, Judge was surprised by the fact that he could not remember his teammate’s name. Judge exclaimed with an ‘oh my goodness’, and then proceeded to ask for the position he played. As the interviewer revealed that he is a catcher, only then was Judge able to identify Gary.

Aaron Judge said, “How could I forget Gary,” realizing his mistake and quickly adding, “Don’t show him this.” But one cannot trust the internet not to ‘judge’; it has its own way of making things viral. Moreover, the 2x All-Star and Judge have a rich history; when Aaron Boone became the Yankees’ manager in 2018, he inherited a couple of exciting young stars in Gary Sánchez and Aaron Judge. Boone really stuck by Sánchez, even as the catcher’s time in New York started to go off-track. 

It was the summer of 2016, and the Yankees were in the middle of a tough stretch. They had just let go of Alex Rodriguez, who was barely a year out from serving a full-season suspension. The team wasn’t in great shape, and it was clear they were in a rebuilding phase; but then, two bright young talents started to get their chance: Gary Sánchez, who had debuted the year before, and Aaron Judge, who was just called up to fill the hole left by A-Rod. 

Judge didn’t waste any time making a first impression; his first at-bat in the big leagues was a memorable one. Aaron Judge hit a home run right after Tyler Austin had hit one in a win against Tampa Bay on August 13. The very next day, both Judge and Sánchez hit homers off Rays’ pitcher Jake Odorizz, making it clear that these two could be part of the team’s future. However, they both went on different paths later. 

Why did Gary Sánchez leave the Yanks? 

The Yankees stuck with Gary Sánchez for a while, hoping his bat would make up for his defensive struggles. But as time went on, that reasoning just didn’t hold up anymore. By the end of his time in New York, Sánchez was hitting just .187 with a .698 OPS and a growing strikeout rate. When the Yankees finally traded him to the Minnesota Twins, it felt like a weight had been lifted. 

For both the team and Sánchez, it might’ve been the best move all around. Moving out of the Bronx could’ve been exactly what Sánchez needed to reset and get his career back on track. The 30-year-old Sanchez had a rough go of it last season in Minnesota. Despite the change of scenery, his bat didn’t pick up much, finishing with a .205 average over 128 games. This year, he signed with the San Francisco Giants, but things didn’t go as planned, and they released him in May. A few days later, he landed a minor-league deal with the Mets.  

Unfortunately, after just three games, the Mets designated him for assignment. One of those games didn’t go well: he had a passed ball and seemed out of sync behind the plate, missing a foul pop-up. With Tomás Nido and rookie Francisco Álvarez ahead of him on the chart, Sánchez’s time in New York came to an end quickly. Now, Sánchez is hoping to turn things around with the San Diego Padres, who claimed him off waivers. Meanwhile, Aaron Judge is still smashing records, picking up right where he left off after his 2022 AL MVP season.