Aaron Judge Led Yankees’ 2023 Camp Fueled by FOMO, Echoing 1998 Glory Days Claims Andy Pettitte

We all are familiar with the term FOMO (fear of missing out). That’s the exact state in which the New York Yankees have found themselves in. The team’s captain had been taking notes following a heart-wrenching 2023 season. Regarding their worst season in three decades, Judge remarked, “Things didn’t go our way. I can’t sit here and dwell on that. It still eats at me and still bites at me, but we’ve got to keep moving forward.” This echoes with the year 1998.

During the December and January months, while at one hand, the Bronx Bombers were busy chasing some free agents to fix the team’s depth. On the other, “more than a dozen Yankees — led by captain Aaron Judge — left their home cities earlier than usual and assembled for early workouts.” The players had their reasons to show up early at the team’s player development facility.

Some arrived according to their schedule, while others were influenced by their peers, and a final group felt Judge’s presence necessitated their own. As mentioned by the starting pitcher, Clarke Schmidt, “It’s like FOMO (fear of missing out) in a sense. It’s like, ‘Damn. Am I behind the eight ball because I’m not there?”

Not only Schmidt but also the lefty starting pitchers Carlos Rodon and Nestor Cortes, who were major letdowns in the previous season following their injuries and ineffectiveness, showed up early to make them prepared for the opening day. While for some players like DJ LeMahieu, it was ongoing since the end of the last season as they didn’t take any time off.

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Seeing all this, the Yankees legend Andy Pettitte was glad to hear about the team’s early training sessions. He even drew a comparison from the past.

The year 1998 saw Yankees’ magic fueled by showing up early

Observing the impulsion, the Yankees’ legend Andy Pettitte reminiscent the year 1988, which saw a similar incident, with big-league roster, including Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Bernie Williams, and so on, only to claim the World Series that year. Ahead of that season, the team finished second in the AL East and fell in the Division Series to the Cleveland Indians, fueling their desire to claim the biggest trophy.

Their effort and dedication paid off when the Yankees claimed a then-AL-record 114 win and a World Series victory. Thus, understanding the team’s current point of view, Pettitte remarked, “When you look at the odds, it’s not 100 percent we’re going to win a championship this year. But it’s that dream that’s the focus. It’s that everyday commitment and part of that is coming in prepared physically and mentally.”

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Now, as the team has partially repeated history, will they be able to make it entirely by claiming the World Series in the 2024 season? Well, let’s keep our fingers crossed until the season ends.