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via Getty

via Getty

After having a great season in 2022, the return of AL home run king Aaron Judge to the Bronx was the most anticipated by his fans and teammates. More specifically, first baseman Anthony Rizzo tried his best to lure Judge back to the New York Yankees. Aside from being his teammate, Rizzo is also Judge’s best friend. Therefore, he had the edge over others and used it in the best possible manner to make the Yankees captain stay.

For those unversed, like Judge and Rizzo, their dogs, Penny and Kevin, are also best friends. Kevin has gained notoriety because of his appearances on Rizzo’s social media platforms. Thus, being one of the most famous pets right now, Kevin was an efficient way to ensnare the reigning AL MVP into coming back. Notably, Rizzo’s trick worked and played a somewhat important role in bringing BAJ back. Most recently, in a press conference, Rizzo came clean about how he guilt-tripped Judge using his dog Kevin as the bait. 

Anthony Rizzo’s dog Kevin played a vital role in bringing Aaron Judge back!

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After MLB’s 2022 regular season ended, All Rise decided to test the waters of free agency. Thereby looking at multiple offers from various franchises. But his fans and teammates did not want him to go anywhere but come back to the Yanks. Therefore, to persuade Judge to come back, Rizzo kept calling the outfielder every single day and sent him images of their dogs together or of only Kevin requesting him to come back. In a recent interview with Jimmy Fallon, Judge also accepted that Rizzo’s persuasion via Kevin played a part in his extension with the Yanks. 

Read More: New York Yankees Rookie Who Showed Glimpses of Derek Jeter in 2022, Heaps High Praises on Aaron Judge

And now, the first baseman says that Kevin deserves credit for fulfilling the wishes of millions of people in New York. In a press conference after coming for spring training, he said, “It’s funny that became such a big story. I mean, it’s true, I did send him pictures to guilt him a little bit.”

However big a part it played, the guilt tripping worked. Judge came back and got honored with the title of Captain of the New York Yankees. 

Kevin’s fanbase has increased tenfold

Rizzo, aka Kevin’s dad’s recent confession, garnered a significant amount of love for little Kevin, who was a force back in Chicago. And now, he’s an even bigger one in New York after helping bring All Rise back. Following are some of the reactions of baseball fans toward Rizzo accepting guilt-tripping Judge. 

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While calling Kevin a national treasure, fans also noticed how different Rizzo looked during the press conference.

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Watch this Story: Top 5 most electrifying home runs by New York Yankees star Aaron Judge

Are you also a fan of Kevin? Would you also want him to get a standing ovation for his immense power? Let us know in the comments below!