Aaron Judge belts two homers after meeting Donald Trump at Yankee Stadium
Yankees captain greeted the president in the clubhouse before launching two long balls in a 9-3 win over Detroit as stadium security was heightened
New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge hit two towering home runs Thursday night after meeting President Donald Trump in the team's clubhouse, helping New York defeat the Detroit Tigers 9-3.
Trump stopped in the clubhouse before first pitch and was photographed shaking hands with Judge, telling the slugger, "What a good player, what a player. So you have that much muscle, you have to hit the ball far." In his first at-bat, Judge belted a 413-foot homer on a 3-2 count to open the scoring for the Yankees.
Judge added a second home run in the third inning, taking a pitch from Sawyer Gipson-Long 434 feet to extend New York's lead and move past Joe DiMaggio on the franchise's all-time home run list. Two batters after Judge's second shot, designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton homered as well, and the Yankees avoided a sweep with a 9-3 victory.
Security around Yankee Stadium was noticeably tight for Trump's appearance on the 24th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. Metal detectors and Secret Service screenings were in place at each entrance, some gates featured sniffer dogs, and NYPD helicopters hovered overhead. Team officials opened gates three hours before first pitch as long lines formed; the Secret Service urged fans to allow extra time for screening and to consider leaving bags at home to speed entry. Observers reported snipers positioned on the ballpark roof.
Trump and his party sat behind thick security glass in a suite, a contrast to the former president's appearance at the U.S. Open earlier this month, when he sat without the same screening barrier. Cabinet officials and noted New York Republicans were among those present in the suite, including Attorney General Pam Bondi, senior counsel Boris Epshteyn, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Federal Housing Finance Agency director Bill Pulte, along with former Long Island congressman and EPA director Lee Zeldin, former House Republican Committee chair Elise Stefanik and city representatives Mike Lawler, Nick LaLota and Nicole Malliotakis. Former Fox News host Bill O'Reilly was also observed attending.
Trump's visit to Yankee Stadium came a little more than 24 hours after the shooting that killed conservative commentator Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University, a development that officials said contributed to the heavy security posture at the ballpark.
Judge's two-homer night was among his most productive of the season and provided a key boost for the Yankees, who had lost the previous games of the series. The performance also drew attention because of the brief clubhouse exchange with the visiting president minutes before first pitch.