Matt Carpenter was one of many players who had the honor of playing alongside Aaron Judge with the New York Yankees in 2022.
Last season, Judge broke the single-season American League home run record, passing Yankees legend Roger Maris, who had held the record for over six decades.
Carpenter had the best seat in the house, and was able to watch Judge crush home runs all season long.
On Tuesday, Carpenter, now a member of the San Diego Padres, got a chance to talk to Chris Rose and discuss what it meant to him to have the opportunity to play alongside Judge last season.
Matt Carpenter on Aaron Judge’s 62 home run season:
“I felt like I was watching one of the legendary Yankees that you read about in books like a Babe Ruth or a Mickey Mantle” pic.twitter.com/8a3pM95nur
— Talkin’ Yanks (@TalkinYanks) May 16, 2023
Rose asked Carpenter if it almost felt as if he was a baseball fan when he was watching Judge.
Carpenter responded by saying that calling it that wouldn’t do it justice.
The veteran slugger said he looked at Judge as if he were a mythical hero, and felt as if he was watching one of the greatest and most elite Yankees legends that are often talked about, comparing Judge to Mickey Mantle and Babe Ruth with his power.
Carpenter also recalled conversations he had with people during the offseason about the reigning American League MVP and new AL home run champion, where he would praise him for being one of the best teammates he ever had and an all-around great person.
The veteran utilityman said the thing that impressed him the most about Judge was his ability to block out the distractions after extension talks between he and the Yankees failed and still put up elite numbers.
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Matt Carpenter Gets Honest About His Tenure With Yankees
