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To this date, the most significant honor for any player of the New York Yankees would be to be honored by the title of captain. The reigning AL MVP, Aaron Judge, was honored with this title shortly after he re-signed with the Bronx Bombers. After which, he became the sixteenth captain of the Yankees. The position had been sitting empty ever since the former Captain Derek Jeter hung up his cleats in 2014. And now, the current captain has decided to follow in the footsteps of Jeter and almost every other previous captain in the history of the Yankees.

AL’s home run king has decided he won’t be wearing a ‘C’ patch on either his home or away jerseys. It is indeed a big decision, and the outfielder has already started on this journey, as he didn’t wear that ‘C’ patch on the day of his news conference.

What did Aaron Judge say about not wearing the patch?

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By not wearing the patch, BAJ is neither trying to offend someone nor breaking any rules. It is no compulsion for anyone to wear that patch. Captains of other teams in previous years have donned that, but it isn’t something All Rise wants to do. 

As Judge walked in on the day of his news conference, reporter Bryan Hoch pointed towards the Nike swoosh on his right chest and asked why there wasn’t a ‘C’ present. With a laugh, Judge replied, “No, we don’t do that here.”

The reply from Judge meant he was doing the same thing every other Yankees Captain has ever done. 

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What did Derek Jeter say when he refused to wear the Captain patch?

Hall of Famer Derek Jeter was honored with the title in 2003. Five years later, in 2008, he sat for an interview with the same reporter, Bryan Hoch. There, he talked about his reason for not wearing the patch. 

At the time, he said, “I’m no different than anyone else on the team. I understand that I have that title. I’m not saying that there’s anything wrong with anybody that’s wearing it, but for me, it was never an issue.” Until Jeter hung up the pinstripes in 2014, he had never worn the ‘C’ patch on his jersey. 

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Watch this story: Ranking the most famous captains of the New York Yankees before Aaron Judge 

Do you think Aaron Judge is doing the right thing, not wearing the patch? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!