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One Year After Hal Steinbrenner, Captain Aaron Judge Arrives in Italy: What Is the Story Behind This Italian Connection?

Published 11/14/2023, 9:29 PM EST

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Winner of 27 World Series, the New York Yankees are one of the most successful teams in the baseball world. Because of its rich history, the club dominates the league when it comes to iconic legacy. However, its dominance is not only limited to the United States. But has doubled up while traveling to another major city in the world, Italy, all thanks to owner Hal Steinbrenner.

It all happened after the Yankees signed a deal with the Italian sporting giants AC Milan. With this, the legacy of the two sports franchises reached new heights. It was a big step and followed the Yankees’ admirers during their arrival in Italy. Now, Captain Aaron Judge has got the feeling of it with a strong reception in Italy. Given it happened a year after Hal made the Yankees Milan deal, was it the reason behind Judge’s arrival or something else?

Yankees Captain Aaron Judge After New York Stars in Florence

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Only a few months are left before the spring training for the new MLB season arrives. Most players are making sure to enjoy the off-season to the fullest before joining for a regular and hectic schedule to glory.

The New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge is on a similar route. The 2022 MVP is enjoying his time off and made it to Italy for a soccer game. Incidentally, his ex-teammate Mike Tauchman joined him on this adventure, with both getting a memorable reception at the stadium.

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Notably, the two baseball stars were gifted customized jerseys by the ACF Fiorentina. A Twitter post from Cut4 confirmed the same. Apart from this, Judge also took a picture with Giuseppe Barone, the current general manager of Fiorentina.

Interestingly, he is also the former vice president of the New York Cosmos, a soccer team based in the Big Apple. It added to the connection between New York and Italy. However, this is not all.

A New York- Italy Relationship That Continues to Strengthen Each Passing Day

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With Aaron Judge’s presence in Florence, a question on New York’s association with Italy comes to mind. In the words of the CEO of RedBird Capital, who owns AC Milan, the Steinbrenner family’s affiliation goes decades back. The minority stake of the Yankees in the soccer club based in Milan has strengthened it further, paving the way for cross-merchandizing between the two sports giants.

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However, this is not all. There is another link, which includes Judge. Reportedly, during free agency, the Yankees captain lost touch with Hal Steinbrenner. It happened when the Yankees’ owner was vacationing in Italy and lost the call connection. Given this happened during contract negotiations, it almost led to a breakdown.

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It’s unimaginable what could have happened if Judge had signed elsewhere. However, it all turned out well in the end, giving the Yankees fanbase the news of a new connection to cherish forever.

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Written by:

Saurabh Saini

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Saurabh Saini is a senior MLB writer and content analyst for EssentiallySports. Having started as a baseball writer, Saurabh has a sound knowledge of the sport. Even before joining ES, he covered the MLB, NFL, and NHL for his previous organization, SportsKeeda.
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Edited by:

Arunima Bhanot