Marly Rivera is a writer for ESPNdeportes.com and ESPN.com.
TAMPA, Fla. — “Batting second, in right field, No. 99, Aaron Judge.”
Those were the words the reigning American League MVP had been longing to hear.
“Hearing your name called for the New York Yankees never gets old, if it’s in Tampa, if it’s in New York,” Judge said after making his spring training debut Sunday against the Atlanta Braves. “It’s something I didn’t want to stop hearing once I became a free agent. To hear that those words again … it was an exciting moment.”
The uncertainty of free agency in the offseason made it far from certain that Judge would ever hear those words again. But Judge, who had always hoped to remain in pinstripes for the rest of his career, went on to sign a $360 million, nine-year contract with the Yankees, the third-largest deal in major league history.
“I felt it in the intro, I felt it on defense, I felt it stepping up to the plate,” Judge said of the deafening cheers. “Things like that you really cherish.”
Even opposing manager and 2021 World Series champion Brian Snitker made sure to be on the field during batting practice to take a moment to introduce himself, a humbling gesture for Judge, who went 1-for-1 with a walk and a run scored in the Yankees’ 7-0 win over the Braves.
“It was amazing, because I’ve been a fan of Brian for quite a few years,” Judge said of Snitker seeking him out before the game. “Just how he’s managed his Braves team, led them all the way to a World Series championship vs. some tough opponents, and the tough division that they play in. I have always loved his passion for the game, how he sticks up for his players, also manages the game the right way. To see somebody appreciate your craft, and appreciate your hard work, there’s no bigger compliment.”
It was Judge’s first game since being named New York’s first captain since Derek Jeter retired after the 2014 season. Judge, who hit .311 and tied for the major league lead with 131 RBIs in 2023, also hit 62 homers last season, surpassing Roger Maris for the AL record.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone made sure to include Judge’s name in the starting lineup for the sellout crowd at George M. Steinbrenner Field, the team’s spring training facility in Tampa.
“When I was checking with him the other day like, ‘You’re playing that first [home] game, right?’ He’s like, ‘Oh, yeah,'” Boone said. “He loves the game. And obviously being back here, and to be able to put the uni on and go out, I think it was something he was looking forward to.”
It was also the first time Judge experienced the new MLB rules in place for the 2023 season, including the use of a pitch clock. Sunday’s game in Tampa lasted 2 hours and 16 minutes, well short of the spring training average in 2022, which was 3:01.
And you can count the Yankees’ captain among fans of the pitch clock.
“I like it. I like it,” Judge said. “I think it definitely speeds up the game. And anything to kind of keep the pitcher moving and on the go, and hopefully keep him out of breath, I’m looking forward to it. … I think this pitch clock is going be a good thing for everybody.”
Oklahoma defensive tackle David Stone entered the NCAA transfer portal Friday, sources told ESPN.
Stone, a former five-star recruit and the No. 6 overall player in the ESPN 300 for the 2024 class, made the surprising decision to enter the portal after playing in all 13 games as a true freshman with the Sooners. The 6-foot-3 313-pounder saw limited playing time, playing 88 snaps and recording 6 tackles, 2 tackles for loss and 1 sack.
Stone was expected to compete for a more significant role as a sophomore, and Oklahoma coach Brent Venables recently praised him as the Sooners’ most improved defensive tackle this offseason.
The Oklahoma native finished his high school career at IMG Academy in Florida and was a significant recruiting victory for Venables and his coaching staff in August 2023. Stone chose the Sooners over Texas A&M, Oregon, Florida, Miami and Michigan State.
The SEC does not grant immediate eligibility to players who transfer within the conference during the spring transfer window, so Stone would need to sit out the 2025 season if he moves on to another SEC program.
Oklahoma returns its top three defensive tackles from 2024 in Damonic Williams, Gracen Halton and Jayden Jackson. It also added Trent Wilson, the No. 164 recruit in the ESPN 300 for 2025, as an early enrollee this spring.
Browne committed to rejoining the Boilermakers on Friday after entering his name in the NCAA transfer portal Wednesday.
The 6-foot-4, 210-pound redshirt sophomore started two games for Purdue in 2024 but moved on amid the program’s head coaching change and went through spring practice under new Tar Heels coach Bill Belichick.
North Carolina landed a commitment from South Alabama transfer quarterback Gio Lopez on Thursday.
Browne and freshman Bryce Baker were North Carolina’s lone scholarship quarterbacks available for spring practice and were competing with three walk-ons while sixth-year senior Max Johnson recovers from a broken leg.
Browne threw for 636 yards, rushed for 240 yards and scored four touchdowns while appearing in nine games as Hudson Card’s backup over the past two seasons at Purdue, earning starts in losses to Illinois and Oregon.
Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood showed glimpses of the growing pains he will experience as a freshman and flashes of the promise that made him the nation’s top-rated high school football recruit in the Wolverines’ spring game Saturday.
Underwood was 12 of 26 for 187 yards with a scrimmage-ending, 88-yard pass to tight end Jalen Hoffman on a reverse flea-flicker in a 17-0 win for the Blue over the Maize.
He also recovered his fumble, had a pair of delay-of-game penalties, several errant throws – high and wide – and some dropped. Underwood lost 12 yards on two sacks and gained 17 yards on three runs.
“He did well,” coach Sherrone Moore said. “Made some really, good throws and had some things we need to clean up and get better at.”
As the Wolverines wrapped up spring football in front of about 40,000 fans at the Big House, all eyes were on Underwood and he has become comfortable with that.
“It’s just the pressure that came with my arm,” Underwood told The Detroit News earlier this spring. “I can’t stop that.”
Underwood was sacked on his first snap and his first completion went for a loss. He did throw some darts, usually in the flat, and was quick enough to escape collapsed pockets to pick up yardage with his feet.
Underwood is expected to compete with sophomore Jadyn Davis and Fresno State transfer Mikey Keene for playing time ahead of the season-opening game on Aug. 30 at home against Fresno State.
“It’s a battle,” Moore said. “It’s going to go all the way to fall camp.”
Underwood is motivated to start and kick off a legacy-building career with lofty goals.
“A couple of Heismans and at least one natty,” Underwood said last month in an interview on the Rich Eisen Show.
Underwood knows there will be people doubting he can live up to the hype.
‘He’s just a freshman. He won’t be good enough,'” Underwood said. “I might keep that chip my whole three years.”
He attended at Belleville High School, which is about 15 miles east of Ann Arbor, and flipped his commitment to Michigan after telling LSU coaches last year he intended to play there.
Tom Brady, a former Wolverine and seven-time Super Bowl winner, talked with Underwood during the school’s recruitment via FaceTime and Oracle founder Larry Ellison, one of the world’s richest people, also connected with him.
Jay Underwood told the Wall Street Journal that his son is expected to make more than $15 million at Michigan, but that doesn’t guarantee he will take the first snap next fall.
“He wants to earn everything,” Moore has said. “He doesn’t want to be given anything.”
Hoffman said Underwood has simply blended in with his teammates.
“He’s really humble, like not a big head, ego, nothing like that,” he said. “Comes into work and every day, he wants to get better every day. He’s not riding off his success in high school. He’s really trying to be one of those top players in college football.”
Underwood participated in practices with the team before it beat Alabama in a bowl game, enrolled in classes in January and gained a lot experience in 14 private practices before a public scrimmage.
“Football is football,” he told MLive.com. “School is a little bit more overwhelming now.”