Aaron Judge opens up on friendly rivalry with Jazz Chisholm Jr.

New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge has jokingly stated that he is involved in a competition with his teammate Jazz Chisholm Jr. over who can get more stolen bases this season. Earlier, Chisholm Jr. had told the media that he intends to be like Judge when he grows up after both players shone in their 9-7 home win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday evening.

The Yankees had already surrendered the three-game series after losing to the D-backs on the previous two days. Aaron Judge put the home team ahead with a three-run shot in the first inning to continue his hot start and notch his fifth home run of the new campaign. Chisholm Jr. also added two runs on a long ball to get his tally up to four homers for the season.

Aaron Judge spoke to the media after the Yankees secured a two-run win over the Diamondbacks. He was asked to respond to the words from Chisholm Jr.

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"I told him I was going to catch him in stolen bases this year, so I think we're both trying to beat each other," Judge laughed.

"It's going to be a good year," he added on a more serious note. "We're going to go out there and push each other, everybody in the whole clubhouse. We're striving to be great, especially after last season when we weren't able to finish the job. Just adds the motivation to go out there and do something special."

Judge is currently at the top of the MLB batting charts with five home runs and 15 RBIs from six games, along with an OPS of 1.648.

Meanwhile, Judge and Chisholm are tied at one stolen base apiece.

Keep scoring until you get that final out: Aaron Judge underlines mentality of Yankees offense

Aaron Judge has hit five home runs in the first six games of the 2025 season (Image Source: IMAGN)

The New York Yankees had surged into a 6-1 lead by the third inning, but they eventually won just two runs as the Arizona Diamondbacks scored four runs in the seventh to bring a close finish to the game.

Aaron Judge described the team's strategy from an offensive standpoint during his interview with the media.

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"We never exhale. We've seen it too many times in this game where you score early and the team actually drags back. That's kind of what happened in the game. They hit a big grand slam late in the game."

"It's been our thing since the beginning of this year," he added. "Don't let off the gas. Keep scoring. Keep scoring until you get that final out."

The New York Yankees have made a strong start to the season, especially from an offensive standpoint, after losing two of their best starting pitchers in Gerrit Cole and Luis Gil during spring training.

They presently have a 4-2 record as they gear up for their first road trip of the season with a three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates starting on Friday.

About the author

Paranjoy Goswami (Bobo) is a baseball reporter at Sportskeeda with over 10 years of experience writing with publications such as Eagle Bet, India Bet and Paradine.

He has provided full coverage, match previews and betting tips on major tournaments such as the FIFA World Cup, English Premier League, German Bundesliga, ICC World Cup, Indian Premier League and several others.

Bobo grew up supporting the Red Sox but has also been on the Phillies bandwagon for the past couple of years. He also roots for the St. Louis Cardinals and Seattle Mariners.

While he hasn't played much baseball, Bobo's fascination with the sport started with an 8-bit Nintendo game, where he picked up the basic rules. He started watching live MLB matches on TV about 20 years ago and his love for baseball just grew by leaps and bounds from then on.

Bobo's favorite player was probably Tim Wakefield as not only was he the best knuckleball pitcher of his time, but he was also a Red Sox legend, an outstanding team player and a great human being. Among the current generation, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Max Scherzer and Bryce Harper get the nod.

Bobo's favorite moment in baseball history was when the Red Sox beat the Yankees before breaking their World Series curse in 2004. That said, Jackie Robinson's breaking the color barrier was the most important.

Outside of baseball, Bobo's interests include literature, comics, world history, science fiction, satire, classic movies, PC games, pets, playing sports, cycling, traveling, sightseeing and quiet reflection.

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Edited by Brad Taningco