As a collegiate player, Aaron Judge always thought calling Yankee Stadium home would be “pretty cool.” In fact, after contemplating staying a Yankee or trading to the San Francisco Giants or the San Diego Padres in 2023, he chose to stay in the Big Apple. His 2025 ALDS opponents, the Toronto Blue Jays, were certainly not on his radar. However, he made an interesting confession back in the All-Star Game that has resurfaced, and the Toronto fans are loving him for it.

A contributor for Blue Jays Nation, Damon, shared a clip from this year’s All-Star Game with Judge answering a few questions. One person asked him, “What’s your favorite arena to play in other than your own?” After a quick pause, he said, “I love playing in Toronto. It’s always fun playing there. It’s a good atmosphere. They give me a lot of crap for wearing 99 like (Wayne) Gretzky, so I like kind of going back and forth with the fans on that one.”

The NHL great, Wayne Gretzky, popularized the No. 99 in the NHL so much so that when he was enshrined into the league’s Hall of Fame, his jersey was retired league-wide. However, when it comes to Judge, it wasn’t his first choice. In fact, he was handed the number because his favorite No. 35 was being worn by the team’s right-hander Michael Pineda, and his second favorite, 44, worn by slugger Reggie Jackson, was retired.

“They gave it to me in spring training, and it just kind of stuck with me a little bit,” Judge told NJ Advance Media in 2016. Interestingly, he did not really know what the biggest jersey number in MLB actually meant to the Canadian fans.

Naturally, seeing one of the scariest hitters wear the number that resonates with their legend gets on their nerves, and they do not cut him any slack. Thankfully, Judge likes the back and forth as he revealed with a bright smile on his face.

The timing for the clip resurfacing is quite interesting.

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Aaron Judge’s confession about Toronto being his favorite road city is a big deal now, as the Blue Jays eliminated the Yankees in the ALDS. However, Toronto actually has fans who love Judge for his class and sportsmanship. Since the video started making rounds again, Canadian fans have been showering him with love and wishing he’d been part of a winning team instead of the Yankees.

Aaron Judge is winning hearts all over again

While many have time and again expressed their discontent with the Yankees’ management and team dynamics, they can’t help but love Aaron Judge for his exemplary personal conduct. “He’s too pure for that s–mbag franchise. I just can’t be a certified hater; he seems like a good-natured dude who also happens to be one of the greatest talents of all time.”

Judge has yet to win a World Series title to his name. It’s been widely argued as of late that the Yankees are wasting his prime years. However, he had the option to get traded, and he did fly out to see teams, including one in his favorite spots in LA. But he chose to stay with the Yankees. The 33-year-old even performed his best, like shooting one of the most important 3-point homers in Game 4 against the Blue Jays to give his team enough room to make a comeback and push a deciding Game 5. But the team still lost.

The fan frustration towards the Yankees is growing louder than ever. “He legit is my favorite opp, man; his personality doesn’t coincide with that terrorist organization at all.” Judge hails from Linden, California, and was raised by two devoted teachers. A father himself, he naturally had grounded values long before he made his career in baseball.

In fact, Judge has had many heartwarming fan interactions at Rogers Center. “Always liked Judge. He’s a hell of a class act. The way he interacts with the fans shows how good of a dude he is!” From signing jerseys for his fans to the way he talks, Judge doesn’t have that wild New York blood in his veins.

But for many, it wasn’t just how Judge was but also how the Yankees operated. “After this series with the Yankees and watching all the players and management in the Yankees, I dislike everyone except Judge.” It’s nearly shocking that a team like the Yankees—talented and highly paid—hasn’t hoisted the World Series trophy since 2009. Even with Judge, the team has made it to the playoffs every year but one when Judge was out for two months with an injury.

It’s nearly baffling that despite putting up a stellar season, Judge couldn’t make it to the ALCS because of his team’s costly errors and high-stakes moments.

“If he doesn’t want to be relentlessly criticized and disrespected, he can come here.” Wishful thinking, but not a lost cause. The confession has led many Toronto fans to wish he were playing for the Blue Jays. It’s hard to picture Aaron Judge achieving more than he already has this year. During the regular season, Judge led the American League in key stats like overall value to his team (WAR of 9.7), runs scored (137), walks (124), batting average (.331), on-base percentage (.457), slugging (.688), OPS (1.145), and total bases (372).

Now, he will turn 34 in April and, like everyone, time will catch up with him. Many have already wished that a name like his should have a World Series Title attached to it at least once. Maybe what Judge really needs to do is look for an opportunity outside of New York. Maybe Toronto is calling.