Aaron Judge says Anthony Rizzo sent photos of their dogs to convince him to stay with the Yankees

Yankees captain Aaron Judge has revealed that his teammate and friend Anthony Rizzo and his dogs played a huge role in his decision to stay in the Bronx.

Judge signed a $360 million deal through the 2031 season with the Yankees last month after a landmark season with the Bronx Bombers.

The slugger hardly returned to the Big Apple, though, as he was the most in-demand free agent this offseason with the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres after breaking the AL record for home runs with 62 in the last season. station.

Aaron Judge (left) revealed that Anthony Rizzo (right) “worked hard” to get him back to the Yankees

Despite attempts by the Giants and Padres to lure him to the West Coast, Judge eventually recommitted to the Yankees, earning himself the mantle of New York’s 16th captain.

Appearing in TThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy FallonJudge revealed that a major factor in his return to the Bronx was Rizzo’s relentless coaxing of the first baseman, even resorting to emotional blackmail.

“He played a big role, a big role as a free agent as well,” Judge said. ‘He opted out, but he got his contract out of the way. And he said, “Now we have to lock you up.”

He called me every day. He texted me every day. I was working hard.

The 6-foot-7 slugger appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Monday.

Judge revealed that his dog, Penny, is Kevin’s best friend from Rizzo, and that his teammate constantly sent photos of the two pets together, tugging at the heartstrings of 6-foot-7 sluggers.

He went for my heart. My little Penny and her dog Kevin are the best of friends. This is what I had to deal with,” Judge said, referring to a photo of the two canines together. “Every day, I would get photos like this.”

While Yankees fans were on tenterhooks until Judge finally donned pinstripes again, the record-breaker himself found the free agent process enjoyable.

“It was a fun process, you know, all athletes want to get to that position where they can choose, where they can play and I just happened to be drafted by the best team on the planet,” Judge said.

Judge revealed that his dog, Penny (right), is Rizzo’s best friend, Kevin (left)

‘I met a lot of great teams, a lot of great people along the way. But after every meeting, you know, I’d sit with my wife, and we’d look at each other and say, “We’re Yankees.”

Judge was recently serenaded by fans at a Drake concert on Sunday night after being spotted watching the show from a VIP box.

He attended the concert with his wife Samantha and was soon chosen by fans from the crowd.

The New York Yankees captain was serenaded by fans at a Drake concert on Sunday.

As chants of ‘go Yankees’ erupted, the superstar slugger couldn’t contain a big grin as he thumped his chest in appreciation.

He could also be seen laughing with Samantha while looking slightly embarrassed at the support coming his way.

Following his record-breaking season, in which he broke Roger Maris’ AL record for home runs, the four-time All-Star won the Yankees’ captaincy, his first since Derek Jeter in 2014.

In his official presentation after signing his new mega-money deal, Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner announced that the 6-foot-7 slugger would be the franchise’s new leader.

The American League Most Valuable Player was named as the 16th captain of the New York Yankees after a historic season