ESPN: Aaron Judge, the captain of the Yankees, explains his joyous excuse for missing the award ceremony.

Aaron Judge, the captain of the New York Yankees, had a valid reason for missing the BBWAA awards luncheon on January 25. He had an excellent stand-in as well. The ceremony was held in New York City, but Judge was unable to attend since he and his wife are expecting their first child “any day.” Tracy Morgan, an actor, comedian, and native of the Bronx, was sent by Judge to accept the trophy for his 2024 American League MVP title in his place. Judge, who was also named the 2022 AL MVP, apologized in a video that he sent.

“I am really honored to earn the 2024 MVP award. I would like to begin by expressing my regret for not attending the award ceremony there this evening. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend since my wife, Samantha, and I are expecting our first child soon. Having said that, Judge expressed gratitude to the Baseball Writers’ Association for their understanding and support, as well as to everyone in attendance today.

“I want to give thanks to God for encircling me with such wonderful individuals who have helped me along the road, including my trainers, coaches, teammates, and the Yankees organization as a whole. It is a privilege for me to present this award to all of you. Your diligence, encouragement, and support. To me, that meant the world. Together, you go through amazing highs and lows during spring training, 162-game seasons, and the postseason. And I’m grateful that I got to spend that time with all of you.

“My family, you all have my undying affection. You never stop encouraging and pushing me to be my best self every single day,” Judge said. “And to the fans: I am inspired every day by your enthusiasm and vigor. I’m constantly motivated to be the greatest version of myself by your encouragement. Additionally, it is an honor to represent the world’s finest metropolis. Judge announced earlier in January that he was expecting a girl with his wife. Growing up two streets away from Yankee Stadium, Morgan, who appeared on Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock, worked as a souvenir salesperson there.

Morgan remarked, “I loved working at Yankee Stadium,” “I had a great time playing the game and meeting people like Mickey Rivers.When I first met them, I didn’t think life would get much better than this.To loud chuckles, Morgan remarked, “And then I became a star and yeah, life became better.”