This year’s World Baseball Classic has been integrated into the video game world.
On Tuesday, San Diego Studios’ popular MLB The Show announced New York Yankees outfielder and back-to-back American League MVP Aaron Judge as this year’s cover athlete for MLB The Show 26.
There are two images of Judge on the cover: one with a Yankees uniform on, and another with a white United States WBC jersey. It also includes a graphic of Judge’s college jersey during his three years as an undergrad at California State University, Fresno.
“Who would’ve thought when I’m in my hometown, in the house I grew up in, like little 10-year-old Aaron that dreamed of getting into the major leagues and then now you’re on the cover of the game. It’s just really surreal,” Judge told ESPN. “I gotta pinch myself every time I see it.”
The last 12 months have been a whirlwind for Judge. He and his wife, Samantha, welcomed their first child, he narrowly edged out Cal Raleigh to win his third MVP, and now he’s made MLB The Show history.
Judge joins former Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame catcher Joe Mauer (2010 and 2011) as the only two players to be on the cover of the popular baseball video game twice.
The 6-foot-7 right-handed hitter appeared on the cover of an MLB The Show 18 after breaking a rookie record with 52 home runs in 2017 – a feat Pete Alonso surpassed two years later with the New York Mets.
United States manager Mark DeRosa appointed Judge captain of his club for the upcoming WBC, three years after the Yankees named their superstar right fielder their first captain since Derek Jeter.
Photo: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees hits a single against the Baltimore Orioles during the fifth inning at Yankee Stadium on September 25, 2024 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
