By Bryan Hoch



From the book THE BABY BOMBERS: The Inside Story of the Next Yankees Dynasty by Bryan Hoch. Copyright © 2018 by Bryan Hoch. Published by Diversion Books. All rights reserved.



Aaron Judge was starting to perspire as he anchored his size seventeen cleats into the artificial turf of a batting cage, concealed from view under the field-level seats of Marlins Park, steps away from the visiting clubhouse. As he swung his bat with lethal force, mashing ball after ball into the protective netting surrounding him, the rhythmic practice hacks were interrupted by waves of thunderous applause that leaked through the ceiling and walls.



Judge moved his eyes toward a mounted television screen, and for an instant, he wondered if the in-house ESPN feed had become stuck on a looped replay of the same drive. The on-screen graphic that charted Justin Bour’s growing tally in the Home Run Derby said otherwise, and Judge allowed himself a brief...