Yankees’ Opening Day guide: Aaron Judge’s dog helped change everything for today

SAN FRANCISCO — If Yankees captain Aaron Judge owned any other breed of dog, Opening Day at Oracle Park on Wednesday might have looked very different. Maybe Judge would be playing right field and wearing No. 99 for the Giants instead of trying to beat the team that he rooted for growing up in tiny Linden, California.

Before the Yankees matched the Giants’ nine-year, $360 million offer and Judge stayed put in the 2022 offseason, Anthony Rizzo — who had already re-signed with New York — would text photos of his miniature dachshund playing with one of Judge’s. “He went for my heart,” Judge said in January 2023 during an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon . “My little Penny and his dog, Kevin, are the best of friends.

Every day I was getting photos. ” Judge and Rizzo, BFFs when they were Yankees teammates from 2021-24, might get a chance to catch up this week before or after Wednesday’s game … or maybe during Thursday’s off day. Two years into retirement, Rizzo is dabbling with broadcasting and his first assignment is the Yankees’ opener as pre-game and post-game host for Netflix, which is streaming the game.

Yes, Netflix is the only avenue to watch the Yankees’ opener if you’re not in the ballpark. Rizzo will be at Oracle working with two of Judge’s childhood heroes, fellow broadcasting rookies Barry Bonds and Albert Pujols, and host Elle Duncan. One of Judge’s former Yankees mentors, Hall of Fame pitcher CC Sabathia, will serve as a co-analyst alongside Hunter Pence, with Matt Vasgersian on play-by-play.