BOSTON (AP) — Red Sox manager Alex Cora wanted his twin 7-year-old sons to meet the Yankees' Aaron Judge, the biggest star of his team's AL East foe.
“They were like ‘No, no. He’s a rival,’’’ the Boston manager recalled.
Cora persisted, mentioning players that have spent time with both teams, like Alex Verdugo.
Xander and Isander Cora got to meet the 6-foot-7 All-Star before Boston's 4-3 win on Saturday night. The brothers wore Boston's new alternate jerseys in Fenway green. Cora took a photo of the boys with Judge, who gave one of them a set of batting gloves.
“I only had one pair on me, so that’s all I could do,” Judge said, smiling.
“We’re rivals when we step on that field for 7 o’clock," Judge told The Associated Press on Sunday morning. "He’s a dad. He’s got two sons that are big baseball fans, so I get the chance to meet them and talk a little baseball with them. ... That’s another cool part of the job.”
Cora had been hoping for a while to set up the meeting.
“Last week, I texted him and said: ’We need to do this, and he was like: ‘Just let me know,”’ the manager said.
“I’m a fan of all these guys. These guys, they kick our butt and sometimes we do it to them,” Cora said. “At the end, we’re a fraternity. I’ve been watching him since 2017. I think last year, we started communicating. I’m in awe with everything that goes on with him because it’s (Shohei) Ohtani and Judge. They’re the faces of baseball. The way he conducts himself on and off the field.”
Cora said one of his sons is outspoken and the other is shy. Cora shared details of the get-together with his wife, Angelica.
“They were kind of like quiet in the beginning and then they were comfortable,” he said, before breaking into a laugh as he finished the story. “They called Angelica after the fact and said: ‘He’s shy. They called him shy.’’
Judge was marking his first Father's Day as a dad. His wife, Samantha, gave birth to Nora Rose on Jan. 27.
“Definitely, being a dad now, I look at it a little different,” the Yankees outfielder said of the meeting and signing autographs for fans after batting practice. “Just try to take maybe five minutes, six minutes out of my day. That’s a memory they get to have for a lifetime. Even for me, those are special moments I get to share with fans.”
Cora's boys can expect a present. Another set of batting gloves, so there is one for each.
“He said he was going to send it,” Cora said. “They said: ‘He didn’t sign it.’ I said: ‘Don’t worry about it. You got the picture.’
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Baseball Hall of Famer David Ortiz, right, talks with Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora prior to a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park, Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
New York Yankees' Aaron Judge strikes out swinging in the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Saturday, June 14, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge reacts after he struck out swinging in the third inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Saturday, June 14, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
LONDON (AP) — King Charles III has been “deeply touched” by the response to his update on his cancer treatment, Buckingham Palace said Saturday, adding that the monarch is pleased to have highlighted the value of screening programs for the disease.
Medics and health charities have praised the king for his openness, saying his statement on Friday had already prompted people to seek information about cancer.
In a strikingly personal video statement, the British monarch acknowledged that a cancer diagnosis can feel “overwhelming,” but said catching the disease early brings “the precious gift of hope.”
Here’s what to know about the king's condition and his message.
The 77-year-old king said in a statement broadcast Friday that his treatment schedule will be reduced in the new year, “thanks to early diagnosis, effective intervention and adherence to ‘doctors’ orders.’”
He encouraged others to take advantage of screening programs such as those for breast, bowel and cervical cancer offered by Britain’s public health service.
“Early diagnosis quite simply saves lives,” the king said in the statement aired during a “Stand Up to Cancer” telethon on TV station Channel 4. He said catching the disease early had allowed him “to continue leading a full and active life even while undergoing treatment.”
Charles has received outpatient treatment for almost two years. Buckingham Palace did not say the king is in remission, but that his treatment is moving to a “precautionary phase” and his condition will be monitored to ensure his continued recovery.
“I know from my own experience that a cancer diagnosis can feel overwhelming,” the king said in his video statement. “Yet I also know that early detection is the key that can transform treatment journeys, giving invaluable time to medical teams – and, to their patients, the precious gift of hope.”
Charles announced in February 2024 that he had been diagnosed with cancer, and, in a break from centuries of secrecy about royal health, he has since spoken about the illness, using his story to promote cancer awareness and treatment.
The openness has limits, though. The king has not disclosed what type of cancer he has or what kind of treatment he is receiving. The palace said it was an intentional decision designed to ensure his message reaches the widest possible audience.
The king’s cancer was discovered after treatment for an enlarged prostate. While doctors ruled out prostate cancer, tests revealed “a separate issue of concern,” palace officials said last year.
Charles suspended his public appearances for about two months after his diagnosis. Since returning to the public eye, he has visited cancer treatment centers across the country and shared stories with fellow patients.
Buckingham Palace said Charles “will be greatly encouraged and deeply touched by the very positive reaction" his message has generated. “He will be particularly pleased at the way it has helped to shine a light on the benefits of cancer screening programs,” it added.
British cancer charities said the number of people seeking information about cancer jumped after the king revealed he was undergoing treatment last year.
Cancer Research U.K. said about 100,000 people have visited its Screening Checker website since it was launched on Dec. 5, most of them since the king’s statement on Friday.
The charity's Chief Executive Michelle Mitchell said: “When public figures speak openly about their cancer diagnosis, it can prompt others to check in on their health.”
Broadcaster Jonathan Dimbleby, the king’s authorized biographer, said the statement was “a remarkable thing for a monarch to do.”
“It takes guts, and the fact that he came out and did that will save lives,’” Dimbleby said.
The Princess of Wales, who announced her own cancer diagnosis six weeks after her father-in-law, has also given updates on her treatment. Kate announced in January that her cancer is in remission.
Find more of AP’s coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/royalty
Britain's King Charles III attends an Advent Service at Westminster Abbey, in London, Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. (Chris Jackson/Pool Photo via AP)
Britain's King Charles III attends an Advent Service at Westminster Abbey, in London, Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. (Chris Jackson/Pool Photo via AP)
