Two-time reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge goes hitless for first time in career on opening day for Yanks

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Two-time reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge went hitless on opening day for the first time in his big league career and had four strikeouts in a game for the first time since September 2024 in the New York Yankees' 7-0 win over the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday night.

Judge struck out swinging in the first against Logan Webb, took a called third strike in the second, struck out on a foul tip in the fourth, then took another called third strike in the sixth. He grounded out starting the night on an 0-for-5 night.

He had not struck out four times since a five-strikeout game against Pittsburgh on Sept. 28, 2024.

Manager Aaron Boone liked how the rest of the order contributed on what was an off night for Judge.

“It was kind of a little bit of everyone tonight being able to have a hand in it,” Boone said. “A night we didn't hit the ball out of the ballpark but just a lot of good pressurized at-bats I thought. Good night for us. I think we can beat you a lot of different ways.”

Judge was booed before the game and during each at-bat as he began his 11th big league season — someone the home fans at Oracle Park had so hoped would be wearing orange and black rather than pinstripes and playing in the Bronx. The California native had been pursued by the Giants during free agency in 2022 but he ultimately chose the Yankees’ $360 million, nine-year contract offer.

The 33-year-old slugger grew up in the Central Valley town of Linden and starred at Fresno State. He batted a career-best and major league-high .331 last season with 53 home runs and 114 RBIs.

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New York Yankees' Aaron Judge walks to the dugout after striking out during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants in San Francisco, Wednesday, March 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

New York Yankees' Aaron Judge walks to the on deck circle during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants in San Francisco, Wednesday, March 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

New York Yankees' Aaron Judge reacts after striking out against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning of a baseball game in San Francisco, Wednesday, March 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

New York Yankees' Aaron Judge reacts after striking out against the San Francisco Giants during the fourth inning of a baseball game in San Francisco, Wednesday, March 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin heard his name over the arena speakers, looked up at the scoreboard and broke into a smile upon seeing his fiancee waving to the fans from a suite on Wednesday night.

It was a moment Dahlin had long dreamed of: having Carolina Matovac back in Buffalo and attending her first Sabres game since her heart failed while the couple vacationed in France last summer.

As the crowd cheered, Dahlin joined his teammates as they slapped their sticks on the boards during a break in the first period of Buffalo’s 4-3 overtime loss to Boston.

“Unbelievable, the support we’ve had for a long time now,” Dahlin said. “Getting this today, it was special, for sure.”

Matovac being able to travel was the next big step in her recovery after receiving a lifesaving heart transplant. She arrived in Buffalo this week after spending much of the past seven months recuperating in the couple’s native Sweden.

Her condition was kept under wraps before Dahlin revealed what happened upon reporting for training camp. In a message posted on the team’s website, Dahlin detailed how Matovac nearly died.

He said Matovac felt sick for several days before her heart failed, saying she required CPR on “multiple occasions and up to a couple of hours at a time.”

“Without her receiving lifesaving CPR, the result would have been unimaginable. It is hard to even think about the worst-case scenario,” Dahlin wrote.

Matovac spent weeks on life support before receiving a new heart. In January, Matovac revealed that she was pregnant when her heart failed, adding that her unborn child played “a vital role” in the discovery of the problem. The fetus, however, did not survive.

“You will always hold a special place in our hearts as our first baby, even though we never had the chance to meet. Our love for you is endless,” she wrote on what was supposed to be her due date. “If it weren’t for my worries about you, we might never have called for help and gone to the hospital.”

Dahlin made a few brief trips home this season to be with Matovac.

He has shown leadership and determination amid the personal crisis, helping to lead a turnaround for Buffalo, which is on the cusp of ending an NHL-record 14-season playoff drought.

With the defenseman second on the team with 65 points, the Sabres are on a 33-6-4 run that has vaulted them from last place in the Eastern Conference in early December to a tie for first.

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Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin (26), left, reacts after scoring a goal against the San Jose Sharks during the second period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, March 19, 2026, in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Thien-An Truong)