In the summer of 2016, a sense of transition was present at Yankee Stadium. On August 13, the New York Yankees said goodbye to Alex Rodriguez with a pregame ceremony that was interrupted by a thunderstorm. Later that day, Aaron Judge waited for his chance in the on-deck circle.
Judge recalled his mindset during this moment: “I was ecstatic on deck. I’ve just got to make contact now.”
Judge’s debut, along with Tyler Austin’s, is highlighted as one of the most memorable in Yankees history. After Austin hit a home run in his first at-bat, Judge followed with a 446-foot homer to center field. Years later, Austin remarked about Judge: “Remember, I went first.” He also commented on Judge’s home run: “That thing was hit a ton.”
Austin and Judge became the first teammates in MLB history to homer in their first big league at-bats during the same game. They were also the fourth and fifth Yankees to accomplish this feat in their initial career plate appearances.
Other notable debuts include Russ Van Atta’s five-hit shutout against the Washington Senators in 1933 and Joe DiMaggio’s three-hit game in 1936. DiMaggio’s arrival came with high expectations; according to an April 7, 1936 report from the New York Daily News: “Jake Ruppert pays $75,000 for this here DiMaggio to fill Babe Ruth’s shoes. And now Jake discovers Joe can’t fill his own brogans with that sore foot he got in Florida.”
Yogi Berra made an impact on September 22, 1946, going 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs. The Daily News described him as “a 24-year-old ex-sailor who resembles Charley Keller in stature and at bat.”
Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez debuted on June 3, 1998 after being signed by general manager Brian Cashman. Cashman has called Hernandez’s signing one of his best moves as GM. In his first start, Hernandez allowed one run over seven innings and struck out seven batters. Afterward, Hernandez said: “It was a long time since I pitched before so many fans. After warming up, my eyes got teary. It was very emotional, but then later it gave me strength.”
Masahiro Tanaka made his Yankees debut on April 4, 2014 following an undefeated season (24-0) and a low ERA (1.27) with Japan’s Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles prior to signing a seven-year contract worth $155 million.
Marcus Thames homered off Randy Johnson on June 10, 2002 during his first major league at-bat after being called up due to an injury to Juan Rivera.
Jasson Domínguez debuted on September 1, 2023 and homered off Justin Verlander on his first swing in Major League Baseball.
Thurman Munson began his career on August 8, 1969 by guiding Al Downing through a complete-game shutout while recording two hits himself. Munson commented: “I always liked the Yankees because they were a cocky ballclub. Not overbearing, but they exuded confidence. I like to think I have a lot of that confidence.” Manager Ralph Houk compared Munson’s catching skills favorably while expressing hope for even better hitting results.
Sam Militello rounded out these memorable debuts by allowing only one hit over seven innings against Boston on August 9, 1992.
Don Mattingly advised caution regarding early praise for Militello: “It’s nice, but I think we should leave him alone,” Mattingly said then. “I think we should let him pitch the rest of the year without making him a God or a savior… It’d be great for him to do that every time out. But to expect that after only one start is not really fair.”
