Yankees' Aaron Judge, Cam Schlittler are caught up in Knicks' impressive playoff run

BALTIMORE – Two of the Yankees biggest stars are also caught up – as much as their day jobs allow them to get caught up in something other than baseball – in the Knicks' impressive run to the Eastern Conference Finals.

“There’s definitely some buzz around here about it,” Aaron Judge told Newsday Monday before the Yankees opened a three-game series against the Orioles at Camden Yards. “They’re doing something special over there. We’re always rooting for them. Hopefully, we can catch a game. We want them to go as long as they can so we can get a chance to see them in person and see them take care of things on the court.”

Judge has been somewhat of a regular on Celebrity Row at the Garden, mostly in the offseason, since his breakthrough AL Rookie of the Year season in 2017 (those occasions have become less frequent since he and his wife, Sam, had their first child in January 2025).

But Judge attended multiple games this season, including one last November, joined by Cam Schlittler and Devin Williams, now with the Mets.

Schlittler, who grew up near Boston, is an unabashed fan of New York City, choosing to live in Manhattan after getting his call to the big leagues last July and living there again this season.

The 25-year-old, in addition to sitting courtside in November, attended Game 1 of the Knicks first-round series against the Hawks.

Afterward, he talked with Josh Hart, a serious baseball fan.

“Really good atmosphere. Super exciting,” Schlittler told Newsday with a smile Monday. “Playing in New York in the playoffs, I had a small taste of it [last October]. It’s good to feel that atmosphere, especially as a fan and not the one out there on the field or court. I know Josh, he loves baseball and I was able to talk to him after Game 1, being able to congratulate him and chitchat with him about whatever. He’s been doing good. They’ve all been doing great.”

Like Judge, Schlittler said he hopes for an opportunity to see the Knicks again at the Garden this spring.

“It would be good to stop by and try to get another game in,” Schlittler said. “Hopefully, it lines up with the schedule. It’s always good to support them. To support all the New York teams as well. The goal for me is to be here for the rest of my career, so if I can get closer to those guys, I think that’ll benefit everyone.”

Both players described the Garden atmosphere at this time of year as “electric.”

“The fans, they’re locked in from tip-off,” Judge said. “Big moments, everyone’s on their feet, they’re standing, they’re chanting. They’re rooting on [Jalen] Brunson. They just believe in their players, I think that’s the cool thing. No matter if they’re down a little bit, they may get a little restless, but the fans are locked in and ready to go. They show up ready to go.”

Judge, a three-sport star at Linden High School (Calif.), including on the basketball court where he averaged 18.2 points and 12.8 rebounds per game his senior year, said the Knicks “chemistry” stands out.

“I think that’s the biggest thing is they use every single guy on the court and their bench. They’ve got some good depth,” Judge said. “When you have some good depth, everyone’s kind of flowing. That’s the biggest thing with basketball, I feel like, is the flow. If you’re getting the right flow, guys are moving, they’re in the right spots, they know exactly where this guy or that guy’s supposed to be without looking. You see some of these passes they make…it’s fun to watch.”

Schlittler, who like Judge is 6-7 and who like the Yankees captain played center for his high school (Walpole, Mass.) basketball team, said he’s been most impressed by the Knicks ability to do “everything.”

“They can shoot, they can drive it to the hoop. Defense is amazing,” Schlittler said. “It’s crazy watching when you’re that close and see how big they are. They have a lot of skill players. They’re able to feed off of that [crowd] energy, and you can tell they’re not going to back down against anybody.”

Certainly not against the Sixers, whom the Knicks annihilated the final two games of the semifinals.

Manager Aaron Boone – an unrepentant fan of the Sixers (though the Eagles are his true Philadelphia passion) – has been seen in the pregame clubhouse of late wearing a variety of tops representative of his favorite basketball team (that ceased Monday after the Knicks completed their sweep).

“I wore him out the first day,” Judge laughed. “I said, ‘You’re going to be wearing that for four games and it’s going to be over with. Get it in while you can.’ He’s all Knicks now.”

Which Boone good-naturedly acknowledged.

“I’m excited for the Knicks now,” Boone said, almost meekly. “I’m a Knicks fan.”