New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge and Wife Samantha Welcome Baby

Aaron Judge is officially a dad! The New York Yankees outfielder and his wife, Samantha Bracksieck, welcomed their first child together, a daughter named Nora Rose Judge, on Monday, Jan. 27. The proud new parents announced their little one’s arrival on Instagram this month alongside a sweet black-and-white photo of their newborn’s feet.

“What an incredible week it’s been,” the MLB star captioned the post, which can be viewed here. “What an incredible week it’s been, can’t wait for the memories the three of us make.”

The little one’s arrival comes after Page Six first reported on Dec. 26 that the couple was expecting. The outlet reported at the time that Bracksieck was “pregnant with the longtime couple’s first child” and “the mom-to-be is expecting a baby girl.” At the same time, photos from Bracksieck’s private Instagram account showing the expecting mom celebrating at a shower with her friends made the rounds on social media, Just Jared reported.

Judge and Bracksieck remained mum on the report – which came two months after eagle-eyed fans spotted the mom-to-be with what appeared to be a baby bump while attending the American League Championship Series, per Us Weekly – until three weeks later when the pro baseballer celebrated the start of the new year with a 2024 photo roundup. The carousel featured images snapped throughout the year, but did not include any photos of his wife’s baby bump. Rather, Judge confirmed Bracksieck was expecting in the comments section, where he replied to one fan congratulating the couple on their pregnancy.

“Congrats on the baby. I can predict the name already,” the fan wrote, to which Judge responded, “I’d love to hear it!”

Just a few weeks before welcoming little Nora Rose, Judge addressed his journey into fatherhood in a pre-recorded video as he accepted the 2024 AL MVP Award at from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. In the clip, obtained by MLB.com, Judge apologized “for missing the award dinner this evening, however my wife Samantha and I are expecting our first child any day and unfortunately could not make it.”

Judge and Bracksieck first met while attending Linden High School in California, according to PEOPLE, and went on to study at Fresno State University in California. It’s unclear when the pair’s relationship turned romantic, but they made things Instagram official in November 2014 when Judge shared a photo gallery that featured Bracksieck.

The couple have kept their relationship out of the spotlight, with Bracksieck only making a handful of appearances on Judge’s social media pages in the years since going public. They never formally announced their engagement before the Daily Mail reported that they tied the knot in a private ceremony in Maui, Hawaii, on Dec. 13, 2021. The guest line-up included Judge’s then-teammates Gary Sánchez, Gleyber Torres, and Luis Cessa.