Aaron Judge devastated by injury to Yankees fan favorite

Everything was going swimmingly for the New York Yankees on Monday night. A quality start from Clarke Schmidt and another huge night for the league's best offense had the team just three outs away from a convincing win over the AL West-leading Seattle Mariners that would further stretch their division lead.

And then disaster struck, the kind that makes baseball seem suddenly so unimportant. In the top of the ninth inning, Oswaldo Cabrera suffered a truly gruesome-looking ankle injury while attempting to evade Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh at home plate. (We won't be linking to the video here; please be warned that it's hard to watch.) The Yankees have yet to provide an update on Cabrera's condition, but given how it looked — and the fact that he had to leave the field in an ambulance — it's certainly fair to fear the worst.

It goes without saying that this sort of injury is devastating under any circumstances, an all-too-painful reminder of the risk that professional athletes carry and how quickly their livelihood's can be put into jeopardy. But it's especially crushing for someone like Cabrera, who had endeared himself to Yankees teammates and fans thanks to his positive attitude and willingness to do whatever he can to help New York win. He was the sort of player everyone couldn't help be fall in love with, and Aaron Judge's response on Monday night shows exactly why.

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Aaron Judge offers heartbreaking insight after Oswaldo Cabrera injury

Judge met with the media after New York's win, and naturally Cabrera was the first thing on everyone's mind. Incredibly, the infielder wasn't concerned with his own health; he wanted to know whether he'd managed to score another run for his team.

"He called me over and asked, 'Did I score?'" Judge told reporters. "Kinda shows you the type of guy he is."

To be clear, the Yankees already had this game well in hand, leading 10-5 in the top of the ninth inning. Cabrera would have been forgiven for pulling up and not risking his body to tack one more run on the board, and he certainly would have been forgiven if the result of Monday's game was the furthest thing from his mind as he lay on a stretcher near home plate.

But all he wanted to know was whether he'd helped New York get one step closer to a win. That's the player that fans have fallen in love with since he broke into the Majors in 2022, and it's why he's been a vital presence in the clubhouse over the last few years. His personality and enthusiasm are infectious, and we just hope that he can make it back onto the field as soon as possible.