In a refreshing turn of events, Aaron Judge hit the bleachers on Nov. 5 to cheer on his wife, Samantha Bracksieck, as she completed the New York City Marathon for the second year in a row. For years, Bracksieck has frequented the stands in support of Judge, an outfielder for the New York Yankees. Now, her proud husband is returning the favor with a huge smile and outstretched arms.
After Bracksieck completed the 26.2-mile race, Judge pulled her into a warm embrace near the finish line. The heartwarming display of affection became even sweeter when the couple pulled back to exchange a loving glance. Further showing his support, Judge also did the honors of bestowing his wife with her hard-earned marathon finisher’s medal. Though Judge and Bracksieck usually prefer to keep the details of their relationship private, the moment of congratulations was a welcome glimpse at the couple’s bond behind the scenes.
It’s unclear exactly what Judge and Bracksieck said to each other during their rare moment of PDA. After attending countless Yankees games and putting up with her husband’s pregame ritual, though, it seems like Bracksieck was grateful to see her number-one fan waiting for her on the sidelines.
Following the moment of congratulations, Judge and Bracksieck met up with New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo and his wife, Emily Vakos, who ran her first NYC Marathon this year. Ahead of the race, Vakos reached out to Bracksieck for advice. “I have gone to her throughout this entire process and asked her a gazillion questions about what the day [of] looks like, what I should be wearing, what headphones, what her training looks like,” Vakos told the New York Post in October. “We’ve ran together as well, and she’s really been a support system for me and given me a lot of good experience advice.”
The marathon comes just weeks before Bracksieck and Judge are set to celebrate their second wedding anniversary. Ahead, see the couple’s rare moment of PDA at the NYC Marathon.