Who is Aaron Judge’s wife, Samantha Bracksieck?

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge made history this week, after he broke the American League single-season home run record.

Judge’s 62nd home run will land him in record books, and quickly prompted his name to populate headlines around the country. Now, even non-baseball fans are learning of the talented outfielder, and news of his historic homer is prompting questions among those unfamiliar with the 30-year-old athlete. Despite the lack of an overall Yankees win, Judge celebrated his historic home run with his wife following the game’s conclusion, disappointing hopeful women everywhere. It’s not news that Judge is married — at least not to most — but few people are familiar with his wife. Following her husband’s record-breaking day, however, Samantha Bracksieck‘s name is suddenly everywhere.

Who is Aaron Judge’s wife?

The support system behind Aaron Judge, Samantha Bracksieck, found her name trending alongside her husband’s in the hours after he broke a record held for 61 years by Roger Maris. She’s largely avoided the spotlight in the years since her husband first started making headlines — all the way back in 2017 — but his historic night is set to change that.

Bracksieck has been by Judge’s side through the highs and lows — mostly highs — of his career, a steadfast presence even in the face of his demanding schedule. After fans caught sight of the couple holding hands in the aftermath of Judge’s history-making homer, queries about Bracksieck started to arise online.

As it turns out, Bracksieck has been by Judge’s side for much longer than many fans assumed. The pair met back in high school, and from there attended the same university — Fresno State University — where she studied kinesiology, according to People. Judge was clearly a vital figure in her life through it all, if her master’s thesis is any indication. The publication says Bracksieck presented a thesis grounded in baseball, titling her project “Posterior Elbow Angle During the Movement Phase of Throwing in Relation to the Susceptibility of UCL Injury in Major League Baseball Players.”

There’s no clear indication that the two were dating through their high school and college years, but they have been together for nearly a decade. The first traceable signs of their relationship cropped up online in 2014, and the years since have seen their relationship mostly veer away from social media. The couple seemingly prefer to keep things under wraps, with exceedingly rare posts — and even rarer images — cropping up on social media.

Bracksieck and Judge’s relationship timeline is hazy to outsiders, but it’s well known that they officially tied the knot in 2021. Images from their wedding were shared by Daily Mail back in December, giving fans a glimpse into their nuptials. They seem to share quite a bit in common — good news for any marriage — if the rare images of them are any indication. Their charitable efforts are well known among Judge’s fans — and seem to be something they enjoy tackling as a pair — and the duo have been seen enjoying a range of sports outside of baseball.

Their marriage is still quite young, but Judge and Bracksieck seem to have found the key to a thriving celebrity marriage. Being a couple in the spotlight is never easy, but their foundations are clearly solid. Judge’s career is still taking off, but he’s headed toward even more greatness — with his wonderful wife at his side.