Judge welcomes 'PAW Patrol' spinoff character to Bronx

NEW YORK -- As Aaron Judge continues to swing one of the hottest bats in baseball, the Yankees' captain welcomed one of his other teammates to the Bronx on Thursday.

A costumed character from the Nickelodeon program “Rubble & Crew” was on the field at Yankee Stadium prior to the game against the Guardians, including recognition at home plate before Gerrit Cole tossed the afternoon’s first pitch.

An animated version of Judge will star in an upcoming episode of the “PAW Patrol” spinoff, which will premiere on Nickelodeon on Monday at 11 a.m. ET.

Judge lent his voice to the episode, titled “The Crew Builds a Ballpark,” in which Rubble and his crew build a ballpark to hold a home run derby in Builder Cove for Judge, who can’t get out of town to participate in a different home run derby.

“As a proud dog dad, it was a blast to join Rubble and his friends in this adventure,” Judge said earlier this year. “Through my foundation work, I understand the importance of reaching kids and teaching them the importance of teamwork.

“It was so fun to combine two things I’m passionate about -- dogs and baseball -- to deliver this valuable message.”

Also featured in the episode is Judge’s wife, Samantha, who voiced one of the couple’s dogs, Penny. The first 15,000 fans in attendance on Thursday received an exclusive “Rubble x NYY” baseball cap.