Team USA took an early 2-0 lead over Brazil at the top of the first inning thanks to a huge Aaron Judge home run. It was his first at-bat of the tournament, making it an exciting play all around.

The soon-to-be 34-year-old slugger sent the ball toward left field on a 3-0 count. With a man on second, the three-time AL MVP was able to record the first runs for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic.

Judge proved why he was named the captain of Team USA for the WBC early on in the first game. He'll be leaned on heavily throughout the tournament, as the seven-time All-Star is one of, if not the best, hitters in the world. These are the types of plays the team, along with baseball fans, expect to see from Aaron Judge.

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This is Judge's first appearance in the World Baseball Classic. Once he concludes his run, he'll shift his attention toward the 2026 season with the New York Yankees. He's coming off arguably the best season of his career, as he ended the campaign with a .331 batting average and .457 OBP while recording 179 hits, 53 home runs, and 114 RBIs. He was the league leader in batting average and OBP in 2026.

With Judge leading the way, Team USA is attempting to win its first World Baseball Classic title since 2017. They came up short in 2023 after losing the championship game 3-2 to Team Japan. Shohei Ohtani clinched the win for Japan by striking out then-Los Angeles Angels teammate Mike Trout for the third out in the ninth inning.

Brazil is Team USA's first matchup of the tournament. After this game, they will take on Great Britain on Saturday, March 7, at 8 p.m. EST on Fox.