Yankees' Aaron Judge to sign foul ball that struck Brooklyn pizza shop owner in head

Jim Dolan Image
Friday, August 5, 2022
Yankees' Judge to sign foul ball that struck pizza shop owner in head
New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge will sign the baseball that struck a Brooklyn pizza shop owner in the head, the team confirmed Friday. Jim Dolan has the story.

New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge will sign the baseball that struck a Brooklyn pizza shop owner in the head, the team confirmed Friday.

Paul Giannone, who goes by Paulie Gee, was at the Yankees game Tuesday against the Seattle Mariners, seated on the first base side, when Judge swung at a pitch and sent a foul ball into the stands.

"So I go to look up and it came on me so quick. I got this high, I couldn't even look up to see it... Bang!," Giannone said.

The ball struck Giannone in the middle of his forehead.

His head then started bleeding and, after someone handed him the ball, he went to NYU Langone hospital where doctors said he suffered a concussion.

The bruise on his head was still visible Friday and he was still experiencing ringing in his ears and vertigo.

Giannone, who owns a bunch of pizza shops in Brooklyn and elsewhere, said he has been a committed Yankees fan since 1958.

He followed all of the greatest players from his generation, and now he's hoping Aaron Judge, the greatest Yankee from this generation, who hit the ball that sent him to the hospital, will come through.

"I thought it would be really nice If I could get Judge to sign this ball," Giannone said.

Late Friday, the Yankees confirmed Judge would sign the ball.

ALSO READ | Polio fears rise in New York, virus found in 7 different wastewater samples near NYC

The CDC says the polio virus has been detected in wastewater samples taken from Orange County, New York.

----------

* Get Eyewitness News Delivered

* More New York City news

* Send us a news tip

* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts

* Follow us on YouTube

Submit a News Tip