The New York Yankees played—and won—on Opening Day with heavy hearts after the death of former Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner's 14-year-old son Miller, who tragically passed away after falling ill on a family vacation in Costa Rica.

Prior to the national anthem on Thursday, the Yankees honored Gardner's son with a moment of silence. After the Yankees' 4-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers, team captain Aaron Judge spoke to reporters and shared some heartfelt thoughts about how much Gardner means to him and the organization, adding that the former outfielder's family has been "on his mind."

"I got a lot of phone calls, texts from other guys that when we were young guys coming up—'What do we do? Do we reach out? What's going on?'" Judge said. "Just because of the way that Brett impacted all of our lives. He may not have been the big superstar with all the All-Stars and MVPs and this and that.

"But this guy was a leader of all of us. A second dad to some guys. He poured everything into every single guy. If you were having a tough time, he was always there for you to be someone to lean on, someone to joke on. His family—they've all been on my mind."

During the game, Judge also appeared to make a special tribute to Gardner when the Yankees fans affectionately known as the "Bleacher Creatures", chanted his name during the traditional roll call in the top of the first inning. When Gardner played for the Yankees, he would acknowledge the fans' chants with a flex move.

Over the last few years, Judge has been honoring Gardner by imitating the flex move when he's been in center field, the position Gardner played when he first made it to the big leagues with the Yankees.

On Thursday, Judge again paid tribute to Gardner with the move, this time from right field.

Gardner's son Miller passed away on the morning of March 21 after he had eaten at a restaurant and had fallen ill. Authorities in Costa Rica continue to investigate his death, but possible asphyxiation was ruled out as of Tuesday.

"We have so many questions and so few answers at this point,” Brett and Jessica Gardner said in a statement Sunday. "Miller was a beloved son and brother and we cannot yet comprehend our life without his infectious smile. He loved football, baseball, golf, hunting, fishing, his family and his friends. He lived life to the fullest every single day."

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Aaron Judge Shared Heartfelt Message About Brett Gardner After Yankees' Win.