From March to September, Aaron Judge is the king of baseball but once the calendar flips to October, it’s been a vastly different story.
The captain’s postseason struggles have been well-documented and if reactions from fans in the Bronx on Monday were any indication, Judge has come up short of shifting the narrative.
“Come on, Aaron! Do something!,” screamed a displeased spectator in the sold-out Yankee Stadium crowd as the captain walked up to the plate in the bottom of the fifth inning during the Bombers’ 4-2 loss to the Kansas City Royals in Game 2 of the ALDS.
The 32-year-old stepped up to the plate having just one hit in his last 22 playoff at-bats and owning the highest strikeout percentage in postseason history at 34.3%. He entered Monday slashing .206/.307/.451 in 45 career playoff games — a stark contrast to his regular season .288/.406/.604 line.
Judge was on base twice in Monday’s loss as he recorded a walk in the fifth and an infield single in the eighth. However, he came up short when the opportunity to shift the game presented itself.
Royals ace Cole Ragans was on the ropes in the first inning of Game 2 after walking Gleyber Torres and Juan Soto to start the game. The likely two-time AL MVP struck out leaving two runners on base and allowing Ragans to settle in as he retired the next two batters in order — similar to the first inning of Game 1 when he struck out with runners on second and third with nobody out.
Judge has left seven runners on base in this series and is 1-for-7 with four strikeouts and two walks — granted the Yankees as a team are 3-for-19 with runners in scoring position in the first two games of this series as opportunities have come and went up and down the lineup.
However, in recent years, the Yankees have gone as Judge has gone. If he struggled, they would lose more often than not. The 2024 season has been slightly different as the Bombers added more pieces — such as Juan Soto — around him, and they took Game 1 in spite of a dismal performance from their captain. However, there is still a clear parallel between how Judge performs and how the Yankees perform
In Yankee wins this season, the captain slashed .402/.527/.887. In losses, Judge slashed .208/.356/.437.
The Royals flipped home-field advantage on the Yanks as they will now have to take at least one game at Kauffman Stadium to bring it back to the Bronx for a potential Game 5. Judge and the Yankees will have — at a minimum — two more chances to get on track.
Wednesday’s starter for Kansas City presents no easier challenge for No. 99 as Seth Lugo will take the ball for Matt Quatraro’s squad. Judge has faced Lugo in six games throughout his career and he has never reached base, going 0-for-8 with three strikeouts.
