October 27th 2024.
Aaron Judge, the star slugger for the New York Yankees, is currently in the midst of a devastating slump during the postseason. As he struggles to find his form, the Yankees' chances of winning the championship are also fading. In the first two World Series games against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Judge went 1 for 9 with six strikeouts, dragging down the Yankees' offense and contributing to their two losses.
Game 2 was especially tough for Judge, as he went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts. He struggled to make contact against Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto and reliever Blake Treinen, who both struck him out. In fact, Judge swung and missed six times in just four at-bats, while the entire Dodgers roster only did so 12 times.
Judge himself acknowledges his struggles and the impact they have on the team, saying, "It definitely eats at you. You want to contribute and help the team, but that's why you've got to keep working and keep swinging. I can't just sit here and feel sorry for myself. Nobody is feeling sorry for me, so I have to show up and do the work."
Despite his likely win of a second American League MVP award, Judge is not living up to his reputation as an October hero. In these playoffs, he is 6 for 40 with two home runs and a whopping 19 strikeouts. While he did have a three-game stretch in the AL Championship Series where he drove in all six of his RBIs, he has not been able to replicate that success. In fact, he is 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position and has just one hit in his last 22 at-bats in that situation.
This is not a new issue for Judge, as his career postseason average has now dropped to .199. However, for Yankees fans, it is frustrating to see him struggle in the playoffs when he is such a dominant hitter during the regular season.
Judge explains that his struggles are due to being too aggressive in his pitch selection, saying, "I think it's trying to make things happen instead of letting the game come to you. I think that's what it really comes down to. You see (teammates) Gleyber (Torres) and Juan (Soto) getting on base, and you want to try to make something happen. But if you're not getting a pitch in the strike zone, you have to take your walks instead. Plain and simple, I have to start swinging at strikes."
With a career postseason strikeout total of 85, Judge now has the highest strikeout rate in MLB postseason history among players with at least 200 plate appearances. This is a concerning statistic for a player who is known for his powerful swing.
One of the most highly anticipated matchups in this World Series was between Judge and Los Angeles Angels' two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani. However, while other players like Giancarlo Stanton and Freddie Freeman have had memorable swings in the first two games, Judge and Ohtani have only combined for one big hit. To make matters worse, Ohtani injured his left arm while sliding in Game 2, putting his availability for the rest of the series in question.
In Game 1, Ohtani doubled off the wall and scored the tying run in the eighth inning, but he has struggled since then, going 1 for 8 with a walk and two strikeouts. Judge, on the other hand, had a solid first game, going 1 for 5 with a single, but he also struck out three times. In the ninth inning, with the Dodgers intentionally walking Soto to get to Judge, he was unable to capitalize and bring in the tying run.
Judge's struggles are not unique to him, as the Yankees as a whole have struggled with runners in scoring position in the World Series, going just 2 for 14 in those situations. However, as one of the team's leaders and captain, Judge's performance is under a microscope.
Teammate Anthony Rizzo has nothing but praise for Judge, saying, "He's our leader, he's our captain... He knows how to handle all this stuff, and I'm proud of who he is as a person, as a leader. These times right now define him even more, because he comes in every day and he's still the same as he's ever been."
At 6-foot-7, Judge's powerful swing has been described as loopy and inaccurate lately, although there were signs of improvement in recent weeks. However, he has still been swinging and missing at an alarming rate, often being out in front of breaking pitches and behind on fastballs. In Game 2, he was caught off balance by a low splitter from Yamamoto, resulting in a strikeout.
But Judge remains optimistic and focused on his approach, saying, "I'm just expanding the zone. That's what it comes down to. You have to get a pitch in the zone and drive it, and if you don't, don't try to make something happen."
This is Judge's first postseason since signing a $360 million, nine-year contract after his record-breaking 62 homer season in 2022. While the Yankees missed the playoffs last year, they were hoping for a deep run this year with Judge leading the way. However, his struggles have put a damper on those hopes.
Still, his teammates have faith in him and believe that he will turn it around. Washington Nationals' Juan Soto, who faced Judge in the World Series last year, says, "When you're a hitter like him, he's one of the greatest. It's only going to take one at-bat for him to lock in and be on it."
Despite his current struggles, Judge's talent and track record speak for themselves, and there is still time for him to make a game-changing impact in the series. As the World Series shifts to Yankee Stadium, Judge will have the opportunity to redeem himself and prove that he truly is one of the best hitters in the game.
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