The New York Yankees went down 4-2 against Kansas City Royals in Game 2 of ALDS held on Monday. Captain Aaron Judge disappointed for the second straight October game as he went 1-for-3 without scoring. Not to forget this is the same Judge who is coming off a historic season worthy of AL-MVP.
Aaron Judge finished the regular season with 58 home runs and 144 RBIs, while also leading MLB in walks, runs scored and OPS. However, tables have turned in October and the present situation of the New York Yankees is exactly how former legend Derek Jeter feared it to be when the Yanks qualified for the playoffs.
Derek Jeter’s Fears About Yankees Over-Reliance On Aaron Judge Coming True
Aaron Judge’s postseason struggles are becoming a major talking point, particularly after Game 2 of the ALDS against the Kansas City Royals. Despite a standout regular season, where Judge and teammate Juan Soto were compared to legendary Yankees duo Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth for their offensive prowess, Judge’s performance in October hasn’t matched the same intensity. This postseason, he seems to be stuck in a slump, mirroring past issues with his playoff performances. Notably, the captain’s postseason numbers, unfortunately, reveal his difficulties. He has just one hit in his last 22 playoff at-bats, with the highest strikeout percentage in postseason history at 34.3%.
Interestingly, former Yankees captain and Hall of Famer shortstop Derek Jeter offered sage advice to Aaron Judge and the team after Game 1 of the ALDS, where the Yankees managed to win despite Judge’s lackluster performance. Jeter stressed the importance of a collective team effort rather than focusing on one star player, stating that everyone needs to step up for the Bombers to win the World Series. He also advised Judge not to let past playoff struggles affect his mindset and to treat every game as a fresh opportunity. “In order for the Yankees to win a World Series, it’s gonna take more than Aaron Judge. Everyone’s gonna have to step up,” Jeter said. However, Jeter’s fears came true in Game 2 as the Yanks went down 4-2, with Judge going scoreless yet again. With Game 3 on the horizon, the Yankee captain will bear not only individual but also team performance.
Judge Sets Up Unwanted Record After ALDS Failures
Aaron Judge, the New York Yankees’ star player, now holds an unexpected and unfortunate MLB postseason record. Judge has the highest strikeout rate in postseason history, striking out 34.3% of the time. This rate is more than 5 percentage points higher than his regular-season career strikeout rate of 29%.
In the 2024 ALDS against the Kansas City Royals, Aaron Judge is off to a slow start, going 1-for-7 with four strikeouts and no extra-base hits in the first two games. Over his entire postseason career, which spans 46 games, Judge has struck out 70 times, slashing .208/.311/.449. However, manager Aaron Boone remains optimistic, stating that he doesn’t expect Judge to be held down for long.
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