The New York Yankees need Aaron Judge to get back to his very best before the playoff begins. There was a point when the 2022 AL MVP was looking unstoppable in 2024. He was the first hitter to get to 51 homers this year. The captain of the Bronx Bombers has been leading the league in several offensive categories. But then, since August 26, the six-time All-Star lost his momentum of slugging homers for fun. Even before the All-Star break this year, the California native was on a career-high as he had hit 34 homers. Moreover, Aaron Judge was on his way to breaking his own American League Home Run record.
Can he still get to 63 home runs this year? It looks really tough at present. The Yankees captain has been the favorite to win the AL MVP this year again. But for the last 12 games, he has not hit one single home run. This long homerless streak is raising concerns for the Yankees Faithful ahead of the playoffs. Less than 20 games are remaining for the NY side before the postseason starts. Some fans say it has been the curse of Paw Patrol that caused Judge’s slump.
Did Paw Patrol Cause The Slump Of Aaron Judge?
Fans are afraid that the Yankees captain will end the 2024 regular season exactly the way he started it. He started with an early season slump. Aaron Judge took seven games before he hit his first home run of the season. But he had a terrible time in the month of April in terms of his hitting average. Then, he turned things around in May, and during mid-July, right before the Midsummer Classic, he had 34 homers in his bag. Coming late to August, the California native was able to reach the 50-home run mark and was on pace to 60 homers this regular season. But then, this sudden slump has been very disappointing. It has been a bit of a deja vu for the Yankees because in 2022 the captain had hit the state of a slump during the playoffs as well.
He got fatigued because he was chasing homers that year. Eventually, he let pressure get to him. That’s what happened to him yet again in 2024. When everything looked sorted, he was by far the best player in the AL, things had to go south at some point. Aaron Judge even appeared in the beloved children’s favorite animated series Paw Patrol. Some fans argued that his appearance on that show jinxed his good momentum. Moreover, stats prove that the 2022 AL MVP is on his way to achieving an unwanted record. This year, he can have his career-high longest-homer drought.
Bobby Witt Jr. On His Way To Challenge The Yankees Captain In The AL MVP Race
Due to his 13-game-long homerless streak, Aaron Judge is giving other top hitters of the American League to close in on him in the MVP race. In the case of batting average, Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas City Royals is leading the league with .335, and Judge is second with .321. However, the Yankees captain (51) has hit way more homers than Witt (30) this season.
Nonetheless, these two AL MVP contenders have always been very cordial with each other. Moreover, the Royals SS even called Judge “The King of New York.” He even wonders how Aaron Judge avoids showboating despite being one of the greats of modern times.
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