Aaron Judge is in the race to chase down his own American League Home Run record. In 2022, the California native broke Roger Maris 1961’s record of 61 home runs. He got to 62 Home runs and eventually won the AL MVP that year, beating Shohei Ohtani. Moreover, he was the biggest free agent in 2022. Finally, the New York Yankees signed the 2022 AL MVP for a nine-year contract extension worth $360 million. Then, Hal Steinbrenner announced that he would be the 16th captain of the franchise, succeeding Derek Jeter.
It is a special shoe to fill for Aaron Judge, as Jeter led the NY side to five World Series wins. Like Jeter helped the Bronx Bombers to become 27-time World Champions from being 22-time for a while, how many World Series will they win with Judge? Only time can tell. Meanwhile, in 2024, the California native will be chasing his own 2022 record of 62 homers. Can he get to 63 or more? Lately, things have been going very slow for the Yankees captain.
Aaron Judge Has Been Homerless Over The Last Nine Games
What happened to the NY side’s captain? Only a little more than 20 games remaining before the Bronx Bombers start getting ready for the playoff challenge. But in the last nine games, the team and its captain have both been very subdued. The Yankees lost three straight series against the Washington Nationals, the St. Louis Cardinals, and lastly, the Texas Rangers. In all these series, Judge’s bat did not talk. It stayed quiet with zero homers. Moreover, it shocked the fans who wondered if the sudden slump of the Yankees captain was a jinx, a curse, or just a shocking coincidence. Aaron Judge’s performance in the last three series has been a stark contrast to his early season dominance. Fans in the Bronx believe he will win the American League MVP again this year.
However, in the last nine games, Aaron Judge is hitting .194, with only two RBIs, and no home runs. Clearly, it has been Judge’s longest homerless streak of the 2024 regular season. Some fans believe that it has been the curse of appearing in the spin off Rubble & Crew episode of popular children show Paw Patrol. It is a coincidence that since August 26, the Yankees captain has seen a dip in performance. Perhaps it is the curse of Paw Patrol that caused Judge’s sudden slump. But Aaron Judge does not seem too worried about the slump yet.
What’s The Yankees Captain Has To Say About The Sudden Slump?
After the Texas Rangers defeated the Yankees 10-6 in the third game of the last series, Aaron Judge mentioned, “Every game means as much as it felt on March 28.” Adding to that, the 2022 AL MVP said that it means the same to the whole team. Moreover, 22 games are remaining and the slump is making the fans nervous.
However, it is not something the team is worrying right now, says the Captain. Aaron Judge added that it is all about how you play the next game. Prior to his August 26 debut, Judge’s stats were astronomical. He was on pace to break his own AL record. But now things seem like they are becoming a nail-biter.
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