World Series 2024: Aaron Judge's postseason history doesn't point to a favorable turnaround for the Yankees

NEW YORK – Aaron Judge is the best hitter in baseball and in a few weeks he will win his second AL MVP award in three seasons. When he's on, it's an absolute nightmare for opposing pitchers to watch him walk to the batter's box.

Unfortunately, when the calendar turned from September to October and the Yankees needed him most, Judge was largely absent. And when the Yankees return to the Bronx, they need Judge to wake up or watch their season come to a bitter end in the World Series against the Dodgers.

The Yankees captain is struggling as his team faces a 2-0 series deficit and it appears as if baseball's home run leader is under pressure.

“I definitely have to step up, I have to do my job,” Judge told reporters after Game 2. “The guys here are doing their job and getting on base. I let her down and (don't) support her. We have to turn things around.”

Judge didn't have an October to remember fondly: He hit .150 (6-for-40) with two home runs, seven walks and a whopping 19 strikeouts. Swing-and-miss will always be part of Judge's game and he had 171 strikeouts, one of the best seasons by a right-handed hitter ever.

The problem is that those strikeouts and amazing power are not accompanied by a 1.159 OPS that he had during the regular season.

The thing about Judge is that when he's active, it's impossible to pick him out in the strike zone. The only hope a pitcher usually has is the hope that he will extend the zone. This postseason it is expanding significantly more than in the regular season.

“Look, I think swing decisions are part of it. I think everyone's different when it comes to how they start, how they start on time, and then the momentum comes out,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said after the 4-2 loss in Game 2. “That it is, and this is all result – when I was asked about Anthony (Rizzo), what's different about him in the playoffs, he's coming into a good move and is now in a strong position to make good swing decisions.

“That’s what batting is ultimately about. It's about putting yourself in the best position to make a good swing decision, but also being in a strong position to execute a good swing. Everyone is different in how they do it and I think he’s working on it a little bit right now.”

The Dodgers did a good job of putting Judge in the lead, and after giving him two strikeouts, be it Yoshinobu Yamamoto's splitter, Jack Flaherty's curveball or Blake Treinen's sweeper, Judge went down swinging.

One of the things that makes Judge's problems even more frustrating is that Gleyber Torres (.389 OBP) and Juan Soto (.460 OPB) have both done great jobs getting on base and setting the table for both him and him Giancarlo Stanton to cover.

The October problems are not uncommon for Judge. In 55 career postseason games, Judge owns a .199/.304/.436 with 15 home runs and has recorded a strikeout in over 40% of his 211 postseason at-bats.

As Judge and the Yankees prepare for Game 3 on Monday night, the time for baseball clichés is over. Yes, baseball is tough and the pitching in the postseason is even better than the regular season. But the reality is that the Yankees won't win the World Series if their captain plays like he does. And now, as they face a 2-0 deficit in the series, that pressure only increases.

“It definitely eats at you,” Judge said. “You want to contribute and help the team, but that’s why you have to keep working and keep going. I can't sit here and feel sorry for myself. Nobody feels sorry for me.”