Postseason Pressure: Can Aaron Judge Deliver When It Counts?
The New York Yankees are among the top teams to take it all this year and win their coveted 28th championship. The American League is wide open, as the Houston Astros and Baltimore Orioles were eliminated from playoff contention.
This year is the Yankees' best chance to win it all. The Yanks and Royals are tied with one game apiece, and while the Yankees have issues that need to be fixed, its most glaring concern is Aaron Judge.
New York is the sole representative from the American League East still competing in the postseason. At the same time, the Detroit Tigers, Cleveland Guardians, and Kansas City Royals are the remaining teams from the American League Central in the American League postseason bracket.
The Yankees' record of 24 wins and 7 losses against the American League Central in the 2024 regular season gives them a significantly high chance of reaching the World Series.
While they could cover for Gerrit Coles' performance on Saturday, giving up three earned runs in his five-inning stint, the Bombers failed to do the same in game 2 when Carlos Rodon also gave up three runs during his turn on the mound.
Judge Has A Bad Postseason Track Record
The Yankees came back thanks to great plays and offensive performances by Gleyber Torres, Juan Soto, and Alex Verdugo, but Aaron Judge was absent. In this Kansas City Royals series', Judge is currently 1 of 7 in his at-bats with only one hit and a walk.
This is far from the Aaron Judge, who was seen raking home runs and nearly breaking his home run record throughout the 2024 season. Aaron Judge needs to get it going and have great postseason performances if he wants to lead New York to its 28th championship.
Judge has had a history of postseason struggles dating back to his rookie year. In his postseason career, Judge has a batting average of .208, with only 13 home runs hit during his seven appearances in the postseason. While 13 home runs isn't something to scoff at, it might be underwhelming for someone that many consider one of the greatest home run hitters of all time.
It's likely that postseason baseball is a different beast for someone like Aaron Judge, who is struggling to get past this type of pressure. Judge also has the highest strikeout rate in postseason history, at 34.3%, with a minimum of 200 plate appearances. Martin Maldonaldo falls right behind him at 34.2%.
During the 2022 postseason run, Aaron Judge went 5 for 36 in his postseason plate appearances. A batting average of .139 and two home runs in nine games is a very ugly statistic. In his most recent postseason appearance in the ALCS in 2022, Judge was 1 for 16 in his at-bats against the Houston Astros.
While the 2022 version of this team had their own problems that led to the sweep by the eventual champions, Judge was one of the primary factors in that series, leading to the postseason elimination.
It's All A Mental Game For Aaron Judge
Given Judge's challenges in the postseason, there are concerns regarding his ability to guide New York to another championship due to his inconsistent performance during postseason baseball. Although Aaron Judge has a track record of starting slowly in the regular season and improving as it progresses, there is no opportunity to make those adjustments during the postseason.
It's hard for fans to see their captain struggle at the most critical time of the baseball calendar, and it's all up to Aaron Judge to fight the mental game of the postseason. It could be that Judge needs that one big home run to alleviate the pressure of his inability to create hits.
Moving Judge To Bat Second?
Moving Judge from batting third to second relieves the pressure of potentially having two players in scoring position and trying to force a hit. This could be a risky move in the postseason, as both Soto and Judge have been batting second and third throughout the entire season.
With that risk comes a high reward but also a high price, so it might not be a move that the Yankees would want to make. For the most part, it's all up to Aaron Judge to overcome that postseason hill.
Undoubtedly, Aaron Judge has the talent and skill to become a great postseason player, putting him among Derek Jeter and Reggie Jackson. Still, he must conquer the pressure and mental battle of postseason baseball. Fans can only hope Judge can fix his postseason woes before it's too late.
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