The New York Yankees’ captain, Aaron Judge, has found himself at a crossroads in this World Series. In a crucial Game 2, he faced Yoshinobu Yamamoto with a promising 2-0 count, a moment in the regular season where Judge would have likely unleashed a powerful swing. But the postseason brings a different pressure, and Judge let it go. With the Dodgers up 2-0, he later admitted, “When I’m doing well, I usually fire on that.” Throughout the regular season, Judge dominated this area of the strike zone, boasting a .975 slugging percentage, but this time he went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts, adding up to six in his last nine at-bats.
Judge’s missed opportunities are glaring. In the first inning of Game 2, with Gleyber Torres on second base, Judge struck out for the ninth time this postseason with runners on in the first inning. He’s now 0-for-8 in similar situations, and it’s weighing on him. “I definitely got to step up and do my job,” Judge said. “Guys around me are doing their jobs and getting on base. I’m failing to back them up. We got to turn it around in Game 3.”
The Yankees’ captain is usually among the league’s elite when it comes to plate discipline, ranking in the 97th percentile for chase rate, swinging at only 18.7 percent of pitches outside the zone. But in this World Series, he’s chasing 30.4 percent of them, an uncharacteristic number that signals something is off. Known for his precision timing and swing mechanics, Judge admitted his swing is “getting there”—but the question is, does he have the time to find it?
As Judge heads into Game 3, he knows the stakes and understands his role as the anchor in the Yankees’ lineup. The Yankees will need their captain back to his usual self if they’re to stand a chance against the Dodgers, and Judge is determined to answer the call.
