The New York Yankees fell to the Kansas City Royals, 4-2, in Game 2 of their American League Division Series on Monday, leaving the series tied 1-1.
As the teams prepare to head to Kansas City for the next two games, the Yankees face what is now a best-of-three scenario, with added pressure to keep their postseason run alive.
Third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. made waves with his postgame remarks, claiming the Royals got “lucky” in their Game 2 win.
If you listen to the whole clip of Chisholm, the intent of his comments was clear. He was more so speaking about his confidence in his teammates rather than trying to disrespect the Royals.
However, fair or not, when you use the word “lucky” to describe an opponent’s victory, disrespect is implied.
The much bigger concern surrounding the Yankees is the ongoing postseason struggles of captain Aaron Judge.
“If I’m not hitting 1.000, I’m not feeling good,” Judge said after the Game 2 loss. “Just gotta keep getting on base for the guys behind me. If they get on, I gotta drive ’em in.
“You play nine innings and it’s a long ballgame, so you’d kind of like to get it there in the first and give your team the lead but haven’t been able to come through so we’ll do it the next time.”
That quote sounds great. However, it’s become impossible to ignore the obvious: Aaron Judge has been a disaster in his postseason career.
Of course, it’s only a matter of time before Judge breaks out of his October slump. He’s too special of a player to continue to fail.
However, if he doesn’t turn things around quickly, the Yankees could be facing one of their most disappointing postseason exits in franchise history.
It’s unfair to pile on Judge, especially when so many other highly-paid stars are underperforming. However, as the captain of the team and the sure-fire MVP winner, Judge has to face the music for his continued failings.
He’s without a doubt one of the best – if not THE best – regular season players in all of baseball.
However, as we stand here today, the fact of the matter is Judge is one of the worst playoff performers (relative to his talent) that we’ve ever seen.
In the first two games of the series, Judge has struggled to find his rhythm at the plate. He’s just 1-for-7 with two walks. His lone hit an infield single late in Game 2.
Giancarlo Stanton (1-for-8) has been an even bigger disaster than Judge. However, he doesn’t face nearly as much heat since fans know what exactly to expect from him. (If anything, the Stanton venom is directed at Boone/Cashman for even playing him in the first place.)
A $325,000,000 professional athlete who admittingly doesn’t run hard because he’s petrified of getting hurt … Let that sink in.
Superstar Juan Soto’s inconsistencies has also hurt the Bombers. Unable to follow up his Game 1 heroics (he went 3-for-5 in the opener but 0-for-2 in Game 2), the Yankees’ offense has stalled at a critical moment.
The media also questioned whether the Yankees’ first-round bye had disrupted their momentum heading into the ALDS.
The team had dominated the AL East throughout the regular season but seemed sluggish in Game 2. (In many ways, they were lucky to even win Game 1.)
Judge, however, dismissed that whole notion and said “the bye has anything to do with it.”
Aaron Judge is a great person, player, leader, and captain. He’s a virtual lock to make the Hall of Fame one day. He’s never said or done a negative thing off-the-field and has represented the pinstripes with nothing but absolute class.
Having said all of that, true Yankees are judged in October (pun intended).
Luckily for Judge and the Yankees, there’s still plenty of time to turn things around – starting with tomorrow’s massive Game 3 in Kansas City.
What are your thoughts on Judge’s postseason struggles? … Just how worried should Yankees fans be???
