The Yankees offense looked anemic for most of their 4-2 loss in Game 2 of the World Series on Saturday night, and Aaron Judge looked especially lost at the plate.
The presumptive AL MVP went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts on Saturday. Across the first two World Series games, Judge is 1-for-9 with six strikeouts. He’s now 6-for-40 (.150) in the postseason with two home runs and six RBI to go along with 19 strikeouts.
So what’s going on with the Yankee Captain? According to him, it’s simple.
“Just expanding the zone, that’s really what it comes down to,” he said after the game. “You have to get a pitch in the zone and drive it, and if you don’t, don’t try to make something happen.
“Just locking in on your zone, let the game come to you. You see Gleyber [Torres] get on base, Juan [Soto] get on base. If you don’t, you have to take your walks and set it up for Big G. I have to stop swinging at strikes.”
Although Judge is likely to win the MVP award after having the best season of his nine-year career, 2024 has been marred with slumps. We saw it in the beginning of the year when he entered May slashing .207/.340/.414.
When asked whether it’s different to struggle in October as opposed to April, Judge said it’s “all the same” but you don’t have games to get out of the slump and it has to come sooner.
“I have to step up and do my job. Guys around me are doing their job getting on base and I’m failing them backing them up,” he said. “We have to turn it around in Game 3.”
The Yankees return to the Bronx for Game 3 on Monday where they look to turn the series around and get their bats reignited. In the first two games, the Yankees are 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position and have left 17 men on base.
Despite being in a 0-2 hole, the Yankees remain confident they can turn it around.
“We have a good ballclub. If you’re not getting it done at the plate, you have to do something on defense, try to find a way to get on base,” Judge explained. “Each at-bat, flush it and move on to the next one. Boys will keep picking me up but I have to step up and pick them up too.”
“I think this is his first World Series as well. We’re all a little anxious, you know,” Jazz Chisholm Jr. said of Judge’s struggles. “First two games of the World Series in our careers so you’re gonna go out there a little bit anxious and I feel like when we get home he’s gonna feel more confident and he’s gonna calm down a little bit more going into the home crowd.
“The swing still looks the same, just a little bit of a timing difference. That’s all I can see.”
Chisholm who entered his first World Series on a cold streak has picked it up, going 3-for-9 with three stolen bases. As for the Yankees’ second-best hitter this season, Soto, he has not had a slump. The left-handed slugger is slashing .350/.460/1.180 this postseason and is 3-for-7 with two walks and a home run in the World Series.
From one great hitter to another, Soto believes it won’t take much for Judge to get it going.
“It’s all about one at-bat. It’s going to take one at-bat to lock in and be on it,” Soto said. “Whenever he hits that ball or takes that pitch or anything it’s going to get him going. At the end of the day, some guys take a while but when you have a guy like that who is so good it will take only take one at-bat to get him going.”
“We’re getting close, we’re getting close,” Judge said of his timing. “Had a couple of good at-bats in the last game but couldn’t transfer over to this game. I have to be disciplined in my strike zone that’s what got us in this position all year long. I have to get back to that.”
The Yankees and Dodgers meet in Game 3 on Monday.
