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Accessibility statementSkip to main content Democracy Dies in Darkness SubscribeSign in Advertisement Democracy Dies in Darkness MLB THE YANKEES ARE TRAILING BECAUSE AARON JUDGE IS FLAILING Aaron Judge’s playoff struggles have continued in the World Series, and they’ve become a serious problem for the Yankees. 7 min 162 Aaron Judge has 19 strikeouts in 40 postseason at-bats this year. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images) Column by Barry Svrluga October 27, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. EDT LOS ANGELES — Aaron Judge stood in the center of the infield Saturday night. He had to know he was at Dodger Stadium in the middle of the second game of the World Series. He looked completely lost. “I’ve just got to do my job,” Judge said soberly. “That’s what it comes down to.” Subscribe for unlimited access to The Post You can cancel anytime. Subscribe Skip to end of carousel THE SPORTS MOMENT NEWSLETTER (The Washington Post) Reporter Ava Wallace takes you through the buzziest, most engaging sports stories of the week. Sign up for the weekly newsletter End of carousel For 162 games of a regular season, he did more than that. From March to September, there is no better right-handed hitter in baseball than Judge, the New York Yankees’ enormous and elegant center fielder. Heck, from March to September, he may well be the best right-handed hitter of his generation. That’s not the beers-at-the-bar debate at the moment. The debate is this: Why is Judge, the American League MVP who just turned in perhaps the best offensive season in two decades, such an easy October out? Story continues below advertisement After going 0 for 4 with three strikeouts in a frustratingly feeble 4-2 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 2, he’s 1 for 9 with six Ks in two games. What gives, Aaron? Advertisement “You’ve got to get a pitch in the zone and drive it,” Judge said. “And if you don’t, don’t try to make something happen.” The Yankees trail this World Series by two games because Freddie Freeman left an indelible mark on it in Game 1 with a walk-off grand slam and because they managed a single hit off Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who pitched into the seventh inning of Game 2. They have three extra-base hits in two games. And they head home for the first World Series games at Yankee Stadium in 15 years not only desperate for a win but also desperate for their menacing third-in-the-lineup hitter to stop being so meager. Story continues below advertisement “Plain and simple,” Judge said, “I’ve got to start swinging at strikes.” Shohei Ohtani’s left shoulder injury was the only thing to dampen the mood at Dodger Stadium late Saturday night. The potential loss of baseball’s first 50-homer, 50-stolen base megastar could color the rest of the series. The issue in the Bronx: As epic of a season as Ohtani produced, Judge’s was better. And right now, he isn’t a powerful force. He is a feeble problem. Advertisement In April, going 1 for 9 over two games is scuffling, something to get over. In October — particularly in New York — it can be viewed as crumbling. Judge is a major reason the Yankees are back in the Fall Classic. He’s also a major reason they’re down two games. Story continues below advertisement “We’re all a little bit anxious,” third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. said. “It’s the first two games of [the] World Series in our career. You’re going to go out there a little bit anxious, and I feel like when we get home, he’s going to feel more confident and he’s going to calm down a little more.” This normally would be the place for a small-sample-size alert. Except for postseason Judge, this is no longer a small sample size. He is 6 for 40 with 19 strikeouts in these playoffs. His regular season was epic. He had a .322 batting average, a .458 on-base percentage and a .709 slugging percentage for a 1.159 OPS. His slugging percentage and OPS were the highest in the majors since Barry Bonds in 2004. After Saturday’s oh-fer, he’s slashing .150/.280/.325 in 11 postseason games. He accounted for 95 extra-base hits in the regular season. He has three in the postseason. Advertisement Story continues below advertisement Worse: In his regular season career, he hits .288. Now, in 55 postseason games — just more than a third of a season — he’s hitting .199. At a time he should have found his fearsome swing and his decision-making prowess, he is searching for it all. “That’s ultimately what hitting is about: It’s getting in the best position to make a good swing decision, but also be in a strong position to get a good swing off,” Yankees Manager Aaron Boone said. “Everyone’s different in how they do that, and I think he’s working through that a little bit right now.” Put Judge aside, and balls are flying out of Dodger Stadium. Tommy Edman, the surprise MVP of the National League Championship Series, with a solo shot in the bottom of the second of Game 2. Juan Soto, stalking Yamamoto’s every pitch, with an answer for the Yankees in the top of the third. Then the big blows: Teoscar Hernández’s two-run blast to right-center in the bottom of that frame. Freeman’s back-to-back shot that followed to give the Dodgers a 4-1 lead. Advertisement Story continues below advertisement Sometimes, Judge is the one who makes hitting look easy. Right now, he’s making it seem damn near impossible. “It definitely eats at you,” he said. “You want to contribute and help the team. But that’s why you got to keep working, you got to keep swinging.” Go back to that Soto homer, the Yankees’ only hit before the ninth. It could have been a turning point for a stagnant New York offense. He’s the hitter who propelled the Yankees here, with his 10th-inning, three-run blast off Cleveland’s Hunter Gaddis securing the AL Championship Series and ensuring that Yankee Stadium will be filled this week with chants that amount to “Sign him now! Sign him now!” Story continues below advertisement Yamamoto had a solid first major league season after coming over from Japan. Soto’s every action said, “I own you.” He flipped his bat dismissively after his swing, then glanced mischievously at the Dodgers starter before beginning his trip around the bases. The score was tied at 1. The Yankees could have seized momentum. Advertisement Except next up came Judge, the MVP as rally-killer. In the first inning, he had already hit with a man on second — and struck out on a 3-2 slider, making him 0 for 9 with runners in scoring position for the postseason. Here, with a second look at Yamamoto, he swung through a 1-0 curveball, then a fastball in the strike zone. At 2-2, he pushed a lazy flyball to right for the final out of the inning. In the ninth, when the Yankees actually rallied, he struck out with Soto on second. That’s 0 for 10 with runners in scoring position. Story continues below advertisement Is he not getting pitches to hit? Or is he not hitting hittable pitches? Or both? “There’s a couple of pitches that are either down below the zone or off the plate that we’re kind of chasing a little bit, getting in some bad counts,” he said. “Even when we’re ahead in the count, [we’re] swinging at some bad pitches. We’ve got to mix in some walks here and get on base.” That’s where the Yankees are: down two games, with their biggest hitter — who mashed 58 homers and drove in 144 runs — hoping to mix in some walks to get going again. Honestly, whatever it takes. “I can’t sit here and feel bad for myself,” Judge said. “Nobody’s feeling bad for me. You got to show up and do the work.” Or the series won’t get back to Los Angeles, and the season will be over. Share 162 Comments MLB HAND CURATED * Shohei Ohtani is expected to play in World Series Game 3 on Monday October 27, 2024 Shohei Ohtani is expected to play in World Series Game 3 on Monday October 27, 2024 * The Yankees are trailing because Aaron Judge is flailing October 27, 2024 The Yankees are trailing because Aaron Judge is flailing October 27, 2024 * Shohei Ohtani’s injury fuels anxiety as Dodgers seize control of World Series October 27, 2024 Shohei Ohtani’s injury fuels anxiety as Dodgers seize control of World Series October 27, 2024 View 3 more stories NewsletterAs news breaks Sports Alerts Breaking news email alerts on major sports news. Sign up Recommended for you Recommended by Subscribe to comment and get the full experience. 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