This version of Aaron Judge can't get the Yankees into the Canyon of Heroes

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – After a Yankee loss in Game 2, Aaron Boone expressed his disbelief at questions about Aaron Judge's struggles in October – and I get it.

Boone was hired because management wanted a man who would rather swallow paint thinner than publicly criticize one of his players. And also because Boone knows he fielded similar requests during Judge's April lull and mocked them, essentially saying, “Just watch.” The reward was a near-certain second AL MVP season .

But of course that was April. This is October. We don't have a long season ahead – just a long winter if Judge doesn't budge, and fast. If anyone should understand the value of special moments for this organization this time of year, it's Boone. Because even if he was willing to swallow gallons of paint thinner, the only reason he was on the radar to become Yankees manager was because he hit an all-time home run for that franchise in October 2003.

So Aaron Boone currently has more postseason moments than Aaron Judge.

Plus, Boone isn't concerned with the bigger picture. This isn't just a 2024 Division Series issue. Judge had an infield single and four strikeouts against Kansas City and is now hitting .208 for 46 career playoff games with 70 strikeouts in 207 plate appearances – that Whiff mark of 33.8 percent is the second-highest all-time for the postseason (minimum 175 plate appearances). to the bright catcher Martin Maldonado (34.2 percent). From 2022 through these two Division Series games, Judge is 6-of-43 with three RBIs and 19 strikeouts.

“He’ll get more opportunities,” Boone said. “And I’ll keep betting on him.”

What choice does Boone have?

These Yankees can't reach the Canyon of Heroes – and maybe not even the Royals – without their captain coming to life. The Yankees leave like their stars. They are a homer-dependent team. And they perform best when their biggest star hits home runs.

So when Boone tries to protect Judge by noting that he had a walk and an infield single in Game 2, it's important to note that he's not talking about Jon Berti.

The Royals topped the Yankees in two games. The best chance to deliver a knockout blow in any game and make the Royals believe they were in the wrong weight class was Judge – two ons, no outs, first inning, tied in both games. He struck both times.

And those strikeouts highlighted two big problems for Judge this time of year: He was particularly bad with runners in scoring position and was nearly helpless with two strikeouts.

The referee's score is 6-for-35 (.171), with runners in scoring position in the postseason. But since his best October in 2017, it has only cratered — 2 for 23 (.087) with 12 strikeouts.

When the count reaches two strikeouts, Judge is 13-for-113 (.115) with two home runs and 70 strikeouts in the playoffs. In his last 20 plate appearances with two strikeouts, Judge is 0-of-18 with two walks and 11 strikeouts.

Here's the truly amazing thing: Since Game 3 of the 2019 Division Series, Judge has made 66 playoff plate appearances and recorded two hits. He has 40 strikeouts, six walks and three hits – all singles, none of which left the infield. His last postseason extra-base hit with two strikes was against David Price in Game 1 of a 2018 Division Series.

What makes it even more confusing is the fact that Judge is not just a brutal hitter, but a brilliant hitter. During the regular season, he led the majors (minimum 75 plate appearances) with a 1.220 OPS with runners in scoring position. He was second in OPS by two at .811 – 80 points higher than his previous best.

Great players can fail at this time of year. The Dodgers' Mookie Betts entered his Division Series Game 3 as a .245 postseason hitter and 0-for-his-last 22. Kansas City's Bobby Witt Jr., the projected MVP runner-up to Judge, was 0-of 10 with four strikeouts in two games.

But some players are moving up. Bryce Harper, for example. And a group of dynastic Yankees like Derek Jeter, who delivered a similar performance in October as he did from April to September (and that is called great) and complemented it with outstanding moments.

Conversely, perhaps due to the combination of size and athleticism, Judge's strongest historical competition, Dave Winfield, is best remembered as a Yankee for his 22-1 defeat of the Dodgers in the 1981 World Series. This eventually led to George Steinbrenner naming Winfield as Mr. May. This was in contrast to Reggie Jackson's Mr. October.

However, Jackson famously said that you can rewrite history when you have a bat in your hand. Remember how Pete Alonso looked like he was going 0-0 for standout moments in 2024. And then, in what could have been his final at-bat against the Mets – one out, two on in the ninth inning of a crucial Game 3 against the Brewers – Alonso hit a three-run home run off indomitable closer Devin Williams for the Mets to finish in division series.

So Judge can still rewrite this story. I don't understand how the Yankees get to the Canyon of Heroes if he doesn't.