World Series 2024: Did the Dodgers break Aaron Judge? The Yankees superstar looks uncomfortable and time is of the essence

LOS ANGELES – Beads of sweat glistened across Aaron Judge's brow as the Yankees captain faced the music.

In the Yankees' locker room, Judge stood trial after New York's 4-2 loss to the Dodgers in Game 2 of the World Series. An imposing crescent of cameras, microphones and outstretched phones barely gave the struggling slugger room to breathe in Dodger Stadium's comically cramped visitors' clubhouse. Maybe it was the glare from the blinding TV lights or the heat of too many people in too small a space, but the typically cool character was sweating.

Otherwise, Judge cut a calm figure. With his trademark deep voice, the Yankee talisman took full responsibility for the dismal start to his first World Series.

“I definitely have to go one step further. I have to do my job,” he said. “The people around me are doing their job and getting on base. You know, and I’m letting them down instead of supporting them.”

Through two games of this Fall Classic, the presumptive American League MVP is 1-9 with six strikeouts. He didn't have a hit with runners on base. He hunts almost twice as fast as he did in the regular season. The Dodgers have noticed and are attacking him with an unusually high percentage of breaking pitches outside the zone.

Quite simply: The game's most dominant offensive force, fresh off its best offensive season in two decades, looks unusually uncomfortable.

In Saturday's second game, Judge went 0-for-4 with three punchouts, becoming just the sixth player to strike out three times in consecutive World Series games. Judge joins fellow Yankee Alex Rodríguez as just the second player in MLB history to accomplish this unsavory feat in the first two World Series games of his career.

The others:

• 2022: JT Realmuto (Phillies) – Games 1 and 2

• 2017: Cody Bellinger (Dodgers) – G6/G7

• 2016: Mike Napoli (Cleveland) – G6/G7

• 2009: Ryan Howard (Phillies) – G2/G3

• 2009: Alex Rodriguez (Yankees) – G1/G2

Rodríguez is, perhaps poetically speaking, the only player on this list whose team won the Fall Classic.

It's worth noting that Judge isn't the only Yankee whose issues contributed to this 2-0 series deficit. The last three batters in New York's lineup – Anthony Volpe, Austin Wells and Alex Verdugo – have a paltry 1-for-24. Wells, the mustachioed catcher who is expected to finish in the top three for American League Rookie of the Year voting, appeared particularly overwhelmed. All three of his at-bats in Game 2 — two easy groundouts and a strikeout — ended with fastballs in the heart of the zone.

But criticizing the final three batters in the Yankees' lineup misses the point. Judge is, was and will be the face, heart and soul of this franchise. Criticism comes with the job. If the riots continue, he will be rained down on in the Bronx.

“The narrative is what is made of it,” first baseman Anthony Rizzo, one of Judge’s closest friends on the team, told reporters after the game. “But he’s a wall. He knows how to deal with all of these things. These times shape him even more.

“He is the best person I have ever been with. Good things are definitely coming.”

These Yankees stormed through the American League this postseason despite their captain underperforming. Judge, whose 58 home runs this year topped the MLB, has been in the yard just twice this month. Contributions from other stars like Juan Soto and ALCS MVP Giancarlo Stanton kept the Yankees moving while Judge continued to search for form.

A similar dynamic was on display earlier this season, as Judge struggled through April, finishing the month with a relatively paltry .754 OPS and just six home runs. However, as the calendar turned, Judge caught fire. And when the dust settled, his subpar April was just an odd footnote in a historically great campaign. The water has found its level. The mirage of the small sample size became less important.

Now, in the heat of the World Series, the Yankees can't afford to wait.

Judge is well aware of this.

Unsurprisingly, the stoic slugger showed no signs of panic during his post-match remarks. His teammates understandably still believe in their leader. The judge is too talented to last that long. And while Judge's greatness as both a hitter and a leader lies in his ability to walk the line between urgency and mania, it rests fundamentally on his unwavering belief in the long game. That's been his and this club's mantra all season.

But never has this faith been tested in such a difficult moment. The lights are brighter and stronger here, now in the World Series spotlight. The judge's words do not suggest a man overwhelmed by the moment. However, his performance so far has told a different story.

He's running out of time to write a new chapter.