The New York Yankees are currently in a 0-2 World Series deficit against the Los Angeles Dodgers because of Aaron Judge’s postseason struggles. Judge is currently tied with Shohei Ohtani for the most strikeouts this postseason, with 19, despite batting just.150 in 11 playoff games. However, Judge’s production has been limited to six RBIs while Ohtani is hitting.260 with 10 RBIs, which has a significant impact on the Yankees’ offense.
After going 0-4 in Game 2, which included three strikeouts, Judge admitted, “Plain and simple, I’ve got to start swinging at strikes.” Given what Gleyber and Juan are doing at the top of the lineup, I need to step up as well.
The obvious about Aaron Judge’s playoff slump is that he is one of the most imposing hitters in Major League Baseball. However, his tendency to chase low-and-outside pitches is a recurring weakness that contributes to his high strikeout rate. Judge, who is supposed to follow in the footsteps of Gleyber Torres and Juan Soto by swinging and missing on 14 of his 24 swings in the series so far, has struggled to consistently put the ball in play. At the start of the World Series, his on-base percentage was.704, but it has since dropped 99 points. He has only reached base once in two games, which is concerning considering that the Yankees absolutely require his offense.
The decision by manager Aaron Boone to keep Judge in the third spot in the lineup is being questioned more and more. In the hope that Judge will benefit from less pressure batting further down, some fans suggest moving Giancarlo Stanton up alongside Soto. With a two-run home run in Game 1, Stanton has been the Yankees’ offensive anchor, temporarily putting the team ahead. Stanton’s postseason performance demonstrates that the Yankees’ lineup cannot be led by a single player. He led the team with 14 RBIs and a 1.098 on-base percentage.
