Last Thursday, Aaron Judge was the unanimous choice as AL MVP. The New York Post, which typically gobbles up noteworthy happenings in Metro NY, didn’t feature Judge on the front or back pages. How could that be?
In the end, people here only remember how awful Judge played during the postseason. In 49 at-bats, he had only nine hits (.184/.344/.450) with three home runs and 20 strikeouts. Bad enough? No! He will be remembered for dropping a fly ball in the fifth inning of the deciding Game 5 of the World Series. That error was the door-opener to a horrific outcome: the Dodgers scored five unearned runs to clinch the championship that night.
The Yankees and their players are judged by how many championships they can accumulate. When a player plays for the Yankees, his postseason performance carries more weight than the regular season. Bottom line? The Bronx Bombers haven’t won a championship since 2009, and Judge hasn’t delivered when it matters most.
We enjoy his colossal home runs and star value, but neither means much if they aren’t sustained in the postseason. We also appreciate the class and dignity he brings in representing the Pinstripes, but that, and $2.95, gets him a Metro-North trip to Norwich at best.
Judge knew what he signed up for the minute he played for the Yankees; to his credit, he hasn’t shied away from it. And what’s ironic about the 2024 season for Judge is that it was about as good as it gets, but on the other hand, it was a failure. Because of his regular season play, everyone kept waiting for him to elevate the Bronx Bombers to a World Championship against the Dodgers, which never happened. If he had, maybe the Yankees would have beaten the Dodgers.
Judge was a passenger rather than a driver against the Kansas City Royals and Cleveland Guardians, and (we thought) it was only a matter of time before he broke out of his slump. It will happen at the most important time, in the World Series. But it never did. The Yankees kept waiting, hoping the Dodgers–the best of the best–would bring out the best in Judge. It didn’t happen.
Judge is only 32, and the Yankees will always contend for championships. But at some point, he has to deliver when it matters most. If not, Judge’s numbers won’t carry his legacy. Not winning a World Series and contributing significantly will.
The pressure is not going to go away anytime soon for Judge. If anything, it will amplify until he steps up in the playoffs and leads the Yankees to a championship. Just ask the NY Rangers, Henrik Lundqvist, what it means to be a great player with no championship to show for it. Lundqvist did great things for the Rangers, which was why the Rangers had long postseason runs. However, it never mattered because his team did not win the Stanley Cup.
Undoubtedly, when he reports to Tampa for spring training, Judge will be asked questions about his postseason. That will be a storyline until the narrative changes if it changes.
Judge wants to be in Yankee folklore the way Derek Jeter, Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, and Joe DiMaggio are. He can only do that by winning championships, and getting into the Hall won’t change a thing. Neither will a plaque at Monument Park and having his number retired.
Winning the World Series and having your name associated with World Championships are what matters. This is New York, after all, and you are a Yankee.
