NEW YORK – When Aaron Judge hits a ball with a high fastball, there’s usually little doubt about how far it will go and where it will land. But lately the results of his attacks have not been so self-evident.

Not only was the Bronx crowd unsure whether Judge’s flyball would go out in the seventh inning on Tuesday night heading to the deepest part of Yankee Stadium, but his own seven-year teammate wasn’t convinced either. Gleyber Torres, on base with a single, tagged in first as the entire stadium held its breath. By the time the ball landed behind the wall, Judge had already caught up with Torres at first base, barely a step or two behind him. He had Torres start jogging before beginning his home run trot.

“He did that earlier this year too, so I was pretty pissed back then,” Judge joked about Torres’ ratings. “I was pretty angry again. … When it’s that windy, you never know what the ball is going to do in midfield. He tries to get into scoring position. So I let this pass.”

First baseman Anthony Rizzo joked that he expected more from Torres.

“I’m a little disappointed in Gleyber because he doesn’t know Judges Pop there,” Rizzo said with a grin. “We really annoyed him about it. It’s a big swing for Judgey. He had really good batting skills and handled himself well in big situations. To hit the home run, it was a really easy swing, and he’s the best in the business.” Business.

Judge’s two-run blast in the seventh inning of the Yankees’ 6-3 victory over the Guardians marked his first home run of the postseason. Before Tuesday night, his last playoff home run came in Game 5 of the 2022 ALDS, also against Cleveland. He had gone 35 postseason at-bats without a home run, and the Yankees would be thrilled if the worst was finally behind him.

The Yankees captain started Game 2 of the American League Championship Series with a .133 batting average (2-for-15), a .564 OPS and just one RBI in five playoff games this fall. It wasn’t the first time in his career that he went from being a nuisance in the regular season to less of a problem in the playoffs. After hitting 62 home runs in an MVP season in 2022, Judge went 5-for-36 with three RBIs and two walks in nine games this October. By the time he got the monkey off his back Tuesday night, Judge’s playoff slide had reached the point where not even the opposing team was afraid of the powerful slugger.

Guardians manager Stephen Vogt even went so far as to commit the ultimate insult in the second inning when he chose to intentionally walk Juan Soto to load the bases for Judge. The decision appeared to confuse Judge’s teammates in the Yankees’ dugout. Anthony Volpe waved his arms in front of him and declared, “No way! No way!” Jazz Chisholm stared into Cleveland’s dugout, wide-eyed and obviously incredulous.

“That’s super disrespectful,” Chisholm told FOX Sports for intentionally getting Soto in front of Judge. “It’s Soto, we understand he’s playing great and stuff. I mean, I would go with Soto in any other situation. But that’s an insult.”

Left-hander Nestor Cortes added: “That’s crazy. You intentionally go with Soto to pitch for MVP.”

Judge, who responded with a sacrifice fly to midfield to extend New York’s lead to 3-0, downplayed Cleveland’s decision. He said he didn’t take it personally and joked that he would “probably go for a walk with Soto at that point too.” But Judge’s teammate Oswaldo Cabrera told FOX Sports he believes the intentional walk toward Soto may have woken Judge up. Cabrera believes Judge wants moments like these to remind himself that he is the captain of the Yankees and to give his hitting another edge.

Judge being woken from his postseason slumber should petrify opposing teams, especially since the Yankees did just fine without him hitting coverage on the ball. The Bronx Bombers edged the Royals in the ALDS, leading Cleveland 4-2 on Tuesday before Judge turned up the decibel level in the seventh inning. Although he helped out and had better swings and more productive shots, New York has now taken a 2-0 lead in the ALCS against the Guardians without Judge’s heroics.

That means Judge is warming up at exactly the right time. If the Yankees take care of business for the rest of this series – and all signs point to that – then they will need the monster MVP version of Judge to win against stronger offenses in the World Series. The National League Championship Series features two more formidable lineups than Cleveland, and whichever team emerges knows they will have to face the Juan Soto- and Judge-backed Yankees.

“With Aaron, it’s always a matter of time,” manager Aaron Boone said. “It’s definitely nice to see him take a spot in the seats and really give us a cushion there.”

The Guardians — not to mention the Dodgers and Mets — can only hope Judge isn’t just getting started.

Deesha Thosar is an MLB reporter for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. Deesha, the daughter of Indian immigrants, grew up on Long Island and now lives in Queens. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.

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