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Aaron Judge’s playoff funk continues to cause growing concern among the Yankees
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Aaron Judge’s playoff funk continues to cause growing concern among the Yankees

A powerful bat helps power the Yankees’ offense.

The other one isn’t.

While Giancarlo Stanton hit another home run, Aaron Judge still doesn’t look like himself in another postseason.

And while there’s no denying Judge’s impact on Monday’s 5-2 win in Game 1 of the ALCS in the Bronx, he still hasn’t left his mark on these playoffs.


Aaron Judge reacts during the Yankees' victory over the Guardians on October 14, 2024.
Aaron Judge reacts during the Yankees’ victory over the Guardians on October 14, 2024. JASON SZENES/NEW YORK POST

He made two good running catches against Jose Ramirez’s liners in the gap, one to start the fourth and another to end the sixth.

Both shots had an expected batting average over .500 but ended up in Judge’s glove.

And in a game where the Yankees generally seemed unable to get a clutch hit despite having runners on base all night, Judge walked and scored a three-run third Run and drove in the team’s fourth run with a sacrifice fly-in in the fourth.

In the seventh over he hit another ball hard on a line to the right.

But if you’re looking for a breakout game to snap Judge out of his postseason funk, this isn’t it.


Aaron Judge hits a sacrifice fly in the Yankees' victory over the Guardians on October 14, 2024.
Aaron Judge hits a sacrifice fly in the Yankees’ victory over the Guardians on October 14, 2024. JASON SZENES/NEW YORK POST

In five games these playoffs, he has only two hits – one per double – and is now 2-of-15 with an RBI and a struggling Austin Wells.

Since his last postseason home run, Judge has now played in nine games and has gone 3-for-31 with just one extra-base hit.


Follow the Post’s coverage of the Yankees in the postseason:


He was a little lucky in that the Yankees beat Kansas City in four games and have now taken the lead in the ALCS over what appeared to be an equally overwhelmed AL Central team.

But the chants of “MVP” from Yankee supporters that accompany most Judge punches in the Bronx are not as loud as they were in the regular season or earlier in these playoffs.

Nevertheless, Judge has shown before that he is capable of sudden changes. After enduring a 16-game home run-free streak from late August to early September, Judge hit a home run in five consecutive games in the final week of the season.

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