New York Yankees Playoff Struggles 'Eat' at Aaron Judge

Aaron Judge is well-aware of the narrative hovering over the New York Yankees' latest playoff run.

Sep 28, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees center fielder Aaron Judge (99) reacts after striking out during the fourth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Critics have claimed that Aaron Judge has adjourned far too often during recent New York Yankees playoff runs.

The decorated outfielder is well-aware of such a narrative, addressing the concerns as the Yankees prepared for Saturday's American League Division Series opener against the Kansas City Royals (6:30 p.m. ET, TBS).

"It eats at me every time we don’t finish the job,” Judge said during Friday's workout at Yankee Stadium, per Greg Joyce of The New York Post. "I take a lot of responsibility for that, being on the team, and if we don’t win it all, I feel like it’s my fault."

Judge's bloated regular season résumé speaks for itself; he's coming off another season where he led the majors in both home runs and runs batted in and is widely expected to land his second MVP award.

But the postseason has corrupted Judge, who is batting only .211 in 171 October at-bats. Things bottomed out in the last postseason go-around, which saw Judge go 1-for-16 in the 2022 American League Championship Series against Houston. He's 10-for-70 in five postseason rounds since 2020, with half of those hits leaving the park.

Understanding that the current core won't be around forever appeared to be a common theme during the Yankees' preparation and there was some concern about building a legacy. Manager Aaron Boone further confirmed that Judge is aware of the lasting repercussions this postseason could have on the Yankee captain.

“I think there’s no question he’s one of the franchise’s greatest players,” Boone said in Joyce's report. “But he’s playing for that [championship]. That’s why he does this, not to rack up the personal accolades. He embodies that, he lives that and that’s what we’re all working to get to. Obviously winning it all would certainly add a level to his legacy.”

Entering this postseason with 58 homers to his 2024 name, Judge expressed confidence in this year's team, which posted a 13-6 record against the three-legged AL Central gauntlet that's left standing with the Yankees in the ALDS round.

"We’ve got good chemistry, got a good group of guys in here, battled through a lot," Judge said, per Joyce. "We’re definitely excited to re-right the ship and go out there and do our thing. We’ve just got to take it one game at a time, and if we take care of our business and do what we gotta do, we’ll be where we want to be.”