New York — The New York Yankees drafted Aaron Judge 11 years ago. Eleven years of the towering slugger embracing the franchise’s unwavering championship philosophy.
It took eleven years, from A-ball in Charleston to the searing lights of the Bronx, to fulfill that benchmark. World Series or bust. Every year.
“There’s no other way to put it,” Judge remarked on the morning of the Yankees’ final regular season game.
“Ever since I was drafted as a Yankee in 2013, all that has been ingrained in my mind or what we have been taught is to win in New York.”
Become a winner. Champion’s attitude. It’s just the way I was raised; even before I came here, I was told, “If you don’t win, what is the point?”.
Judge has been a full-time major leaguer for eight years. By the Yankees’ definition, the first seven ended with failure — but the eighth might be his best shot to avoid it.
The Yankees are in a prime position this October in large part thanks to Judge’s otherworldly regular-season feats.
After posting the best record in the American League and claiming home-field advantage until the World Series,
the Yankees opened their postseason with a 6-5 win over the Kansas City Royals in Game 1 of the American League Division Series on Saturday.
Judge, however, went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts and a walk to extend his personal October struggles. Since 2020, the likely AL MVP is 10-for-74 (.135) with five home runs and 28 strikeouts in 18 postseason games.
His strikeout with runners on first and second in the sixth inning even induced a smattering of boos from the Yankee Stadium crowd after he heard them during his disappointing 2022 postseason performance.
