Yankees' Aaron Judge intent on capping his great season with his first championship

The closest Aaron Judge has come to making the World Series was 2017, his rookie season, when the Yankees lost a seven-game American League Championship Series to the Astros, dropping Games 6 and 7 at Houston’s Minute Maid Park.

Other than last year — when they finished 82-80 — the Yankees made the playoffs every year since but fell short of  the World Series each year.

Sometimes agonizingly, but more often, not all that close.

There was a four-game ALDS loss to the Red Sox in 2018, a six-game ALCS loss to the Astros in 2019, a five-game ALDS loss to the Rays in 2020, the wild-card game loss to the Red Sox in 2021 and a four-game ALCS sweep at the hands of the Astros in 2022.

All of them resided in the head of the Yankees’ captain each winter.

“It drives me crazy every night in the offseason when we don’t get it done, the past couple seasons coming up short, and especially last season not even making it into the dance.” Judge said toward the end of the regular season. “It’s the reason why I’m always trying to tinker with something, always trying to improve, because I feel like I kind of take full responsibility if the team I’m on doesn’t seal the deal. Then I feel that it’s on me that it didn’t happen.”

The pathway toward that elusive World Series appearance has never looked better for Judge.

The Yankees, who opened a best-of-five Division Series against the Royals on Saturday night at the Stadium, entered this postseason as the favorite to win the American League pennant, and that status was raised even further when the Astros and Orioles were eliminated in the wild-card round.

Speaking on Friday, Judge reiterated what drives him — “It eats at me every time we don’t finish the job,” he said of being without a title — and his responsibility in that.

“If we don’t win it all,'' he said, "I feel like it’s my fault.” 

A championship is not won or lost by one player, of course. But Judge, who nearly was named American League MVP in 2017, won it in 2022 and is a near lock to win it this season, generally has not experienced the same level of success in October baseball.

Entering Saturday night, Judge was hitting .211 with 13 homers, 25 RBIs and a .772 OPS in 44 postseason games. He batted with runners on second and third and none out in the first inning Saturday night and struck out against Michael Wacha as the Yankees failed to score. Judge entered the at-bat 1-for-18 with 11 strikeouts against Wacha.

“It's just about going out there and trying to do your job. Guys are on base, try to drive them in. If not, move them over. Try to do the things we've been doing all year,” Judge said of potentially feeling any more “pressure” in these playoffs to have a true October moment. “It's really not about putting any pressure on anybody. It's the same game we've been playing all year.”

When healthy, Judge  has played a game unfamiliar to most, this season especially. He hit .322 and led the majors in homers (58), RBIs (144), on-base percentage (.458), slugging (.701), OPS (1.159), walks (133) and times on base (322).

But Judge never acknowledges in a self-satisfied way individual accomplishments of any kind. It is about winning a championship.

“Since Day 1, that’s all he wanted,” said Juan Soto, who batted in front of Judge all season and who later called his fellow outfielder “the greatest hitter of all time.”

The numbers Judge has put up in his career, beginning with a then-rookie- record 52 homers in 2017, put him in the same sentence as all-time Yankees greats such as Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra and Roger Maris. Those players, as Judge first and foremost is aware, all won titles.

“I think there’s no question he’s one of the franchise’s greatest players,” manager Aaron Boone said. “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.”

And Judge isn’t the only veteran with an impressive career resume lacking a World Series crown.

“He [Judge], and we, understand the weight of what we need to do, the importance of this time, the importance of bringing a championship to the city,” said one of them, Giancarlo Stanton, the active home run leader with 429. “As the years go on, it's why you don't take this time for granted. You're not guaranteed these moments, these times. And as the years have gone on of not accomplishing that, that window isn't going to be open forever.”