Yankees' Aaron Judge looks on from the dugout against the...

Yankees' Aaron Judge looks on from the dugout against the Los Angeles Angels during an MLB baseball game at Yankee Stadium on Monday, June 28, 2021. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke

Aaron Judge is in complete agreement with his team’s owner when it comes to directing the blame for the Yankees’ disappointing start to the season.

"It’s on the players," Judge said at Yankee Stadium on Friday before the first game of the Subway Series was postponed because of rain.

Speaking publicly Thursday for the first time in 2021, managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner — while saying of management "we’re responsible, we’re in charge, we all can share the blame" — ultimately pointed his finger at those playing the games.

"Make no mistake about it, in my opinion, the majority of the responsibility lies with the players. They’re the ones on the field," said Steinbrenner, who made it clear that, at least for now, manager Aaron Boone and general manager Brian Cashman aren’t going anywhere. "They need to fix the problem because everyone, including our fan base, rightfully so, has had enough . . . We all can share the blame, but the majority of the blame lies with them."

Judge, one of the few Yankees who has consistently produced at the plate this season, didn’t flinch Friday when part of Steinbrenner’s comments were relayed to him.

"That’s ultimately what it comes down to, no matter what anybody says," he said. "It’s not a coach, it’s not [the] front office, it’s on the players. We’re the ones out there on the field, we’re the ones out there competing. I know the front office and other guys have their hands in putting players on the field, but ultimately it comes down to the work and the results."

The Yankees are 41-39 and in fourth place in the AL East, 9 1/2 games behind the first-place Red Sox. Their season has careened back and forth between winning and losing streaks: 6-11, 22-8, 5-13, 7-2, 1-5.

The kind of uneven play characteristic of the Yankees all season motivated Judge to call a team meeting before Tuesday night’s 11-5 victory over the Angels, a meeting Steinbrenner referenced Thursday.

"They had a team-only meeting a couple days ago, which, in my opinion, is always the best type of meeting," Steinbrenner said. "Peers holding other peers accountable is, in my belief, the most effective type of meeting that can occur.

We all can share the blame, but the majority of the blame lies with them."

Judge did not disclose what he or others said in the meeting, which came a day before the Yankees’ worst defeat of the season, an 11-8 loss to the Angels on Wednesday night in which Aroldis Chapman blew an 8-4 lead in the ninth. The Yankees scored seven runs in the first and allowed seven runs in the ninth.

"It was a good time for a lot of us to be honest with each other," Judge said. "Maybe some things on our mind, some things that guys have been hearing, things that guys have been thinking . . . just kind of a chance to open up the floor for everybody. And when you’re in a clubhouse, we’re all brothers in there, we’re family. So all the best teams I’ve been on, you’re able to say what you need to say to somebody and not let somebody’s feelings get hurt. It was a good meeting."

Judge described the get-together as having "a lot of emotion" at times.

"When you’re the one that calls the meeting, you’ve got to have something good to say," he said with a smile. "But overall, I think it was good. A lot of good was said, a lot of guys spoke up."

The Yankees have had their share of meetings throughout the first three months, and a glance at the club’s overall record provides the best evidence of their efficacy.

Why did Judge feel the need to call this one?

"Just some things on my mind, some things I’ve been seeing over the course of the year," he said. "Usually around the All-Star break is the time where you have a meeting and guys kind of address things going into the second half . . . but I felt like there’s some things that couldn’t wait until the All-Star break to get brought up."

Notes & quotes: The Yankees and Mets will play a split-admission doubleheader Sunday. The games will be played at 2:05 and 7:05 p.m.

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