After a 15-year wait for a World Series return, the Yankees appear overmatched on baseball’s biggest stage. The Dodgers have taken control despite operating with a patchwork pitching rotation of just three starters. One has lingering back issues that once dissuaded the Yankees, another is working through a shoulder recovery, and ace Walker Buehler, fresh off his second Tommy John surgery, dominated New York in their 4-2 Game 3 loss.
The situation has an ironic twist. Earlier in the season, ex-Yankee Luis Severino quipped via text that the team had only “two hitters.” As it turns out, the reliable bats have been Juan Soto and Giancarlo Stanton—while Aaron Judge has stumbled through a difficult October slump.
Freddie Freeman’s grand slam in Game 1 set the tone, capitalizing on defensive missteps and managerial gambles by New York, and the Yankees have yet to take a lead since. Following Carlos Rodon’s struggles, Clarke Schmidt also fell behind early in Game 3, creating a deficit that Judge and the lineup couldn’t overcome as the Yankees’ offensive woes continued. In total, the Yankees have scored only four runs on nine hits over the last 18 innings, with Soto and Stanton providing the majority of those hits.
Judge fails to lead from the front
Now facing a 3-0 series deficit, the Yankees find themselves in a daunting spot. Though some may recall the 2004 Red Sox as the only team to rally back from a 3-0 postseason hole—ironically against these Yankees, with Dodgers manager Dave Roberts sparking that comeback with his iconic stolen base—the current outlook is bleak. Unlike in 2004, no David Ortiz is waiting in the Yankees’ dugout to rally them back.
The Yankees’ longstanding baserunning issues, which ranked last in the majors, were on full display with Giancarlo Stanton’s performance. Despite his home-run power this postseason, his limited mobility has become a liability. In Monday’s game, he barely reached second on what should have been an easy double, and he was thrown out at home by Teoscar Hernandez after Anthony Volpe’s two-out single. Until Alex Verdugo’s ninth-inning home run, Stanton’s double was the team’s lone extra-base hit, with Volpe’s single their only hit with runners in scoring position.
Clarke Schmidt’s short outing, just 2²/₃ innings with three runs allowed, followed Carlos Rodon’s 3¹/₃-inning, four-run start in Game 2, erasing the Yankees’ anticipated pitching edge. Meanwhile, the Dodgers’ so-called depleted rotation—Flaherty, Yamamoto, and Buehler—has held the Yankees to just three runs over 16²/₃ innings. Deadline acquisitions like Flaherty, Tommy Edman, and Michael Kopech have also provided critical contributions to this World Series run.
Only a handful of Yankees have met expectations. Gerrit Cole pitched six solid innings, allowing just one run in Game 1. Stanton has delivered at the plate with a go-ahead homer and a 4-for-13 series so far. Juan Soto, despite a Game 1 defensive error, has been consistently productive with a game-tying homer in Game 2 and strong at-bats, going 3-for-10 with three walks.
However, Aaron Judge’s postseason struggles have grown impossible to ignore. His regular-season brilliance, with a 1.010 OPS, starkly contrasts with a postseason marked by a .196 batting average, underscoring his difficulties when the stakes are highest.
Judge’s central role for the Yankees makes his recent performance a growing concern. In Game 3, he went 0-for-3 with just a single walk in the eighth inning, worsening his World Series stats to 1-for-12 with seven strikeouts. Across the postseason, Judge’s batting average has plummeted to .140 (6-for-43), and his career playoff record stands at 42-for-214 (.196). His hitless streak now spans two consecutive World Series games, underscoring a worrisome trend—highlighted by the Yankees’ combined 17-34 regular and postseason record when Judge goes hitless.
The slump is particularly stark for the 2022 AL MVP, with even routine fly balls drawing an outsize reaction from an anxious crowd hoping for signs of his usual power.
While Juan Soto’s regular season was strong with a .989 OPS and 41 homers, Judge drove the Yankees’ 94-win season with his league-leading 58 home runs and 144 RBIs, and the team held an impressive 39-14 record in games when he went deep.
Judge’s regular-season dominance, however, may have obscured fundamental team flaws that are now evident in October. Compared to the Dodgers’ depth and adaptability, the Yankees appear limited beyond their power hitting, revealing a stark difference that’s shaped the current series outlook. While key moments remain worth dissecting, the gap in versatility between these two rosters is becoming harder to ignore.
Yankees missing competitive fire
The Yankees’ underlying weaknesses have come to light in this series, beginning with manager Aaron Boone’s bullpen decisions, notably leaving Nestor Cortes to face Freddie Freeman in Game 1. Defensive missteps also cost the Yankees key runs, with errors from Juan Soto and Gleyber Torres proving costly. The lineup, shaped by GM Brian Cashman, has faced scrutiny after Jose Trevino appeared as the best pinch-hitting option in a pivotal Game 2 moment. Meanwhile, the team’s baserunning struggles—the worst in MLB during the regular season—were underscored by Giancarlo Stanton’s costly out at home in Game 3.
These flaws may have been manageable had the Yankees capitalized on their strengths in power hitting and starting pitching, which was expected to fuel their first championship pursuit since 2009. But these key assets have fallen short when needed most.
While there’s an argument that better execution in Games 1 and 2 could have swung the series in the Yankees’ favor, such outcomes remain hypothetical. Although they are not yet mathematically eliminated, the reality of their position casts doubt on any possible comeback.
With the series nearing a likely close, speculation is already mounting over potential roster shifts, including Soto’s long-term future with the organization beyond this World Series run.
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