NEW YORK — Aaron Judge spent the final inning of the Yankees’ season the same way he spent the entire American League Division Series. He watched from the dugout.
The series exposed the Yankees’ fundamentals. Judge, sidelined since straining his right calf on Sept. 16, was not active for either postseason series. He played only 66 games this season, batting .241 with 18 home runs and an .871 OPS.
Afterward, the captain described a painful offseason ahead. He said he would replay the losses on purpose.
“Just hating every single moment of it so I don’t forget,” Judge said.
He also pushed the front office to spend. Judge pointed to the standard that comes with the pinstripes.
“So they give us a winning team every single year, but that’s not good enough here in New York,” Judge said.
It was Boone’s fourth ALDS exit in nine seasons with the Yankees, and the second straight against an AL East champion.
Judge also described what a championship standard demands inside the clubhouse. He said it starts with daily preparation.
“There’s no days off and, yeah, it just comes down to the little things,” Judge said.
Those were the words of a captain demanding more. One reporter who sees Judge daily is not sure what they reveal.
An Athletic beat writer goes public with doubts
Chris Kirschner, who covers the Yankees for The Athletic, questioned on WFAN whether the losing truly weighs on Judge. WFAN’s Craig Carton and Chris McMonigle aired the audio, then brought Kirschner on to explain.
Kirschner named the Yankees players he believes carry an edge. Judge was not among them.
“We know Cam Schlittler is a killer,” Kirschner said.
He added Ben Rice to that group before turning to the captain. Kirschner said he could not read Judge’s emotions.
“I think he does a really good job of hiding his feelings,” Kirschner said.
He contrasted Judge with Giancarlo Stanton, saying he believes the drought bothers Stanton. With Judge, Kirschner allowed that “maybe Judge is a really good actor” with a great way of hiding his feelings.
Kirschner explains, then widens the target
On WFAN, Kirschner stressed that he was describing observations from more than four seasons on the beat, not a certainty.
“I can only speak to what I’ve observed,” Kirschner said.
He noted Judge is “obviously extremely media trained” and cautious with his words. He linked that guarded style to mixed messages over Judge’s calf recovery from Judge, manager Aaron Boone and the front office.
“I don’t know if we’ll ever get that with Judge,” Kirschner said of the fire fans want to see.
Kirschner then put the clubhouse tone on both the manager and the captain.
“I think it’s Boone and Judge collectively. Like, they’re the ones who set the tone in the clubhouse,” Kirschner said.
He cited Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s wild throw in the first inning of Game 2, which let Yandy Diaz score. Chisholm later told Kirschner, “Honestly, I’d probably still throw it.” When Kirschner raised it before Game 3, he said, Boone snapped that reporters “take athletes so literally.”
“If you mess up, you should be told that you messed up and there should be some sort of consequence for that,” Kirschner said.
He also said laughter could be heard in the background of Judge’s postgame interview, though he did not know who was in the room. Kirschner called it “not a good look.”
The captain’s October ledger
Judge was named the 16th captain in Yankees history on Dec. 21, 2022, the day he was introduced on a nine-year, $360 million contract.
Since then, the Yankees have missed the playoffs once and been eliminated three times. They are 2-10 in those three season-ending series: 1-4 against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2024 World Series, 1-3 against the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2025 ALDS and 0-3 against the Rays this fall.
Boone’s eighth playoff trip in nine seasons tied Bob Melvin’s major league record for most postseason appearances without a World Series title. The Yankees are 1-8 in playoff series under Boone against teams with equal or better regular-season records.
Judge, 34, has played 10 full seasons without a title. He is the greatest player in franchise history without a ring.
Where the Yankees stand
Kirschner said he expects the Yankees to bring back Boone and general manager Brian Cashman, a sign that owner Hal Steinbrenner still backs them. He added that Steinbrenner has not spoken to reporters since last November.
No Yankees official had publicly responded to Kirschner’s comments as of Monday, based on available reports.
For now, the question hanging over the Bronx is not whether Judge can still hit. It is whether the clubhouse he leads is built to win in October.
What do you think? Leave your comment below.
