Aaron Judge's playoff loss is over. Now it's time to lead the Yankees to the World Series

NEW YORK – In the middle of the celebration, Gleyber Torres was getting hell. Aaron Judge had finally hit his first home run of the postseason, a huge blast that cleared the wall in center field. But as the ball cut through the darkness of the night, Torres, leading from first base, did something strange. He signed up.

When the ball finally went out of bounds, Yankee Stadium erupted as it gave the New York Yankees four runs to a 6-3 victory over Cleveland in Game 2 of the best-of-seven American League Championship Series on Tuesday Guardians provided . The Yankees were just two wins away from reaching their first World Series since 2009.

But Judge was still surprised hours later. He nearly passed Torres as he rounded first base after the two-run shot in the seventh inning. Did Torres really doubt that Judge — who hit an MLB-best 58 home runs in the regular season — had put enough of his 6-foot-1, 220-pound frame into the swing to allow the ball to leave the yard?

“He did that earlier this year when I hit (a home run) too,” Judge said, smiling. “Well, I was pretty angry at the time. I was pretty angry again.”

In the dugout, Torres' teammates let him hear it.

“I'm a little disappointed in Gleyber because I don't know Judges Pop there,” first baseman Anthony Rizzo said. “We really annoyed him about it.”

“I’m a little embarrassed,” Torres admitted.

The playoffs rarely leave time for laughter because each pitch is more important than the next. Judge's home run gave the Yankees a sigh of relief – for so many reasons.

But mostly because it showed Judge how important it is for him to be the driving force that moves them forward toward the World Series.

“With Aaron, it’s always a matter of time,” manager Aaron Boone said.

The prevailing thought was that if the Yankees played well into October, they would need Judge to continue the production that all but ensured him win his second AL Most Valuable Player Award.

That hadn't happened until Tuesday. He struggled offensively, hitting .133 (2 for 15) in the first five playoff games despite drawing six walks. The issue of his inability to rise to the occasion in the postseason had been a major blot on his otherwise brilliant career.

But Judge could change that.

On his first at-bat, he lifted a 103.3 mph pop-up that seemingly bounced back to earth even faster, and Cleveland shortstop Brayan Rocchio dropped it, allowing Torres to score from third base and the The first gave Yankees a 1-0 lead. Then the Guardians surprised in the second inning by intentionally walking Juan Soto to load the bases for Judge against starting pitcher Tanner Bibee. Judge hit a sacrifice fly to center field to bring home Rizzo and make the game 3-0.

After being thrown out in the fifth, Judge hit his first home run of the playoffs – and that took some of the load off the Yankees, allowing the bullpen to work with a sizable lead.

And it gave a boost to the Yankees, who were desperate for their captain to join the party.

“It’s so easy to get him excited,” Rizzo said. “In these games it really doesn’t matter who it is (or how excited we are for everyone). But when Aaron does things, it’s really special, just because he’s such a special person.”

The judge said that the expectations placed on him did not burden him.

“Just don’t make a moment too big, man,” he said. “It's still the same game we play and have played our whole lives. That’s how I try to treat it.”

But now it's different. Judge has been to the ALCS three times – 2017, 2019 and 2022. The Yankees lost in all three games. He knows the stakes are higher than ever, especially since he's never held a two-nil lead in a championship series before after starting the series as the top seed.

Judge has already joined the pantheon of some of the most talented and productive Yankees of all time. He already has an MVP award. In 2022, he set the AL single-season home run record with 62. He is the team's 16th official captain, a Rookie of the Year winner and a six-time All-Star.

But he's not a World Series champion. This is important.

All Aaron Judge's illustrious career as a Yankee is missing is a world championship. (Photo: Elsa/Getty Images)

“It doesn't matter what you do during a 162-game schedule,” Yankees great Derek Jeter said at Old-Timer's Day in August. “It all comes down to the World Series. Win a championship or it’s a failure.”

The Yankees have Wednesday off and are using the day for light training before flying to Cleveland for Game 5 on Thursday. Progressive Field hasn't been kind to Judge throughout his career. In 20 games there, he hit just .214 (15 for 70) with two home runs.

A silver lining? The Guardians are expected to use left-hander Matthew Boyd in Game 3, and in 11 career plate appearances against him, Judge has one home run, two total hits and five walks.

“I’ve been on the losing side in a lot of postseason games, and that’s tough,” Judge said. “I’ve been on the other side of some good wins. The only thing that matters is that we went out there and took care of business, and then we have to move on to the next thing.”

And when it comes to home runs, Judge needs to hit his next one and his next one after that. It's time for him to be the driving force that wins the ALCS and takes the Yankees to the World Series.

(Top photo of Judge rounding the bases: Luke Hales / Getty Images)