An unleashed Aaron Judge could put an end to the Yankees' postseason drama

Stephen Vogt made the right choice. Still, it was breathtaking. Still, it was at least a little insulting to Aaron Judge.

The Guardians manager had decided to make ALCS Game 2 as close to an elimination affair as possible and steer aggressively in that direction.

As the second inning unfolded and the Yankees took a 2-0 lead with three straight hits and were trying to take a commanding two-zero lead in this best-of-seven, Vogt was already busy setting up his best setup -Man to warm up. Cade Smith.

And when Gleyber Torres came out and created a deficit on second and third, Vogt decided he had to do everything he could to prevent the Yankees from scoring in the third. After all, in the first seven games of that year against the Yankees, including the ALCS opener, Cleveland had managed just 15 runs without the help of a ghost runner in extra innings.

Several Yankees described what came next: “Pick your poison.” But in October 2024, Juan Soto had been much deadlier than Judge, a much tougher opponent and definitely more likely to score a run from third. So Vogt led Soto into an offensive monster that was thrown around and intentionally ran more than anyone else this season.

“You want to try to get two outs with one pitch,” Vogt said. “You want to try to find a way to get out of this inning.”

The previous day in the NLCS, the Dodgers intentionally loaded the bases in front of Mark Vientos, who said he was insulted by it and responded with a grand slam that sealed the Mets' Game 2 win. The judge insisted he had not felt disrespected.

He hit a sacrifice throw to make it 3-0. It should not be overlooked that Smith was a 1-2 pitch by a great right-hander, as Judge was still hitless in his last 21 postseason at-bats when the count reached two hits.

But the Yankees needed more from Judge. He is their guiding star. The way he goes, the offense and the team often go too. The Yankees won this postseason, but not particularly impressively. They are a home run-hitting team and had only five home runs in five postseason games and six innings of ALCS Game 2, and only the first – a two-runr by Torres in the opening game of the Division Series – had not been a solo shot. Because of this, the Yankees were unable to open a game.

And then Judge came in with one on and one out in the seventh for a 4-2 lead. Another strong righty, Hunter Gaddis, threw a 1-1 fastball and Judge hit the hardest ball of the game, 111.3 mph, with a powerful shot to right-center. It landed in the net 414 feet away. The Yankees finally had some breathing room this postseason against an overwhelmed AL Central opponent. It helped make Jose Ramirez's solo home run in the ninth insignificant in the 6-3 triumph.

But it's more than that.

“It just feels right (for Judge to star),” Clay Holmes said. “He’s such a big part of the organization. It's one of those things where no matter what happened, at the last shot, at the last 50 shots, you know who he's going to be at some point and you have a lot of confidence in it. There is never a time when we doubt him.”

Yes, but October slumps are different than what Judge experienced in April, when there was a long season ahead to offset a decline. Judge did this with 58 home runs and likely a second AL MVP. However, this time of year your season can end quickly and the legacy can go one way or the other just as quickly.

Judge was 3-of-15 this postseason with no home runs and one RBI. He had a .204 batting average in 49 postseason games. For the fifth time this postseason, Torres and Soto opened a first inning with hits on Tuesday and passed the baton to Judge to open the game immediately. He failed on the first four balls, hitting an infield pop-up that shortstop Brayan Rocchio dropped for Torres to score.

Still, Judge 1 stayed for his final 22, with runners taking the scoring position in the playoffs. That certainly gave Vogt more information to go with Soto and tackle Judge in the second inning. And it ensured that Judge opened the game later and thus received a greater response. The judge insisted that, even at this time of year, he “doesn’t make a moment too big.” But for the Yankees to go from five postseason wins to 11 and The Canyon of Heroes, they absolutely need Judge's home run as the starting point for their victory.

“It was a big step to give us that cushion,” Aaron Boone said. “I think the bank was pretty excited when that happened.”

Of course they were thrilled. The referee is the captain, the sport's most fearsome player and a catalyst. As he walks, the Yankees so often follow. He finally went over the fence in ALCS Game 2. It was worth two runs and breathing room, but will it be worth much more because it was the start of a Judge breakup?