Aaron Judge Explains Why Yankees Have What it Takes to Get Over Postseason Hump
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Since Aaron Judge's first full season with the Yankees, a historic campaign in 2017 that featured 52 home runs and a second-place finish in the American League Most Valuable Player race, New York has been eliminated in the postseason five times.
They've reached the American League Championship Series twice, losing to the Astros in 2017 and 2019. The other three years, New York has either lost in the American League Division Series or bowed out in the Wild Card round.
Now, Judge and his teammates have another opportunity to get over the hump, a chance for No. 99 to make his World Series debut and bring a championship back to the Bronx for the first time since 2009.
After completing his record-setting campaign, sitting on the bench as the Yankees fell to the Rangers in Game 162 on Wednesday, Judge was asked about this roster and why this group has what it takes to get those in pinstripes back to the Fall Classic.
"Tenacious group in here," Judge told reporters. "I don't know how many countless walk-off wins we've had this year and I think that plays a big part into it for this team. If we're down early, down late, nobody gets fazed. We've got veteran guys in here, they've been in big games, been in big situation and they continue to show up, even if we're down three, four or five into the ninth inning. So I think having a group like that that stays calm throughout any adversity is really another big step
To do some quick fact-checking for New York's superstar slugger, New York won 16 games in walk-off fashion in 2022, finishing the year with 41 comeback wins.
With or without the exact numbers, Judge is spot on. Early on this season, as New York jumped out to a historic start, the Yankees were never out of a game, routinely battling back against talented opponents. That's a testament to this team's depth and ability to produce in clutch moments on offense in addition to a bullpen that's been reliable with the game on the line for much of this year.
It wasn't always blowout wins and comeback victories for this club, though. There's a reason they ended up with just 99 wins when they were on pace for 120 at the end of June. New York went 35 35 in the second half—10-18 in August—nearly losing control of their lead in the American League East.
Judge added that in a way, this club benefited from their low points this summer, adversity that every team needs to deal with so they can grow stronger as a unit.
"You can't have the good without the bad," Judge said. "You gotta have a couple of bumpy roads in there to kind of test and see what this team is made of. Are we going to crumble and kind of fall, feel sorry for ourselves? Or are we going to pick ourselves up and battle through these tough times when nothing's really going our way and come out better on the back end. That's what this team did. Everyone in this room could have had a bad day or sulked in their sorrows, but everybody kept showing up every single day when it was a grind for a lot of guys."
Anthony Rizzo, another leader in New York's clubhouse with plenty of postseason experience, chimed in on the subject as well, explaining that this team's chemistry and closeness will be key as they get set for the ALDS and beyond in October.
"When things go well, it's easy, but when you get slapped in the face and hit with some adversity, which is bound to happen in the playoff run, it's on us to come together and get even closer and I think these, hopefully, next four or five weeks will show how close we are."
MORE:
- Aaron Judge Gets Game 162 Off; What it Means For Triple Crown Chase
- Aaron Judge Opens Up About Hitting 62nd Home Run, Why He Felt Relieved
- MLB Insider 'Skeptical' Aaron Judge Will Leave Yankees, Calls Him Perfect Fit For Mets
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