David Ortiz thinks Aaron Judge may finally found his groove
As for Judge, who has been under intense scrutiny amid an incredibly frustrating postseason, he appeared to have finally turned the corner, according to former Boston Red Sox star slugger David Ortiz.
“This game works sometimes in a type of mystery way that it’s hard sometimes to understand it,” Ortiz said.
“I’ll tell you what, that last at-bat coming from [Aaron] Judge, look out, look out. I mean, the guy showed the best balance that he had shown for the past four games. And sometimes, Kevin [Burkhardt], that’s all you need for your confidence level to rise. And that’s gonna put that team in a better situation tomorrow.”
The at-bat that Ortiz was talking about took place in the bottom of the eighth inning when Judge stepped on the plate following a Juan Soto double. After fouling the first pitch from Dodgers reliever Brent Honeywell, Judge took a ball then ripped a single to left field that drove Soto home for the Yankees’ 11th and final run of the contest.
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Aaron Judge’s struggles have been a major talking point concerning the Yankees in the postseason. He entered Game 4 of the Dodgers series batting just .133 with a mediocre .278 OBP in the 2024 MLB playoffs. He raised those numbers to .152 and .305, respectively after going 1-for-3 with a walk and zero strikeouts in New York’s win. Back in the 2024 regular season, Judge was a towering figure, literally and figuratively, at the plate, as he hit .322/.458/.701 with 58 home runs and 144 RBIs.
With at least one more game to play, the Yankees hope that Judge’s single on Tuesday was indeed a sign of better things to come from the 2022 American League Most Valuable Player.
Game 5 of the 2024 Fall Classic will take place this Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium, with the Yankees giving the ball to Gerrit Cole and the Dodgers starting Jack Flaherty.
