The New York Yankees managed to shake off some of their old demons with a hard-fought Wild Card comeback win over the Boston Red Sox earlier this week. Meanwhile, Aaron Judge, who went 4-for-10 with an RBI and two strikeouts over that series, faltered on Saturday in Game 1 of the ALDS against the Blue Jays. Repetition: Aaron Judge, who dominates the regular season, finds his power disappear when the stakes get highest.

The Blue Jays had control through the first five innings, but when the Yankees entered the top of the sixth trailing only 2-0, things quickly got interesting. A double from Anthony Volpe, followed by a single from Austin Wells and a walk from Trent Grisham, tilted the momentum in their favor.

When Judge came to the plate with the bases loaded and nobody out, he had the chance to erase the narrative of his infamous postseason struggles.

Yet, no homer, not even a base hit, which would’ve been enough to give the Yankees a lead. Instead, he got struck out on Kevin Gausman’s 3-2 splitter.

In the previous postseasons, Aaron Judge has faced some really tough opponents. This time, though, it was different.

Apparently, on the other side of the ball, Gausman was already having a hard time finding the strike zone. There was no way one could justify the best hitter in baseball swinging at that pitch. That’s why the Bleacher Creatures were nearly disgusted when they saw him choke yet again in a crucial playoff moment.

After the 10-1 meltdown, in the postgame media appearance, Judge noted, “I like our chances. We’ve got to keep getting those opportunities and we’re going to come through when we need to.” However, fans are convinced Aaron Judge never comes through when it’s needed the most, especially in October baseball.

Yankees fans left frustrated as Aaron Judge faltered in a crucial playoff moment

Entering Saturday, Aaron Judge held a slash line of .212/.322/.446 in October baseball. Across the last 34 postseason games since 2020, he has posted an OPS of .658, and no doubt he still draws walks and has had quite some stellar moments in that span. However, for someone who’s viewed as dangerous in the regular season, it wasn’t easy to watch him hit near the Mendoza Line in crucial Game 1 of the ALDS.

That’s why fans couldn’t hide the frustration. “How does an MVP swing at a ball like that one? the choke continues.” Some of his unbelievably full postseason performances have ironically come after his best regular seasons. For example, he hit .191 back in the 2017 postseason, including .050 in an ALDS win over the Guardians.

This time, when he couldn’t even make contact with the ball, it led to fans pointing out, “The most valuable singles hitter couldn’t even eke out contact here yikes.” This time, the bases were loaded with nobody out, and for someone of Judge’s caliber, it didn’t make sense to many that he couldn’t even make routine contact.

Back in 2022, once again, Aaron Judge hit .139 across nine games, including .063 without a home run in an ALCS sweep at the hands of the Houston Astros. Probably, remembering that, another fan quipped, “Not the same guy in the postseason.”

Another fan stated, “This was always the game to lose. The Yanks have been s— in the first games on the road all season. They hit the ball hard all night. Bats will be fine. This is Toronto’s best. We’re fine.” The numbers speak for themselves. At home, this season, the Yankees have held a 50-31 record. However, on the road, they stand at 44-37. Yet, on the brighter side, despite Aaron Judge’s usual struggles at the plate in the postseason, his power over the years has still been the Yankees’ best asset. With 16 home runs, Judge ranks fifth in Yankees postseason history.

And that’s why the frustration grows deeper. “Judge is fortunate that MVP voting is strictly based on the regular season. If it included the postseason, I suspect his trophy case would have quite a bit more empty space, especially if performance was weighted based on the magnitude of the game. He is Mr. NOTober.” Well, for a month, the AL MVP race has been one of the most debated topics in the league. He was constantly drawn into comparison with Seattle Mariners’ Cal Raleigh. Fans argue that his postseason performances have not matched the expectations set by his regular-season accolades.

So, probably, that will play in Judge’s favor as the voting goes…