Can Aaron Judge finally break through in the postseason?

Playoff baseball is back, and on Tuesday night, the New York Yankees (94-68) host rival Boston Red Sox (89-73) in a best-of-three wild-card series. The pair last met in the playoffs for a single wild-card game, where the Red Sox prevailed 6-2. 

In his 10-year career, Aaron Judge has proven to be one of the greatest regular-season players of our generation. A career .294 hitter who averages 52 home runs and 117 RBI and is on the verge of a potential third MVP.

Where he has notoriously struggled has been in the postseason. In 58 career postseason games, Judge has seen a nearly 90-point drop in his average, a 100-point drop in on-base percentage and a 160-point drop in slugging. 

Since his rookie season in 2017, Judge has seen an extended playoff run of at least nine games four times. In 2017, 2019 and 2022, they lost in the ALCS to the Astros, and last season saw defeat against the Dodgers in the World Series. 

In those playoff runs combined, Judge is only a .191 hitter, a far cry from his usual dominant self. Like most of his other statistics, the boom and bust also became inconsistent, resulting in a mix of long balls and strikeouts. 

Once in the postseason, Judge has seen a dip in his home run percentage, from 7.4 percent to 6.1 percent, and a rise in strikeout percentage, from 27.4 percent to 32.8 percent. 

The problem for the Yankees is that when Judge struggles, the entire team seems to follow. Compared to other seasons, the Yankees have built an extremely productive roster around Judge. 

Players like Trent Grisham, Cody Bellinger, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Ben Rice have become serious contributors on the roster. 

September has become either a hit or miss month for Judge. He's hit above .300 three times and at the same time, below .250 four times. Besides his record-breaking 2022 season, Judge rounded out the 2025 campaign with the best final month of his career.

In September, Judge hit .370, getting on base more than half the time at a .527 clip. In 112 plate appearances, Judge walked 27 times and tallied 30 hits, 10 of which were home runs. 

As of late, Judge has done an excellent job of waiting for his pitch. When he finally gets what he wants, he's been crushing the baseball. If not, Judge has shown no problem taking a walk. 

Whether the Yankees have promise for a playoff run revolves around that. In other years, Judge was the sole provider for this team; if he didn't succeed, the team didn't. 

This year, the Yankees' hitting behind Judge have been great at driving runners in. Bellinger has 98 RBI, Chisholm Jr. has 80, Rice has 65 and Giancarlo Stanton has 66 (Missed first 70 games, 139 RBI on 162 game pace). It's felt that this year, more than others, there's been less pressure on Judge to get the job done. 

As we enter the playoffs, it's obvious that there is going to be heightened pressure, especially while playing in a city that embodies the World Series or bust mentality. But with less pressure to do everything on his own, Judge may be in line for his most successful postseason yet.