New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith 'disgusted' by Aaron Judge’s playoff performance

By Aaron Case | Last updated Oct 28, 2024 7:15 PM ET

New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge has been a super dud so far this postseason. High-profile Yankees fan Stephen A. Smith has finally had enough.

"I am so disgusted with Aaron Judge," Smith bellowed on his ESPN show "First Take." "…What the hell is going on with Aaron Judge? Ladies and gentlemen, this man, Aaron Judge — who had batted .336 with an on-base percentage of .509 with runners in scoring position during the regular season — the man is one-for-nine with no RBIs, six strikeouts in the World Series. He’s hitting .150 in the postseason."

Smith bombastically expressed what all Yankees fans are feeling right now. Judge has been the best thing to happen to the Yankees since their last championship in 2009. He’s become a living legend with his record-breaking HR totals, letting modern fans experience what it must have felt like to watch Bombers giants like Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig back in the glory days.

But now, when the games matter most, Judge has transitioned from slugger to slouch. He’s hitting .150/.280/.325 in the postseason this year, bringing his career line down to .199/.304/.436. Also, the 32-year-old has now whiffed 85 times in 55 playoff games.

Aaron Judge seems to be sitting breaking ball but he can’t hit it at all pic.twitter.com/YQXtWjPcge
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) October 28, 2024

Manager Aaron Boone can talk about the mechanical issue Judge is dealing with all he wants. But that won’t change the fact that Judge has shown a crystal-clear pattern of failure after the regular season. And even the biggest Judge fans can’t pretend they don’t notice that pattern.

So if he comes up empty in his first at-bat on Monday, Judge will likely start hearing boos from his home crowd in the Bronx. And maybe that time-tested expression of disappointment is just the motivator he needs to start demolishing baseballs once again.

Aaron Case

Aaron Case is a die hard Yankees fan from upstate New York who fuels his writing with too much coffee. When he's not riding the emotional roller coaster that is the MLB season, he's probably daydreaming and doodling or making beats. Follow him on X @AarontheCase1

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