There's still a sour taste lingering in Aaron Judge's mouth after the New York Yankees lost the World Series in five games to the Los Angeles Dodgers last season, and he's ready to exact some revenge.
While appearing on "The Pat McAfee Show" on Monday, Judge was complementary of Dodgers superstar and fellow reigning MVP Shohei Ohtani before stating that he wants Fall Classic payback.
“He’s a great guy and a great ambassador for this game,” he said. “We’re gonna get him back though, we’ll see him down the road.”
Judge wasn't his normal self throughout the playoffs last season, slashing .184/.344/.408 over 64 plate appearances. His numbers were a tad bit better in the World Series, as he batted .222/.391/.444 with a home run, but it wasn't enough to change New York's fate.
The 33-year-old's biggest blunder came in Game 5 at Yankee Stadium as the Bronx Bombers were holding onto a comfortable 5-0 lead in the top of the fifth inning. With a runner on first and no outs, Judge dropped a routine line drive off the bat of Tommy Edman.
New York had a total of three defensive mishaps in the frame and saw the Dodgers come all the way back to tie it at 5-5 before eventually winning the game by a final score of 7-6.
Judge and the Yankees have come up short in both of their showdowns with Los Angeles so far this year. The club first dropped a three-game series at Dodger Stadium from May 30 to June 1 before the American League All-Star team, which was managed by Aaron Boone, lost to the National League on Tuesday night following a tie-breaking swing-off.
In 96 games during the first half of the campaign, Judge led the league in batting average (.355), on-base percentage (.462) and slugging percentage (.733) while also recording 35 home runs and 81 RBIs.
The Yankees and Dodgers remain two of the favorites to reach the World Series once again this year, so perhaps we'll see a rematch in late October.
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