2. Aaron Judge needs to stay cool
When Judge ripped an opposite field home run in the ninth inning last night it gave the Yankees hope. He doesn’t need to change his approach in Game 2, but he needs to avoid trying to take the game over all by himself.
What Judge really needs to do is relax and trust his talent. Even if David Price comes into this game with his best stuff, Judge has the ability to punish him. The dimensions of Fenway Park mean he can hit the ball out of the park in any direction.
He can’t become too obsessed with the long ball though. The Yankees didn’t get enough guys on base in the early innings against David Sale. If Judge can work walks early in the game it could help settle down the rest of his offense.
The obvious truth is that Judge is the heart and soul of this team. Boone’s team is going to find it very difficult to win games where he isn’t a productive hitter. That doesn’t mean he needs to dominate this game all alone, but it does mean he has to be a key player. The way Judge plays is typically a really good indicator of how New York’s offense is functioning.