Judge-ment time? Aaron Judge already has Yankees fans freaking out about World Series dud

Oct 25, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (99) looks on in the dugout before game one against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2024 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Oct 25, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (99) looks on in the dugout before game one against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2024 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
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The lights don't get brighter than in the World Series. They illuminate some players' greatness. They blind others. New York Yankees fans are already worried Aaron Judge is one of the latter.

Judge hasn't had a great postseason. He came into the World Series batting .161/.317/.387. His first at-bats in Game 1 didn't suggest he was prepared to get hot in the biggest moment.

In the first inning, Judge struck out swinging in four pitches. He came back out in the third inning and struck out again in five. Would the third time be the charm? Judge came to the plate in the sixth inning and showed a lot more patience. He even got into a 2-0 count. He still managed to strikeout swinging for a third time. So no, no charm there.

Yankees fans were quick to pass judgement on Judge, who has yet to truly find a postseason groove.

Best memes and tweets reacting to Aaron Judge in Game 1

Twitter loves its jokes and there were plenty on Friday night.

Aside from the jokes, fans on Twitter did have serious observations and questions of Judge.

It doesn't help the perception of Judge that his teammate, Giancarlo Stanton, comes to life in October the way he does. After Judge's third strikeout, Stanton blasted a two-run home run to put the Yankees ahead 2-1.

Stanton as 18 postseason home runs in 37 appearances. Judge has 15 postseason home runs in 54.

The Yankees have every reason to be pleased with what they've gotten from Stanton this postseason. When it comes to winning the World Series though, New York needs Judge to also show up.

A player's postseason legacy isn't locked in after three Game 1 at-bats. Judge will have many more opportunities to show he can shine brightly when the Yankees need him most. Eventually, those opportunities will run out. For now, those fans are still waiting.

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