As Juan Soto lined a single into right field to lead off the ninth inning, the visitors’ dugout at Dodger Stadium burst into celebratory hand signals and cheers.

 

The New York Yankees had managed only two hits from Soto all night, trailing the Los Angeles Dodgers by three runs in Game 2 of this World Series. Yet hope lingered: Giancarlo Stanton, the Yankees’ most powerful bat, stood in the on-deck circle as the potential tying run.

 

Then Aaron Judge stepped into the batter’s box.

On any other night this season, his arrival would spark excitement for the Yankees. But after nearly a decade of waiting to reach the World Series, Judge is facing the grim possibility of an early exit, and his own struggles have been a major factor.

 

Against Dodgers closer Blake Treinen, Judge swung wildly at the first pitch—a sharp sweeper that broke out of the strike zone. He took the second pitch, a slider on the outside corner. On the third pitch, he lunged at another sweeping pitch far outside and below the strike zone.

‘I’m failing them’: Aaron Judge’s World Series struggles hit home for Yankees

It was Judge’s sixth strikeout in nine World Series at-bats, his 19th in 40 at-bats this postseason—a brutal stat made worse when the Yankees managed to get the tying and winning runs on base, only to fall short in a 4-2 loss.

 

As they packed up their clubhouse for the flight back home, the Yankees looked toward Game 3 at Yankee Stadium on Monday night, hoping for a spark. Yet what they need most is a breakthrough from Judge—a solid plate appearance, a hard-hit ball, or even a home run—from the player who belted 58 homers and posted a 1.159 OPS this year.

 

“I definitely gotta step up. I gotta do my job,” Judge said late Saturday as the team prepared to leave Los Angeles. “Guys around me are doing their job, getting on base.

“And I’m letting them down, not backing them up.”