Not only will Aaron Judge need to prove he can get it done in the playoffs this month, but the MVP candidates’ leadership is also being tested after the New York Yankees’ Game 1 loss in the MLB Wild Card.
In Game 1 of their Wild Card series against rivals, the Boston Red Sox, manager Aaron Boone made an interesting decision. Despite a career year and posting 31 homers and 31 stolen bases, infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. did not get the start against ace Garrett Crochet. Facing a dominant lefty, the skipper chose to go with a heavy right-handed lineup.
When asked for his opinion about being benched after the game, Chisholm was obviously annoyed as he turned his back to the media and fiddled with his clothes. He revealed that his manager informed him via text the previous night about sitting out Game 1 and offered an indifferent response to the decision.
“You’ve got to do whatever you’ve got to do to win, right? So that’s how I look at it,” Chisholm Jr. said.
The infielder wears his emotions on his sleeve, and it got him into trouble with veterans when he was on the Miami Marlins. If New York had won on Tuesday night, the awkward moment would not be a big deal. But they did lose, and it was likely from questionable decisions by Boone — taking Max Fried out after 102 pitches in the seventh when he was rolling.
Now, the team is down 1-0 in a three-game series, and has a star player unhappy with his manager when the team needs to be as united as possible. And that’s bad news for Aaron Judge.
Aaron Judge has on and off-field questions to fix in Wild Card Series
A major narrative heading into the 2025 MLB playoffs will be whether Judge can finally break through and dominate in the postseason like he has during the regular season. The two-time MVP has a sub-.200 average in the 48 games in the ALDS and ALCS. Although he has a .333 in the Wild Card round.
After he was carried to the World Series last year by Juan Soto and Giancarlo Stanton, he needs to come up big in this Wild Card Series and beyond.
However, besides being the top player on the team, he is their captain. The drama created on Tuesday is now a massive test of how good a leader he is. And last night, he looked to diffuse the issue and keep his team together amid the growing issue.
“It will cause some drama on the outside, but in here we’ll definitely be good,” Judge said. “Inside this clubhouse, we’re all good. We’re pulling for each other. We’ll be good. There’s always a storm on the outside — but we can’t work that way.”
A storm is brewing on and off the field for the New York Yankees. How their captain combats it could decide if they get past the Red Sox and advance to the ALDS this month.
