Yahoo Sports senior MLB analyst Jordan Shusterman and senior MLB analyst Jake Mintz compare regular season Aaron Judge to postseason Aaron Judge and debate whether or not the stark difference is a reason for the Yankees to worry. Hear the full conversation on the “Baseball Bar-B-Cast” podcast - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen.

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Video Transcript

Aaron Judge in October.

I believe his ops is 760 for his career across 46 games.

We have reached the point.

He also has the highest career strikeout rate in the postseason which is both notable and predictable.

He strikes out a lot always has, even when he's good.

We have reached a point because of the expectations that Aaron Judge has set for himself, the excellence he has displayed during the regular season.

Whilst in pinstripes, those expectations are astronomical.

And so if his ops does not start with an eight or a nine or even a a one and a dot We are worried about him.

We are whispering about him as someone who cannot handle the pressure in October.

And I think that those questions are both lazy and fair and highlight just the wonky dynamic that is postseason baseball.

We spent six months telling you folks, you beautiful listeners not to worry about small sample size that the marathon of 100 and 62 games in six months is going to allow quality to win out in the end.

However, second the tournament starts, we flip it.

Oh my God.

Aaron Judge is one for seven, should they trade him?

And Aaron Boone was just as incredulous about this after the game.

But at the same time, this is what we had to judge you on.

Right.

This is the setup and I don't think that they lost because of judge.

However, if the Yankees lose the next two games and he goes one for seven again, it will be another winter of you judging the postseason on the whole, there have been moments where, and, but at this point because now with the state of the Yankees and every single postseason game is the most important game in franchise history because, oh, my gosh, they haven't been to the World Series in a bajillion years by their standards.

But, yeah, I think you have, you do, you do have to do about, it doesn't make me think he's suddenly a bad player, but this is, this is when you're supposed to beat the team, the other team.

And so far it hasn't been happening.

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