LOS ANGELES — Aaron Judge had the perfect opportunity to change his playoff reputation.
It came after Juan Soto was walked intentionally with Gleyber Torres on second and two outs in the top of the ninth in Game 1 of the World Series.
But Dave Roberts brought in Blake Treinen and the Dodgers closer got Judge to pop up to short to end the threat and keep the game tied in a game won by the Dodgers with Freddie Freeman’s grand slam in the 10th, 6-3.
“I just missed it,’’ Judge said. “He got a four-seamer up and I got underneath it.”
It was the latest bit of disappointment for Judge, the other-worldly player who hasn’t been able to break through in the playoffs for much of his career.
And his first World Series game of his career looked a lot like his prior October performances.
He whiffed his first three times at bat against right-hander Jack Flaherty, twice with Soto on first base and the Yankee trying to build a rally.
Judge managed a single to center with two outs in the top of the seventh, but he was stranded when Giancarlo Stanton struck out.
“We had chances back and forth the whole game,’’ Judge said. “We had opportunities to put them away and couldn’t do it… We didn’t get that big hit.”
Judge credited the Dodgers with throwing him “curveballs, sliders and a couple heaters all over the place.”
The rough night was nothing new this time of year for Judge, who entered the game just 5-for-31 with 13 strikeouts this postseason- with a pair of homers.
But once again against the Dodgers, Judge left his regular season brilliance behind, as his 58-homer campaign will certainly earn him another AL MVP award.
When it comes to the playoffs, Judge has been at a loss for a while. In 37 postseason games since Judge went deep in three consecutive games in the 2018 playoffs against the A’s and Red Sox, he entered Friday just 25-for-142 with 50 strikeouts and an ugly OPS of .634.
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It’s not that much better than the .558 OPS Dave Winfield put up in 14 games of the 1981 postseason, his only playoffs with the Yankees that earned him the moniker of “Mr. May” from George Steinbrenner.
Winfield was on the field before Friday’s game, now recognized for his well-rounded Hall of Fame career.
Judge still has time to change his playoff legacy even after the Yankees reached the World Series without much help from their star, but Friday wasn’t a good start.
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