Judge Sinks Again, Weaver Might be Tipping, Bombers Bombed in Game 1 of the ALDS

 

In a game that ended 10-1 it was a pitcher’s duel until the 7th inning. The Yankees were scrapping to stay in the game at 2-1. Luke Weaver entered the game following the best outing from Camilo Doval in a Yankee uniform—two scoreless innings facing the meat of the Toronto Blue Jays order. And that’s where the game was lost.

 Luke Weaver trotted in from the bullpen and proceeded to walk Dalton Varsho to lead off the bottom of the 7th, gave up a single to Anthony Santander, and finally surrendering an RBI single to Andres Gimenez. He then handed the ball to Aaron Boone and exited stage left. For the second time in as many outings Weaver failed to record an out. In two postseason appearances he has given up four hits, two walks, and five earned runs. Clearly the best pitcher in the Yankees bullpen last postseason is the worst option they currently have. And something else may be amiss—at least that’s what Weaver alluded to postgame. “There’s been adjustments I’ve had to make based off things that people are seeing and it just hasn’t lined up. It’s been pretty late in the adjustment period… I don’t feel like myself… I don’t want to make this a thing.” We may never know if the Yankee right-hander is tipping pitches because it doesn’t seem like Aaron Boone can afford to put him back out there in anything but the lowest of low-leverage spots. However, the Yankee Captain Aaron Judge’s confidence in his teammate hasn’t wavered “things haven’t gone his way but everyone in this room has confidence in him to go out there and do his job, he’s been a special part of this team.”

Judge had his own part in this loss, not coming through in his chance to get the best of his postseason demons with the bases loaded, nobody out, and struck out by expanding the zone on what would have been ball four from Kevin Gausman. “I wouldn’t say [I was] overanxious if you saw the whole at-bat definitely took some tough pitches but in the end I didn’t get the job done” were the words said by Judge when asked about his inability to get the Yankees on the scoreboard with the Bombers best chance of the game.

 Yet again will Judge’s lack of postseason success be brought to the forefront and at this point there is no denying the only glaring issue in the could be two-time reigning MVP’s game. When the lights are the brightest, right now Aaron Judge cannot rise to the occasion.

Judge has had his best postseason through four games recording a slash-line of: .400/.438/.905 with an RBI or 6-15 with a double. But that doesn’t change him missing a huge opportunity when the Yankees needed him the most today and the opportunity to break through in Game 2 of the Wild Card against Boston—striking out against Garrett Whitlock with Trent Grisham on second. Which the Yankee Captain can thank Jazz Chisholm and Austin Wells for taking him off the hook. Judge cannot win the World Series by himself, but he will need to be a key contributor in their road to get the job done.

“[We] weren’t able to punch through there like we needed to in an inning where we had a chance to have a big one” is how Aaron Boone assessed his team only walking away with one-run in an inning with the bases loaded and no one out.

The Yankees were in the game and then in a blink of an eye they weren’t. Following two steps forward in returning to the World Series against Boston, the Bronx Bombers took a step back against Toronto, and in a building that has been a house of horrors in 2025. Max Fried will be tasked with being a postseason stopper and getting this series back to East 161st Street all tied up.