From March to September — Aaron Judge is unstoppable. But just as October seeps in, a switch flips and Judge doesn’t feel like the same person on the mound anymore. No hits, no attacks—he looks like he gives up! This year is possibly one of his best chances to win with the New York Yankees because Juan Soto is the perfect teammate he could have. The duo was literally compared to Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth, such was their impact during the regular season. The keyword here is ‘was!’

Just as Halloween creeps in, Aaron Judge has been caught in a horror show of his own. In fact, Game 1 against the Kansas City Royals, revealed the fact that Judge was still in a slump postseason. But thankfully, the Yankees, because of their lineup, managed to win the game, even though the game had many ups and downs. After this, Derek Jeter, the former Yankee captain, had stellar advice for the team. And given that Yanks lost Game 2, in hindsight, Jeter’s warning came true.

In Jeter’s eyes, the Yankees need more than Aaron Judge

Anyone who talks about the New York Yankees, it’s always Aaron Judge taking center stage. And this is what happened after the Yanks secured the win under the Royals’ nose in Game 1 of the ALDS. All eyes were on Aaron Judge. After all, there were huge doubts that the New York Yankees could make the first game. But Derek Jeter had a different perspective—it’s not always about the star player.

Derek Jeter emphasized the fact that while Aaron Judge is crucial, everyone on the team also is. The Yankees need contributions from each of their members if they want to scoot ahead of their competition. Jeter said, via FOX Sports, “In order for the Yankees to win a World Series, it’s gonna take more than Aaron Judge. Everyone’s gonna have to step up.” He further explained that Game 1 is proof that the Yanks can manage a win without Judge being at his best, too. As long as others step up!

But in Game 2, we saw what happens when others don’t step up. Bombers couldn’t get the job done without their captain leading the charge. Judge managed to get on base twice, drawing a walk in the fifth inning and hitting an infield single in the eighth. And when the game’s critical moment came, he didn’t deliver the clutch hit. And neither did the rest of the lineup do what they’re part in of the play- leading to the loss Jeter had warned about.

Now Judge has a tough playoff record hanging over his head. He just has one hit in his last 22 postseason at-bats. And has the highest strikeout percentage in the history of playoffs at 34.3%. He must be feeling the pressures of the postseason. And given that Juan Soto disclosed recently that all Judge wants to do is win a championship, it must be a tough pill to swallow.

Derek Jeter’s advice, that Aaron Judge can follow to turn things around!

Remember when Judge went to a slump in the regular season? Along with him, even the New York Yankees went into a slump, which shows the dependence of the Yanks on Judge. And this much pressure can weigh in on the Captain, and it did. “Well, it eats at me every time we don’t finish the job. I take a lot of responsibility for that, being on the team. If we don’t win it all, I feel like it’s my fault,” said Judge ahead of the series with the Royals. And it’s no surprise that Judge may feel this pressure given he isn’t great at playoffs. But given that Derek Jeter’s aforementioned advice came true, the other pieces of advice are what he can follow before it’s too late.

Derek Jeter, looking at the struggle of the Yankee captain, advised him how to approach these setbacks. The former captain asked Judge to treat a game as a standalone event. Something that shouldn’t cloud his mindset and hamper his future performances. Jeter said, “You can’t try to group it all together with what happened in years past. It’s one game, the Yankees won, you got tomorrow off, and then you come back and have a good game in game two.” According to Jeter, every game is a fresh opportunity to do something big and different.

Now Derek Jeter is a 5X World Series champion. He led the New York Yankees to great heights, so his insights carry immense weight. Judge should probably use this advice and navigate the challenges of the postseason. All he needs to do is what he does best—play and win. He has done it all through the regular season; a mindset block is all that seems to limit him.

“Come on, Aaron! Do something,” someone had scared from the Yankees crowd. Maybe Game 3 is when Aaron Judge will change the narrative. Let us know, if you think he can change the gameplay.