47,054 New York Yankees fans had sweaty balms and bated breath at the ALCS Game 2 against the Cleveland Guardians. The Yanks were more sparkler than a lightning rod, even though they won the game with a 6-2 score that night. Their ace pitcher, Gerrit Cole, wasn’t doing much favor, walking four batters in 4 ⅓ innings. Meanwhile, the Yankees’ baserunning was a mess with two costly outs on the basepaths. At most, the performance was ‘lukewarm.’

The past performances of the Yankees postseason, along with Aaron Judge’s slump, made the dream of the World Series scoot forever away. However, everyone ‘judged’ Judge and the Yankees too early, given the captain had changed the entire narrative. But Judge reminded people that they shouldn’t count the Yankees out just yet – he blasted a home run and sealed the win. So, how come this sudden change? Well, All Rise answered it himself, and it’s not Aaron Boone or any strategy—but ghosts, who helped him!

Judge goes from slump to slam!

When will Aaron Judge be doing his team well post-season? This is the question many have asked until now. Judge, with one swing, changed the entire vibe of the Yankee Stadium. For the 14th time in his playoff career, the slugger sent one ball up into the night. While the ball seemed to hang in the air forever, Cleveland’s Lane Thomas was spotted trying to chase it down. As the crowd prayed, the ball did end up disappearing in the stand. And just like that, the New York Yankees had a comfortable lead of 6-2 over the Guardians.

It was a big moment for Judge, considering this was his first hit postseason. As he rounded the bases, fans erupted with loud cheers for the captain. After the game, Aaron Judge said, “You never know on these windy, chilly nights what that ball is going to do when you hit the center here, but the ghosts were pulling out there to Monument Park, that’s for sure.” Monument Park, just beyond center field, honors Yankees legends like Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. So, when Aaron Judge mentions ‘ghost’ he isn’t superstitious, he just is nodding the spirit of the great players, who he thinks helped him break the slump.

Stephen Vogt had a master plan—until Aaron Judge happened!

Aaron Judge had come to the plate in the first inning with none out and runners on the corner. He wanted to make something happen and change the narrative of his postseason woes. But when he popped on up towards Brayan Rocchio, it looked like an easy way out. However, as luck would have it, the Cleveland Guardians shortstop fumbled, and the Yankees took the first run, getting a quick lead of 1-0.

Guardians manager Stephen Vogt wanted to stop the bleeding. With still none out of the runners in scoring position and the captain of the Yanks back on the plate, Vogt decided on a bold move. He decided to walk Juan Soto and take the chances of Judge, given his shaky postseason woes. Vogt also yanked Tanner Bibbe after a rough start. “They were hitting the ball around the ballpark, and we needed to stop the game. In that situation, you want to try to get a double play ball,” said Vogt.

But the strategy, while smart, didn’t work. Judge came through with a sacrifice fly, scooting the lead to 3-0. The Yankees kept the pressure high, and Vogt’s gamble only delayed the inevitable. Now, Aaron Judge is back on the scene! With a 2-0 lead, the Yankees are looking for a landslide win in Game 3; they play again on Thursday.