Things were quite different in baseball a year ago. Philadelphia Phillies were lining up for the NLCS, New York Mets and San Diego Padres were the year’s biggest disappointments. And the New York Yankees? Well, they were in their homes trying to console themselves for missing the postseason. But now, the Bronx Bombers are in ALCS but Aaron Judge cannot stop thinking about 2023, especially because the story ended exactly where their ALCS qualification happened.

In 2023, the Bronx Bombers entered Kauffman Stadium for their season’s 162nd game. There was no meaning to this game except pride. The Yankees needed one win to escape the shame of having a losing season. While they did manage to record that 82nd win, Aaron Judge can’t help but feel that the Kansas trip was a nadir for them. It was an experience that everyone in the Bronx Bombers wanted to forget when they stepped in for ALDS.

“All day, I was just thinking how (last) season ended here. That’s where we ended. No playoffs,” Aaron Judge said during his postgame conference. “That stung. A lot of guys stuck around. We were all staring at the field. There were a lot of what-ifs and, ‘what could we have done here?’” The 2023 season was a shocking one for the Yankees. Though injury trouble had derailed their momentum (remember the wall in Dodgers stadium?), the team lost tonnes of winnable games. As a result, the Yanks missed their first playoff since 2016. Heartbreaking but then that led to even more fire within their hearts.

“Guys made adjustments this offseason,” Aaron Judge revealed. “Guys went out and put in the work. To have this season moving on here is awesome.” As one remembers, the Yankees entered 2024 as a team on a mission. However, after an electrifying 2 months, the team had a slight downturn in form. That triggered memories of 2023 but somehow the Bronx Bombers hung on. And now they’re in their 3rd ALCS under Aaron Boone. As for Aaron Judge – well, he’s slowly turning into the regular season All Rise.

Aaron Judge gets his touch back right in time for the ALCS

There’s always been one knock against Aaron Judge – his lackluster postseason display. Before the 4th game, Judge had gone 1-for-11 in ALDS with 3 walks. Remember this is the man who hit 58 home runs in the regular season and is almost locked in for the AL MVP award. It was quite a shocking sight to see, but the Yankees believed that this was just a phase. Judge was getting heavy hits and was just being unlucky in his at-bats. At least in game 4, All Rise proved that the Yankees’ belief was correct.

Though the superstar didn’t get any RBI, his double and 2 walks put him in prime position to score, which he comfortably did on Giancarlo Stanton’s hit in the 6th inning. More importantly, All Rise looked well-settled on the plate. “It’s just timing, you know. You just gotta, you’ve got to be ready to hit,” Judge later said to Jon Morosi. The Yankees would certainly hope this was the spark that Judge needed to come to life in this postseason. A mere .201 average certainly doesn’t suit a generational hitter like Judge. Perhaps like the heartbreak of 2023, this lack of postseason success can fuel good performances for All Rise? One can hope.

Additionally, Aaron Judge believes this “special” group of talent surrounding him is capable of winning the pennant or more. And now they’re just 4 games away from playing the first World Series in Yankee Stadium since 2009. Stars are seemingly aligning but can the Yankees push through? What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.