Aaron Judge Comments as Yanks Drop Another One

Aaron Judge Comments as Yanks Drop Another One

16 August, 2023

Tuesday night’s quiet loss at Truist Park had dropped the New York Yankees to the .500 mark, adding yet another depressing dimension to the rinse-repeat cycle of defeats.

“We’re not showing up, that’s what it comes down to,” said captain Aaron Judge, following a 5-0 loss to the Braves in which the Yankees collected just one base hit.

“We’re not showing up when we need to, especially down the stretch right now,” Judge said of a club that has lost six of eight games on a road trip that concludes Wednesday. “We’re not capitalizing when we need to.”

In Tuesday’s humiliating loss, Luis Severino once again gave the Yankees a 3-0 lead against the tenacious Braves (77-42), the greatest team in the National League.

Naturally, one run was excessive.

Bryce Elder, a second-year starter, only allowed one hit to the Yankees over the course of seven innings as the team grounded into four double plays.

Manager Aaron Boone remarked, “It just flat wasn’t good enough.”

Right fielder Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees in the dugout during the Atlanta Braves game at Truist Park.

Boone and Judge (who walked twice) are unable to criticize the club’s planning, but the captain is displeased with “just the execution right now.”

No one is happy about it, but Judge insisted that it wasn’t helpful to sit around and mull it over.

“I have work to do… Judge stated that “we’ve always got a chance” based on the calendar and that “I’ve got to show up and try to lead these guys.”

Despite this, Judge continued to play every day, frequently in right field, on his still-healing right big toe, saying, “we’re running out of time, I’ve got to be out there.”

“Time is of the essence. Every day, we must strive to field the strongest possible lineup. We must proceed if I am playing outfield at that time.

Boone’s latest upbeat reminder that there is still a quarter of the season left was interspersed with the acceptance of an unpleasant truth.

Simply put, we’re not playing good enough. I’ll start, and so on down the line. We need to improve, Boone remarked. “It’s like a broken record, right?”

Boone and the Yankees (60-60), who are currently last in the AL East standings and 6.5 games shy of a wild card place with 42 games remaining, are frantically attempting to adopt a minimalist approach.

“Skip October. Leave September out. Even when you’re in the driver’s seat, that’s not the main emphasis, and it never is, to be honest,” Boone said. “We need to do better; right now, we’re scuffling our (butts) off. Take pride in yourself.

And it’s not enjoyable to be hit and bruised, especially while wearing this uniform.