Aaron Judge said all the right things after the Yankees’ season ended. He talked about carrying the losses into the offseason, about replaying them until they sting, about the standards that come with wearing pinstripes. He sounded like a captain trying to set the tone.
But one longtime Yankees observer isn’t convinced the emotion is as raw as it sounds.
Chris Kirschner of The Athletic questioned on WFAN whether Judge’s disappointment really cuts as deep as the public words suggest. Craig Carton and Chris McMonigle played the audio and then brought Kirschner on to unpack it. His skepticism centered on Judge’s public face, which he believes is hard to read.
“We know Cam Schlittler is a killer,” Kirschner said.
He also included Ben Rice in that category, then drew a line between those players and the Yankees’ captain. In Kirschner’s view, Judge is far more difficult to decipher than someone like Giancarlo Stanton, whom he believes is clearly bothered by the team’s drought.
“I think he does a really good job of hiding his feelings,” Kirschner said.
That was the heart of his point. Kirschner said he was speaking only from what he has seen over more than four seasons covering the team. He described Judge as “obviously extremely media trained” and careful with his words, and he said that caution extends to the way the club has handled Judge’s right calf strain and recovery.
“I can only speak to what I’ve observed,” Kirschner said.
Still, he didn’t stop at Judge. Kirschner argued that the tone in the clubhouse comes from both Judge and manager Aaron Boone.
“I think it’s Boone and Judge collectively. Like, they’re the ones who set the tone in the clubhouse,” Kirschner said.
He pointed to a sequence from Game 2, when Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s errant throw in the first inning helped Yandy Diaz score. Chisholm later told Kirschner, “Honestly, I’d probably still throw it.” When Kirschner asked about that again before Game 3, he said Boone reacted sharply and complained that reporters “take athletes so literally.”
“If you mess up, you should be told that you messed up and there should be some sort of consequence for that,” Kirschner said.
He also said laughter could be heard in the background of Judge’s postgame interview, though he did not know who was in the room. To Kirschner, that didn’t reflect well on the moment.
Judge, meanwhile, had already spoken like a player eager to bury the pain in memory. He was sidelined after straining his right calf on Sept. 16 and was not active for either postseason series. He played 66 games this season, hitting .241 with 18 home runs and an .871 OPS.
After the Yankees’ final inning, Judge said he intended to keep the losses front and center all winter.
“Just hating every single moment of it so I don’t forget,” Judge said.
He also made clear that he wants the front office to add more.
“So they give us a winning team every single year, but that’s not good enough here in New York,” Judge said.
Judge had earlier described the everyday habits he считает necessary for a title-level club.
“There’s no days off and, yeah, it just comes down to the little things,” Judge said.
The postseason result only sharpened the pressure around him. It was Boone’s fourth ALDS exit in nine seasons with the Yankees, and the second straight against an AL East champion. The Yankees finished 2-10 across their last three season-ending series, including a 1-4 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2024 World Series, a 1-3 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2025 ALDS and this fall’s 0-3 defeat to the Rays.
Judge became the 16th captain in Yankees history on Dec. 21, 2022, the same day he was introduced on a nine-year, $360 million contract. Since then, the Yankees have missed the playoffs once and been eliminated three times. Boone’s eighth playoff trip in nine seasons tied Bob Melvin’s major league record for most postseason appearances without a World Series title, and the Yankees are 1-8 in playoff series under Boone against teams with equal or better regular-season records.
Judge is 34 and has gone 10 full seasons without a championship. That’s the backdrop to every word he says and every doubt that follows him.
Kirschner said he expects the Yankees to keep Boone and general manager Brian Cashman, which he views as a sign that owner Hal Steinbrenner remains behind them. He also noted that Steinbrenner has not spoken to reporters since last November.
For now, the conversation in the Bronx is bigger than whether Judge can still swing it. It’s about whether the captain’s words, and the clubhouse around him, match the standard the Yankees keep saying they want.
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