The Dodgers’ biggest nemesis with a bat in his hands is Aaron Judge. Yes, the most staggering numbers. Yes, in history. Yes, the same Judge who will bat third for the New York Yankees in the World Series that begins Friday in Chavez Ravine.
And, yes, Judge’s most prolific games against the Dodgers occurred recently, as in this season.
In the three-game series the teams played at Yankee Stadium in June, Judge was seven for 11 with three home runs. He hit another homer against the Dodgers in 2023, one in each of the three games in 2019 and one in two games in 2016.
That’s eight home runs in 41 plate appearances, producing an ungodly slash line of a .389 batting average, .463 on-base percentage and 1.111 slugging percentage. Judge’s on-base-plus-slugging of 1.575 is nearly 300 percentage points ahead of anyone else.
Of course, he treats most teams with equal disdain. Judge hit 62 home runs and was American League Most Valuable Player in 2022 and has an OPS of 1.010 in 993 career games over nine seasons. To Yankees manager Aaron Boone, the performance of No. 99 in pinstripes transcends numbers.
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After the Toronto Blue Jays walked Judge intentionally with no one on base in August, Boone said, “We are watching greatness. So you try not to take that for granted, what you’re seeing number 99 do. I feel now, for a few years, you hear a lot of [Babe Ruth], Mantle, Gehrig, DiMaggio, those kinds of names intertwined with a lot of things he’s doing. So, try to appreciate every now and then what we have.”
The Dodgers certainly recognize Judge’s ability to do damage. A list of the most prolific hitters against L.A. have been journeymen, with names such as Nick Johnson, Tyler Fitzgerald and Jack Suwinski sprinkled alongside standouts such as Hall of Famer Joe Mauer and all-time home run leader Barry Bonds, and players with Dodgers ties such as Cody Bellinger, Gary Sheffield and Mike Lieberthal.
But nobody comes close to Judge, who is a shoe-in to win his second MVP award after leading the AL this season with 58 home runs, 144 runs batted in and a 1.159 OPS while batting .322.
From a predictive standpoint, his numbers against the Dodgers have little meaning because of the limited meetings between the teams during Judge’s career. But a closer look unearths nuggets of information.
During the first game of the series in June, a 2-1 Dodgers victory, Judge doubled to left field in his first at-bat against Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who will start for the Dodgers in Game 2 of the World Series, and was walked by Blake Treinen, who has become perhaps the Dodgers’ most trusted reliever.
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Otherwise, Judge pummeled pitchers who aren’t on the Dodgers’ World Series roster. In the second game, an 11-3 Dodgers victory, Judge homered against rookie Gavin Stone — who is out with an injury — and Ryan Yarbrough — who was traded in July. Left-handed reliever Alex Vesia struck out Judge.
In the third game, a 6-4 Yankees victory, Judge was three for four with a home run and double, but the damage came against two other pitchers not in the World Series: starter Tyler Glasnow and reliever Yohan Ramírez.
Judge played in two of three games between the teams in 2023, and again, the results don’t help much in predicting World Series outcomes. Judge went 0 for 4 in the opener, unable to touch Clayton Kershaw, who went seven strong innings but who is out of the postseason with a toe injury.
Judge homered in the second game against Shelby Miller, who no longer is with the Dodgers, and did not play in the third game. In 2019, Judge homered in all three games of the lone series between the teams, but they came against Kershaw, Tony Gonsolin and Hyun-jin Ryu, none of whom will pitch in the World Series.
The overarching conclusion is that Judge is the premier slugger in the AL and it will be difficult getting him out. A scout gave this report to The Times on how to pitch to Judge and teammate Juan Soto: “You can spin it away on them, but you have to speed them up inside, you have to make them uncomfortable in the box. If you throw too many breaking balls and leave them in the zone, Judge kills in-zone breaking balls.”
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Even though the Dodgers and Yankees hadn’t met in the World Series since 1981, the three games in June in the Bronx were billed as a potential preview of the Fall Classic. The expectations came true.
“I think that playing with this media attention, sold-out [crowds], the energy you feel, against a team you potentially could meet in the World Series,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said at the time, “it’s sort of a barometer.”
And if the forecast holds true for Judge, watch out. Boone, for one, can’t wait to watch.
“Just the reverence I have for the person,” he said. “I’m excited that he is going to get to be on this stage.”
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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