Reason to rise: Judge motivated by sting of '21 

NEW YORK -- Twelve months later, the silence still stands out in Aaron Judge’s memory, his season just having ended in enemy territory. The Yankees had just lost the American League Wild Card Game to the Red Sox at Fenway Park; while scanning the downtrodden faces around him in the cramped visiting clubhouse, a few choice words came to mind.

“Nobody knew what to say,” Judge said on Monday. “It's like, ‘Hey, guys, don't forget this feeling. When you're working out this offseason and it's too early or you're too tired, think about this feeling right here and how sick you feel, how upset you are, how mad you are, and use that to get you out of bed.’”

That stinging defeat and others before it helped fuel Judge in a historic campaign, belting 62 home runs to set a new single-season American League record while pacing the circuit in nearly every major offensive category. When the national awards are announced later this autumn, Judge is the odds-on favorite to bring home his first AL Most Valuable Player Award.

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Yet he would likely hand-deliver that trophy to the Angels’ Shohei Ohtani tomorrow if it guaranteed avoiding October heartache. Judge’s rookie season ended with one of those pin-drop-silent clubhouses at Houston’s Minute Maid Park, where veteran CC Sabathia sobbed at his locker, the victorious Astros having taken away an opportunity to pitch in the World Series.

It was the Red Sox in 2018, the Astros again in ’19, and then the Rays in that weird, pandemic-shortened 2020 season. Judge has more than had his fill; after a season in which almost everything has broken his way, he’s confident that his long-awaited victory lap is coming.

“We’ve had quite a few opportunities the past couple years to go out there and win a World Series, and we've come up short,” Judge said. “I think every single one of those times that we've fallen on our face has definitely been a learning experience for me and a lot of guys in this room. We’re just excited to get back out there and hunt it down this year.”

General manager Brian Cashman called it “the all-time best bet” earlier this week, reflecting upon Judge’s Opening Day decision to turn down a seven-year, $213.5 million extension, wagering his skills would produce an even larger commitment on the open market.

The results were staggering video-game numbers: Judge paced the Majors in runs (133), homers (62), RBIs (131), on-base percentage (.425), slugging percentage (.686), OPS (1.111), OPS+ (211) and total bases (391), while pacing the AL with 111 walks and finishing second to the Twins’ Luis Arraez (.315) with a .311 batting average.

Though he seemingly tried at times (particularly during a grueling 10-18 August skid), Judge won’t carry his team to a Fall Classic alone. As Judge surveys the 2022 clubhouse, he sees improvements over previous rosters that fell short of raising the 28th championship flag in franchise history.

“In years past, we've lacked having some of the top-end starting rotation pitching,” Judge said. “A couple years ago, we went out and got Gerrit Cole. Just watching what Nestor Cortes has developed into these past couple years, getting [Luis] Severino back healthy, and we saw what he did in his last start in Texas. It's impressive. I can go on and on about our starting pitching.

“Hand it off to our bullpen; it makes for a short game. Besides what I think our offense is capable of doing every single night, which we showcased all year long, it's defense and starting pitching that's going to win you games in October. It’s something that we definitely specialize in. We've got some dogs out there on the mound that are ready to show what they can do.”

As for the atmosphere when the Yankees take the field on Tuesday? Judge expects “constant noise,” which is to say, it’ll return to normal after the circus act of the last few homestands.

Every Judge at-bat featured tens of thousands of standing fans, craning their digital devices in hopes of capturing a slice of history. It made for an odd situation; one frequently discussed among teammates in the dugout as the wait continued for Judge’s 61st, then his 62nd.

The most bizarre part, Judge’s teammates and coaches agreed, was the silence before the pitcher delivered the ball. That’s just one more reason that Judge intends to keep the volume cranked at Yankee Stadium all month long.

“Man, it's heaven. That’s where you want to be,” Judge said. “I just get the jitters. The intros, running out on that line, the crowd cheering, the crisp, cool air. There's nothing like it. You can't hear the roll call -- even when I'm in right field with the Bleacher Creatures, I can barely hear what they are saying. It's so loud.”