KANSAS CITY, Mo. Aaron Judge ran through the same dugout Ray Whitney Jersey where he sat immobilized in disbelief only 375 days earlier. Back then, the Yankees 2023 season was over. No playoffs. Aaron Judge reacts after his double during the Yankees series-clinching win over the Royals in Game 4 win of the ALDS on Oct. 10, 2024. Charles Wenzelberg Just a bunch of players helple sly staring out at the field at Kauffman Stadium after the regular-season finale ended in defeat. Fast forward to Thursday and he was wearing a sopping-wet shirt as he hurried from the team photo on the mound back to the champagne-popping clubhouse celebration that followed in Game 4 of the ALDS. Explore More Since Ive been here with the Yankees, , Judge said, looking forward to the ALCS. The group that we have, just excited for this opportunity. Its going to be something special. Judge wasnt the driving force behind the Yankees advancing he went 2-for-13 over four games and continued his career-long playoff struggles but he came up big in the clincher. He doubled and scored in the sixth inning, drew two walks and stole a base. I think we got a little bit of the ghost from the old stadium, Judge said. A little bit of magic there, too. Aaron Judge hits a double during the Yankees Game 4 win on Oct. 10. Charles Wenzelberg The once-raucous Kauffman Stadium crowd quieted by a 2-0 deficit had died down to the point that you could listen for a sigh of relief from Judge as he reached second base on his double. The likely American League MVPs only other hit in the series was an infield single, which continued a building narrative that he comes up small in the postseason. Or at least nothing like the way he delivered in the regular season while hitting 58 home runs and driving in 144 runs with a 1.159 OPS. Aaron Judge and manager Aaron Boone embrace after the Yankees advanced to the ALCS on Oct. 10. Charles Wenzelberg Its about getting results, Judge said. Ill take four bloop singles at this point. Its just part of it. You mishit a couple balls and its just about, dont worry about it. Focus on the plan, focus on what you can do. All Im doing is trying to treat it just like the regular season. Judge is a career .206 postseason hitter with the second-highest strikeout rate (minimum 200 plate appearances) in MLB history. The numbers are worse over the last two postseasons. Follow The Posts coverage of the Yankees in the postseason: So, he surely welcomed the pitching change from unlikely nemesis Michael Wacha, whom he is 1-for-21 against in his career, to Lucas Erceg in the sixth. The 359-foot double jumped off his bat at 115.5 mph. Youre not going to hold him down long, manager Aaron Boone said. I think for all the talk around it, hes on base seven times in four games. Hes in a good spot, and were excited for the next challenge. Go beyond the box score with the Bombers Sign up for Inside the Yankees by Greg Joyce, exclusively on Sports+. Thank you By clicking above you agree to the and . Enjoy this Post Sports+ exclusive newsletter! But, first, Judge soaked in the full circle as much as the champagne soaked his shirt. In 23, our season ended here, Judge said. I think a lot of guys took that to heart. And I think thats what fueled a lot of guys to say, Hey, I dont want to have this feeling again. Andrew Poturalski Jersey