'That's your MVP?' - Fans erupt as Kevin Gausman humiliates Aaron Judge with clutch strikeout in massive postseason showdown

Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees had a rough night against the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 1 of the American League Division Series on Saturday at Rogers Centre.

The Blue Jays lead 2-0 after five innings but the Yankees had a chance to take the lead when reigning American League MVP Judge came to the plate with the bases loaded and no outs in the sixth inning. Judge worked the pitch count in his favor and had Blue Jays ace Kevin Gausman in a tough spot.

However, Judge struck out swinging as the Yankees had to contend with just one run, their only run of the game, as the Blue Jays completed a dominant 10-1 win.

Fans reacted to the Yankees captain failing to capitalize on a glorious opportunity.

"Mr October in prime form!"

"THATS YOUR MVP??? 🫵😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭"

"But in all honesty was this not obviously a ball. Right when it left pitchers hand it looked like an obvious ball 4. That is a clear choke."

"I haven't seen Aaron Judge have one important hit in the postseason ever! He also flops whenever Yankee games are in primetime. The guy's a headcase!"

"Not even a good pitch: it’s just playoff judge has shown up"

The Blue Jays added eight runs over the next two innings, making the Yankees pay for their missed opportunity.

Aaron Judge dismissed being anxious after chasing Kevin Gausman pitch for crucial strikeout

Following the frustrating loss, Aaron Judge said he didn't do his job despite working the pitch count in his favor.

“I wouldn’t say I was overanxious; if you saw the whole at-bat, I definitely took some tough pitches,” Judge said. “But in the end, I didn’t get the job done. That’s what it comes down to, just not doing your job.”

Although Judge went 2-for-4 on the night, the Yankees captain chasing a splitter from Gausman became his highlight from the game. The AL MVP frontrunner has six hits in 15 at-bats but is still to add to his home run tally from the regular season.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash