Aaron Judge (32), the New York Yankees’ flagship hitter who fell into the worst slump in the World Series, will be placed in the clean-up batting order. Yankees manager Aaron Boone considered adjusting the lineup, but Judge’s batting order remained the same in the end.
The Yankees unveiled their lineup ahead of the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 4 of the 2024 Major League Baseball World Series, which will be held at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York, on the 30th (Korea time). Gleyber Torres (2nd baseman), Juan Soto (right fielder), Aaron Judge (center fielder), Jaz Chisom Jr. (third baseman), Giancarlo Stanton (designated hitter), Anthony Lizzo (first baseman), Anthony Wolfie (striker), Austin Wells (catcher) and Alex Verdugo (left fielder), and Lewis Hill will be the starting pitcher. 메이저놀이터
Dodgers’ lineup includes Shohei Ohtani (designated hitter), Mookie Betts (right fielder), Freddie Freeman (first baseman), Teoscar Hernandez (left fielder), Max Muncy (third baseman), Kike Hernandez (center fielder), Gavin Lux (second baseman), Will Smith (catcher), and Tommy Edman (striker). The starting pitcher will be Ben Kasparius.
Judge became a completely different hitter in the postseason after he booked the AL MVP award with his monstrous performance of 0.322 with 54 homers, 144 RBIs, 122 runs and 10 steals OPS of 1.159 in 158 regular-season games. He played in a total of 12 games from the ALDS to the third game of the World Series, and has a batting average of 0.140 (six hits in 43 at-bats) with two homers, six RBIs and an OPS of 0.580.
In the World Series, players are showing signs of hitting the ground floor. He has displayed impressive performance in three matches with 0.083 (one hit in 12 at-bats) and one walk and seven strikeouts. He even had one hit that he garnered at least. All seven strikeouts were swinging and striking out. New York fans who have lost patience are showing sharp reactions, saying that he should step back with a bench to stop his fall reputation.
Boone of the Yankees, who lost three games without a win, confessed that he was agonizing over changing his lineup ahead of Game 4. According to the U.S. media “Sports Illustrated,” Boone reportedly considered deploying the team as a leadoff to wake up Judge’s bat.
However, the conclusion after much consideration was that they would not make much difference. Just like in Game 3, leadoff � Torres was placed in the cleanup hitter’s lineup. Instead, he placed Chisom Jr. at No. 5 on the previous day to No. 4 and lowered Stanton to No. 5. The sixth and seventh batting order also changed the order of Lizzo and Volpi, leaving Wells to the starting catcher.
In the end, Boone chose to trust Judge to the end. It remains to be seen whether Judge, who was stigmatized as a “new star” with a batting average of 0.196 (42 hits in 214 times at bat) and 15 homers and 31 RBIs in 56 post-season games, can repay the manager’s belief and save the Yankees from the brink.
