Aaron Judge is running out of October chances after game-changing flop vs. Blue Jays

The final score does not accurately reflect the story of the New York Yankees' Game 1 loss in Toronto to one of their many AL East tormentors all summer long. Down 2-1 in the seventh, the Yankees turned to a scuffling Luke Weaver because they had to find out what he was capable of, and they didn't have a lead to protect. Disastrously, he allowed three more base runners in three batters faced, bringing his postseason total to six and six thus far. Fernando Cruz couldn't clean up his mess. The game, as many did in July, swiftly spiraled.

But there was certainly an opportunity for the Yankees to put the pressure on their rivals, take the baton from the excellent work of Tim Hill/Camilo Doval, and take and expand a mid-game lead. The Blue Jays ran over New York's 'pen arms and piled on in the seventh. That could've been the Yankees' story, if Aaron Judge had finished off a lengthy at-bat against Kevin Gausman the way he should've.

Instead, while the postgame narrative may center around Judge's teammates letting him down on the mound in the seventh, the reality is that Judge once again deserves both responsibility and scorn for the game's outcome and direction. It's getting tougher by the day to pin his October skittishness on anyone else's shoulders.

With the bases loaded and nobody out and the Yankees down two, Judge strode to the plate seemingly right after John Smoltz finished claiming Kevin Gausman's effortless outing was the most impressive postseason series opener he'd ever seen. It was a chance to change the narrative. It didn't even require a power play. A patented single would be just fine.

The at-bat was a long one, but the second strike was a hanger in Judge's happy zone. He swung right over it. The final strike? It started low and outside and ended lower. To call it "uncharacteristic" was an understatement.

In fact, it was characteristic of Judge's work in only one month.

Aaron Judge running out of chances to reverse clutch legacy in October after killing Yankees' rally vs. Blue Jays

Of course, there's also the flip side to this reality: Judge has had his fair share of massive moments in spotlight opportunities. Somehow, the Yankees always seem to lose those games and invalidate them. The home run off Justin Verlander in the 2019 ALCS. The rocket off Emmanuel Clase in Game 3 of last year's ALCS. The tomahawk in Toronto this summer as the Yankees erased an 8-0 deficit for a few blinks. Hell, even the Field of Dreams Game. They've all been committed to memory for the opponents instead of the Yanks.

Swinging at inopportune times was an issue that persisted beyond Judge on Saturday evening. A seemingly endless parade of key Yankees cut first pitch in the third and fourth frames to keep Gausman energized. Austin Wells hacked at an 0-1 pitch to invalidate Jose Caballero's pinch-running appearance in the seventh.

We questioned prior to the game - along with Joel Sherman - whether the July Yankees (sloppy, skittish in Canada) or the September Yankees (self-assured, deeper roster, more prepared, more professional) would appear in Game 1. Ultimately, it was the July version, but with October Judge, a killer hybrid that doomed their chances.

There won't be panic in the locker room. Judge will make sure of that. But there also must be delivery between the lines for the Yankees to have a chance to even the series on Sunday. And that'll be largely his responsibility as well.