Aaron Judge signature playoff moment uncovered reality Yankees fans must acknowledge

Though it definitely didn't look like it to start, the New York Yankees will live to fight another day. After looking so good against Boston, Carlos Rodón became the latest Yankees starter to falter, getting jumped by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the first, whose towering two-run shot continued to provide an example to Aaron Judge on how a superstar is truly supposed to perform in the playoffs.

That was the first blow to Rodón, but there would be more as the Yankees' lefty was chased after just 2 1/3 innings, getting tagged with six runs in the process. Toronto would hold a 6-1 lead heading into the bottom of the third, bringing about the all-too-familiar pit in every Yankee fan's stomach.

However, the Yankees would start to mount a comeback, and Judge was at the center of it, kicking off a two-run rally in the bottom of the third. That was all well and good, but we've seen that before. What we needed from Judge was to truly come through when the moment counted the most. He'd deliver that the very next inning, launching a deep shot down the left field line with Austin Wells on second and Trent Grisham on first. The three-run dinger brought the game even at six and paved the way for a Yankee victory.

That moment also brought to light a reality that Yankee fans had long overlooked.

Aaron Judge's game-tying blast puts him in unexpected company among Yankees greats

Finally, Judge had come through with the game on the line in October. He seemingly always had come up small in these moments before, much to the ire of Yankees fans. But is that really the truth, or just a perception based on year after year of playoff futility?

Well, with his dramatic homer in Game 3, Judge has actually joined elite company, earning a place amongst the franchise's most notorious postseason performers.

That's right, with last night's homer in the books, Judge has pulled even with none other than Babe Ruth for the most game-tying/go-ahead postseason homers in franchise history. Raise your hand if you knew Judge was anywhere near this list?

For as maligned as Judge's postseason performance has been, he clearly has come up big in the clutch more than we realize.

Let's put that in some more context. Derek Jeter tallied those 12 clutch homers in 158 postseason games. Williams logged 121 playoff games to blast his 11 game-changing shots. Judge, on the other hand, has 10 in just 64 October contests. Ruth stands alone, needing just 41 games to reach his milestone, making one wonder how many he would have had with all the rounds the modern-day playoffs include.

The point being that Judge has come up clutch in far fewer games than his modern predecessors, both of whom are regarded as two of the most clutch hitters in Yankees playoff history. The difference being, despite his theatrics, the Yankees haven't come away with a ring in the process.

Without a moment standing out in historical context, like the shot that earned Jeter the Mr. November nickname, it's the ultimate outcome that tinges our perception. That isn't to say that Judge has been impervious to criticism for his past playoff performances. He did enter this year's October festivities with a career .209 postseason batting average after all.

But his big blast to keep the Yankees alive against Toronto shows that we need to tweak our evaluation a bit. More so, because he went 3-for-4 with a walk in the game, and has been hot all postseason.

With a .636/.714/.1091 line this series against the Blue Jays, he's doing his part. And if the Yankees complete the comeback and achieve their ultimate goal in 2025, our assessment of playoff Judge might be completely flipped on its head. At least for now, we need to begin questioning the narrative.