This Vladimir Guerrero Jr. stat sums up Yankees fans' frustration with Aaron Judge

The New York Yankees have their backs to the wall as they look to stave off elimination at the hands of the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 3. While there are several storylines in the series so far, one of the biggest has been the discrepancy in performance between superstars Aaron Judge and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

As amazing, incredible, and MVP-worthy as Judge has been this season (and most seasons for that matter), something happens to him once the October lights come on. Entering this year's playoffs, Judge owned a career 109 postseason wRC+, which was a stark contrast to his regular-season career mark of 178.

A paragon of discipline and power during the regular season, fans have become accustomed to seeing those traits disappear in the playoffs as he feebly flails over the top of breaking balls with regularity.

On the other side of the matchup, Toronto has their own superstar who turns into a pumpkin come October in $500 million man Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Guerrero Jr.'s postseason resume might not be as long as Judge's (six games versus 61 games, before the start of this series), but the second-generation slugger had never hit better than .143 in a playoff matchup. Until now.

This stat highlights how badly the Yankees need Aaron Judge to hit like Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Some might point to the fact that, after a 4-for-11 performance against the Boston Red Sox, Judge is hitting .571 through two games against Toronto. Overall, he's hitting .444/.524/.500 this postseason, and his exceptional batting average has raised his career playoff average from .209 to .223 in just five games.

But it still isn't enough. As Jeff Passan points out, Vladdy Jr. has been dominant, going 6-for-7 in the series so far. The Yankees as a whole are 6-for-44.

Two things stand out. One is the power production. Guerrero Jr. has two homers in the series, including the back-breaking grand slam in Game 2. Of Judge's eight hits, seven have been singles with the lone extra base hit being a double when the game was already far out of reach. The Yankees need him to tap into his immense power.

More importantly, it's the moments that matter. Guerrero's grand salami was the foot coming down on the Yankees' throat. Judge had a similar opportunity in Game 1 but failed tremendously.

With Kevin Gausman dealing through five innings, the Yankees loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the sixth, up 2-0. Judge had the opportunity to shift the momentum of the game, and likely the entire series, with one swing. Instead, he struck out. The Yankees managed just one run in the inning, and the bullpen would unravel to make the final score much less competitive than the majority of the game was.

And that's the point. It doesn't matter if Judge bats .500 this postseason if he continues to come up small when the game is on the line. Vladdy Jr. has already flipped the script for himself; now Judge must do the same. If not, the whispers about him choking in the playoffs will only grow louder.