Judge sets single postseason strikeout record in Yankees' defeat
There is every reason to believe that Aaron Judge will be setting a lot of notable postseason records in a New York Yankees uniform for many Octobers to come.
For now, though, he's going home with a dubious postseason record hanging around his neck.
Judge - who is all but assured of being named American League Rookie of the Year next month - finished his first October run having set a new major-league record for strikeouts in a single postseason with 27 Ks. That breaks the previous mark of 26, set by Alfonso Soriano during the Yankees' 2003 playoff run.
Judge passed Soriano on Saturday when Houston's Lance McCullers Jr. got him swinging to end the eighth inning. It was also his 11th strikeout of the ALCS, one shy of the single-series mark for a league championship series.
The 25-year-old - whose 16 Ks in the AL Division Series set a single-series playoff record for any round - struck out at least once in 12 of his 13 playoff games played, with the AL wild-card game against Minnesota being the lone exception. With his team being eliminated in the ALCS, Judge is now the only player in playoff history to have struck out at least 20 times on a playoff team that failed to reach the World Series.
20+ strikeouts in a single postseason
Rk. | Player | Year/Team | SO | Rslt. |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Aaron Judge | 2017 Yankees | 27 | Lost ALCS |
2 | Alfonso Soriano | 2003 Yankees | 26 | Lost WS |
3 | Pat Burrell | 2010 Giants | 22 | Won WS |
4 | Kris Bryant | 2016 Cubs | 21 | Won WS |
4 | Javier Baez | 2016 Cubs | 21 | Won WS |
4 | Ryan Howard | 2009 Phillies | 21 | Lost WS |
4 | Jim Edmonds | 2004 Cardinals | 21 | Lost WS |
4 | Mike Napoli | 2013 Red Sox | 21 | Won WS |
4 | Mike Napoli | 2016 Indians | 21 | Lost WS |
10 | Devon White | 1997 Marlins | 20 | Won WS |
10 | Evan Longoria | 2008 Rays | 20 | Lost WS |
10 | David Wright | 2015 Mets | 20 | Lost WS |
10 | Lucas Duda | 2015 Mets | 20 | Lost WS |
(Courtesy: Baseball-Reference)
Despite now owning this dubious record, Judge still had a productive ALCS at the plate. His three homers, seven RBIs, and 1.065 OPS during the seven-game ALCS led all hitters on both the Yankees and Astros.