The New York Yankees’ stranglehold on the AL East has vanished. For the first time since April 14, the Bronx Bombers share first place with the Toronto Blue Jays at 48-38. The Tampa Bay Rays lurk just half a game behind.
Despite Aaron Judge’s scorching .363 batting average, the team has dropped 13 of its last 19 games. Now, Judge’s attempt to defend the slump has Yankees fans furious.
Yankees Fans Take Offense at Judge Defending the Team’s Slump
After the Yankees dropped their second straight game to Toronto on July 2, Judge tried to put the team’s struggles in perspective. Greg Joyce, the team’s beat writer, had plenty of Yankees fans in his replies after he posted Judge’s latest comment, “We’re going to go through two of these a year, every good team does. … We’re not playing good baseball. Couple things we got to clean up and we’ll be right back where we need to go.”
The response from Yankees fans was swift and harsh. Many compared Judge unfavorably to past Yankees captains who demanded excellence. Others questioned whether the team had become too comfortable with losing.
Loser talk
— Brian (@NYY_Brian) July 3, 2025
“Loser talk” this fan said in response to Judge’s comment. Another responded, “Jeter would never say that ever” as Yankees fans look back to their leadership in the past. Derek Jeter captained the Yankees to five World Series titles and was known for his refusal to accept anything less than championship-level play.
Someone else added, “You know, Aaron I love you man. You are a warrior but you gotta stop with the Aaron Boone stuff. I know it’s not in your DNA to be tough, tough tough but aren’t you tired of this crap?”
The frustration stems from more than just recent losses. The Yankees haven’t won a World Series since 2009, their longest drought since the 1980s. While Judge continues to hit the ball hard, the team around him has struggled. The New York Mets are slumping at a much more rapid rate than the Yankees, but it’s still alarming for a team that has been in command of their division for nearly three months.
Judge’s average has gone back up to .363 as he picked up five hits in the team’s last two losses to the Blue Jays. Toronto will look for a four-game sweep on July 3 as they have completely taken advantage of the Yankees’ recent collapse.
This fan chimed in, “No Aaron most teams that are contenders don’t go through these stretches. What a loser mindset.” As one fan didn’t hold back, “It’s a pathetic pattern that’s accepted and condoned from the owner, the front office to the manger to the players. These games are meaningless to them. You can hear it Judge’s words. No urgency. No embarrassment for playing poorly in all phases. Zero accountability.”
The comparison to other contenders makes Judge’s comments sting even more for Yankees fans. Championship teams rarely endure such prolonged slumps during the regular season.
When do the Dodgers lose 13 of 19?
— Kyle Broughton (@KyleBroughton4) July 3, 2025
Someone asked, “When do the Dodgers lose 13 of 19?” which is a fantastic question to fire back at Judge as the reigning World Series Champions have won 14 games since June 13. When one puts it into perspective, the Dodgers have won one more game than the Yankees lost in the last month, which is a big reason why LA is 55-32 compared to NY’s 48-38.
The Yankees face a critical moment. With the trade deadline approaching and the division lead gone, Judge and his teammates must quickly reverse course. Otherwise, what started as a promising season could end with another early playoff exit, or worse, missing the postseason entirely. For a franchise with 27 championships, that would be truly unacceptable.