The New York Yankees are only one game into the 2026 MLB season, yet Aaron Judge has already come under fire.
The Yankees thrashed the San Francisco Giants with a 7-0 shutout victory on Opening Day on Wednesday. Yet, captain Judge did nothing to contribute to the dominant scoreline.
Just over a week on from the USA’s collapse in the World Baseball Classic, the slugger went missing at the plate once again.
The matchup presented a homecoming for Judge, who grew up in Linden, California, some 90 miles northwest of Oracle Park, but his performance did not live up to the occasion.
Judge went hitless on Opening Day for the first time in his big league career and had four strikeouts in a game for the first time since September 2024.
Judge struck out swinging in the first against Logan Webb, took a called third strike in the second, struck out on a foul tip in the fourth, then took another called third strike in the sixth. He grounded out starting an 0-for-5 night.
New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge was slammed by MLB fans after Opening Day
The Yankees stormed to an opening 7-0 shutout win against the San Francisco Giants
He had not struck out four times since a five-strikeout game against Pittsburgh on September 28, 2024.
Judge’s woeful display at bat opened the door to merciless taunting from rival fans, while Yankees supporters were left in dismay.
Barstool Sports, owned by notorious Boston sports fan Dave Portnoy, led the backlash, writing, ‘Aaron Judge is already in playoff mode,’ referring to Judge’s postseason performances.
‘Being an Aaron Judge fan must suck, man,’ one San Diego Padres fan wrote. ‘He’s obviously one of the greatest hitters of all time, but then also he does this s*** and gives your rivals infinite ammo in arguments.’
‘Send him down to the minors for some more seasoning. He’s not ready yet,’ another social media user claimed.
‘Hopefully Judge’s BIG CHOKE is a sign of how the season is going to play out for the Yankees,’ one gleeful rival fan posted.
Others likened the display to the World Baseball Classic, where Judge, also captaining the USA, went hitless in the championship game against Venezuela.
‘It’s like he never took off the USA jersey,’ one baseball viewer posted.
Judge went hitless on Opening Day for the first time in his career and had four strikeouts
‘Looks strikingly similar to World Baseball Classic mode,’ another said.
A third added: ‘Aaron Judge picks up right where he left off after the World Baseball Classic.’
During Wednesday night’s matchup, Judge became the first reigning MVP with four strikeouts in his team’s first game of the season. It surpassed the previous record of three.
Judge also became just the third Yankee ever with four strikeouts on Opening Day, and the only hitter in New York’s opening lineup on Wednesday not to record a hit.
