New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge has broken the hearts of the team's fans with his World Series slump. One of them happens to be ESPN First Take commentator Stephen A. Smith, who has a large platform to air his baseball grievances.

New Yorkers “won't forget” about Judge's championship no-show, via Smith.

“This is one of the most atrocious performances we've seen from a baseball player, from a hitter in the postseason. .083, not even batting .100? 1-for-12, seven strikeouts?” Smith asked. “And oh, by the way, this ain't the first postseason he has done this “I think in his career, correct me if I'm wrong, isn't it like .122 what his batting average is in multiple postseasons? He is so lucky that the late great George Steinbrenner, the former owner of the New York Yankees, is not alive.”

Steinbrenner was known for leading with an iron fist. “The Boss” didn't accept incompetency, and wasn't afraid to put players and coaches on blast.

“Could you imagine what George Steinbrenner would be saying about him to the media, on camera, in the tabloids, and everything else in between? He wouldn't stop, because you have to show up and produce when it counts most. New York is a rough town, but it can also be very forgiving. New Yorkers are not gonna let this go.”

Outside of two home runs against the Cleveland Guardians in the ALCS, Judge has yet to contribute offensively in the biggest moments. The six-time All-Star is slashing .140/.278/.302 in October after slashing .322/.458/.702 with 58 homers and 144 RBI in the regular season.

Aaron Judge isn't a Yankees great until he slugs in October

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (99) reacts after striking out during the first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game three of the 2024 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium.
Brad Penner-Imagn Images
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There's no way to sugarcoat it: Judge is choking.

“Let me tell you what pundits like myself do, okay? What we do is this: Whoever you are regularly is what we look to to define what you are when it really really counts,” Smith continued. “What I mean by that is this: if you have been smacking 57 home runs throughout the regular season, okay, and you're the monster, but then the bright lights of the postseason show up, and you're nowhere to be found. That is called choking to us.”

Playoff greatness is what separates good players from the greatest to ever do it, especially for a franchise with the Yankees' history. Players like Derek Jeter, Joe DiMaggio, Babe Ruth, and many others won the team multiple rings with great performances in October as well as the regular season.

Judge is getting duped by breaking balls as he chases “the big moment,” via ESPN's Jesse Rogers

“The Dodgers are feeding him spin, spin, spin that he is chasing,” an American League scout said. “Then the fastball looks harder than it actually is, so he is out of timing. He needs to stop worrying about the big moment and just go with those sliders and take them into right field and the right-center-field gap.”

Will Judge finally break out of his slump before it's too late?