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Ex-Yankees star Alex Rodriguez says Aaron Judge 'needs' an October moment to be a true franchise legend

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Ex-Yankees star Alex Rodriguez says Aaron Judge 'needs' an October moment to be a true franchise legend

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For the New York Yankees, it is always World Series or bust.

Of course, the Bronx Bombers have 27 titles to their name, and that includes a record 18-year drought from 1978 to 1996. But, after a new dynasty won four titles in five years, expectations changed once again.

The Yankees, still, are a perennial postseason team, not having finished under .500 since 1993. Former MLB star Alex Rodriguez knew all about the expectations when he went from the Texas Rangers to the Yankees in 2004.

Rodriguez made the postseason in all but three of his seasons with the Yankees (not including when he missed the 2014 season due to suspension). But today, he is part owner of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Lynx.

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New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge reacts after hitting a grand slam off Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Cam Booser during the seventh inning of the game at Yankee Stadium in New York on Sept. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

And while on the diamond, anything short of a title was a failure, he admits that as an owner, “you have to adjust” your expectations.

“At the end of the day, it’s so hard to win, and there’s so many different resources. The days of the Yankees winning four out of five years, those days are long gone, because the business models have changed, people are competing from a different point of view, the league structures are different, whether it’s the luxury tax in baseball, there’s different elements that are pushing and pulling,” Rodriguez said in a recent interview with Fox News Digital. “But I think that winning is more being one of the most respected organizations sports to treating your fans an impeccable way, your players or organization, and then your partners, your sponsorships and stuff like that, and then having a consistent winner that has an opportunity to strike every year. So I think when you think about winning and bust-or-nothing, it’s more about the behavior of an organization versus just black and white winning a championship.”

But the Yankees still have All-Star Aaron Judge, who, if it weren’t for the Houston Astros’ Jose Altuve in 2017, would be vying for his fourth MVP Award. His regular-season numbers are astonishing, but so are his postseason stats… in the opposite direction.

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Since the start of the 2022 season (entering Thursday), Judge has MLB highs in WAR (30.9), home runs (178) and OPS (1.124). But in October, he’s hit just .205 with a .768 OPS.

Rodriguez was polarizing in New York from day one — he was the superstar shortstop with the largest sports contract of all time who didn’t exactly praise Yankees great Derek Jeter in a now-infamous quote — whereas Judge is much more universally loved, being a homegrown Yankee. 

However, that love is not unanimous because of Judge’s postseason struggles. And if he wants to be forever in Yankees lore, Judge “needs” to find success in October, according to Rodriguez.

“I mean, I’m probably the one guy that can answer this from a personal experience more than anybody,” said Rodriguez, who notoriously struggled in autumn with the Bombers before carrying the Yankees to their 2009 World Series title. 

Alex Rodriguez reacts after striking out during the game against the Los Angeles Angels at Yankee Stadium in New York on Aug. 13, 2013. (ap)

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“I can tell you that for me, 2004 was just an absolute debacle, being up 3-0 against the [Boston] Red Sox and then losing four in a row. And for five years, I basically did not sleep comfortably, until five years later in ’09, we brought it home and dropped the hammer. So I think he needs a moment like that. I think he will get one. I think being part of the Yankees and that lore is you’re going to get cracks at it every single year. So that’s on his side, the talent’s on his side, and the more at-bats, the more reps he gets, the chances increase. And when he does, it’s going to be such an enormous win for everybody, and it’s going to be an elephant off his back.”

The Yankees, though, didn’t exactly fare well in their World Series rematch last week against the Los Angeles Dodgers. They dropped two of the three games, including one contest where they were trounced 18-2 (both of the Yankees’ runs came on solo Judge homers).

Rodriguez is a partner with Lysol, which cleans up the stink — and the Yanks certainly could have used some in Los Angeles’ Chavez Ravine. The ex-Yankees slugger recently surprised a local umpire in Miami Beach with some Lysol. 

“Umpires are unsung heroes of the game, and it was great to show my appreciation for the work they do on and off the field,” he said. “Lysol is just an incredible company to partner with. We’ve had a tremendous partnership, and one of the things we want to do is make impact in the community and recognize people that often don’t get recognized.”

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One player’s impact that the Yankees are certainly missing is that of right-handed pitcher Gerrit Cole. And while the rotation has been a pleasant surprise, even with Cole’s Tommy John surgery and Rookie of the Year Luis Gil’s lat injury, an incomplete Yankees team is no match for the reigning World Series champs, Rodriguez thinks.

Mookie Betts, left, and Freddie Freeman of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrate after scoring against the New York Yankees during the fifth inning of Game 5 of the World Series at Yankee Stadium in New York on Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

“I think if you zoom out, I think it’s obvious to me with enough data points that the National League is far superior than the American League. So that’s one macro thought. And then obviously, the Dodgers have the Yankees’ number,” Rodriguez said. “It was great that they were able to salvage the series by at least winning one game and not getting swept. But look, when you have someone like Gerrit Cole hurt, the Yankees can still get through some pedestrian teams in the American League, but it’s obvious that when you play the Dodgers, you need your full team and then some, and even that may not be enough.”

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‘Demon’ Finn Balor settles score with Dominik Mysterio at WrestleMania 42

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‘Demon’ Finn Balor settles score with Dominik Mysterio at WrestleMania 42

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Finn Balor and Dominik Mysterio were once brothers in arms in the Judgment Day. The two helped the faction run “Monday Night Raw” for several years.

As championships and opportunities came and went, the rift between Balor and Mysterio grew. It came to a head when Balor caused Mysterio to lose the Intercontinental Championship to Penta. Balor leaving the Judgment Day left Mysterio and Liv Morgan as the leaders with JD McDonagh, Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez sticking around.

Finn Balor is introduced before his match against Dominik Mysterio during WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev., on April 19, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

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The latter four chose to ride with Mysterio and attacked Balor on one episode of Raw.

The bitter war led to a match Sunday night at WrestleMania 42. To make matters more interesting, Raw General Manager Adam Pearce made the match a street fight hours before the show was set to begin.

Balor had vowed to bring the “Demon” out and he certainly did.

JACOB FATU PUTS DREW MCINTYRE IN THE ‘REAR VIEW’ IN UNSANCTIONED MATCH AT WRESTLEMANIA 42

Finn Balor is introduced before his match against Dominik Mysterio during WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev., on April 19, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

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Balor made his way to the ring in his “Demon” gear, dripping with red and black paint. Mysterio was in a mask with other Mysterio supporters.

The two then proceeded to beat the crud out of each other.

Mysterio wrapped Balor’s head in between a chair and hit a 619 on him. He tried to pin Balor, but to no avail. At another point, Mysterio tossed Balor through a table set up in the corner.

As many have learned, it’s hard to keep your demons down. Mysterio learned the hard way.

Balor would not give up. Balor clotheslined Mysterio, hit him with a chair multiple times before wrapping his head in between the chair and drop-kicking him into the corner. Balor put Mysterio onto a table and hit the Coup de Grâce for the win.

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Dominik Mysterio is introduced before his match against Finn Balor during WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev., on April 19, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

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Balor excised his own demons, while Mysterio is still haunted.

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Ryan Ward has a solid debut, but bullpen blows it again as Dodgers lose to Rockies

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Ryan Ward has a solid debut, but bullpen blows it again as Dodgers lose to Rockies

What do you know? The once-stampeding Dodgers have been caged by the Colorado Rockies.

With a 9-6 loss Sunday at Coors Field, the two-time defending World Series champions lost back-to-back games for the first time this season. The Dodgers again couldn’t hold a lead, letting the Rockies tee off for 15 hits.

Nor could the Dodgers keep up offensively at the hitter-friendly park — though they put some pressure on in the ninth inning, when Shohei Ohtani led off with a ground-rule double and the Dodgers scored twice to cut the lead to three runs. Then the new guy, Ryan Ward, made the final out in his big league debut, robbed of a hit and a chance to keep chipping away by a diving Troy Johnston in right field.

Before that, the Rockies — who beat the Dodgers twice in 13 meetings all of last season — chased starter Roki Sasaki from the game in the fifth inning and then ruffled the Dodgers’ relievers. That included closer Edwin Díaz, who came on in the eighth and promptly gave up three singles, a walk and two runs before being pulled with the Dodgers trailing 8-4.

Dodgers starting pitcher Roki Sasaki gave up three runs on seven hits in 4-2/3 innings Sunday against the Rockies in Denver.

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(David Zalubowski / Associated Press)

He and Blake Treinen combined to face eight batters without getting an out.

“They both weren’t sharp,” said manager Dave Roberts, who had theories but not many answers — though he did have real concern, especially about Díaz, who recently had his right knee checked out by the medical staff.

Roberts said the closer wanted to pitch after nine days off, even though it wasn’t a save situation. But his velocity was slightly down (95.4 mph vs. 95.8) and so, “today was a tough evaluation,” the manager said.

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“It really was,” Roberts said. “Because, you know, I know what it’s supposed to look like, and when it doesn’t look like that, it gets a little concerning, really.”

And losing for the second time to the Rockies, who are now 9-13? Being in danger of losing their four-game series, after arriving in Denver without having lost to a National League opponent, against a club that hasn’t made the postseason since 2018?

It’s well below the bar the Dodgers have set, and it added a bitter note to Ward’s otherwise sweet debut.

Ward punched a big league clock for the first time wearing No. 67 and cranked his first hit off Rockies starter Michael Lorenzen in the fourth inning, lining a changeup to right field for a single that scored Andy Pages, made it 3-0 and got the 20-some members of Ward’s party up, jumping in place, hugging and high-fiving.

“When I was on first base, I got to see them all jumping around up there,” Ward said. “That was a pretty special moment.”

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He also singled in the sixth and swung on the first pitch in his first at-bat, a fly out in the third inning.

The Dodgers gave Sasaki a 2-0 lead in the third. Alex Freeland drove in Hyeseong Kim, and Shohei Ohtani doubled in Freeland — and extended his career-best on-base streak to 51 games, moving past Willie Keeler into third place in Dodgers history.

Sasaki went 4-2/3 innings, threw 78 pitches and gave up three runs on seven hits, striking out two and walking two. His ERA after his fourth start: 6.11, worst in the six-man rotation.

The Dodgers fell behind 6-5 in the seventh when Treinen — who was cleared Friday after he was struck in the head by a batted ball during batting practice — gave up four consecutive hits, including a two-run home run by Mickey Moniak.

The result likely will be a minor detail when Ward tells the story years from now about getting the call after first baseman Freddie Freeman was placed on the paternity list.

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The Dodgers’ No. 19 prospect and reigning Pacific Coast League MVP spent the last seven years in the minors. Last season, he hit 36 home runs and drove in 122 runs with a .937 on-base-plus-slugging percentage for triple-A Oklahoma City, and he has a 1.020 OPS and four homers this year.

Ward made it a point to improve his chase rate, draw more walks and get on base more frequently, everything the Dodgers asked of him. He also passed the broadest patience test.

“The plate discipline, being a better hitter … he’s done all that,” Roberts said. “He’s improved his defense. But honestly, for me, just not to let his lack of opportunity in the big leagues deter him. That’s easy when you get frustrated and let it affect performance, and he hasn’t done that.”

If anything, Ward said, the waiting made him better.

“I used it to keep going. ‘OK, if I’m not there yet, what do I have to do to get there?’” he said. “‘What part of my game do I need to work on to keep getting better?’

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“I used it as fire to keep working.”

That will be the Dodgers’ assignment too.

In the finale of the four-game series Monday, the Dodgers are expected to start left-hander Justin Wrobleski (2-0, 2.12) against Colorado left-hander Jose Quintana (0-1, 5.63).

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ESPN’s Stephen A Smith hears boos from WrestleMania 42 crowd

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ESPN’s Stephen A Smith hears boos from WrestleMania 42 crowd

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Danhausen’s curse may be real after all – just ask Stephen A. Smith and the New York Mets.

While the latter dropped their 10th game in a row, Smith got his share of the curse on Saturday night during Night 1 of WrestleMania 42. Smith was in attendance for WWE’s premier event of the year and heard massive boos from the crowd.

Stephen A. Smith attends WrestleMania 42: Night 1 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 18, 2026. (Andrew Timms/WWE)

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Smith was sitting ringside to watch the action. The ESPN star appeared on the videoboard above the ring at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. He appeared to embrace the reaction and smiled through it.

The boos came after Danhausen appeared on “First Take” on Friday – much to the chagrin of the sports pundit. Smith appeared perplexed by Danhausen’s appearance. Smith said he heard about Danhausen and called him a “bad luck charm.”

Danhausen said Smith had been “rude” to him and put the dreaded “curse” on the commentator.

WWE STAR DANHAUSEN SAYS METS ‘CURSE’ ISN’T EXACTLY LIFTED AS TEAM DROPS NINTH STRAIGHT GAME

Stephen A. Smith attends WrestleMania 42: Night 1 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 18, 2026. (Andrew Timms/WWE)

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Smith is far from the only one dealing with the effects of the “curse.”

Danhausen agreed to “un-curse” the Mets during their losing streak. However, he told Fox News Digital earlier this week that there was a reason why the curse’s removal didn’t take full effect.

“I did un-curse the Mets. But it didn’t work because, I believe it was Brian Gewirtz who did not pay Danhausen. He did not send me my money so it did not take full effect,” Danhausen said. “Once I have the money, perhaps it will actually work because right now it’s probably about a half of an un-cursing. It’s like a layaway situation.”

Danhausen enters the arena before his match against Kit Wilson during SmackDown at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on April 10, 2026. (Eakin Howard/Getty Images)

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On “Friday Night SmackDown,” WWE stars like The Miz and Kit Wilson were also targets of Danhausen’s curse.

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