LOS ANGELES -- Aaron Judge and Derek Jeter strolled side-by-side around Dodger Stadium in the afternoon hours ahead of World Series Game 1. Filming a walk-and-talk segment for the FOX television broadcast, the current Yankees captain told his predecessor of his hunger to deliver a Yankees championship.

¡°The expectation isn¡¯t just to get to the World Series, it¡¯s to win it,¡± Judge said, as Jeter nodded.

Time is running out for Judge to deliver. His postseason woes continued with a 1-for-9 performance with six strikeouts in his first two career World Series games, including a hitless showing in the Yankees¡¯ 4-2 Game 2 loss to the Dodgers on Saturday night.

¡°I¡¯ve definitely got to step up, I¡¯ve got to do my job,¡± Judge said. ¡°Guys around here are doing their job, getting on base. I¡¯m failing them, backing them up. We¡¯ve got to turn it around.¡±

For so much of this season, Judge has fueled the Bombers¡¯ engine. With his bat stalled throughout the postseason, other contributors like Juan Soto and Giancarlo Stanton have had to carry the load.

¡°It¡¯s all about one at-bat,¡± Soto said. ¡°I know it¡¯s tough, but I feel like when you¡¯re a hitter like him, he¡¯s one of the greatest. I feel like it¡¯s only going to take one at-bat for him to lock in and be on it.¡±

The Yankees won an American League-best 94 games during the regular season in large part because of Judge¡¯s performance, arguably his best to date.

Considered a lock to receive his second AL Most Valuable Player Award, Judge paced the Majors in numerous offensive categories, including home runs (58), RBIs (144), walks (133), on-base percentage (.458), slugging percentage (.701) and OPS+ (223).

But it has been a different story in October, a most unwelcome callback to the early-season struggles that saw Judge batting .197 as late as May 2.

¡°I want him to get results, obviously, and I want him to get hot and get going,¡± manager Aaron Boone said. ¡°I feel like he will. Hopefully that¡¯s now.¡±

The Yankees didn¡¯t fret when Judge went 2-for-13 in the AL Division Series against the Royals, believing that it constituted a small sample size.

Judge did homer twice in the AL Championship Series against the Guardians, including a game-tying blast off closer Emmanuel Clase in Game 3 that would have registered as an all-time moment, had the Yankees' bullpen not faltered late.

Those teams, like the Dodgers, have exploited Judge¡¯s willingness to chase pitches outside the strike zone. Overall, Judge is batting .150 (6-for-40) with a double, two homers and six RBIs through 11 postseason games, with seven walks and 19 strikeouts. He is 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position.

¡°I think it¡¯s trying to make things happen instead of letting the game come to you,¡± Judge said. ¡°You see Gleyber [Torres] out there on base, Juan [Soto] is getting on base, doing things, you want to try to make something happen. But if you¡¯re not going to get a pitch in the zone, you¡¯ve got to just take your walks instead. Plain and simple, I¡¯ve got to start swinging at strikes.¡±

Jazz Chisholm Jr. said he believes Judge will rise to the occasion as the World Series shifts to Yankee Stadium.

¡°We¡¯re all a little bit anxious; it¡¯s the first two World Series games in our careers,¡± Chisholm said. ¡°You¡¯re going to go out there a little bit anxious. I feel like when we get home, he¡¯s going to feel more confident and he¡¯s going to calm down. The swing still looks the same, it¡¯s just a timing difference.¡±

Dating farther back to 2020, Judge has produced just a .146/.236/.346 slash line in his last 28 postseason games, a jarring contrast to the mighty performance that has made him one of the game¡¯s most feared hitters during the regular season.

¡°It definitely eats at you,¡± Judge said. ¡°You want to contribute and help the team, but that¡¯s why you got to keep working and keep swinging. I can¡¯t sit here and feel bad for myself. Nobody¡¯s feeling bad for me.¡±

About an hour before Game 2, Judge exchanged pleasantries with another Hall of Famer with a unique perspective. Dave Winfield¡¯s relationship with George Steinbrenner never recovered after a 1-for-22 showing in the 1981 World Series, with Steinbrenner deriding Winfield as ¡°Mr. May,¡± a sharp contrast to Reggie Jackson¡¯s ¡°Mr. October.¡±

Certainly, the current Yankees ownership would never criticize the face of their franchise so sharply. Yet they desire to call him a World Series champion, a title that might not be achieved this autumn if Judge does not produce in the games ahead.

¡°I think the overall numbers don¡¯t say how good of at-bats he¡¯s had,¡± Stanton said. ¡°Obviously, you see the overall numbers he¡¯s had. He¡¯s had good at-bats that haven¡¯t showed for it. He¡¯s got time to help us win some games.¡±