Anthony Rizzo reminds everyone that ‘Aaron Judge is a human being too’ after 2024 postseason debacle

Aaron Judge was raking in the 2024 regular season, taking the New York Yankees' hopes sky-high to finally end the 15-year World Series drought. However, the outfielder blundered on the biggest stages during the World Series against the LA Dodgers in 2024.

Judge dropped a simple play in the outfield, adding to the Yankees' costly blunders in Game 5, which eventually led to the Dodgers' comeback 7-6 victory and lifting their eighth title. Not only that, Judge's bat was as cold as the captain could only hit .184 with three home runs, nine RBIs and eight runs scored in 14 games.

Anthony Rizzo expressed his support for teammate Aaron Judge on The Mayor's Office podcast on Friday, urging critics to stop, citing the outfielder is a "human being" too.

"I think, as a player, it’s so hard being at the highest level of a big leaguer, right?" Rizzo told Sean Casey on The Mayor's Office podcast (11:08 onwards). "What goes into that, as you know, Case, it’s almost impossible to do. There are 700 big leaguers, and he’s player one—hitter number one. You can argue maybe one or two, but in my opinion, he’s the best right-handed hitter in the league.

"But, you know, he’s a human being too. The best of the best still go through their struggles, and I always say they need love too. Just because they’re the best doesn’t mean they don’t have their own challenges."

Anthony Rizzo shares one trait of Aaron Judge he admires

Criticism can sometimes take a real toll on someone. Aaron Judge went through just following the World Series debacle last year.

However, despite the criticism, he has kept his head high, acknowledging his mistakes while also staying calm enough to let it pass.

"The way he was able to carry himself every single day—good, bad, or indifferent—you would never, ever know," Rizzo added. "And that is probably the most special trait that I admire about him after playing with him for the last four years."

While the Yankees may not have won the World Series, they are once again stacked up well to get there again in 2025.