Aaron Judges scorching playoffs ends without a last best chance to save Yankees season

Aaron Judge kept getting on base and hitting the ball hard, but on Wednesday night, the best player on the Yankees, having his best playoffs, couldn’t keep the Yankees alive.And another historic season from the slugger ended without a World Series title.Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees.

Just like the rest of the playoffs, Judge was a menace at the plate in a 5-2 Game 4 loss to Toronto in The Bronx, singling off opener Louis Varland in the bottom of the first after his game-changing homer off Varland on Tuesday.But he never got his best chance to alter the game on Wednesday, as with runners on first and second and two out and the Yankees down by three runs in the seventh, Trent Grisham continued a miserable postseason by popping out to shortstop Andrés Giménez, who made a terrific catch down the line in foul territory to end the inning and keep Judge in the on-deck circle.By the time he came up again, the Yankees trailed by four as he led off the bottom of the eighth and struck out.And with the Yankees down to their final out in the bottom of the ninth, Judge finished his season with a rocket RBI single to the left field corner.He finished the postseason 13-for-26 with three extra-base hits and seven RBIs and reached base three times on Wednesday.Facing lefty Mason Fluharty in the third after Ryan McMahon tied the game with a homer, Judge hit a laser up the middle, but the 112 mph shot went right at Ernie Clement, who was shifted toward second base.In the sixth, the Blue Jays opted to walk Judge intentionally up by a run with one out and the bases empty.The move worked, as Cody Bellinger lined out and after Giancarlo Stanton walked, Jazz Chisholm Jr.grounded out.Regardless of the outcome, Judge won’t have to answer any questions about coming up small in the postseason, at least individually.He simply couldn’t be kept off base throughout the playoffs a...