Aaron Judge Needs to Prove in Game 2 That Indians Haven't Figured Him Out

© Gregory Shamus/GettyImages Divisional Round - New York Yankees v Cleveland Indians - Game One

Aaron Judge is still figuring out how intense October can be. 

Thursday night, he got a taste of the level of play he needs to elevate to in the postseason. Coming off a sterling playoff debut against Minnesota, Judge learned that Trevor Bauer and the Tribe's game plan is a different animal. All Rise went 0-for-4 at the plate, and every single at-bat ended with a strikeout, giving him the four-K Golden Sombrero for the night. That's something you DO NOT want in the postseason. 

And his tough at-bats looked a lot like what we were seeing during his second-half slide.

Things won't get any easier for Judge, but he needs to prove to the Indians that they have not figured him out after just one game. 

The next matchup is against Cleveland's ace, Corey Kluber. 

“You’d rather get at-bats against them,” Judge said of going up against Kluber. “I’ll watch some video, prepare and get ready.” ​

The Indians are going to come right back at Judge for Game 2 and are going to be buzzing him up and in with fastballs and down and away with curves. Judge needs to show his maturity as a hitter and his improved patience. It's hard to not swing at everything in October, especially when he racked up 52 homers in the regular season. But Judge got back on track late in the season by spitting on these pitches. We know he's got it in him.

Settle down, kid. Take your walks.

Related slideshow: Best images of the 2017 MLB playoffs (Provided by photo services) 

Best images of 2017 MLB playoffs