Before the Yankees (Doodle Dandy type) lost to Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic final, the Yankees (AL East version) already had a strong case as the team under the most pressure going into the 2026 campaign.

But then Aaron Judge was the face (and captain) of the U.S. squad, and as the offense petered out in a 2-1 semifinal win over the Dominican Republic and a 3-2 championship loss to Venezuela, Judge was a combined 1-for-8 with five strikeouts. He had high points in this tournament on both sides of the ball and was far from the only reason the Americans did not win. But again: face, captain.

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Sound familiar?

He has not been the Yankees captain the whole time or even a Yankee the whole time during what is now a 16-season drought without a championship. But the third-longest title black hole in franchise history weighs on his legacy more than anyone’s.