NEW YORK -- Aaron Judge walked slowly from first base toward the dugout, turning his head just long enough to watch what must have seemed like a re-run: another October, and another visiting team wearing blue, celebrating atop the Yankee Stadium mound.

It was the Blue Jays, with Cody Bellinger swinging through the final pitch of the American League Division Series . The previous year, it had been the Dodgers ending the World Series. These are the mountains that Judge and the Yankees must climb to claim a championship.

“When I signed back with the Yankees in ’23, I wanted to finish a job here and bring back a World Series,” Judge said. “We’re still on that mission.”

So what now? Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner said fans should enter Spring Training with a realistic

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