Judge entered Game 2 of the World Series on Saturday night with a postseason slash line of .167/.304/.361. He had struckout sixteen times in 36 at-bats. And things got worse on Saturday: 0-for-4, three more strikeouts – and, most importantly, an empty at bat in the ninth inning, as the guys around him he was referring to did their jobs.

The judge we see now bears no resemblance to the judge we’ve seen all year, unless you’re talking about the judge who woke up on May 2, after 33 games, with a slash line – .197/.331/ .393 – that looks awfully familiar to the person wearing it now.

You may have heard: Judge reinstated.

“Sometimes I think it’s trying to make things happen instead of letting the game come to you,” Judge said. “You see Gleyber (Torres) on base, you see Juan (Soto) on base, you want to get something done.”

It’s time. And it should be his turn. The stars on both sides of this series have all announced themselves and delivered big moments: Juan Soto (another home run on Saturday night) and Giancarlo Stanton, Ohtani and Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

The Dodgers seemed optimistic about Ohtani’s status, though Judge can reluctantly provide plenty of firsthand testimony that injuries sustained in this 62-year-old ballpark often don’t immediately reveal their full extent. It was a collision with the base of the outfield wall that ruined Judge’s 2023 season and sent the Yankees reeling toward Palookaville.

If he can’t turn this around soon, we could see a second straight season of Hollywood death. That can’t it won’t be the way the season will go either. Right?

“We know what’s at stake,” Judge said of the team, and of himself, he said, “We’re getting close.”

It’s not just easy to believe Judge, it’s now essential. We are not quite at the point that Father Herbert Raymond reached in 1953. Furthermore, Raymond, a 44-year-old pastor of St. Francis Xavier Church on Sixth Avenue in Park Slope, had suffered during the 1952 series with Gil Hodges when Hodges went 0-for-21. Then, still in the throes of a hangover from that failure, Hodges couldn’t buy a hit the following spring either.

On a particularly hot Sunday, in lieu of a sermon, Father Raymond told his congregation, “Go home, keep the commandments. And say a prayer for Gil Hodges.” Soon, Hodges started hitting again.

Maybe we’re not quite there yet there yet. But it probably wouldn’t hurt if the crazy denizens of Yankee Stadium add a little spice to the ovation they’ll give Judge during pregame introductions Monday. It might not be a bad idea if the Bleacher Creatures lean into it a bit when they sing his name at the top of the first scan.

Every little bit helps.

“We’ll turn it around in Game 3,” Judge said, and if they do, it’s almost certain the narrative around him will have changed. That’s the first step.