Yankees’ Aaron Judge is off to 3-for-24 start: Concern or déjà vu?

SEATTLE — Paul Goldschmidt was in the batter’s box with two on and two out in the Yankees ' sixth inning of Tuesday’s game at T-Mobile Park as Aaron Judge watched. With one foot on the top dugout step and the other on the second, Judge leaned on the padded rail, studying the action, with left fielder Cody Bellinger to his left, assistant hitting coach Casey Dykes to his right. Mariners righty Logan Gilbert’s 1-1 pitch was a grooved middle-in fastball.

Goldschmidt, off the bench and in the lineup, showed he still has a lot of right-handed pop at age 38, blasting the mistake pitch to deep, deep left field for a home run. Before the baseball sailed over the wall, Judge hopped over the dugout railing to clap and cheer Goldschmidt’s first homer of the season, then they slapped hands when meeting at the dugout entrance. Suddenly ahead 4-0, the Yankees were on their way to a 5-3 victory that capped a season-opening 5-1 road trip that had a lot more to do with historic pitching than the usual heroics from Judge, their three-time American League MVP.

It’s been a rough first week for the Yankees captain, whose biggest contribution in Wednesday’s series finale probably was leadership and cheerleading. In four at-bats, Judge was hitless with a strikeout. He reached first base his last time up on a throwing error by Mariners third baseman Brendan Donovan, then was caught stealing with a perfect throw by catcher Cal Raleigh.

Judge’s hitless afternoon sank his average to . 125 in six games. In 25 plate appearances, Judge has three hits, 11 strikeouts and one walk.