NEW YORK — Instead of closing in on title No. 28, the New York Yankees are on the verge of getting swept in the World Series for just the fourth time.
Aaron Judge again looked lost at the plate, starting pitching faltered for the second straight game and the Yankees dropped into a 3-0 Series deficit with a 4-2 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday night.
In the quiet Yankees clubhouse, players insisted they could spark an improbable turnaround. No team has overcome a 3-0 World Series deficit.
''All it takes is one,'' Judge said. ''All it takes is one swing, one at-bat, one play, everything changes for us.''
Judge is 1 for 12 (.083) with no RBIs and seven strikeouts in the Series and is hitting .140 with 20 strikeouts in this postseason.
''It's definitely shocking," Yankees pitcher Nestor Cortes said. ''Obviously, you're talking about one of the best players in the world right now.''
Judge is down to a .196 average with 15 homers, 31 RBIs and 86 strikeouts in his postseason career.
''I'm not doing any good for the team,'' he said, ''so just got to step up, take my walks when I can, drive the baseball if I get something to hit.''