NEW YORK – This Yankees loss doesn’t rest on the impossibly broad shoulders of Aaron Judge.

In a sense, none of them really do.

Judge, the world champion, captain of this great franchise, never really deserves to be the scapegoat for a single defeat. The Yankees are where they are and can go where they hope to go in large part because Judge is a generational force. Blaming the golden goose seems somewhat ungrateful and misleading.

But fair or not, Judge’s underperformance in the playoffs — which continued Monday in a disheartening 4-2 loss to the Royals in Game 2 of the ALDS — creates a narrative that is both lazy and inevitable. A 1-for-7 mark so far this fall has pushed Judge’s career postseason line to a disappointing (by his immense standards) .208/.311/.449 in 46 games. He now has the highest strikeout rate – 34.3% – in playoff history.

Doubts about Judge’s ability to shine on the biggest stage grow from whispers to questions, as foolish as they may be.

“I mean, baseball, it’s a hit. I got a single and a walk in a game,” Yankees skipper Aaron Boone said of Judge at his post-game press conference. “I get it, but hitting is hard. You won’t hold him back for long.’

The questions, for both Boone and Judge, come with the performance. It’s part of it. They understand this reality. Judge has sent Yankee Stadium into pandemonium countless times during his springs and summers. He has made history time and time again. However, the presumed AL MVP has yet to deliver a signature postseason moment or a World Series trophy. As long as he doesn’t, the amazement will continue.

Boone and Judge also know that Judge is just one man, as evidenced by Boone’s frustrated and bewildered tone during the press conference. There were also few other Yankees bats on Monday. Juan Soto and Gleyber Torres went hitless. Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s garbage time home run. in the ninth was the team’s only extra-base hit of the evening. Starting pitcher Carlos Rodón recorded only 11 outs.

The righty’s forgettable 1-for-3 with a walk was not the Bombers’ fate.

“He has been on base three times in the first two games,” Boone continued. “It’s not that simple. It’s baseball. Hitting is a game of failure. He will get more chances and I will continue to bet on him.”

The Yankees turned in a sleepy performance on Monday, although it started with a bump.

Rodón started proceedings with an electrifying first inning that left the crowd enraged and engaged. He started by striking out Maikel Franco, which froze the Kansas City third baseman at knee height. An energetic Rodón roared his way down the mound as Franco trudged back to the dugout.

Out No. 2 came with an elevated fastball, a rocket-powered four-seamer that went past star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. was blown. The Yankees starter, pushed along by the pinstripe faithful, nodded boastfully to himself and then appeared to bellow, “Oooh, let’s go, boys.” An inning-ending punchout from Vinnie Pasquantino, this one on a dastardly slider, drew tongue-wagging and wide-eyed expressions from the flame-throwing starter.

Rodón kept the Royals at bay in the second and third, and the Yankees scored one run in the bottom half of that frame, but the juice disappeared in a disastrous fourth inning. The Yankees left-hander got behind the leadoff hitter, Salvador Pérez, after bouncing the All-Star backstop on a pair of sliders. The next breaking ball, a dull spinner, found the strike zone. Unfortunately for Rodón, it also found the barrel of Pérez’s bat and – at the 5.4 second mark – the left field seats.

“Trust the field and attack. That’s the mentality I would like to have,” the beleaguered starter explained after the game. “Obviously I want to be better than that.”

Peréz spun around the base, flapping his arms like a bird in flight. That long ball was his fourth career home run off Rodón, and it pushed his career OPS against the southpaw over 1.500. The dark-eyed pitcher shook his head in frustration, his lips pursed.

His night was about to get even worse.

Three more hits and two more runs later, Rodón was out of the ball game. He recorded 11 total putouts in his first playoff start in pinstripes. Kansas City left the frame with a 4-1 lead. From there, New York threatened, but could not break through. The score didn’t budge until Chisholm went to the yard to start the ninth.

That shot into the Bahamian’s top deck brought some hope back into the home crowd’s imagination, cutting the lead to two. Surprise first baseman Jon Berti singled off Royals closer Lucas Erceg with two outs. That set up Gleyber Torres for the tying run, but the Yankees second baseman rolled out and ended the threat and the game.

A symphony of groans rose above the opening notes of Sinatra’s “New York, New York” as the Kansas City players shook hands and traded heck yeahs.

The series now moves to Kauffman Stadium for Game 3 on Wednesday. It will be the first home game for the Royals since the 2015 World Series. The Kansas City skyline will provide warm comfort to this weary Royals team, which has not set foot in the City of Fountains since September 22.

The Yankees, on the other hand, have been sleeping in their own bed since that same date. After Monday’s game, Judge and his teammates packed their equipment into navy blue travel bags. They are now going out for the first time in more than two weeks.

Their loss on Monday no longer guarantees a return trip to the Bronx. The stakes come at you quickly in October.