Harlem Herald

NEW YORK — A strange baseball superstition is making the rounds in New York once again, and this time it has a familiar name: The Curse of the Balboni

According to baseball folklore, any player who struggles while wearing the famous Yankees pinstripes may be suffering from the curse. The legend dates back to Steve Balboni, who played for the Yankees before being traded to the Kansas City Royals. After leaving New York, Balboni found success with Kansas City and eventually helped the Royals win the 1985 World Series. Ever since, some fans have jokingly claimed that the only cure for a struggling Yankee is a trade.

Now, Aaron Judge has become the latest name attached to the bizarre superstition.

Fans who believe in the Curse of the Balboni argue that Judge has reached the point where nothing short of a change will help.

“It’s obvious,” one Yankees fan said outside Yankee Stadium. “The curse doesn’t care who you are. You can be one of the greatest players in baseball, but once the Balboni curse gets you, the pinstripes become the problem.”

Some people believe Aaron Judge is already gone, and more than ready for a plane ticket out of the Bronx. No doubt, the Curse of the Balboni lives on.