SAN ANTONIO, Texas — As long as the New York Yankees’ championship drought persists, the fifth inning of Game 5 in the 2024 World Series will be a symbol of their humiliation. In stunning fashion, the Yankees embarrassed themselves on baseball’s grandest stage. Aaron Judge dropped a routine line drive, Anthony Volpe misfired a short throw to third base, and Gerrit Cole failed to cover first.
Each of those moments contributed to the Yankees blowing a 5-0 lead and ultimately losing the World Series in five games to the Los Angeles Dodgers . Advertisement But it wasn’t just Game 5. In Game 1, a series of misplays — small yet critical — could have altered the outcome in the Yankees’ favor had they executed more efficiently.
Throughout the World Series, they also committed several base-running blunders. The Yankees were roundly criticized for their lack of fundamentals, and Dodgers reliever Joe Kelly didn’t mince words, mocking the Yankees by suggesting their sloppy play was a known weakness. He even quipped that the Yankees were the eighth- or ninth-best team in the postseason and claimed Dodgers’ scouting reports indicated that putting the ball in play would force mistakes from New York’s defense.
“I acknowledge that we played poorly in the World Series,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said at MLB ’s general managers’ meetings Tuesday. “We all saw that. Unfortunately, our A-game didn’t show up when it mattered most.
” Cashman said Kelly’.
