The top of the fifth inning Wednesday night was an absolute nightmare for the New York Yankees.
In an alternate universe, the Yankees have a 3-2 lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 6 of the World Series Friday.
However, the Yankees had one of the worst defensive innings of all time in Game 5, just a few days after some miscues in Game 1.
Both games were Dodger victories.
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On Wednesday night, the Yankees were on their way to becoming the first team to force a Game 6 in the Fall Classic after trailing 3-0 in the series and getting out to a 5-0 lead. Then, the sky fell.
In the fifth inning, Aaron Judge dropped a routine fly ball to put runners on first and second and no outs. Then, Jazz Chisholm couldn’t handle a short throw at third, which loaded the bases. Gerrit Cole got two big outs, but on what should have been the third, he didn’t cover first base, which kept the inning going.
The Dodgers saw an opportunity and pounced. Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernandez each drove in two runs to tie the game at five.
None of this was by accident where the Dodgers were concerned.
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The New York Post reports the Dodgers had emphasized in team meetings that the Yankees were a “talent over fundamentals” team.
“That if you run the bases with purpose and aggression, the Yankees will self-inflict harm. … That the value was very high to put the ball in play to make the Yankees execute,” the Post reported, noting the Yankees were MLB’s worst baserunning team “by every metric.”
“They were thrilled at how short Yankee leads were at first base to potentially be less of a threat on pivots at second, where Gavin Lux does not excel,” the Post added.
It also reported the Yankees’ outfield was poorly positioned. Alex Verdugo and Juan Soto may be Gold Glove finalists this year, but the eye test will tell you Soto is a liability in right field. (The Yankees prefer him in right over left.) And Judge’s skills in center field do not come close to what he can do in his normal right field position.
The Dodgers also took notice that infielders were out of position on balls hit to the outfield. That was the case when Shohei Ohtani reached third on a double after a ball got away from Gleyber Torres and no one was around to pick it up.
The Yankees outslugged their poor fundamentals from April through September. They were even able to do so against the Royals and Guardians in the ALDS and ALCS, but elite teams clearly take note and take advantage.
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