Yankees Losing World Series

The New York Yankees 7-6 defeat to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 5 on Wednesday night ended their hopes of pulling off the most improbable of World Series comebacks. It’s just a matter of record that the series concluded with the loss in Game 5. Nevertheless, the Yankee’s hopes might have been dashed in inning No. 5. As we’ll see shortly, the Yankee’s numerous errors in Game 5 weren’t limited to that inning, but it was that frame that caused the majority of the damage and let the Dodgers avoid having to return to Los Angeles for Game 6 of the series. 

Although Yankee supporters may not want to do so, it is necessary to revisit all of those errors, the most of which occurred in that game and series changing fifth inning.

Photo credit: New York Post

Going into that frame, the Yankees had a commanding 5 – 0 lead, giving them a 94.1% chance of winning Game 5 and extending their comeback from 3 – 0. Ace Gerrit Cole had not yet given up a hit and had been playing like a legend. As the Dodgers leadoff hitter in the top of the fifth inning, Enrique Hernández immediately recorded that elusive first hit, a single to right. The Yankee’s situation really started to go south at that time. The first and only mistake Judge made in 2024 was when he seemed to glance at Hernández on the bases. Hernández managed to get into second place before the throw. “I just didn’t make the play,” Judge said to reporters following the defeat that ended the season. Will Smith then gave Anthony Volpe a quick bounce. Hernández was sprinting toward third place in the play, while Volpe was trying to get a chance at the front-runner. Hernández would likely receive a force-out for a decent or, frankly, even adequate throw, but Volpe’s toss was untrue. Despite being somewhat fresh to third base, Jazz Chisholm Jr. was unable to save him with a nice scoop. The Dodgers had the bases loaded and no outs when Volpe made a throwing error. What could have been one of the most incredible comebacks in World Series history came to an end as the New York Yankees lost Game 5 to the Los Angeles Dodgers 7 – 6.

Although this loss marked the formal conclusion of the series, the real turning point was the fifth inning, which ended their hopes of extending the series. Aaron Judge’s crucial error and Anthony Volpe’s throwing error were the first of several costly errors that caused the Yankees to lose momentum despite having a commanding 5 – 0 lead. The Dodgers were able to capitalize on these mistakes, loading the bases with no outs and starting a series of events from which the Yankees were unable to recover. Even while it is hard to think about, the Yankees’ failure to perform in key situations—especially in the fifth inning—was the final blow to their hopes of winning the World Series. In high-stakes baseball, when even one mistake may alter the outcome of a game—and a season—the loss serves as a reminder of the thin line separating victory and failure.