Dodgers overwhelm error-ridden Yankees in Game 5 to win 8th World Series title
The 2024 World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees ended in five games after the former took a 7-6 win on the road to clinch their second title in the past five years, the first in the "Shohei Ohtani" era and the eighth in club history.
The Yankees have all but themselves to blame for how Game 5 unfolded. Despite starting the game on a positive note, scoring consistently on their part of the inning, and with their starter Gerrit Cole doing everything to hold his end of the bargain.
The Yankees homered twice in the first inning against Dodgers starter Jack Flaherty. Finally, captain Aaron Judge came to the party in the World Series with a two-run homer followed by a solo home run from Jazz Chisholm Jr. to put the Yankees on top 3-0.
Alex Verdugo drove in Anthony Volpe in the second inning to extend the lead to 4-0. The run continued to come in as Giancarlo Stanton homered a solo shot off Ryna Brasier to put the Yankees up 5-0.
Meanwhile, Gerrit Cole was getting the better of the Dodgers hitters until the fifth inning. A costly error from Aaron Judge, followed by a fielding blunder at first base, meant the Dodgers scored five in the fifth to tie the game 5-5. Mookie Betts drove in one run while Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernandez drove in two each.
In response, Stanton hit a sac fly, which drove in Juan Soto home to retake the 6-5 lead in the sixth inning. However, the Dodgers added two runs on sac-flys from Gavin Lux and Mookie Betts in the top of the eighth of Yankees reliever Luke Weaver to retake the lead 7-6.
What happened in the 5th inning that cost the Yankees their World Series dreams?
The fifth inning of Game 5 will be remembered by Yankees fans in regret. In what could have been an easy innings fold by Gerrit Cole, the ace pitcher didn't receive support from his captain in the outfield and the dubious infield.
An easy fly ball opportunity, a double play opportunity, and no play at first on simple ground ball were missed as the Dodgers used it to their advantage to change the game on its heads.
Cole allowed a single to Kike Hernandez to start the fifth inning. He then forced a fly ball off Tommy Edman which reached Aaron Judge. But the Yankees captain couldn't make the play as both Hernandez and Edman set themselves up on second and first respectively.
Cole then forced a groundout off Will Smith but a fielding error could only record one out. However, Cole still held it strong, striking out Gavin Lux and Shohei Ohtani consecutively.
This is when the most dubious error made by the Yankees came. Mookie Betts grounded out a ball, which went to first baseman Anthony Rizzo. The Yankees pitcher didn't come to first base to record the out, nor did Rizzo, as the Dodgers got away with a potential inning-ending play. Meanwhile, Hernandez reached home on the play to give Dodgers their first run.
This was followed by red-hot Freddie Freeman's two-run single and Teoscar Hernandez's two-run RBI double to tie the ball game 5-5.
The rest is what we know as the Dodgers won the game 7-6. Freddie Freeman was named the World Series MVP.