About Last Night: The Yankees Were Blindsided by the Dodgers 7-6
By Tim Kabel
October 31, 2024
***
Turn out the lights, the party’s over.
The Yankees were winning this game 5-0. Gerrit Cole had a no-hitter through four innings. Then, the fifth inning came along. The Yankees gave the Dodgers three extra outs that inning. The Dodgers took advantage of the situation and came back to win the game and the World Series.
Quick Stats –
· Giancarlo Stanton hit his seventh home run of the 2024 postseason. It was also his 18th career postseason home run.
· Gerrit Cole threw 38 pitches in the fifth inning. He was on the mound for almost twenty minutes.
· Luke Weaver pitched in his third consecutive game for the first time in his career.
· Freddie Freeman tied Bobby Richardson’s 64-year-old record for the most RBI in a World Series with 12.
Big Story –
The Yankees should have won last night. They were winning 5-0 going into the 5th inning. They had their ace on the mound, and he had not given up a hit through the first 4 innings. Then, the roof caved in. Aaron Judge and Anthony Volpe made huge errors. Gerrit Cole failed to cover first base on a grounder to Anthony Rizzo by Mookie Betts. The Dodgers scored five unearned runs to tie the game.
The Yankees made a total of three errors in the game. Luke Weaver was also charged with a balk when he made three disengagements in the ninth inning. The Yankees played a sloppy game and it cost them a victory. They should have won this game, and they should have won the first game. Both games that Gerrit Cole pitched in this World Series should have been wins for the Yankees. If that were the case, the World Series would not be over, and the Yankees would be leading it three games to two. It didn't happen.
The Yankees made it to within three games of winning the World Series. Although it isn't good enough, I don't believe you can characterize the season as a failure. Then again, they do not throw parades for the team that lost the World Series.
Player of the Game –
Despite his failure to cover first base in the fifth inning, Gerrit Cole did not collapse. He threw 6.2 innings and a total of 108 pitches. He continued to fight and put up a gutsy performance.
Notable Performances –
Giancarlo Stanton continued his postseason magic, hitting a solo home run in the third inning.
Despite his error in the fifth inning, Aaron Judge had a two-run home run, a double, and walked twice.
Better to Forget:
The top of the fifth inning. The Yankees went from what seemed to be certain victory to the end of their season very quickly. Although they did take the lead again, their fate was sealed in that fifth inning.
My Take –
The Yankees should have won the game last night. They also should have won the first game of the World Series. They didn't win either one of them. They wasted two tremendous performances by their ace, Gerrit Cole. It's hard to win a seven-game series when you do that.
There will be plenty of time to discuss what should be done for next season. However, we should focus on that fifth inning for a minute. There were two outs when Mookie Betts hit the ground ball to Anthony Rizzo. Theoretically, the Yankee should have been out of that inning without any runs scoring. It didn't happen. Gerrit Cole wound up throwing 38 pitches in the inning. He was on the mound forever. I'm not suggesting that he should have been removed from the game. However, the Yankees could have sent Matt Blake out for a mound visit, to calm Cole down and simply to give him a breather. They didn't do that. As the Yankees were collapsing, Aaron Boone sat in the dugout, doing nothing except blowing bubbles. In situations like that that you need the manager to step up and take charge. He needed to do something to right the ship even if it was just talking to the players. Aaron Boone could have gone to the mound to talk to Cole and the infielders. He didn't.
Again, there will be plenty of time to analyze all of this when it isn't so raw but, Luke Weaver was not as sharp as he could have been because he was used three days in a row. Maybe using Nestor Cortes last night could have been an option. Also, why was Marcus Stroman on the roster if he wasn't going to be used at all in the ALCS or the World Series?
There were reports after the game that Aaron Boone is expected to return as the Yankees’ manager next year, since he has an option for an eighth season. Now, being expected to return and actually returning are two different things. However, Boone’s managing certainly did not puit the Yankees in a position to win this World Series and may have cost them at least one game. In addition, it was noted by multiple reporters and broadcasters that the Yankees were a fundamentally sloppy team in many areas this season. That goes back to the manager. If the team is not fundamentally sound defensively or on the base paths or in situational hitting, those are areas that the manager is supposed to prepare them in. That's why he has a coaching staff to assist him. Again, we can get into further detail regarding this in the off-season, which officially began tonight.
For now, let's just recognize that the Dodgers won the World Series, and they deserve to be congratulated. This was a tremendous disappointment for the Yankees and their fans but at least they made it to the World Series. This was the first time playing in a World Series for most of the players on this team. Perhaps this loss will serve as a motivation for them to win it all next year. We can only hope. The Yankees and their fans will now have to lick their wounds and prepare to go at it again next season.
Next Up-
Pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training in the middle of February 2025.
