2024-10-31 18:30:02
NEW YORK — Gerrit Cole had not allowed a hit. The Yankees had built a five-run lead in Game 5 of the World Series.
Then it all unraveled in one calamitous inning in the field.
With the Yankees leading 5-0, the defense behind Cole committed a pair of errors plus another defensive miscue to let the Dodgers back into the game and tie it up with five runs in the fifth inning on Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium.
Through four innings, Cole had been cruising. He needed 48 pitches to get through and only issued a pair of walks while notching three strikeouts.
But the Yankees ace’s sterling start began to capsize after he gave up a leadoff single to Kike Hernandez.
Aaron Judge takes eye off ball, drops an easy fly ball
In the next at-bat, Aaron Judge dropped a routine fly ball in shallow center field.
Anthony Volpe misfires to third base, loading the bases
Then, on a slow chopper to the left side, Anthony Volpe skipped a throw to third base that could not be corralled by Jazz Chisholm Jr. to load the bases.
Gerrit Cole does not cover first on grounder to Anthony Rizzo
After Cole notched back-to-back strikeouts of Gavin Lux and Shohei Ohtani, he appeared to be out of the inning with a slow ground ball by Mookie Betts to the right side, but Anthony Rizzo did not charge the ball and Cole failed to cover the bag as the Dodgers’ first run scored.
The Dodgers then tied the game, 5-5, on a two-run single by Freddie Freeman followed up by a two-run double by Teoscar Hernandez into the left-center field gap. Cole was gassed, needing three mound visits to get through a 39-pitch inning.
He walked Muncy in the next at-bat before recording the final out of the frame on a sharp ground ball up the middle to Volpe.
None of the five runs were earned against Cole, who allowed four hits in the frame as his pitch count ballooned to 87.
