NEW YORK — With ace Gerrit Cole working on a no-hitter and sitting on a five-run lead, the Yankees made three egregious misplays, beginning with a muffed fly ball by center fielder Aaron Judge, and culminating in Cole’s failure to cover first base on a grounder to Anthony Rizzo.
And the always dangerous Dodgers struck for five runs to tie the game 5-5 in the fifth inning of Game 5 at Yankee Stadium.
In one of the most disastrous innings in recent postseason history, the big blows ostensibly were struck by Freddie Freeman, who hit a two-run single, and Teoscar Hernandez, who tied the game with a two-run double. Yet those came with an air of inevitability after the Yankees flung the door wide open.
First, Judge, who simply muffed a routine fly from Max Muncy for an error after Kiké Hernandez’s leadoff single. Then, an awkward grounder off Will Smith’s bat into the hole, where Anthony Volpe felt his only play was to third. He bounced the throw for an error.
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Cole nearly steadied himself and escaped the bases-loaded jam, striking out Gavin Lux and Shohei Ohtani. Then Mookie Betts topped a grounder down the first base line. It spun and hopped and sliced and hooked and Rizzo stayed down instead of charging it.
Cole did not get off the mound to cover the bag. Betts was safe, it was 5-1 – and moments later, 5-5, all the runs unearned.
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