Cole: Yankees’ meltdown in 5th ‘as bad as it gets’
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Jorge Castillo, ESPN Staff Writer
NEW YORK — All year, right through the American League Championship Series, the New York Yankees overcame a tendency to play sloppy baseball by vanquishing opponents with overwhelming talent. The metrics calculated — and the eyes figured — that they were the worst baserunning team in the majors during the regular season. They regularly committed head-scratching defensive miscues. They were not nearly as fundamentally sound as one would expect from a 94-win AL champion.
But the Yankees flaunted superstars. They had Aaron Judge and Juan Soto fueling an offense that banged home runs. They had Gerrit Cole fronting a top-line starting rotation. They discovered an effective bullpen formula in time for October. Ultimately, they out-talented teams — until they couldn’t.
Their shortcomings finally caught up with them in Game 5 of the World Series on Wednesday night. A total defensive meltdown in the fifth inning, one that will be remembered as one of the worst in postseason history, cost the Yankees their season in a 7-6 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers at Yankee Stadium, ultimately ending their bid to become the first team to overcome a 3-0 series deficit in the World Series.
“This is like as bad as it gets,” said Cole, the Yankees’ Game 5 starter.
Cole was on the mound for the fifth-inning debacle. The right-hander, pitching on four days’ rest for the fourth time this season, cruised up to the disaster, holding Los Angeles scoreless over four hitless innings. Cole threw just 49 pitches. The Dodgers’ only baserunner reached on a walk. Trouble did not appear imminent. Then everything fell apart.
It started with Enrique Hernández breaking the modest no-hit bid with a leadoff single. Four pitches later, Tommy Edman hit a routine line drive to Judge in center field. An inning earlier, sure-handed Judge had made a highlight catch crashing into the wall to steal extra bases from Freddie Freeman. This time, he flubbed the liner for his first error in 2024 — regular season or postseason.
“That doesn’t happen, we got a different story tonight,” Judge said.
Five pitches after that, Will Smith hit a ground ball to shortstop Anthony Volpe‘s right side. Volpe, a Gold Glove winner last season and a finalist this year, fielded the ball cleanly but short-hopped his throw to third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. attempting to nab the lead runner. Chisholm failed to corral the throw, loading the bases with no outs. Yankee Stadium went silent.
Then Cole went to work. He struck out Gavin Lux on four pitches, finishing him off with a 99.4 mph fastball. Up next: Shohei Ohtani. Cole needed four pitches to strike out the superstar, too, getting Ohtani to wave through a curveball at the bottom of the strike zone.
Suddenly, an escape without any damage seemed possible. It seemed like a certainty when Mookie Betts hit a 49.8 mph squibber to first baseman Anthony Rizzo. Because the ball bounced to Rizzo with so much spin, he did not charge it, instead staying back to make sure he gloved it cleanly. That meant he needed Cole to cover first base to beat Betts to the bag. But Cole didn’t dash to first base to cover the bag, and Betts reached base without a throw.
“I took a bad angle to the ball,” Cole said. “I wasn’t sure really off the bat how hard he hit it. I took a direct angle to it, as if to cut it off because I just didn’t know how hard he hit it. By the time the ball got by me, I was not in position to cover first. Neither of us were, based on the spin of the baseball and him having to secure it. Just a bad read off the bat.”
The Dodgers scored their first run on the gaffe, which went down in the box score as an infield single. It will be memorialized as the beginning of the end of the Yankees’ season. Freeman, the third straight past MVP whom Cole was tasked to retire, slashed a two-run single to center field. Teoscar Hernandez followed with a game-tying two-run double to left-center field, completing a stupefying sequence that left the crowd stunned.
“You can’t give teams like that extra outs,” said Judge, who clubbed his first career World Series home run in the first inning to give New York a quick 2-0 lead. “They’re going to capitalize, especially [with] their 1-2-3 top of the order. They don’t miss.”
Cole needed 38 pitches to survive the inning. He kept the score tied and rebounded to pitch into the seventh inning. He exited the game with one out and with a one-run lead — Giancarlo Stanton‘s sacrifice fly in the sixth inning put the Yankees back on top — but the fifth inning changed the game.
“We didn’t take care of the ball well enough in that inning,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “Against a great team like that, they took advantage.”
With little margin for error, Tommy Kahnle entered to pitch the eighth inning. He surrendered a leadoff single through the left side to Hernández and lost his command from there. Edman reached on an infield single. Smith was walked on four pitches. Boone decided that was enough and replaced Kahnle with closer Luke Weaver.
“I let my team down,” said Kahnle, his eyes red from emotion.
The Yankees’ best reliever in October, Weaver yielded a sacrifice fly to Lux that tied the score again and brought up Ohtani with runners on the corners. Weaver got ahead with the first pitch, getting Ohtani to foul off a changeup. But Austin Wells was called for catcher’s interference on the swing, which loaded the bases for Betts. He delivered another sacrifice fly to give the Dodgers their first lead. It was the only lead they needed.
In the end, the Yankees committed nearly every kind of defensive miscue possible. There was Judge’s inexplicable physical mishap, Volpe’s throwing error, Cole’s mental blunder, Wells’ interference and, finally, a balk from Weaver in the ninth inning. The balk didn’t impact the scoreboard, but it typified the Yankees’ flaws on a night when they were exposed for the world to see.
“Capitalizing on mistakes, probably, and opportunities,” Stanton said when asked what he believed was the difference in the series.
It certainly was the difference in the two games that bookended the series. In Game 1, Gleyber Torres‘ inability to corral a throw from the outfield on Ohtani’s double in the eighth inning allowed Ohtani to advance to third base. Ohtani then scored on a sacrifice to tie the score. The run ultimately forced the game into extra innings, where Freeman, with the Dodgers down one, swatted a walk-off grand slam.
The gut-punch loss marked the beginning of the Yankees’ 3-0 hole. They had a chance Wednesday to continue digging themselves out of it. But the fifth inning changed everything. After the game, after Alex Verdugo swung through a curveball from Walker Buehler to end their season, the Yankees didn’t open the clubhouse to the media for 45 minutes, such an unusually long time that Boone began his news conference by apologizing for the delay.
The manager explained players were “pouring their hearts out” with “heartfelt messages.” He emphasized, as the team has all October, this club’s closeness. He said the defeat “is going to sting forever.” In the clubhouse, players said their goodbyes with backslaps and hugs.
“I think falling short in the World Series will stick with me until I die, probably,” Judge said.
In the end, the Yankees’ talent was more than enough to win the AL East and claim the league’s No. 1 seed. It won out against the Kansas City Royals and Cleveland Guardians, clubs with a sliver of the Yankees’ $300 million payroll, in October. But the Dodgers, another high-priced roster brimming with star power and future Hall of Famers, were too good for that to happen again. They were the better, more fundamentally sound baseball team. The fifth inning Wednesday showed that.
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David Schoenfield
There’s plenty of history in the rivalry between the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies. It’s about 116 miles from Citi Field to Citizens Bank Park. The two teams been competing for the NL East since 1969. Star players from Tug McGraw to Jerry Koosman to Lenny Dykstra to Pedro Martinez to Zack Wheeler have played for both franchises. Mets fans loathe the Phanatic, and Phillies fans laugh derisively at Mr. Met.
Despite this longevity, the two teams have rarely battled for a division title in the same season. The only years they finished No. 1 and 2 or were battling for a division lead late in the season:
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1986: Mets finished 21.5 games ahead
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2001: Both finished within six games of the Braves
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2006: Mets finished 12 games ahead
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2007: Phillies finished one game ahead
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2008: Phillies finished three games ahead
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2024: Phillies finished six games ahead of Mets and Braves
So it’s a rare treat to see the Mets and Phillies battling for the NL East lead in as New York faces the San Francisco Giants on “Sunday Night Baseball” this week. This season has also been a bit of bumpy ride for both teams, so there is pressure on both front offices to make trade deadline additions in hopes of winning the World Series that has eluded both franchises in recent years despite high payrolls and star-laden rosters. Let’s dig into what both teams need to do before Thursday.
The perfect trade deadline for the Mets
1. Bullpen help
The Mets already acquired hard-throwing lefty Gregory Soto from the Orioles, but David Stearns will likely look for another reliever, given that the Mets’ bullpen has struggled since the beginning of June with a 5.02 ERA. In my grade of the trade, I pointed out the importance for the Mets to add left-handed relief. Think of potential playoff opponents and all the key left-handed batters: Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper on the Phillies; Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Max Muncy on the Dodgers; Kyle Tucker, Michael Busch and Pete Crow-Armstrong on the Cubs.
Soto has held lefties to a .138 average this season, and it does help that the Mets have two lefty starters in David Peterson and Sean Manaea. They also just activated Brooks Raley after he had been out since early 2024. If he is back to his 2022-23 form, when he had a 2.74 ERA and held lefties to a .209 average, maybe the Mets will feel good enough about their southpaw relief.
They could still use another dependable righty reliever. Mets starters were hot early on, but they weren’t going deep into games, and outside of Peterson, the lack of longer outings is a big reason the bullpen ERA has skyrocketed. Carlos Mendoza has overworked his setup guys, including Huascar Brazoban and Reed Garrett. Brazoban has never been much of a strike thrower anyway, and Garrett similarly faded in the second half last season. Adding a high-leverage righty to set up Edwin Diaz makes sense. Candidates there include David Bednar of the Pirates, Ryan Helsley of the Cardinals, Griffin Jax or Jhoan Duran of the Twins, or maybe a longer shot such as Emmanuel Clase or Cade Smith of the Guardians.
2. Think big, as in Eugenio Suarez
Mark Vientos was a huge key to last season’s playoff appearance and trip to the NLCS, hitting .266/.322/.516 with 27 home runs after beginning the season in Triple-A. He hasn’t been able to replicate that performance, though, hitting .224/.279/.354. That has led to a revolving door at third base, with Vientos, Brett Baty and Ronny Mauricio starting games there in July. Overall, Mets third basemen ranked 24th in the majors in OPS entering Friday.
Lack of production at third is one reason the Mets’ offense has been mediocre rather than very good — they’re averaging 4.38 runs per game, just below the NL average of 4.43. They could use another premium bat, given the lack of production they’ve received from center field and catcher (not to mention Francisco Lindor‘s slump since the middle of June). Maybe Francisco Alvarez‘s short stint back in Triple-A will get his bat going now that he’s back in the majors, but going after Suarez to hit behind Juan Soto and Pete Alonso would lengthen the lineup.
3. Reacquire Harrison Bader to play CF
Tyrone Taylor is a plus defender in center and has made several incredible catches, but he’s hitting .209/.264/.306 for a lowly OPS+ of 65. Old friend Bader is having a nice season with the Twins, hitting .251/.330/.435. Maybe that’s a little over his head, given that he had a .657 OPS with the Mets last season, but he would still be an offensive upgrade over Taylor without losing anything on defense — and he wouldn’t cost a top-tier prospect. The Mets could still mix in Jeff McNeil against the really tough righties, but adding Suarez and Bader would give this lineup more of a championship feel.
The perfect deadline for the Phillies
1. Acquire Jhoan Duran
Like the Mets, the Phillies already made a move here, signing free agent David Robertson, who had a 3.00 ERA and 99 strikeouts in 72 innings last season with the Rangers. On paper, he should help, but he’s also 40 and will need a few games in the minors to get ready. Even with Robertson, the Phillies could use some more help here. They’ll eventually get Jose Alvarado back from his 60-game PED suspension, but Alvarado is ineligible for the postseason. At least the Mets have an elite closer in Edwin Diaz. Jordan Romano leads the Phillies with eight saves and has a 6.69 ERA. Matt Strahm is solid, but more useful as a lefty setup guy than a closer (think of all those left-handed batters we listed for the Mets, then sub out Juan Soto and Brandon Nimmo for Harper and Schwarber).
And the Phillies’ bullpen has consistently come up short in big games. Think back to last year’s NLDS, when Jeff Hoffman lost twice to the Mets. Or 2023, when Craig Kimbrel lost two games in the NLCS against the Diamondbacks. Or the 2022 World Series, when Yordan Alvarez hit the huge home run off Alvarado in the clinching Game 6.
So, yes, a shutdown closer is a must. Maybe that’s Bednar, maybe Clase if he’s available (although he struggled in last year’s postseason), maybe Helsley. But the guy Dave Dombrowski should go all-in to get: Duran. The window for the Phillies is slowly closing as the core players get older. Duran is under control through 2027, so he’s a fit for now and the immediate future. The trade cost might be painful, but with his 100 mph fastball and splitter, he has the elite stuff you need in October.
2. Add Ryan O’Hearn
The Phillies have received below-average production from both left field (mostly Max Kepler) and center field (Brandon Marsh/Johan Rojas platoon). The center-field market is pretty thin except for Bader or maybe a gamble on Luis Robert Jr. I’d pass on Robert, stick with the Marsh/Rojas platoon and upgrade left field with O’Hearn, who is hitting .281/.375/.452 for the Orioles. He isn’t the perfect fit since, like Kepler, he hits left-handed and struggles against lefties, but he’s a patient hitter with a much better OBP, and he’s passable in the outfield.
3. Acquire Willi Castro
Here’s the bottom line: The Phillies have to admit that some of their long-term position players aren’t getting the job done — such as second baseman Bryson Stott, who has a 77 OPS+. Third baseman Alec Bohm has been better but also has a below-average OPS.
That makes Castro a nice fit. He’s not a star, but he’s an above-average hitter, a switch-hitter who plays all over the field for the Twins, having started games at five different positions. He could play second or third or start in left field against a lefty. Philadelphia could even start him in center instead of Rojas, although that would be a defensive hit. Bottom line: Castro would give the Phillies a lot more versatility — or a significant offensive upgrade over Stott if they start him every day at second.
Note as well: Stott has hit .188 in 33 career postseason games. Bohm has hit .214 with two home runs in 34 postseason games. The Phillies need a different offensive look for October.
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