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3 New York Yankees to blame besides Aaron Judge, Aaron Boone for Game 3 no-show

Aaron Judge and Aaron Boone are at the top of the list of New York Yankees problems in the World Series. But there are others who aren't helping.

By Alicia de Artola

Oct 28, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Clarke Schmidt (36) reacts after getting the last out against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the top of the first inning in game three of the 2024 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Oct 28, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Clarke Schmidt (36) reacts after getting the last out against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the top of the first inning in game three of the 2024 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
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The New York Yankees are down 0-3 in the World Series after losing Game 3 to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The vibes are bad and the blame game is in full swing.

Let's just start with the obvious. Aaron Boone and Aaron Judge are going to shoulder the bulk of the blame for this result, and they deserve it.

Boone refuses to make a lineup change to help Judge break out of his slump. He started Jose Trevino over Austin Wells because of his offense and then pinch hit Wells for Trevino despite his sub-.100 batting average. And when Gleyber Torres got rung up on a pitch high above the zone, Boone, who racks up ejections fighting for his players during the regular season, stayed planted in his dugout.

Judge, meanwhile, is crumbling under the pressure of the moment. The fans even tried to give him a standing ovation to spark something from him ala Trea Turner. He promptling struck out. The likelihood of the Yankees winning the World Series while Judge batted .140 with 20 strikeouts was always going to be near the floor. Shohei Ohtani's dislocated shoulder did more for the Dodgers in Game 3 than Judge did for the Yankees. This team simply can't overcome their captain becoming invisible.

But those are the obvious blame game targets, ones we've had to highlight after every game of the series so far. So let's put the focus on some other culprits after a 4-2 loss.

3. Jake Cousins

What is it about Jake Cousins that has convinced Boone to put him in every game of the World Series so far? He gave up two runs in Game 1 and allowed two hits in Game 2 before getting out of trouble. He came into Game 3 in the sixth inning with the Yankees already trailing 3-0 and helped them add another run.

In a 2-2 count, Cousins hit Gavin Lux, who by the way came into Monday's game batting .185/.258/.296 in the postseason. Then he tossed a wild pitch that allowed Lux to steal second. That wild pitch turned out to be costly as Lux then made his way home when a Kiké Hernández hit a single on the next pitch.

2. Jazz Chisholm Jr.

Lost in all the Aaron Judge talk is how ineffective Jazz Chisholm Jr. has been in the playoffs so far. Chisholm isn't the behemoth at the plate that Judge is, so it's less surprising he's struggling. Still, batting .170/.220/.255 isn't cutting it.

That stat line would be more bearable if he hadn't committed an error and gone 0-for-2 with runners in scoring position on Monday.

Chisholm lined out in the bottom of the fourth with Giancarlo Stanton at second (that's the same inning that ended in the Yankees inexplicably sending Stanton home to get tagged at the plate on Anthony Volpe's single).

In the sixth, Chisholm came to the plate with runners on first and second. He grounded into a fielder's choice to end the inning.

The Dodgers aren't getting much out of their best hitter, Shohei Ohtani, but they're surviving it because others are stepping up. And I'm not talking Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, i.e. Juan Soto and Giancarlo Stanton. The likes of Kiké Hernández, Teoscar Hernández and Tommy Edman have come up big for them. The Yankees are getting more from Anthony Rizzo and his broken fingers than their No. 5 hitter.

1. Clarke Schmidt

We can certainly point to Freddie Freeman's heroics as the difference in the series so far. But the fact is, the disparity between the pitching staffs is probably more to blame for the 3-0 series. The Dodgers bullpen has totally outperformed the Yankees'. Outside of Gerit Cole's (wasted) Game 1 performance, NY's starters have also been outplayed.

In Game 3, it was Clarke Schmidt up against Walker Buehler. The duel wasn't even close. Schmidt managed to go just 2.2 innings, walking four and giving up three runs in the process.

It started poorly. He threw four straight balls to Shohei Ohtani, putting him on base without forcing him to test his injured shoulder with a swing. Then giving up a home run to Freddie Freeman not only put the Yankees in a 2-0 hole, but it gave the Dodgers all the confidence they needed to roll the rest of the way.

Winning the World Series is as much about the psychology as it is swings of a bat or pitches in the strike zone. Momentum is real and the Dodgers came into Game 3 with all of it in their favor. The Yankees needed to set the tone early that things would be different in New York. Instead, Schmidt signaled to the opposing dugout that, yes, Freeman could still hit jacks out east. By the time Aaron Judge struck out swinging in his first at-bat, the mental game was lost.

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