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MLB Twitter loses its mind as Yankees defense and Gerrit Cole implode in Game 5

By Scott Rogust

Oct 30, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole (45) stand on the pitcher mound during the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game four of the 2024 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Oct 30, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole (45) stand on the pitcher mound during the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game four 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 looked like a team that had Game 5 in the bag, and were ready to hop on a plane to Los Angeles for Game 6 of the World Series. The Yankees had an early 5-0 lead in Game 5 against the Dodgers, behind home runs by Aaron Judge, Jazz Chisholm Jr., and Giancarlo Stanton. Not to mention they had Gerrit Cole on the mound, and he was dealing through four innings.

But then, the fifth inning happened.

The Dodgers managed to come back from a 5-0 deficit to tie things up 5-5 after a serious of brain-breaking blunders by the Yankees. After allowing a single to Enrique Hernandez, Cole seemingly forced Tommy Edman to fly out, but Aaron Judge dropped it off the tip of his glove.

The next at-bat, Will Smith hit a grounder to shortstop Anthony Volpe, who decided to get the out at third base. The thing is, his throw was low, and Chisholm was unable to get it. That loaded the bases with no outs on the board.

Cole struck out Gavin Lux and Shohei Ohtani, setting the Yankees up to put the errors behind them and escape the inning with a 5-0 lead. But then, Cole surrendered a grounder to first to Mookie Betts. The thing is, Cole didn't cover first, expecting Anthony Rizzo to run over. That allowed the Dodgers to score and Betts to be safe, cutting New York's lead to 5-1.

From there, Cole surrendered a two-run single to Freddie Freeman to cut New York's lead to 5-3. And one batter later, Teoscar Hernandez crushed a game-tying two-run double to centerfield to tie things up for the Dodgers, and leaving the Yankees and the viewing audience stunned.

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MLB world couldn't believe Yankees blew five-run lead in Game 5 with sloppy defense

Let's just say that the MLB world couldn't believe what they saw with their own eyes. How could a team blow a five-run lead that easily? Well, the Yankees showed them how.

Let's take a look at the social media reaction to what was a disastrous fifth inning for the Yankees.

Yes, the Yankees have so much power in their batting order and a strong starting rotation. But one area that has killed them not just this year, but in years past, has been sloppy defense. Unfortunately for them, those mistakes showed up at the worst possible time, and handed the momentum back to the Dodgers.

The Yankees did have a chance to retake the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning as they loaded the bases. The thing is, New York scored zero runs after Gleyber Torres flew out to right field.

Let's just say that the Yankees are providing lessons to not just other MLB teams, but those at all levels on how to play defense properly.

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