Gerrit Cole started Game 5 of the World Series looking untouchable. He cruised through four no-hit innings, striking out Dodgers hitters and making it look easy. The Yankees held a 5-0 lead and looked in full control. But then came the fifth inning, where everything collapsed. It started with a Kiké Hernández single and spiraled from there. Aaron Judge dropped a routine fly ball while trying to set up a double play. Anthony Volpe missed a throw he’s made plenty of times. The Yankees loaded the bases with errors and poor decision-making.
Cole did all he could to clean up the mess. He struck out Gavin Lux and Shohei Ohtani to get two outs, but the Yankees couldn’t finish the inning. Mookie Betts hit a soft grounder and Cole didn’t cover first. Miscommunication between Cole and Rizzo let another run in. Then Freddy Freeman, who had homered in each of the first four games, ripped a pitch for a two-run single. Two more runs scored on a double by Teoscar Hernández. Cole gave up five unearned runs in an inning the Dodgers barely hit the ball hard. The Dodgers’ game plan was simple: put the ball in play and let the Yankees beat themselves. It worked. Los Angeles tied the game and eventually won, taking the series and the World Series title. The Yankees’ fielding and fundamentals broke down at the worst possible time. Their collapse in the fifth inning will be remembered as one of the worst in World Series history.