3 Yankees most to blame for brutal World Series defeat

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The New York Yankees lost the World Series in five games to the Los Angeles Dodgers. They were unable to get the offense rolling in the first three games and were down 3-0. After a dramatic Game 4, win the Yankees were ahead 5-0 in Game 5. They were mere innings away from traveling back to Los Angeles before it all fell apart. While Aaron Boone and Aaron Judge are to blame, this loss was an organizational downfall.

Game 1 was the turning point in the series. When the Yankees blew a 2-1 lead and the game needed extra innings, it looked like the home Dodgers would win. But Jazz Chisholm manufactured a run on the bases to give New York the lead. Freddie Freeman’s walk-off grand slam off Nestor Cortes unleashed fans onto Aaron Boone and his poor bullpen decisions. That loss snowballed into two more that effectively ended the World Series.

There is plenty of blame to go around for the Yankees’ loss to the Dodgers. Their spectacular collapse on Wednesday brought many of their issues to the forefront. Let’s dive into the Yankees to blame for losing the World Series.

Aaron Boone’s confounding decisions continue

Manager Aaron Boone finally got the Yankees back to the World Series. This season was the first time in his managerial career that his team won even three games in the ALCS, let alone four. He is among the longest-tenured managers in the league despite continually not making the right bullpen decisions.

Game 1 was the biggest example of this, as Tim Hill was left in the bullpen for Nestor Cortes. They lost that game, which felt massive at the time as the Dodgers captured momentum. After the Yankees won Game 4, it felt even bigger as they could have had a tied series. He also pulled Gerrit Cole at 88 pitches in that game, a decision that benefited them as he was able to throw 108 pitches in Game 5.

Aaron Judge needs to fix postseason issues

The Yankees drafted, developed, and re-signed one of the best players in baseball. Aaron Judge is beloved by Yankee fans as the homegrown talent who launches home runs and plays center field. After one of the best seasons ever by a right-handed hitter, Judge floundered in the postseason, all the way into the World Series.

His home run in Game 5 and double in Game 4 saved his stat line just a little bit. Judge went 4-18 with three RBIs and seven strikeouts. The Yankees are built around the slugger and cannot function as an offense without him being his usual self. His October stats are not anywhere close to his regular-season stats, which is a massive problem for the $40 million man.

His defense has been solid all season. Nothing too spectacular but there also were not bone-headed mistakes like the one that changed Game 5. He took his eye off the ball, literally, and gave the Dodgers an extra out. The fifth inning snowballed away from them and changed the game. It was just one of the many issues this season, but one that needed to be fixed much earlier. Even Judge was not immune to the Yankees’ defensive issues.

The Yankees showed organizational failures on the biggest stage

The Yankees have been a poor defensive team all season long. From Gleyber Torres, DJ LaMahieu, pre-injury Anthony Rizzo, and Juan Soto, there have been issues in the field since March. Game 1 was just a glimpse, as a relay throw from Soto slipped under Torres’ glove and put the tying run on third. What happened on Wednesday was the entire world seeing what Yankee fans saw all year.

Boone has a weekly interview with Jomboy Media’s Talkin’ Yanks podcast. While the manager skirts around questions during the season, he often offers insight into decision-making and roster building. The hosts asked about moving Jazz Chisholm late in games, as he is new to third base, and were shut down. They mentioned stats proving that Torres is the worst defensive second baseman in the league and they were told that he was a fine second baseman.

Joe Girardi was let go because the players did not like him. Aaron Boone has remained the manager because the players like him. That much has been made clear through interviews and stories over the past decade. The organization has not prioritized developing prospects and fundamentals and it killed them in the biggest spot. While Brian Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner brought in Juan Soto and Gerrit Cole, there is not enough emphasis on fundamentals.

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