When Giancarlo Stanton mashed an opposite-field home run on Wednesday night, the New York Yankees reached the high of a lifetime. Leading 5-0 with no outs in the third inning of World Series Game 5, they thought they were on the verge of making MLB history.
Six innings later, the Yankees had indeed made MLB history. But it was in the furthest fashion from which they were expecting. New York self-imploded at a never-before-seen level before falling 7-6 and sending their season to an abrupt finish line.
Just how unprecedented was the Yankees' collapse? Well, prior to that fateful night, what they did sat alongside a five-homer game and back-to-back-to-back no-hitters: purely mystical. According to Opta STATS, no team had ever coughed up a contest the way New York gave away Game 5.
The Yankees are the only MLB team to:
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) October 31, 2024
blow a 5+ run lead
allow 5+ unearned runs
commit 3+ errors
commit catcher's interference
commit a balk
...all in the same game, regular season or postseason (since earned runs became an official stat in both leagues in 1913).
The awful evening left a sour taste in many Yankees fans mouths, but others weren't shy in expressing joy over New York's disappointing end.
Yankees devastating collapse pic.twitter.com/FOM9EQfBqK
— Chris Anderson (@toomuchanderson) October 31, 2024
As devastating and improbable as the harrowing finish was, even the most hardcore Yankees fans can't be completely shocked it happened. And, based on the Dodgers' own analysis, they weren't surprised, either.
Los Angeles knew New York struggled to play fundamentally-sound baseball
The Yankees hit more home runs (nine) and boasted a higher batting average (.212) than the Dodgers (seven; .206) in this series. But they scored one fewer run (24) than their former neighbors (25), and lost four times as many games.
Why? Because there's more to baseball than hitting. According to Baseball Savant, the Dodgers were the top offensive and best defensive baserunning team in the 2024 postseason. The Yankees? They ranked dead last in both metrics.
In the World Series, Los Angeles crushed New York on the basepaths and in the field. And they expected to. According to the New York Post's Joel Sherman, the Dodgers knew applying pressure to the Yankees defense would make them crack.
"What the Dodgers told their players in scouting meetings was the Yankees were talent over fundamentals. That if you run the bases with purpose and aggression, the Yankees will self-inflict harm... the value was very high to put the ball in play to make the Yankees execute... they said their metrics had the Yankees as the worst positioned outfield. They were amazed how many times relay throws came skittering through the infield with no one taking charge and how often Jazz Chisholm Jr., for example, was out of place or just standing still when a play was in action."Joel Sherman
Sherman also reported Los Angeles was not phased by New York's baserunning in the slightest. In fact, they believed the Yankees' approach would actually help them play better defense.
"[The Dodgers] mentioned that the Yankees were not just the majors’ worst baserunning team by every metric, but the difference was vast on the field between them and the Padres, who the Dodgers beat in the NL Division Series, but were impressive in this area... they were thrilled at how short Yankee leads were at first base to potentially be less of a threat on pivots at second, where Gavin Lux does not excel. "Joel Sherman
New York was able to beat Kansas City and Cleveland on talent alone. But when they matched up with an equally-substantial foe, the team with more matter prevailed. But the Dodgers haven't always fielded that roster.
Over the past few years, Los Angeles learned flashiness, without grit, can only take you so far. The callouses they formed allowed them to get over the hump this season. If the Yankees are to do the same with this core, they must follow a similar script.