All in With John Jastremski

A Loss That Will Live Forever In Yankee Infamy…

A week has passed since Game 5 of the World Series at Yankee Stadium and I’m not afraid to admit, I’m still not over it. 

I’ve been in a fog for days. Imagine a week long hangover, except it’s constantly reliving the highest of highs and then ultimately the lowest of all lows as a Yankees fan. 

Through the first 4 games of the World Series, there was no question that the Yankees were being slightly outplayed. 

The team yucked up Game 1 of the World Series due to sloppy defense – which will be a theme of this particular column – and a grotesque managerial decision by Aaron Boone deciding to go to Nestor Cortes over Tim Hill with the game on the line in extra innings. 

Game 2 and 3 proceeded to be Dodger victories and when the Yankees fall behind in the series 3-0, it’s hard to imagine a world where you can be hurt again. 

Well, we are living in that reality. 

Why? The Yankees won Game 4 in convincing fashion. 

The bottom of the lineup came to life, Anthony Volpe hit a grand slam sending Yankee Stadium into a frenzy and the stage was set for Game 5.

Gerrit Cole on the mound and the hope and goal was to get the series back to California to put all of the pressure in the world imaginable on the Dodgers. 

The vibes in Yankee Stadium could not have been more upbeat and optimistic. 

The crowd pregame was singing along to the classic Ain’t No Mountain High Enough by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell and that mountain didn’t feel so high after the first inning. 

The stadium was in a frenzy after back to back home runs by Aaron Judge and Jazz Chisholm and with Mr. Judge finally showing signs of life, the belief was growing. 

Aaron Judge is hitting, Gerrit Cole is dealing and with a 5-0 lead in the 5th inning, it felt like a trip to Los Angeles for Game 6 was a formality. 

Until of course… It wasn’t. 

The 5th inning of Game 5 of the World Series is an inning that I will never forget.  The Yankees flushed a 5 run lead down the drain in the blink of an eye. 

Three mind numbing errors that you will never forget.  First, it was the captain Aaron Judge dropping a fly ball in center field.  Second, it was Anthony Volpe spiking a throw at the feet of Jazz Chisholm at third base. 

Last but not least, with two outs in the inning with the Yankees on the verge of escaping the jam, Gerrit Cole inexplicably doesn’t cover first on a ground ball to first.

The minute you witnessed the non cover, you just knew the worst was about to happen in Yankee land. 

Sure enough, Freddie Freeman roped a single, Teoscar Hernandez roped a double and the 5-0 Yankees lead turned into a 5-5 tie. 

The feeling of hope turned into a feeling of stunned disbelief. How in the world did that just happen? 

Cruise Control turned into a 7 car pile up on the Deegan.  Naturally, there would be one more cruel twist on this horrific evening. 

The Yankees would regain the lead heading into the Top of the 8th inning and of course would find a way to yuck it up. 

The trip to California cancelled and a party on the Yankee Stadium diamond featuring the Los Angeles Dodgers was a cruel twist. 

Sadly, if you watched the 2024 Yankees all season, you knew fundamentals on the base paths and defensively left a lot to be desired. 

The 5th inning symbolized that sloppiness in the most painful way imaginable. 

A week has passed since the Yankees were eliminated in the World Series. 

It’s a loss that will live with me and a whole lot of Yankees fans forever. 

It’s the worst loss I’ve ever experienced in person for one of my teams. 

When will you get over the loss? For me, whenever the team wins World Series # 28. 

Until then, a long winter awaits….