Two former Yankees who were on the left side of the infield when the team celebrated their last World Series title couldn’t believe the fifth-inning disaster that ultimately ended the season for the 2024 Bombers.
Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez, now members of the FOX Sports TV crew, were on the field after the game to react to the two errors by Aaron Judge and Anthony Volpe, respectively, and the mental gaffe by Gerrit Cole to not cover first on a cue-shot grounder by Mookie Betts. The result was a 5-0 lead turning into a tie game, and eventually a 7-6 loss highlighted by one of the most disastrous defensive innings in World Series history.
“I don't know if I've ever quite seen an inning like this, especially in a World Series or postseason game,” Jeter said on the broadcast. “The Yankees made some mistakes. You cannot make mistakes against a team like the Dodgers. In that particular inning, they gave them six outs.
“You just cannot make that many mistakes.”
For Rodriguez, his assessment was even more blunt, as he, like countless others watching and the nearly 50,000 in attendance, couldn’t believe the unraveling that took place when the Yanks seemed to be in cruise control towards Los Angeles and a game six.
“This is one of the greatest meltdowns that I've ever seen in 40 years,” Rodriguez said.