Game 5 of the World Series has been quite a roller coaster for Aaron Judge. The Yankees slugger finally broke out of his postseason slump with a huge home run, but his night took a drastic turn for the worse with a costly error that sparked a Dodgers rally.
Judge, who had been struggling to find his rhythm at the plate, connected on a massive 415-foot blast in the second inning. The two-run homer gave the Yankees an early lead and sent the crowd at Yankee Stadium into a frenzy.
However, Judge’s excitement was short-lived. In the top of the fifth, he mishandled a line drive in right field, allowing the Dodgers to score two runs and take a 4-3 lead. The error proved to be a turning point in the game, as the Dodgers went on to tack on two more runs and take a commanding lead.
“It was a tough play,” Judge said in a post-game interview. “I should have made that catch. It’s on me. I’ve got to do better than that.”
Despite Judge’s efforts at the plate, the Yankees were unable to overcome the deficit. The team fell 6-4 to the Dodgers, and now finds themselves on the brink of elimination.
Judge’s performance was symbolic of the Yankees’ season as a whole. The team has struggled to find consistency and has been plagued by costly errors and mental mistakes. As they head into Game 6, the pressure will be on the Yankees to put it all together and force a deciding Game 7.
“It’s a do-or-die situation now,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “We’ve got to come out and play a clean game. We’ve got to be sharp on defense and timely with our hitting. We’ve got to leave it all on the field.”