In many ways, Aaron Judge‘s defense in center field was a microcosm of Wednesday night’s Game 5 of the World Series between the Yankees and Dodgers.
When the center fielder made a jumping catch into the left-center field wall to rob Freddie Freeman of extra bases in the fourth inning, the Yankees were cruising with a flight to Los Angeles very much in reach. However, when he dropped a routine fly ball in the top of the fifth, it catapulted the Yankees into an epic collapse that cost them their chance to keep their season going.
With Gerrit Cole cruising through the Dodgers with the weight of the Yankees season riding on his shoulders and a seemingly comfortable 5-0 lead, Tommy Edman lined one into center field after Kike Hernandez’s leadoff single. Judge got there with plenty of time and even was camped under it, however, he dropped the ball.
That set up first and second with nobody out and was the first step in the Dodgers stunning five-run inning to tie the game. Yankee Stadium quickly went from the rowdiest it’s been all postseason to severely on edge before watching their season come to a close with the Dodgers celebrating on their field.
Judge didn’t grade out particularly well in center field during the regular season as he was in the 12th percentile in outs above average, however, an error of that caliber was incredibly uncharacteristic for the captain. He has made just one error since 2020 and 0 career errors in center field in 225 career games at the position.
The 32-year-old moved to center field full-time after the addition of Juan Soto in the offseason as the Bombers were not comfortable with either of the two playing left field at the stadium.
The Yankees missed a massive opportunity to keep their season going and put pressure on the Dodgers who would become the first team to allow Game 6 in a World Series after going up 3-0 and their sloppy brand of baseball is what ultimately led to their demise.
