<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1HqC5o_0wNNcxGS00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1HqC5o_0wNNcxGS00" width="1280" height="948" ><figcaption>Gleyber Torres allowed a throw from right field to get away, allowing Shohei Ohtani to advance to third base in the eighth inning. That led to a game-tying sacrifice fly for the Dodgers, sending what turned out to be a Game 1 victory into extra innings. AP</figcaption></figure>LOS ANGELES — <a href="https://www.nj.com/yankees/">Yankees</a> fans can question manager Aaron Boone for summoning Nestor Cortes with Game 1 of the World Series hanging in the balance on Friday night until they’re blue in the face.They can get on Cortes for missing his spot down and in on a first-pitch fastball to Freddie Freeman with two outs and the bases loaded.That was the pitch Freeman pounded into the right-field seats for a <a href="https://www.nj.com/yankees/2024/10/yankees-had-game-1-almost-in-bag-then-nestor-cortes-blew-it-serving-up-walk-off-grand-slam-in-return.html">walk-off grand slam</a>, the first of its kind in World Series history.The reality is that Cortes wouldn’t have been in that spot — trying to preserve a one-run lead in the 10th inning with the bases juiced — if the Yankees didn’t give the Dodgers 90 feet for free on three separate occasions.Each time, the Dodgers made them pay.You can’t expect to get away with those types of mistakes against a team of this caliber on this stage.A mishap from Gleyber Torres and Juan Soto in the eight was the most egregious of the bunch. It led directly to the Dodgers tying the score, subsequently sending the game to extras.Shohei Ohtani had ripped a line drive off the top of the wall in right-center against Yankees reliever Tommy Kahnle with nobody on and one man out. When Soto fielded and fired back toward the second base bag — after taking a few extra shuffles on the warning track — Torres tried to pick the short-hop on his backhand side. Ohtani was already sliding into second base safely. The ball bounced off Torres’ glove and trickled toward the mound on the infield grass, allowing Ohtani to scamper ahead to third base.Closer Luke Weaver was then summoned from the Yankees bullpen and he did his job, getting Mookie Betts and Freeman out to end the inning. But with Ohtani on third instead of second, Betts’ line drive to deep center was a game-tying sacrifice fly.“Difficult bounce,” Torres said in front of his locker after the 6-3 loss. “I just tried to get over to the cut off and we realized the ball went back to Soto really quick. Tried to get back to the base and make a tag.”<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Shohei Ohtani hits one off the wall for his first World Series hit 💪 <a href="https://t.co/gpIjAnVa9x">pic.twitter.com/gpIjAnVa9x</a>— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLBONFOX/status/1850005292244672948?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 26, 2024</a><input type="image" src="empty.gif" style="opacity:0" onerror="s=document.createElement(&quot;script&quot;);s.src=&quot;https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js&quot;;document.body.appendChild(s);"></blockquote>Replays show Torres briefly spectating on the play, standing still on the outfield grass as Ohtani’s fly ball soars toward the fence.It’s a challenging split-second decision for the second baseman in that he’s responsible for being the second cutoff man behind shortstop Anthony Volpe if the play took longer to develop. If the ball got away from Soto and Ohtani had a chance to stretch it to a triple the old-fashioned way, Torres would’ve joined Volpe deeper on the outfield grass, a second target for a longer relay. Since Soto, who was charged with an error on the play, got to it so quickly, Torres didn’t get back in time, creating a tougher scoop.Then again, since the ball was blasted to right-center by Ohtani, it’s possible that Volpe made the error of not covering second when Torres was supposed to be the cutoff man.Another player caught flat-footed was first baseman Anthony Rizzo. He stayed over by first rather than running toward second.“That’s probably one of the toughest plays you can make,” Volpe said of the short-hop to Torres. “Long in-between hop, so you gotta stay by the bag and try and make the tag.”Again, Ohtani was going to be safe either way. It’s almost as if Soto was waiting to throw for those extra few seconds since nobody was initially covering second. Once he did uncork a throw in that direction, Torres needed to either attack it and catch it on the fly, retreat to create an easier hop or smother it, making sure it stayed in front of him. As routine as those picks can be for an infielder, sweeping at it on the backhand side comes with that risk.“Once there’s no play,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said, “you can really retreat and give ground and get a long hop, but he still got to a short hop. You’ve just got to secure it there.”Torres added: “I have to [make] the adjustment. If I get another opportunity, try to block the ball, keep it in front and make it more simple.”Defensive blunders have been a recurring issue for Torres over the years. This season, he made six more errors (18) than any other player at second base. He leads all of Major League Baseball in errors at the position since his rookie season in 2018 with 62.In fairness, Torres was playing better defense toward the end of the regular season. His last error was on September 9. This is the type of play that can wipe that progress away, though. He’s been having a resurgent stretch with his consistent contributions offensively, one last hurrah before entering free agency this winter. That key play was a reminder of why so many Yankees fans gave up on him, in some cases several years ago.Torres was pulled for a pinch runner after he doubled to left-center in the following half inning, a fan interference call on what was nearly a go-ahead solo shot. That led to utility man Oswaldo Cabrera entering on defense at second in the bottom of the ninth.In the 10th, after reliever Jake Cousins walked Gavin Lux with one out, Tommy Edman grounded a ball up the middle to Cabrera’s right. He had it within reach, lunging forward into a dive, but couldn’t corral it. When the dust settled, everybody was safeThat’s no gimmie for Cabrera, but it’s a play he’s capable of making and it loomed large, giving the Dodgers one more out to work with as they set the table for Freeman’s grand slam.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Another look at Oswaldo Cabrera, who replaced Gleyber Torres in the 9th when Torres was pinch hit for, trying to make that play. <a href="https://t.co/Ms2Stq7OCM">pic.twitter.com/Ms2Stq7OCM</a>— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLBONFOX/status/1850018307648229610?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 26, 2024</a><input type="image" src="empty.gif" style="opacity:0" onerror="s=document.createElement(&quot;script&quot;);s.src=&quot;https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js&quot;;document.body.appendChild(s);"></blockquote>The Dodgers’ first run of the game came with an assist from a Yankee defender as well.Facing Gerrit Cole in the fifth, Kiké Hernández was able to leg out a triple on a line drive into the right-field corner. Soto tried to cut off with a running catch, but he was nowhere near making the grab, forced to circle back on it after it rolled to the wall.Had Soto taken a smarter route to it, playing the extra-base hit off the fence, he could’ve held Hernández to a double. It created the same consequences as the Torres-Ohtani play. Will Smith flew out to right field in the following at-bat, a sacrifice fly.The Yankees did make some stellar plays on defense in the loss. Alex Verdugo tumbled into the first row of the seats down the left-field line, getting Ohtani out in the 10th. He made a sliding catch in shallow left to end the bottom of the ninth. Jazz Chisholm Jr. saved a run with a smooth pick at third when the infield was in during the sixth, saving a run with Edman on third. Rizzo did his best Willie Mays impersonation on a popup into shallow right, hauling it in over his shoulder with his back to the infield.Still, they need to be mistake-free and take care of the fundamentals if they want to be the last team standing when this series comes to a close next week.Max Goodman may be reached at <a href="mailto:mgoodman@njadvancemedia.com">mgoodman@njadvancemedia.com</a>.</div></body>

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How Yankees helped Dodgers win World Series opener with costly defensive miscues

LOS ANGELES — Yankees fans can question manager Aaron Boone for summoning Nestor Cortes with Game 1 of the World Series hanging in the balance on Friday night until they’re blue in the face. They can get on Cortes for missing his spot down and in on a...

How Yankees helped Dodgers win World Series opener with costly defensive miscues

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