It was a Hollywood party in the South Bronx after the Yankees choked away a five-run lead in the World Series-deciding Game 5.
During the postgame celebrations, Dodgers owner Ervin “Magic” Johnson told MLB Network’s Harold Reynolds his reaction to Aaron Judge’s dropped fly ball in the fifth inning was “Thank God.”
“[The Yankees] had this stadium rocking,” the Lakers legend said while celebrating the Dodgers’ 7-6 win postgame. “And once that happened, all the momentum switched.”
Judge made a critical error when dropped a lazy fly ball hit right at him as the Yankee captain took his eye off the ball in the fifth inning with the team ahead, 5-0.
The eventual game-tying rally suddenly had legs.
Anthony Volpe followed with an error to load the bases with no outs, taking a ground ball by Dodgers catcher Will Smith and bouncing his throw Jazz Chisholm on a force play at third base.
Starting pitcher Gerrit Cole also didn’t cover first base on a play that would’ve gotten him out of the inning.
Follow The Post’s coverage of the Yankees in the postseason:
- Yankees’ season ends in heartbreak as they choke away Game 5 of World Series
- Aaron Judge’s crucial mistake erased breakout World Series moment
- Yankees’ Austin Wells hit with catcher’s interference call in brutal World Series moment
- Juan Soto’s season ends with million-dollar questions with Yankees future now murky
The comedy of errors essentially gave the Dodgers six outs in the inning, helping Los Angeles score five runs to tie the game, in a collapse of epic proportions.
“This changed the game for us,” Johnson said, while Reynolds replied, “No doubt.”
“Now here we come, scoring five runs, and then I thought we had a shot because the stadium got quiet and we got wrapped up and was high-fiving. We got emotional now and that’s what really helped us,” Johnson concluded.
Johnson also added that he was prepared to have the jet fueled up to go back home and play Game 6 in Los Angeles, as the Yankees seemed on its way to grabbing its second series win.
Instead, they will only need to head back to Hollywood for a victory parade while the Yankees search for answers.
The Yankees have loads of questions to answer ahead of the offseason, while most of the Dodgers team remains under contract for the 2025 season.
