The Yankees’ self-inflicted gaffes in the World Series had a devastating domino effect

Despite all the hype surrounding the first Yankees-Dodgers World Series since 1981, Game 1 delivered an instant classic — or, depending on your point of view, epic punch to the gut.

Nestor Cortes, who had not played on the field since September 18, was one step away from defending.

Instead, on his second pitch of the night, he left a fastball in Freddie Freeman’s bread basket and allowed the injured first baseman to make Dodgers history with a grand slam in the 10th round after Friday’s 6-3 victory over Chavez Ravine.

For one game, there’s a lot to unpack. Here’s the summary:

— Aaron Boone may never have had to make a decision between Cortes and Tim Hill if his club had done a better job of not giving the Dodgers an extra 30 yards multiple times.

It’s happened far too often this season, and now it’s magnified on the biggest stage, where the Yankees did it twice before getting there in the 10th inning.

In the fifth inning, Kiké Hernandez sent a fly ball into right field that Juan Soto had to run very far before.

Instead of pulling up and going for the double, Soto pressed the gas and still couldn’t reach it, but he couldn’t stop himself quickly enough as the ball bounced past him, allowing Hernandez to reach the triple.

Then in the eighth inning, Shohei Ohtani hit a double off the right-field wall against Tommy Kahnle.

Soto fielded the ball and with one jump he threw a throw to second base, which Gleyber Torres tried to return with his backhand, only for the ball to bounce off his glove towards the moundwhich allowed Ohtani to finish third.

In both cases, the Dodgers cashed in on the sacrifice.

In the 10th minute, Oswaldo Cabrera (who came on to second base in the ninth after Jasson Dominguez made a run to Torres in the top of the inning) was unable to make a jumper on Tommy Edman’s ground ball to center.

However, the two earlier mistakes could have been more easily prevented.

And at this time of year, when every game is tighter, the little things add up.

— Would Boone have had to choose between Cortes and Hill on Ten if he had given Gerrit Cole a longer leash?

Yankees ace he mostly went six innings of one run before Teoscar Hernandez singled him out and took him to the seventh after trailing 0-2 and then fighting for full time.

Boone then elected to go to the bullpen for Clay Holmes to face Max Muncy.

But Cole had managed to strike early, when Edman hit a double and Cole retired Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freeman in a row.

And Hernandez was just the fourth base runner he allowed all night.

“I thought he was taxed a little bit there,” Boone said. “The last probably 20, 30 pitches, I thought he was grinding a little bit.”

Perhaps, although in seventh gear Cole was still hurtling along at 98 miles per hour.

Holmes and Kahnle eventually came out of the seventh period with a 2-1 lead, but the decision had a domino effect.

Holmes, Kahnle and Luke Weaver combined for nine outs to get through the ninth inning, which meant Jake Cousins ​​had to start the bottom of the 10th inning trying to maintain a 3-2 lead.

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— Maybe Boone won’t have to choose between Cortes and Hill if Aaron Judge has made his mark.

It appears his game will continue to surprise him in big moments in October, but after going 1-of-5 with three on Friday, he’s 6-of-36 with 16 in the postseason.

The likely AL MVP can still change the narrative in one big swing.

He almost had his moment in Game 3 of the ALCS when hit the game-ending home runonly for the Yankees to ultimately lose that game.

But they did I need him to rise to the occasion again soon.

— OK, now for the Cortes-Hill decision:

Hill was the Yankees’ most valuable player in the ALCS, recording strong outs in all five games.

Both he and Cortes were warming up as Cousins ​​started the 10th and started two players, with one out as the lineup turned around.

Ohtani was the first problem to solve.

For his career, he scored 2-of-12 points against Cortes and 1-of-4 against Hill.

Betts was better against Hill (2-for-5) than Cortes (0-for-5).

Freeman was 1-for-3 with Cortes and 3-for-7 with Hill.

But again, Cortes didn’t show up for over a month.

And after Ohtani got within one pitch thanks to a great catch by Alex Verdugo while knocking down the half-wall in left field and then intentionally walked Betts, Cortes threw a fastball in the wrong spot and paid for it.

— If you’re looking for positives, here are two:

The Yankees saw five Dodger relievers, almost all of them with their high-leverage weapons.

The more they see them – with a bullpen scheduled for Game 3 or 4 – the more it should work in their favor.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. played his best game in the playoffs.

In addition to Betts’ power pick on a hard-hit grounder by Betts in the fifth inning, which helped Cole get out of a jam, he singled and stole two bases in the top of the 10th inning, which put him in position to score the winning run.

The Yankees need more of that from Chisholm, not swinging for the fences.

Quick Hits:

— Kahnle has now made 56 changes in a row. He has to throw a fastball at some point…right?

— Things I didn’t expect to see in the World Series: Anthony Volpe intentionally walked no less than the sixth inning.

— Three of the Yankees’ last four games have gone to extra innings. Gray hair for everyone.